Print Edition for Thursday, March 19, 2015

n o T re d ame and s ain T m ary’s

notre dame alumni clubs honor hesburgh

Across the country, alumni hold memorial services and dedicate Masses to Fr. Ted

By RACHEL O’GRADY news writer

o ver the past several weeks, notre dame alumni clubs throughout the united states hosted memorial services honoring the late university p resident e meritus Fr. Theodore hesburgh.

“ we are blessed to have the largest base of alumni in the country, and since not all of them could make it back to campus for the funeral and tribute, we thought it important to do something in the city,” l auren mc c allick, club manager of the notre dame c lub of c hicago and 2011 graduate, said.

The c hicago club held a memorial service march 11 at old s aint patrick’s c hurch, where 2002 master of a rts graduate Fr. Thomas hurley is a pastor.

“mass really was a celebration of Fr. Ted’s life,” mc c allick said. “There were a few tears during the ceremony, particularly when the musicians played ‘a n i rish blessing’ and then the a lma mater after c ommunion, but it really was more of a celebration of Fr. Ted.”

o ver 80 alumni were in attendance, many volunteering to read or present gifts.

Fr. g ene smith gave a homily

see clubs PaGE 4

saint mary’s selects 2015 valedictorian

By HALEIGH EHMSEN

s aint

mary’s e ditor

s enior s arah m iller has been named the valedictorian of the s aint m ary’s c ollege class of 2015.

m iller, a music major and dance minor, is originally from c armel, i ndiana. m iller has been involved on campus as a member of the smc d ance Team and has performed in the c ollege’s choir, musicals and operas throughout her undergraduate years.

u pon finding out she had received the title of valedictorian, m iller said she was

pleasantly surprised, according to a c ollege press release.

“[ i ] feel so honored to

represent women that i have learned so much from throughout my four years at s aint m ary’s c ollege,” m iller said.

The idea of writing a speech for graduation is both exciting and daunting, m iller said.

“ i am planning to discuss my personal experience at s aint m ary’s and the values of sisterhood and independence that i have gained here,” she said.

m iller said she believes her most important moments at

s aint m ary’s stem from her experience as a music major.

“ m y immersive experiences on stage have been the most influential,” she said.

“ i have learned so much about my voice and myself through the hours that i have spent alone in a practice room as well as onstage in opera rehearsal.”

u nder the direction of music professor l aurel Thomas, who became m iller’s “mentor, teacher and inspiration,”

Musical groups tour over break

By KAYLA MULLEN

a ssociate news e ditor

members of the g lee c lub and women’s l iturgical c hoir ( wlc ) spent their spring breaks on tour, sharing their repertoires with audiences across the country.

The women’s l iturgical c hoir toured for five days, visiting dallas, s an a ntonio and austin, Texas, sophomore and choir secretary a lyssa mcbride said.

“ w ith the exception of our last stop in s an a ntonio, the

choristers stayed with various host families from the nd dallas and austin a lumni c lubs,” mcbride said.

“it was absolutely wonderful; each of the families that i interacted with were so generous.”

The wlc sang at a variety of masses but also held concerts at other locations, s aint mary’s junior l ibby wright, vice president of the choir, said.

“ we sing a variety of pieces

see choirs PaGE 5

Show explores gender issues

By EMILY McCONVILLE a ssociate news e ditor

l oyal d aughters and s ons ( lds ), an annual student performance of stories about gender issues, sexuality, relationships and religion at notre d ame, will begin Thursday in the hesburgh l ibrary.

The production, sponsored by the g ender studies p rogram, features skits and monologues based on anonymous interviews with students. The performance is meant to tell those students’ stories, many of which involve sexual assault or discrimination based on sexual identity, co-producer and senior monica d aegele said.

“ we all know the statistics about how many people report [sexual assault],” d aegele said. “ we all know the statistics about how many people suffer from discrimination

see lds PaGE 4

631-4541 mgreen8@nd.edu wlin4@nd.edu, lsteven1@nd.edu Business

Question of the Day:

Where did you go for spring break?

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Policies

Shannon Chiao sophomore cavanaugh hall

“went to m iami with friends.”

Lauren Schimdt freshman welsh Family hall

“went home to train for my internship this summer.”

Laura Luchini sophomore breens-phillips hall “mexico.”

Morgan Dunn freshman lyons hall

“went home to Ft. l auderdale.”

Mackenzie Smith sophomore lewis hall

“went to mexico with my mom.”

Maggie Blaha sophomore breens-phillips hall

“p uerto r ico.”

Sporting a helmet sticker in honor of Univeristy President Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, junior outfielder Kyle Richardson takes some practice swings in the on-deck circle. The Irish went on to beat Central Michigan, 8-3.

Today’s Staff

News

Corrections

The observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. we do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. i f we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.

5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Open to students, faculty and staff.

“Loyal Daughters and Sons” Hesburgh Library 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. Student-produced production.

Men’s Tennis Eck Tennis Pavillion

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The Irish take on Virginia.

Graduate Student Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Worship service.

Women’s Lacrosse Arlotta Stadium 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. The Irish take on Ohio State.

Saturday Vigil Mass Basilica of the Sacred Heart 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Worship service.

p.m. - 2 p.m. The Irish take on Georgia Tech.

Film: “Selma” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Film about 1965 Civil Rights March. Monday

“Can Liberty be Conserved?” Geddes Hall

3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Lecture.

Gender Relations Center Alumni Panel Geddes Hall

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Discussion celebrating the GRC’s 10th anniversary.

Student captures the ‘united faces of Emily’

By CLARE KOSSLER news writer

Junior Kay Xu is on a mission to track down each of the 98 emilys on notre dame’s campus and take a photograph of each woman.

shooting her subjects smiling, talking, scowling and laughing, Xu said she is trying to capture what makes the emilys of notre dame similar and what makes them unique.

“i think it’s really interesting; it’s really kind of weird,” she said. “many times, in photography, people want to see weird things.”

Xu said her project — which she calls the “united Faces of emily” — began as an assignment for a photography class.

The original directive, she said, was to photograph three people who were related in some way.

a fter discovering two other people on campus had the same full name as her former roommate, junior emily morgan, Xu said she decided their shared name would be the focus of her project. she said the motivation behind this decision was her belief that when two people have the same name, there exists a special

connection between them.

“sometimes you hear someone has the same name as yours, and you feel like she’s your sister or she’s your family, though you don’t know her,” Xu said.

w hen she was unable to contact one of the three emily morgans, she expanded her attention to include all of the emilys on campus.

Xu said through meeting and taking pictures of notre dame’s emilys, she hopes to explore the impact of a person’s name on her identity.

“w hat does a name mean?” she asked. “if your name is emily, what does it mean to you? w hat does it make different? w hen you are meeting other emilys, what kind of feelings do you have?”

practically speaking, Xu said she hopes to photograph at least half of the almost 100 emilys on campus during wednesday afternoon photo sessions in riley hall of a rt and design.

“it’s kind of awkward,” she said. “i really haven’t done something like staying in a room with strangers for two hours, one hour, even 20 minutes. That’s hard for me. but i just get more and more comfortable with the talking and

shooting process.”

morgan said Xu infuses the project with energy and creativity.

“she gets really excited when shooting, and talks and talks and talks with the emilys. i’ve gone to multiple shoots to just sit and talk too,” morgan said. “There’s a lot of laughter.

“it’s a bold step for someone in her position to take. she isn’t even a design major but still took this

photography class solely based on interest,” she said.

Xu hopes to display the portraits she has captured of the individual emilys for the campus community along with a final composite photograph fused together from the individual shots in an exhibit at the end of the semester, she said.

“photography — there’s something technical about it, how

you make photos really pretty,” Xu said. “but the other side is the humanities, philosophy — the social side. Through these, i don’t want to just take photos of people. i want to make those photos mean something to them and to me and probably to the rest of the world.”

Contact Clare Kossler at ckossler@nd.edu

senate approves nominations for sub, ccc

By MEGAN VALLEY news writer

at wednesday evening’s student senate meeting, the members voted on several items, including nominations for the 2015-2016 executive director of the student union board (sub), the 2015-2016 club coordination council (ccc) president and an amendment to the constitution of the undergraduate student body, as well as nominations for the irish clover award and the Frank o’malley

undergraduate Teaching award.

Junior scott copeland, the current executive director of sub, nominated sophomore louis bertolotti as his replacement. copeland said he gives bertolotti his full endorsement.

“louis’s dedication and enthusiasm for the student union will aid him greatly in leading sub and representing the group throughout campus,” he said.

bertolotti’s nomination was approved.

senior James mcentee

presented his nomination for junior marisa Thompson to replace him as ccc president for the 2015-2016 school year. mcentee said Thompson’s service as the division chair for the performing arts division convinced him of her ability.

“marisa has been a great leader on the club coordination council as the performing arts division chair, and i fully expect her to continue to do great things as the leader of the organization as a whole,” he said.

paid a dverT isemen T

The irish clover award is given to two individuals (students, faculty, staff or administrators) who have demonstrated exemplary service to the student union.

senators voted on three nominees, awarding it to seniors hermona abera and Katherine wood.

copeland nominated abera, saying she was the quintessential sub member.

“she always brings intensely positive energy and is immensely dedicated to sub,” he said. “hermona absolutely embodies

the spirit of notre dame, and her dedication to the student union goes above and beyond the call of duty.”

student body president lauren vidal nominated wood, saying she had been an outstanding member of the student union for the course of the last three years.

“it’s hard to count how many nights she has stayed with us in the office until the early morning hours to help our team through even the most difficult projects,” she said.

The senators then voted on the Frank o’malley undergraduate Teaching award, which is given to an outstanding member of the notre dame faculty. chris stevens, professor of management, won the award.

Junior nathan rowicki, who nominated stevens, said stevens is unparalleled as a teacher.

“every class with chris empowered us and built us up,” he said. “he challenged us to become more caring individuals and he encouraged us when we achieved success.”

after the voting, there was an open discussion regarding the fate of newspaper subscriptions on campus.

senior michael wajda, hall presidents council co-chair, also presented resolution ss1415-15 to amend the constitution of the undergraduate student body. The amendment proposed the removal of apostrophes in “hall president’s council” throughout the document.

Contact Megan Valley at mvalley@nd.edu

m iller said she flourished at s aint m ary’s.

a ccording to a c ollege press release, Thomas said m iller is a determined individual with great dedication to the arts.

“ s arah has the personal

strength, the patience to continually work toward her goals, the passion for music and learning that is vital to a life in the arts,” Thomas said.

Following graduation, m iller said she plans to attend graduate school for vocal performance and is currently in the process of auditioning.

“This is an extremely long

and difficult process,” she said. “ i ’m crossing my fingers that i will get into a school next year, but many singers have to wait a couple years to let their voices mature. m any opera singers go to graduate school in their mid-to-late 20s.”

Contact Haleigh Ehmsen at hehsemse01@saintmarys.edu

because of their sexual orientation. o ur main goal is to give the student body the ability to really pay tribute to those experiences and to understand their impact.”

The theme of this year’s performance, sponsored by the g ender s tudies program, is “ v ictim: s urvivor,” which coproducer and senior m ichael nolan said reflects an ongoing process of healing.

“ we want to highlight the path someone might take to leave identifying themselves as a victim and move on to identifying themselves in a more powerful way, as a survivor,” he said.

The performances depict a variety of scenarios and viewpoints, senior and lds director Zachary wendeln said.

“it’s an attempt to balance perspectives,” he said. “ we’re not getting the same perspectives or the same issue repeated. There’s one monologue given by a priest about his take on sexuality and his understanding of it.”

p reparations for lds began last semester, when d aegele and nolan conducted interviews and gathered written submissions of students’ stories and thoughts. o ver winter break, they put together the material for the show, and they and wendeln held auditions rehearsals in January and February.

w hile each skit or monologue is based on true stories, the way the interviews are incorporated into the production depends on the nature of the interview and the theme of the lds production. n olan said this year’s production includes stories performed in previous years, as well as 10 new stories based on interview material from this year and past years.

d aegele said some stories are based on a single interview. o ther stories combine several interviews, or a single interview could be the basis for several stories.

The interviews are often a “cathartic process” for the interviewees, d aegele said.

“ we had a series of questions that we can ask them, so some individuals want to go through the questions and answer the questions, and for others, they’ll just talk,” she said. “it’s definitely just a way to talk about their experience

in a safe environment with a third party with anonymity and confidentiality. it’s extremely helpful and cathartic for those individuals.”

d aegele said the point of the production is “to raise awareness and to witness the experience of the individual.”

“it’s a profound tool for empathy,” she said.

The show’s actors as well as the audience are encouraged to understand and empathize with the stories shared, wendeln said.

“o ne thing that i ’ve stressed with the actors is that it’s not actors or acting, so much as immersing yourself into these experiences and treating them with the respect and dignity and truth which they deserve and from which they come,” wendeln said. “it’s all coming from a place of truth and reality.”

s ophomore v ictoria velasquez said she got involved in lds this year after participating in s how s ome s kin, a monologue show about differing identities.

“i ’m really passionate about gender issues, so when i saw information about lds , i thought it was the perfect way to apply what i ’d learned in s how s ome s kin and do the same thing as i had done in s how s ome s kin, but strictly related to gender issues,” she said.

velasquez said she auditioned for the production with “Touchdown Jesus,” an lds monologue about a student who was raped by a football player.

“Just hearing that made me very emotional, knowing that someone you could be sitting next to in the dining hall has gone through such a horrible experience,” she said.

For this year’s show, velasquez will give a different monologue, which she said she believes is a wordfor-word submission, though because the source material is confidential, she can’t be certain.

s he said working with student actors and producers has been encouraging.

“i ’m really passionate about talking about inequality amongst genders, but there are a lot of things i see on campus with my friend groups that i just ignore because it’s just the norm here,” velasquez said. “i feel personally there’s not much i can ever do to change the gender relations on campus, but i

think it’s great that there’s a group of people that’s willing to put in so much time and effort into bringing awareness to these issues.”

nolan said the show provides a safe space to talk about gender issues, relationships and sexuality.

“a lot of people go through issues like these at notre d ame end up hating notre d ame, or feel they don’t belong because the institution hurt them in such a bad way,” nolan said “... This show tells them that there are people here who listen to you, who empathize with you, who feel the same things you feel. it’s okay, it’s a place for your story to be, and it will be heard.”

The performance will take place in the c arey a uditorium of the hesburgh l ibrary at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and s aturday. Tickets are $3 for notre d ame, s aint m ary’s and holy c ross students and $5 for non-students.

Contact Emily McConville at emcconv1@nd.edu

sharing a letter he received from hesburgh about being a priest, mc c allick said.

“i wasn’t close to Fr. Ted, but i did have the honor of getting to meet him my senior year,” she said. “a few of us in the c enter for s ocial c oncerns’ d iscernment s eminar got to meet him during our spring s emester. he blessed all of us in his office and took pictures with us in front of his magnificent view of campus.”

From 200 to 250 alumni attended a memorial service at the basilica of the national shrine of the i mmaculate c onception, notre dame c lub of washington, d c . vice president and 2004 graduate brian adams said.

“(The) mood was sad yet

celebratory,” he said.

The notre dame c lub of l ong island did not host an event but cancelled its usual meeting the night of the funeral and wake, allowing members to pay their respects and watch the live stream, club treasurer and 2001 graduate John pennacchio said.

“here on l ong island, we were saddened by the news, but we feel the e-mail communications by the university were timely, respectful, and poignant,” pennacchio said.

The club still hopes to recognize hesburgh on a smaller scale at its upcoming universal notre dame c elebration, where it will observe a moment of silence to honor him.

Contact Rachel O’Grady at rogrady@nd.edu

ranging from renaissance polyphony and music from the 17th through the 21st century, including the highest quality of music called chant,” wright said.

“ we sang at three different masses and had two concerts. They included music from wolfgang a madeus mozart to more traditional music composed by John rutter.

“a ll of our masses and concerts concluded with the a lma mater, notre dame o ur mother.”

The women’s l iturgical c hoir goes on one national tour every year, mcbride said.

“it provides the nd wlc the opportunity to share our gifts with communities across the country,” mcbride said.

“ we share the word of g od through song each weekend at the v igil mass at the basilica of s acred heart, but we wish to expand our influence beyond the immediate notre dame community as well.

“The power of music is truly dynamic; it brings people together and provides them a unique way to nurture their faith,” she said. “s econdly, our tour is a bonding experience for the members of our choir.”

The g lee c lub began its tour in c rystal l ake, i llinois and then traveled throughout c alifornia, sophomore daniel pedroza, a member of the g lee c lub, said. The c lub sang a

two-part concert at venues in o range c ounty, l os a ngeles, c amarillo, napa, danville, s an Francisco and oakland, pedroza said.

‘The first part is a bit more classical,” he said. “ we sing pieces from the renaissance period and a few gregorian chants in l atin.

“Then we have a few international pieces, which we will sing over a grand tour of europe we will be doing this summer.

“The second half includes some spirituals, barbershop and a few brand new folk songs arranged for us and commissioned by the d ebartolo performing a rts c enter.”

The g lee c lub was also able to participate in activities other than singing, pedroza

paid a dverT isemen T

said.

“personally, my favorite part, apart from singing at some amazing sites like the c athedral in oakland, was exploring s an Francisco via a 20mile bike ride that myself and a few other of the guys did. i had never been before and i can say that i was extremely moved by getting to ride over the g olden g ate bridge.”

pedroza said the g lee c lub tours every spring and fall break and will sing 15 concerts in 8 countries in europe this summer.

The g lee c lub will hold its annual spring c oncert on Friday, march 20 at d ebartolo performing a rts c enter.

Contact Kayla Mullen at kmullen2@nd.edu

a mid scandal, fraternities come under scrutiny

Associated Press

racist chants. nude photos of unconscious women. a criminal investigation into hazing. Fraternities around the country seem to be coming under fire as never before over behavior that would shock the frat boys of “a nimal house.”

despite a major national push to reduce drinking and sexual assault on campus and increase diversity, some fraternity chapters have failed to clean up their acts. universities and the fraternities’ national offices are quickly punishing the offenders amid more promises of reform.

some critics blame popular culture, saying it’s making fraternities essentially ungovernable.

“There’s this underlying acceptance that boys will be boys, this is fraternity life and this is what you have to accept when you walk through the doors of a fraternity,” ellen Kramer, legal director of the pennsylvania coalition against domestic violence, said wednesday.

defenders of fraternities say they do a lot of good work on campus and the focus on their misconduct is misguided.

bad behavior inside the walls of a frat house — or on campus generally — is nothing new, of course. a lcohol, immaturity and freedom from parents have been a potentially troublesome combination for generations of undergrads.

but the incidents at the university of oklahoma and penn state, in particular, have stunned many and happened despite heavy scrutiny of misconduct at colleges.

at penn state, police are investigating allegations members of Kappa delta rho used a private Facebook page to post photos of nude and partly nude women, some apparently asleep or passed out. a former member told police the invitation-only page was used to share photos of “unsuspecting victims, drug sales and hazing,” according to court documents.

The Facebook posts were “very sad and very offensive,” penn state president eric barron said wednesday, adding that students could be expelled. referring to penn state’s fraternity system, barron added: “it’s just unfortunately a large system with some very fine young men and some men who are not doing smart things.”

The page came to light monday, nearly a week after a university of oklahoma fraternity was shut down when members were caught on video singing a racist song. The university expelled two students identified as ringleaders. sigma a lpha epsilon disbanded its ou chapter and announced wednesday it will

require all its members nationwide to go through diversity training.

“we are focused on trying to determine the root of this song or this chant, where it came from, that’s our primary focus,” said blaine ayers, executive director of sae, adding he was disgusted and embarrassed by the video. at the university of houston officials promised expulsion and criminal charges pending the outcome of a police investigation into hazing allegations. The sigma chi chapter and five members were suspended over what university president renu Khator described as disturbing allegations affecting “the health and safety of our students.”

a lso this week, sigma a lpha mu said its chapter at the university of michigan will be disbanded after some of its members helped trash two ski resorts during an alcohol-fueled weekend, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

w hy do the problems persist?

“That’s a legitimate question,” said peter smithhisler, president of the north-a merican interfraternity conference. “my response is that when fraternities are made aware of behaviors inconsistent with their policies or values, they are swift to action, and individual chapters are held accountable when appropriate.” he added: “a nd that is a meaningful part of the fraternity experience.”

smithhisler’s group has created three commissions to study hazing, drinking and sexual assault and come up with recommendations for fraternities. The study groups have yet to complete their work.

some colleges have gone to extremes to address the problems. colby and bowdoin colleges in maine banned fraternities in the 1980s and ‘90s. last fall, wesleyan university in connecticut ordered fraternities to go coed within three years. dartmouth college in new hampshire, which helped inspire “a nimal house,” recently banned hard liquor and is overhauling its housing system.

a llison Tombros Korman, executive director of culture of respect, a group formed in october to prevent sexual assaults, said fraternities and universities can drastically reduce problems by targeting campus “social influencers” — fraternity presidents, athletes and other campus leaders — who set the tone for their organizations.

“i don’t think it’s an impossible task at all. i don’t want to sell young people short. i think they are capable of making good choices and moving away from these types of behaviors,” she said.

insidE coLumn

PSA about the word “retard”

Christine Mayuga sports writer

everything in my life has been defined by my older brother’s condition: where we live, the foods we eat, the church service we attend and the places we go for vacation. as far back as i can remember, our world has revolved around what works best for him.

why does my brother havr so much control over me? he has autism and i don’t.

i’m the lucky one. at the time, the odds of having a second autistic child were 25 percent. after i was born, i had big shoes to fill. most people live their entire lives searching for a purpose, but mine was there for me on the day i was born.

spread the word to end the word is a campaign to end the derogatory use of the word “retard.” worldwide, the kickoff for the campaign was the first wednesday of march, but with university president emeritus Fr. Theodore hesburgh’s passing, it was postponed on notre dame’s campus. as my brother’s protector and a voice for the underrepresented population of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, i would like to bring awareness to this campaign by making a public service announcement about the offensive uses of the word “retard.”

“retard” originated as a medical term used to describe individuals of below-average intelligence. Too many times in pop culture, social media and casual conversation, the word is used as an insult towards people without the medical condition. imagine how it would feel if society started using your name or some other characteristic about you as a word synonymous to “stupid” and “unable.”

i’ll never forget the day my brother came home crying because some kids in his middle school mocked his movie trivia knowledge, called him a “retard” and slammed his locker in his face. he had never been self-conscious about having autism until that day. i was appalled at how his peers could use a medical condition that was no fault of my brother’s to disrespect him so. calling my brother a “retard” implied he was worthless and incapable, when in reality he is anything but.

my brother is a second-year graphic design major at george mason university who currently holds a better gpa than i do. before that, he graduated with honors from high school and community college. he can create a masterpiece painting or an incredibly intricate cartoon on a computer. my brother also has an impressive memory. he is a calendar savant, which means he is able to name the day of the week of any date you give him whether it be future or past. above all, he is kind, goodhearted and loving. These are all qualities that calling him a “retard” doesn’t show. i want my brother, as well as all others like him, to embrace their talents and quirks. in order to make this happen, we must promote a more accepting attitude in our community.

i always correct my friends if they say casual phrases like “that’s retarded” or “you’re a retard,” and undoubtedly, it’s not easy to stand up like this. my interruption is sometimes followed up by an awkward silence or an excuse that falls along the lines of “i didn’t mean to offend you.” it’s not a matter of offending me or my brother personally; rather, it pertains to promoting a new r-word: respect.

so i ask students to put more thought into the things they say. even a casual use of the “r-word” is contributing to the marginalization of amazing individuals like my brother. please join the movement in creating a more inclusive, welcoming and respectful environment.

Contact Christine Mayuga at cmayuga@nd.edu

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

no stalemate to be had

loretta lynch, currently the united states attorney for the eastern district of new york, was nominated by president barack obama to serve as united states attorney general on nov. 8, 2014. at the start, lynch was well-respected and well-liked by senators from both parties, and it appeared her confirmation would be quick and largely bipartisan. “republicans warm to loretta lynch – her charm offensive is working,” a poliTico headline read.

lynch’s confirmation prospects seem much more gloomy today. you read that correctly: lynch has still not been confirmed — or rejected, for that matter — more than four months since her nomination. she only passed confirmation by the senate Judiciary committee three weeks ago, with support of three republicans –orrin hatch of utah, Jeff Flake of a rizona and lindsey graham of south carolina. The reason she’s waiting for a full confirmation vote? politics, of course, but not for reasons i agree with.

The current u s attorney general is eric holder, a close personal friend of obama’s. as a cabinet member, he gained the ire of republicans more than any other member of the obama administration with the possible exceptions of Kathleen sibelius (former secretary of health and human services who was in charge of implementing the a ffordable care act, also known as “obamacare”) and obama himself. he found himself in hot water in 2011 for the failed sting known as “operation Fast and Furious.” w hile it sounds as if it were an installment of the popular movie franchise, this operation was intended to be a firearms smuggling sting but failed and allowed more than 2,000 firearms to fall into the hands of mexican drug cartels. in senate and house hearings, holder has been rude to members of congress and dodged their questions and found himself in contempt of congress in 2012. it may go without saying, but i personally am not a fan of holder.

a ll this goes to say i am surprised senate republicans are holding up lynch’s confirmation vote. holder made an agreement with obama that he would continue to serve as attorney general until a replacement was confirmed. yes, one of the most objectionable cabinet holders is continuing to serve in his post. lynch, who

was very cordial during the senate Judiciary committee hearings and has appeared likable and unafraid of disagreeing with obama, is still waiting to assume the post. senator John cornyn of Texas jokingly asked lynch during her committee hearing, “you’re not eric holder, are you?” lynch chuckled and replied, “no i’m not, sir” (which you can find here on vine). lynch asked the senator to take note of “the independence that i’ve always brought to every particular matter,” and she said that when merited, she would say no to obama, according to the associated press.

The delay comes down to senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, whom i have long admired for his conflict resolution skills in a divided congress, using the confirmation as a bargaining chip to pass a human trafficking bill and raise objections to obama’s executive actions on immigration. mcconnell vowed to change how the senate works and to bring back credence to the moniker of the world’s greatest deliberative body. he certainly has, holding more votes in the senate in January than past majority leader harry reid did all of last year. yet mcconnell still seems not immune to the delays of bargaining. he has said he will not allow a confirmation vote on the senate floor until the human sex trafficking victim aid bill passes. This week, it failed to meet the 60-vote threshold needed for passage when only four democrats joined republicans in supporting it.

Two things need to happen: democrats need to vote for the bill’s passage, as all democratic members of the Judiciary committee already did, and mcconnell should bring lynch’s confirmation vote to the floor regardless of the outcome of this bill. The two should be interpreted as separate issues for the simple fact that they are separate issues. if this happens, both parties get to boast about taking action against human trafficking, obama gets his nomination confirmed and holder is finally shown the door. For once in politics, all the players can win. a mid a new season of “house of cards,” it would be nice if the a merican people saw congress as more than a machiavellian game where everyone only ever loses.

Kyle Palmer is an Alumni Hall junior majoring in accountancy. He welcomes reasonable debate on all his opinions and can be reached at kpalmer6@nd.edu

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

Scott Boyle

sincere s eeker

The parish i serve exposes me to a variety of age ranges, and i am fortunate to interact with many different families.

m y ministry at the high school, however, serves a much smaller demographic, which, save for faculty, staff and administration, comprises more than 1,000 teenagers.

i n each of these places, however, there is tremendous diversity in age, opinion and way of life. s ome days, i wonder how anything gets done since the melting pot of diversity does not always lead to a beauty-laden “stew of life.”

d espite these differences, each community comes together in different ways. a t the parish, for example, men and women, young and old, sinners and saints among them, show up to the s t. v incent de p aul Food p antry to serve the poor on s aturdays.

a t the high school, the students who might be labeled as “bad,” the kids who drink, have had sex or doubt their faith still raise money on behalf of the poor. They go on mission trips to serve and walk with the less fortunate.

These students serve alongside those who frequently receive most of our attention, the ones who we might praise, the ones who are always serving and taking care of others. These are the students who we think might never have dreamed about touching a beverage or another person, those who pray rosaries every night before they go to bed.

b ut some days, those “saints” might actually look more like sinners. a nd the ones who are

LEttErs to thE Editor

Never forsaken

“bad,” the ones who we might want to simply label as “sinners,” might actually be trying really hard to behave much more like saints.

l abeling someone misses the deeper and more beautiful part of the story, though. s aints aren’t people who never sin, and sinners aren’t people who can never be saints.

Fortunately, there is a person who reminds us of this fact. a t the doors of the high school where i work, there is a sign that reads, “ b e it known to all who enter here that c hrist is the reason for this school. h e is the unseen but ever present teacher in its classes. h e is the model of its faculty and the inspiration of its students.”

c hrist is the reason why we teach, instruct and inspire. w hat we proclaim, however, trumps all human distinctions and categories. w hat we preach is simple: n o matter our past, c hrist always offers us the same chance to be children of g od. The question, then, is simple — will we accept? a nd here’s the really crazy part; There is no condition on this offer. g od can still do great things with us, no matter the degree of our sin or sanctity. Take s t. p eter — he denied Jesus three times. yet Jesus still made p eter the “rock” on which the c hurch was built. b ut it was a difficult journey.

c s l ewis, in his masterful work, “The s crewtape l etters,” put this truth in the words of a master devil seeking to teach his apprentice devil, wormwood:

“ d o not be deceived, wormwood. o ur cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our e nemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of h im seems to have vanished and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”

i don’t blame s t. p eter. The traces of the c hrist

that p eter knew, the c hrist that made blind men see and the lame walk, seemed to have been forsaken right before his eyes. The chant of “c rucify him, crucify him!” was deafening. p eter saw his master whipped and beaten. i n the midst of the anger and deafening roars of the crowds, he lost sight of the good c hrist had done.

o ur present time is really not that different. we too lose sight of c hrist’s traces.

b ut it is precisely in those moments we are called make a commitment, to journey forward to obey c hrist’s invitation, even when we might not know the way.

we must obey like c hrist who, in the midst of utter evil and despair, still followed his Father’s will, showing love and mercy to those who would kill him.

we must obey like p eter who, in the midst of an uncertain future, still obeyed c hrist’s command to bring his message to the world, even as he faced his own death at the hands of those who hated him.

n o matter the degree to which the traces of c hrist might seem absent or darkened, we must help one another remember that no degree of sanctity or sinfulness can darken c hrist’s light. e ven when we feel forsaken, c hrist’s light can still shine through our eyes and hearts if we work together to bring it into the world.

Scott Boyle graduated in 2012 with a degree in theology and a minor in medieval studies. He currently lives and works as a campus and youth minister in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as a member of Notre Dame’s Echo Program

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

a ll pain, no gain: the true price of a class ring

a s a student at the university of notre d ame, we leave here with many great memories and mementos by the time we graduate. a mong these, the class ring is one of the most visible and well known. s tudents are allowed to purchase a class ring upon entering their junior year and completing 60 credit hours. That moment when one places that order for their class ring is a truly exciting one. however, as with most great things in life, this occasion comes at a price. The price is between $1063-$2698 for the guys and $690-$1365 for the girls.

The prices mentioned above are for the gold rings, and are almost to be expected due to the expensive

nature of gold. yet, there is one caveat here most people do not pay attention to. The current prices for our class rings were set in January 2013. a t the time, the price of gold was skyrocketing, and it was fair for the university to raise prices for class rings in order to avoid losing money. Fast forward to today and the whole situation has changed.

The current price of gold is now approximately $1155 per ounce compared to $1657.50 per ounce back in January 2013. That’s an approximately 30 percent difference in price that was not passed on to us students as savings. e ven if one accounts for the 3.6 percent wage inflation since 2013, we’re still

losing out on 26 percent at least. o ne should not forfeit this everlasting memento for money, but it would be nice if the university did not overcharge us for a change.

b ottom line: These rings should cost between $777-$1974 for the guys and $505-$999 for the girls if the university were to pass along its savings on gold to students.

Albert He senior off-campus m arch 17

International Day of Happiness

r obert l ouis s tevenson said, “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.” The united n ations recognized happiness as a fundamental human right in 2012, establishing the annual i nternational d ay of h appiness on m arch 20. a cknowledging “the importance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world,” the u n . called upon members to celebrate “through education and public awareness-raising activities.” a nd so we will celebrate this day at n otre d ame as well.

This Friday, the m c d onald c enter for s tudent well- b eing encourages you to consider happiness your duty and a factor that contributes to your overall well-being. a n explosion of books in the last few years from the field of positive psychology offer guides for the healthy pursuit of genuine happiness, reinforcing the u n .’s declaration of its fundamental nature.

e vents scheduled on campus to promote this journey include; gathering for a “ h appy” photo with free T-shirts by r ockne m emorial at 12:30 p.m., getting silly with laughter yoga at 3:30 p.m.

and watching the award-winning documentary “ h appy” with ice cream sundaes at 9 p.m. Take time out of your busy schedule Friday to resolve to be happier, put a smile on your face and keep that resolution. h appiness is best experienced in connection with others, so we hope to see you at one of these events.

Mara Trionfero assessment counselor m c d onald c enter for s tudent well- b eing m arch 18

By ERIN McAULIFFE

s cene e ditor

i f you watch your friends mechanically fill out brackets and long for a more intellectually and creatively stimulating tournament than televised sports games, head over to the snite museum of a rt tonight.

The c reative writing p rogram, the d epartment of e nglish and spoken word nd will host the third annual w ham! bam! poetry slam! tonight in conjunction the snite museum of a rt as part of the Third Thursdays series.

notre dame and st. mary's c ollege students, as well

as s outh b end community members, applied starting Feb. 23 for a chance to compete in the event, which will consist of three rounds. e ach round will eliminate competitors until the winner is declared from the finalists in round three.

The original poems will address poverty, violence, racism, substance abuse and economic exploitation, among other issues.

p rops and memorization aids are prohibited, as slam poets rely on their bodies, voices and words in delivering their poems' messages. a form that took off in the 1980s, slam poetry often incorporates dance, song or beatboxing in its performance.

however, poets are not the only active event participants in a poetry slam. audience participation is inherent to any slam — feedback will be encouraged and judges will be randomly selected from the audience.

w hether you’re a diehard poet or “d ead poets s ociety” fan (or both), this is an opportunity to snap your approval for art.

There will be a reception in the snite starting at 5 p.m., and the poetry slam will take place from 5:30 p.m until 7:30 p.m. admission is free.

Contact Erin McAuliffe at emcaulif@nd.edu

dad-wear

For spring break, i took the long and winding road to disney world in order to fulfill my lifelong dream of meeting e lsa. w hile waiting in multi-hour lines to do so (or anything else in the park for that matter), i had the opportunity to observe theme park fanatics in their natural habitat. a mong the thousands of people engrossed in their i phones walking past me were a number of bold, daring, fashion-conscious individuals who changed the way i look at theme park clothing. here are the best clothing articles they wore, so that you too can embrace the best theme park fashion has to offer:

c argo shorts

Foregoing style and dignity in favor of utility and the friend zone, cargo shorts are a must-have item for disney world attendees who simply cannot have enough pockets. wearers of cargo shirts can often be seen wearing T-shirts with sarcastic messages on them so everyone can know how witty they are. i f you’re worried about looking like every other clueless tourist in khaki cargo shorts, that’s okay because cargo shorts come in a large variety of styles to encompass a large number of personalities. For instance, if you want everyone to know you’ve "prestiged" in call of d uty twice this week, then camouflage cargo shorts are the way to go. i f you truly don’t care about style whatsoever and maybe even hate yourself a little bit, then cargo jorts are probably perfect for you. a nd even if you’re a college republican and cargo shorts are not frat enough for you, this classic leg-wear comes in nantucket red so everyone can know you come from the e ast coast.

From super bowl commercials to Kanye west, dads are trending everywhere right now, and disney world is no exception. a lthough a mainstay of vacation culture since the dawn of time, dads are still the coolest guys in the park with their timeless, carefully planned style. dads in disney theme parks are prepared for any situation, rocking the classic baseball cap for protection from the Florida sun’s glaring rays, sunglasses for extra sunlight protection and a college t-shirt so they can connect with the kids. dads are huge fans of running shoes as well, because they will most likely speed walk a half-marathon through the park before the day is done. dads can also be seen with a theme park map in one hand, a cell phone with fast pass times in the other and a massive backpack on their back, filled to the brim with water bottles, sunscreen and other important resources. as prepared as the dads of disney are, they forego the utility of cargo shorts in favor of light, faded dad jeans. don’t be alarmed though; These jeans have the important purpose of being a warning, much like the hourglass on a black widow, so you know to stay out of their way as they try to make it to every ride, autograph signing and photo opportunity humanly possible before their kids pass out from exhaustion at 3 p.m.

matching Family t-shirts

This style is perfect for when everyone wants to dress just like dad. The T-shirts, much like the faded dad jeans, are often brightly colored so you know to avoid these families from far away. a nd much like the cargo shorts, these shirts can work for a huge variety of purposes, including family reunions, family vacations, family getaways and family trips. From the moms who only need 50 more family photos for their Facebook to the toddlers who just want to ride “it’s a small world” one more time, the matching tees show pride and unity in a way that

your bored teenage son can’t.

honorable mentions

pepper spray man: nobody knows how you got past security and into epcot with that can of pepper spray clipped onto your belt, but we’re all glad you did. embracing your inner dwight schrute and your fear of people cutting in line, your style showed a determination to protect park-goers from the worst disney has to offer. a true a merican hero.

The one little girl dressed as elsa: given the popularity of the movie “Frozen” and the recent announcement of a sequel, i was shocked to see only one girl in all of the theme parks dressed as the heroine of the film. maybe the kids just want to stick to the classics, or they’ve already moved on to the inflatable robot baymax from “big hero 6,” but i’m proud of this one girl for rocking the style of the coolest character of 2013.

matching sororities: This is basically the same style as the matching families mentioned above, but for a more basic demographic. sorority sisters can be seen in their pastel, frocketed T-shirts instagramming photos with their letters in front of cinderella’s castle, sipping $15 margaritas in the mexican section of epcot and throwing up into the epcot lagoon after the fireworks show. emo kids: bringing back a style that i thought had expired with my chemical romance, the emo kids of disney world can be found just about anywhere there’s a charging station and some shade in the theme park, beyond ready to go home. proudly displaying black fingernail polish, black clothing and a black heart, the emo kids of disney world will do whatever they can to avoid embarrassing family photos.

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

Contact Jimmy Kemper at jkemper2@nd.edu

By ALLIE TOLLAKSEN

s enior s cene

w hen netflix announced that Tina Fey would cowrite and produce a new original series, “30 rock” fans rejoiced, and when it turned out that the title character would be played by comedian ellie Kemper of “The office” and “bridesmaids” fame, the excitement only grew.

The final result is “The unbreakable Kimmy schmidt,” a show that takes Fey’s ability to pack in jokes and Kemper’s insanely high energy and turns them up to 100.

The series follows the story of Kimmy (Kemper), a woman just freed from a cult after being kidnapped by a reverend and forced to live in an underground bunker in indiana for 15 years. Though the story sounds dark — and it objectively is — the show is anything but. instead, “unbreakable” is a silly, bubbly comedy about Kimmy’s life in new york as she finds freedom for the first time.

a s of march 6, all 13 episodes of the show’s first season have been available to stream on netflix, allowing viewers to take in 13 doses of fast-paced, chaotic Kimmy in one bender if they so please.

it’s worth thinking twice before binge-watching “unbreakable,” however. a s the show develops, Kimmy moves into an apartment, gets a job and roommate, falls into a love triangle, is revisited by her past and ultimately returns to indiana to testify against her kidnapper. in only 13 episodes, the season is a whirlwind, and while its overarching plot doesn’t necessarily confuse, it certainly exhausts if taken in in one sitting.

The arc of the show’s first season and many of its dizzying subplots may be a little overstuffed, but another reason to slow down and take in “unbreakable” one step at a time is its episodic comedy. w hile Kimmy’s storyline begs for some cutbacks, the show’s key players still make each individual episode worth watching.

First, Kemper does an impressive job and shows herself off as both a talented actress and a brilliant physical comedian. This is made even more impressive when considering how, in many ways, Kimmy is a difficult character to play. The writing over the course of the season paints her as both an incredibly naïve woman-child (she was a teenager when she was taken to the bunker, and there are ongoing jokes about Kimmy’s innocence and total cluelessness about contemporary culture) and a seen-it-all veteran (after all, she survived 15 years in a bunker with the reverend, two other teenage girls and a spanish-speaking maid who refused to learn english).

These two identities that make up Kimmy aren’t mutually exclusive, but the writing often makes her character feel more contradictory than complex. Kemper’s girlish naiveté often feels too cliché, like when we see her dreaming of herself as a princess with a handsome prince coming to her rescue. The princess motif is repeated in a few episodes, and while its easy to convey innocence and idealism by making a grown woman into a princess, the theme hardly fits with Kimmy’s more empowered side.

still, Kemper shines in the role on an episodic level as she sings the intro to “yo! mT v raps” and spews dated slang. she plays clueless but confident well, and makes

even the potentially unfunny, darker moments of the show — like the flashbacks to her time in the bunker — laughable. best of all, Kemper takes the role of Kimmy and, instead of playing her as pure saccharine (though admittedly the show does get too sweet at times), allows Kimmy to be weird. Kemper is just crazy enough to get out of “13 going on 30” territory most times, which keeps the show moving.

Kemper is also helped out by a great cast, including Tituss burgess as Titus, Kimmy’s roommate, and the wonderful carol Kane as l illian, their landlady. Titus and l illian are consistently entertaining, whether interacting with Kimmy or involved in their own subplots, and their relationship is downright perfect. Jane Krakowski also shines as the super-rich Jacqueline. The role of out-of-touch, slightly pathetic narcissist may be familiar to any “30 rock" fan, but Krakowski plays it so well, Jacqueline doesn’t feel stale.

a fter one season, “The unbreakable Kimmy schmidt” still has a lot of work to do. mostly, it needs to find a balance. Just as Kimmy seems to vacillate between two different characters, the show as a whole struggles to mix its super-sweet sincerity with "edgy” jokes that induce as many cringes as laughs.

a second season is in the works, and it’ll be interesting to see where “Kimmy schmidt” goes. hopefully, Kemper and the rest of the cast will have more of an opportunity to entertain as their characters establish themselves and Kimmy gets settled in the city.

Contact Allie Tollaksen at atollaks@nd.edu

WeekenD eVenTS CALenDAR

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Whem! Bam! Poetry slam!

The snite museum of a rt, along with the creative writing program, the department of english and spoken word nd, is hosting the third annual poetry slam. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and includes a reception from 5 - 7:30 p.m. entry is free, and the slam takes place at the snite museum of a rt.

a fricana Film series: “selma”

The department of a fricana studies is screening the 2014 film “selma” Friday and saturday. nominated for an academy award, the film follows martin luther King Jr. through the fight for voting rights in 1965. Ticket prices range from $4 to $7, and the film will play at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. in the debartolo performing a rts center.

Baseball vs. Louisville come out to support the irish baseball team in its game against l ouisville. enjoy the spring weather while cheering for notre dame as it takes on the cardinals. Tickets are $5 for general admission, $3 for youth/ senior and free for children under 3. The game begins at 2:05 p.m. at Frank eck stadium.

Women’s Basketball

Take a study break to come and watch the winners of the first round of the ncaa tournament face off at p urcell p avilion Tickets are being sold at und.com/buytickets or in person at the murnane Family a thletics Ticket o ffice, with prices ranging from $15 to $32. The game begins at 9 p.m.

Borland leads by example Mirotic, Dunleavy lead Bulls past Pacers

of course, just when you think a man can no longer surprise you, he does.

growing up the son of two w isconsin alums, badger athletics have always held a special place in my heart. That was why former san Francisco 49ers linebacker c hris borland’s early success never surprised me and why his decision to walk away from the game shouldn’t have either.

Finishing with 107 tackles, one sack and two interceptions while filling in for the injured patrick w illis, borland garnered a vote for defensive rookie of the year at season’s end despite only playing 12 games, 10 of them as a starter.

i loved borland going back to his college days in madison, w isconsin, where he earned first team a ll-a merican honors despite only standing 5-foot11. The guy’s instincts were incredible, and it seemed like every defensive play he ended up around the tackle, whether it was 30 yards downfield or 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. undersized, especially for a big Ten linebacker, borland relied on technique, hard work and those superior instincts to excel in college football and the n F l as well.

my favorite highlights of borland include him flipping over a pile to make a tackle in high school (search “c hris borland flying tackle”) and stuffing much larger ohio state running back carlos hyde twice on fourth-and-one plays (search “c hris borland oh wow”). The two videos epitomize borland and his game, and i always believed he was one of the most underrated defensive players in the country. They also represent why borland, at 24 years old, decided to retire from professional football.

i n an interview with outside the l ines, borland summed up the reasoning behind his decision.

“i just want to live a long, healthy life, and i don’t want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than i would otherwise,” he said.

a s borland revealed in his interview, this wasn’t a rushed decision: he hand-delivered a letter to his parents after one game early in the season telling them his career would be short-lived. he consulted numerous experts and studied the cases of m ike webster, dave duerson and ray e asterling, all former football players who were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy

(c T e ). Two of them, duerson and easterling, committed suicide by shooting themselves in the chest so their brains would be preserved for scientific research. webster, a former badger offensive lineman, must have occupied a special place in borland’s mind. still, borland was not even in his prime yet. he had the potential to become one of the top linebackers in the league and make millions of dollars. yet he realized it wasn’t worth it at the expense of his health, and so he walked away.

“i feel largely the same, as sharp as i’ve ever been,” borland said. “For me, it’s wanting to be proactive. i’m concerned that if you wait until you have symptoms, it’s too late.”

i nstantly, all the respect i had for this man increased exponentially. borland, with years of playing and millions of dollars left on the table, made one of the hardest decisions anyone ever has to: giving up on a childhood dream.

borland lived that dream for a while. he earned a scholarship to w isconsin, was able to get a degree because of football, earned roughly $1 million and was fortunate enough to play the game he loved.

people forget by the time a player steps on to an n F l field, he has already been tearing up his body for upwards of 10 years. borland was no different.

i don’t think i could have made that decision, even if i knew in my head it was the right one for me. it took guts, courage, research and support for borland to make his choice.

h is decision is already being hailed as a possible watershed moment in football history, one that may signal the beginning of the end. i doubt this is true, though it may leave a significant crack in the dam.

w hat borland’s choice does provide is an example of how to make a huge life decision, especially when not conforming to a common narrative. The overwhelmingly positive response to his actions reflects the respect everyone — from current and former n F l players to average fans — has for his decision, even if they do not always agree.

That should be the legacy attached to the name of c hris borland: hard worker, freak athlete, role model and extremely courageous man.

Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.eduThe views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Associated Press

chicago — rookie nikola

m irotic scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, m ike d unleavy added 21 points and pau g asol had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the short-handed c hicago bulls to a 103-86 victory over the i ndiana pacers on wednesday night.

m irotic, who played 31 minutes off the bench, entered averaging 20.3 points in nine games in march. h is previous best scoring month was the 9.9 points he averaged in d ecember.

The bulls (41-28) snapped a two-game losing streak despite playing without injured

starters d errick rose and Jimmy butler and key reserve Taj gibson.

s olomon h ill had 13 points to lead six players in double figures for i ndiana (30-37).

The teams split the season series 2-2. i n the first three meetings, the p acers held the bulls to an average of 88.7 points on 37.5 percent shooting. but the bulls broke through for 51 points in the first half wednesday, led by d unleavy’s 19 points on 5-for7 shooting on 3-pointers.

d unleavy had 10 points during a 14-2 run in the second quarter as the bulls turned a one-point advantage into a 47-35 lead with just under three minutes left in the

first half.

c hicago had a 51-41 halftime edge, and led 59-46 early in the third quarter before center Joakim noah picked up three fouls in 23 seconds (for four total) and headed to the bench for the rest of the quarter. That sparked a 9-0 run by i ndiana to close the gap to 59-55.

The pacers got as close as three points — last time being 69-66 with two minutes left — but the bulls ended the third with a 7-2 spurt for a 76-68 edge heading into the fourth.

c hicago opened the final quarter with a 6-2 spurt for an 82-70 lead and the closest i ndiana could get was six points, at 86-80.

Robert Morris gets balanced scoring to top N. Florida

Associated Press

day T on, o hio — e ven down by six points at half and by 14 early in the second half, r obert morris never forgot that the ncaa Tournament was supposed to be fun.

l ucky Jones scored 21 points, including a key free throw, r odney p ryor had 20 and m arcquise r eed 19 to lead the c olonials to an 81-77 victory over north Florida on wednesday night in the First Four.

“ we made sure coming into halftime that we remembered this is a blessing to be out here, to enjoy the moment,” p ryor said with a wide grin. “g uys had their heads down and things like that, but we reiterated going out and having fun and enjoying it.”

p art of the reason they had so much fun was a second half without a turnover, plus completely stifling the highscoring, perimeter-minded o spreys down the stretch.

“a t halftime we let (the players) be for about 5 or 6 minutes, and i think they figured it out,” said coach

a ndy Toole, avoiding a fireand-brimstone speech. “a s we came in as coaches in the locker room, you know they looked like they understood what they needed to do.”

The c olonials (20-14), who won the northeast c onference Tournament to get into the field as a 16 seed, now meet top-seeded d uke in the second round on Friday in c harlotte.

They failed to score for 4:31 of the first half, putting themselves in a hole. d own by 14 early in the second half after a pair of b eau b eech 3s, they turned the tables by shutting out north Florida for 4:44 to get back in the game.

“ we were in a drought, which is unlike us,” said coach m atthew d riscoll.

“g iving up 52 points in a half is unlike us, not close to what we’ve been doing. you’ve got to give r obert morris a ton of credit.”

w ith the teams tied, r eed

— a freshman — drove the lane and spun in a left-handed layup and was fouled with 3:49 left. he missed the free throw, but Jones was there to tip in the miss for a 70-66

lead.

p ryor then added a 15-foot jumper and Kavon s tewart hit a free throw to push the lead to seven with 2 minutes left.

The o spreys got within 7876 with 10 seconds left, but s tewart made two more foul shots. w ith the lead at three and less than a second left, Jones — the c olonials’ thirdleading scorer who comes off the bench — made a free throw to clinch it.

b eech finished with 28 points for the o spreys (2312), champs of the a tlantic s un Tournament who were making their first trip to the ncaa Tournament.

beau ’ s a beech : b eech more than doubled his 12.5 points a game average. b ut when it mattered the most — in the second half when the c olonials’ defense tightened — he didn’t have a field goal over the last 11:18.

“They kind of switched to a matchup zone, kind of a man-to-man,” said b eech, who was 6 of 10 on 3s. “it limited my 3-point attempts. b ut we had clean looks the whole second half. it was turnovers that killed us the most.”

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Saint Mary’s grabs first win, downs Linfield

By BRETT O’CONNELL sports writer

after a pair of losses to open the year, saint mary’s earned its first win of the season last wednesday at linfield in mcminnville, oregon, finishing a three-game road swing with a 16-6 win.

For the first 15 minutes of the game, belles sophomore goalkeeper shannon weyer kept things scoreless until saint mary’s (1-2) broke the stalemate when freshman attack abby Krauss scored her first collegiate goal to give her team a lead it would not relinquish.

The goal opened the floodgates for the belles offense, as eight and a half minutes later, the belles held a commanding 7-0 lead behind a hat trick from sophomore attack emilie vanneste. Krauss tallied once more while sophomore midfielder aubrey golembieski scored a pair in the run.

golembieski paced saint mary’s with six goals and an assist on the day, setting a new school record for goals in a contest. belles head coach amy long praised golembieski’s productivity and said she set the stage for similar showings throughout the season.

“[golembieski] was an impactful player in our offense throughout our games,” long said. “i expect for her success on offense to continue with the help of her teammates.”

The wildcats (0-5) got on the

board shortly after golembieski’s second goal, only to see the sophomore midfielder score twice more in response. with just 35 seconds left in the first half, golembieski tallied her only assist of the game when she lobbed a pass to junior attack maria roberts, who scored her first career goal to put the belles up 10-2 heading into the break.

golembieski scored twice more in the second half while three other belles tallied — including freshman midfielder mary grace heller, who became the third belle to nab her first collegiate goal — to help saint mary’s coast to a 10-goal victory.

long praised the team’s balanced scoring attack and responsible defense, expressing an expectation that the trend would continue in the coming weeks.

“we had seven different players score a goal during our first three games of the season, and i expect that number to increase during our games this week,” she said. “emilie vanneste scored seven goals during our trip. [Freshman midfielder] clare Theisen led the team in ground balls and draw controls, and our goalie, shannon weyer, was solid in goal throughout the week. we also have six players who earned at least one assist so far this season.”

long said the team’s trip to oregon boosted its morale and set the stage for further growth

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moving forward.

“earning the decisive win over linfield during our portland trip increased our confidence,” she said. “we were able to see the lessons we learned during the first two games of the trip set in and saw our team make the necessary adjustments to be successful. i expect the momentum from winning on the road for the first time to be significant for our team as we

gear up for our first home game of the season.”

That game will take place today, as the belles host defiance at 5 p.m. long said the team’s early non-conference schedule will go a long way towards preparing the belles for miaa conference play later this year.

“our remaining five non-conference games are crucial to our success as we get to our conference

games,” she said. “we will learn and improve each game and make the necessary adjustments to be as prepared for our conference games as we can be. we are playing the next five games to win and also treating them as learning experiences to help us prepare for our conference games.”

Contact Brett O’Connell at boconne1@nd.edu

Belles return to conference play

By DAISY COSTELLO sports writer

coming off a week-long training trip, saint mary’s prepares to take the court at home saturday against miaa foe alma.

The belles (5-6, 0-1 miaa) return to conference play against the scots (4-4, 0-1) knowing their conference matchups will prove to be tough challenges as the season progresses.

“Teams want to beat each other and there are rivalries [in the conference],” belles head coach dale campbell said. “you only get one chance with each team, so you have to be ready to play.” according to campbell, the belles had to overcome a few minor injuries and took a couple extra days after their 3-3 trip to Florida to condition and nurse some of those injuries. injuries and illness have allowed some younger players to play a key role for the belles in past matches, and campbell said he expects them to have an impact at alma. campbell hopes to see improvement from the belles’ doubles pairings as they return to

conference play this weekend. The pairings have changed quite a bit over the course of the season, and despite a composite 9-6 performance over break, campbell feels his team still needs to improve its play in the doubles game.

“The doubles energy has to continue to get better,” campbell said.

saint mary’s, a team with four freshmen on its roster, will square off against another young team in alma. campbell realizes that one obstacle the belles will have to overcome is the youth of the scots lineup.

“i think we match up really well, but [we] have not played all of their newer players,” said campbell. campbell said his team tried to get in better shape over the break.

“we took 2 days off following the trip to do some conditioning work, and are just trying to stay sharp in every aspect,” campbell said.

saint mary’s gets back underway in its quest for conference success saturday when it hosts alma at 1 p.m.

Contact Daisy Costello at mcostel4@nd.edu

Sizable Irish contingent to travel to NCAAs

Observer Staff Report

irish sophomore diver Joe coumous snatched a seventhplace finish in the 3-meter dive last weekend at the ncaa Zone c diving meet in columbus, ohio and secured a spot at the ncaa championships next weekend in iowa city, iowa.

coumous — who added a ninthplace finish in the 1-meter dive — was the only irish diver to finish in the top 10 in any event at the meet and will be eligible to compete in all three diving events when he reaches the national championships march 25.

he will be joined in iowa city by a trio of irish swimmers and two relay teams to give notre dame a solid contingent at the national championships.

notre dame’s 200-meter medley and 800-meter freestyle relay teams will make the trip to compete with college swimming’s elite while sophomore Tom anderson and seniors Zachary stephens and Jonathan williamson will head to

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the meet as individuals.

For the two seniors, it will be the last time they don the notre dame cap in the pool, as both of them make their third appearances at the ncaa championships. stephens will compete in the 200yard individual medley, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke. his best finish last year was in the 100 breast in 25th, but he has since dropped his time in the event by nearly a full second to reach 52.54 seconds, putting him in line to potentially better his finish at the national championships.

williamson will swim a pair of events: the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. he finished 24th in the 200 fly last year and dropped his time over the course of the year in both events.

anderson, the youngest of the bunch, qualified for a trio of events: the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke. w hile next weekend will not be anderson’s first trip to the national championships, it will be his first as an individual; he was

a relay-only swimmer last year.

The irish sent five divers to columbus last weekend but only saw coumous advance to the national championships next weekend. The irish had a strong 3-meter competition, as coumous’s irish teammates followed up his seventh-place finish with four more top-25 finishes. senior michael Kreft finished 16th in the event, freshman peter myers placed 17th, senior Ted wagner notched a 23rd place finish and sophomore James lichtenstein wrapped up the irish effort in 24th.

on the platform, notre dame had a less impressive performance; coumous led the pack in 14th while myers and lichtenstein also picked up top-20 finishes for the irish.

coumous got the irish back in the top 10 in the 1-meter as he finished ninth followed by Kreft’s 13th place finish.

notre dame’s contingent will head to iowa city, iowa next week for the ncaa championships, which begin wednesday.

belles off to strong start

Observer Staff Report

a five-day, 10-game trip to Florida last week yielded positive results for s aint m ary’s as the b elles head into their home opener s unday having won eight of 10 contests.

s aint m ary’s kicked off its season m arch 8 with a pair of shutout wins in c lermont, Florida, the team’s base for spring break. a n 8-0, 5-inning win over Juniata started the day off while the b elles capped off a successful day with a 7-0 win over Finlandia. a pair of s aint m ary’s pitchers — junior s arah b urke and freshman Jessica a lberts — combined for a no-hitter against Juniata (3-5), the program’s first since a 2009 no-hitter against g oshen. Freshmen m organ r aymer and m ary g reen combined for the shutout victory against Finlandia (4-16). m arch 9 brought more success for the b elles, as they recorded a pair of wins, defeating Thiel 7-2 and s tockton 6-3. The b elles trailed 2-0 through four innings but the b elles turned on the offense from there, scoring five in the top of the fifth and two in the top of the sixth to secure the win over the Tomcats (7-3). Junior catcher Jillian b usfield hit a three-run, game-winning home run for the b elles in the fifth and knocked in another insurance run in the sixth inning.

i n the second game of the day, s aint m ary’s used a

four-run second inning to grab its fourth win of the year. Freshman right fielder m akenzie d uncan’s threerun homer led the b elles offense as the o spreys (8-1) were unable to significantly close the gap the rest of the way.

The b elles finally tasted defeat m arch 10, though it took more than the standard seven innings for them to do so. b ethany jumped ahead 2-0 in the top of the first after a two-out error kept the inning alive, though the b elles did not trail for long. w ith two outs in the bottom of the first, b usfield hit another three-run home run, giving s aint m ary’s a 3-2 lead. The b ison (7-5) clawed back to 3-3 before scoring twice in each the sixth and seventh to hold a 7-3 lead heading to the bottom of the final frame.

b ehind some small ball, s aint m ary’s rallied to force extra innings with a fourrun bottom of the seventh.

h owever, it was not meant to be for the b elles, as a tworun eighth gave b ethany the edge t0 secure the 9-8 win in eight.

s aint m ary’s bounced back in its second game of the day though, defeating webster 10-5. The offensive output produced by the b elles against the g orloks (2-9) was the highest of the trip for s aint m ary’s.

m arch 11 saw another two-win day come together for s aint m ary’s as wins over r oger w illiams and

h eidelberg took the b elles to 7-1 on the young season. The b elles needed an extra frame to get by r oger w illiams (45) in the day’s early game but did it with little issue, taking down the h awks 6-2 in eight innings. b ehind small ball and a few errors committed by their opponent, s aint m ary’s plated five runs in the top of the eighth and held on for the four-run win.

The 5-1 win over h eidelberg (8-2) was a much more straightforward win for the b elles to cap the day. b urke pitched a complete game and allowed just an unearned run against the s tudent p rinces, who managed just six hits over the course of seven innings.

The b elles’ trip concluded with a split, falling to s tockton 4-1 in a rematch before defeating Transylvania 3-2 to end the trip on a high note. The b elles managed just two hits in the early game before rallying from a 2-1 deficit against the p ioneers (4-7) to bounce back with a win on the final day of the trip.

b urke’s era sits at 2.14 on the season, surrendering just 10 earned runs in 32 innings so far.

s aint m ary’s will welcome d ominican for its home opener s unday at 1 p.m. The s tars (9-3) will come in on the heels of a doubleheader with m ount m ary on s aturday but have momentum of their own, posting a 17-1 thrashing of a lfred s tate last time out.

dayton rallies for 56-55 win in First Four

Associated Press

day T on, o hio — Trailing most of the game, d ayton squeezed every last little bit out of its home-court advantage to get an ncaa Tournament win.

Kendall p ollard scored 17 points on wednesday night, and d ayton — cheered on by the deafening home crowd — went on a closing run for a 56-55 win over b oise s tate in the First Four.

The Flyers (26-8) will play sixth-seeded p rovidence on Friday in c olumbus, o hio. a nd they recognized that their 80-mile trip to the middle of the state had a lot to do with the place they were leaving.

“They were electrifying,” senior guard Jordan s ibert said of the crowd. “i don’t think we would have won that game without them.” it was the first time since 1987 that a school has played an ncaa Tournament game on its home court, an anomaly resulting from d ayton hosting the opening games.

The Flyers went 16-0 at home during the regular season and have won 22 straight at ud a rena, seventh-longest

active streak in d ivision i They needed a big finish to keep it going.

The Flyers trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and by seven with 3:43 to go. e ncouraged by the crowd of 12,592 — the largest for a First Four game — d ayton closed with a 10-2 run.

“it’s a great feeling to be in the tournament still,” s ibert said.

d errick m arks’ leaning 3-pointer at the buzzer was far off the mark, finishing it off. m arks had 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting.

The b roncos had already snapped s an d iego s tate’s 29-game home-court streak this season, and came up just short of another big road win. The b roncos missed seven of their last eight shots.

“They hit a few shots down the stretch that were backbreakers,” b oise s tate coach

l eon r ice said.

s ibert’s two free throws tied it at 53-53 with 1:02 left, and his long 3-pointer gave the Flyers a 56-55 lead with 34 seconds to go.

a fter montigo a lford missed a driving bank shot, p ollard got the rebound, was fouled and missed both free

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throws with 14 seconds left, giving the b roncos a final shot. m arks leaned into Kyle d avis to draw contact on the final attempt, which missed everything.

“i made a move and i missed the shot,” he said. “The ref didn’t call it.”

m arks, the mountain west p layer of the year, was coming off one of his worst shooting games during a 71-66 overtime loss to w yoming in the conference tournament. he kept the b roncos ahead most of the way.

m arks had a 3-pointer and a pair of driving layups during a 14-0 run that put b oise s tate ahead 29-17 late in the first half. w ith s ibert on the bench with three fouls, the Flyers couldn’t generate points.

The senior guard returned for the second half, and d ayton made seven of its first eight shots to take the lead. s coochie s mith’s backto-back 3s put the Flyers up 37-34.

The b roncos responded with a 13-1 run led by m arks. a lso, s ibert picked up his fourth foul during the spurt, allowing b oise s tate to stay ahead until the end.

WomEn’s sWimminG &

Trio to represent ND at NCAAs

By BEN PADANILAM sports writer

notre dame will have a trio of seniors representing the team at the ncaa championships, as swimmers e mma reaney and c ourtney w hyte and diver a llison casareto will comprise the i rish contingent in greensboro, north c arolina. both c asareto and reaney qualified for the meet outright, whereas w hyte was selected off the alternate list for the meet. reaney, in what will be her fourth consecutive appearance at the ncaa championships, will look to defend her national championship in the 200-yard breaststroke. reaney — the a merican record-holder in the event — will also compete in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. she qualified for these events after making the ‘a’ cut time at the acc championships a month ago. i rish head coach Tim welsh praised reaney’s preparation heading into the last meet of her collegiate career.

“e mma’s a rockstar,” welsh said. “she’s done a great job. she keeps focused and is very, very deliberate about how she prepares. she’s very energetic, and she’s been focused on this meet ever since last year.”

w hyte, on the other hand, met the ‘b’ cut mark in the 200-yard butterfly at the acc championships, which did not qualify her outright for the ncaa championships. she qualified for the national championships from the alternate list, and welsh said his senior is deserving of the spot amongst college swimming’s elite.

“she’s worked hard for this, and i’m very happy for her,” welsh said.

c asareto, the only i rish diver to qualify for the ncaa championships, won her bids through the ncaa Zone c meet, the regional qualifier that notre dame’s divers attended two weeks ago. i n what will be her first ncaa championships appearance, casareto will compete in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, and welsh said he is very impressed with the progress she has made over her career to get to this point.

“a llison has been trying to [qualify for the ncaa championships] for four years, and now she’s made it to this meet in her last year,” welsh said. “it’s really wonderful to see a senior that keeps improving. it’s a tribute to her hard work and her focus, and i’m really happy for her that she’s here.”

The common denominator for reaney, c asareto, and w hyte is that all three are seniors competing in their final meet as members of the i rish. welsh said he believes this serves as a testament to the type of leadership the team had this year.

“i think it’s a tribute to the senior leadership that the team enjoyed all season long,” welsh said. “it shows when we have three seniors representing us at the biggest meet of the year.”

The i rish trio will take to the pool one final time for this season at the ncaa championships in greensboro, north c arolina. The meet will begin today and last through saturday.

Contact Ben Padanilam at bpadanil@nd.edu

Football

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out against a rizona state on oct. 5, 2013.

“it’s definitely humbling for me, to see someone go through an injury like that and persevere through it,” smith said. “he’s back, and he’s working hard and getting his speed back, and i’m really happy to be out there with him.”

Kelly also announced the addition of two new analysts to his staff — former buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn on offense and former i rish intern p ryce Tracy on special teams. notre dame is still looking to fill the defensive analyst position, Kelly said. w hile the analyst role is not a coaching job, the head coach said he will look for “more brainpower in the room and a lot of experience” from his new hires, especially Quinn.

“a s we move forward, he’ll have different responsibilities in terms of offensive oversight,” Kelly said of Quinn. “it could be from a game-plan perspective, looking at certain things, detailed items that i’ve put together for him.”

Four new assistants made their coaching debuts for the i rish on wednesday — offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach m ike sanford, running backs coach autry denson, defensive line coach Keith gilmore and defensive backs coach Todd lyght. Kelly had praise in particular for sanford, who is working in a position in which a clear-cut starter has yet to be determined.

“it’s exactly what i was hoping for in the first day,” Kelly said. “There’s no misunderstanding about what’s being taught and how it’s being taught and what’s expected. … it’s, ‘This is how we do it. This is how it’s taught,’ and he does it in a very professional, well-communicated manner that’s nonthreatening,

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Koerner rounded out the offensive production for n otre d ame with an rbi

The offensive outburst is indicative of what nasland said she thinks is a swing in momentum for the team after a slow start in conference play.

“ we started off our first two acc series against two very strong teams,” nasland said. “i think that we only got better. a lthough we had a tough first weekend, we’ve continued to push ourselves and work on our game, which has paid off.”

The i rish resume play s aturday when they host g eorgia Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at melissa c ook s tadium in notre d ame’s conference home opener.

Contact Mike Ginocchio at mginocch@nd.edu

but it’s clear and concise. i was impressed with the way that the quarterbacks handled it and looked today, on the first day.”

Position shuffle

c .J. p rosise, still listed as a receiver on the roster, practiced exclusively with the running backs in the first 30 minutes of wednesday’s practice as part of his offseason cross-training.

The senior said he will split time between the position groups, a change that is helped by their overlap.

“i’ll go back and forth, just here and there,” p rosise said.

“i mean, this is my third year at receiver, and now i’m getting used to the system and know what’s going on, so i can still interchange, and i’m still seeing what’s going on with the receivers, especially when we come together because we’re together with a lot of the stuff we do.”

Kelly said he and his staff saw p rosise’s potential to crosstrain between the receivers and the running backs last season.

“i think it was just more of a cumulative workload that gave us that, and certainly, his speed when he has the ball in his arm is pretty clear, even against sec talent,” he said.

martin back at center graduate student nick martin practiced at center with the first-team offensive line wednesday. Though martin started the final 10 games of last year at left guard, Kelly said he is more of a natural fit at center.

“he’s got the smarts to play center,” Kelly said. “he’s got the athleticism, and he really think he’s size to play there, so whether you put somebody on him, on his nose, he can handle him, but he’s athletic enough that he can move and be part of combination blocks.”

Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu

Baseball

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i rish run of the night.

l ike l idge, r ichards has seen a vast improvement at the plate from his previous two seasons at notre d ame, in which he averaged .246 and .254, respectively. h is two hits and two rbi s wednesday brought his season average up to .329.

“i n the past, a pitcher sort of slowing down his bat with a breaking ball or a changeup would sort of change the outcome of the at-bat, and i think he’s done a really good job of just trying to compete from pitch to pitch and not letting the prior pitch affect the current pitch,” a oki said of r ichards’ improvement at the plate.

The c hippewas got on the board in the top of the fourth and threatened to cross the plate again with two outs and runners on first and third. however, the i rish turned their nation-leading 30th double play of the year to squelch their progress.

Though c entral m ichigan outhit notre d ame on wednesday, 10-9, a oki said his team’s defense keeps him from worrying about men on base and opponents’ hits too much.

“i think it’s the idea of just being able to kind of create the type of contact that we want,” he said. “ we’re not a prolific strikeout team, so as long as we’re sort of dictating the terms upon which the contact is being made, we’re fine.”

The i rish added on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and a final score in the seventh, making c entral m ichigan’s final two runs — one each in the top of the eighth and the

ninth — a moot point. notre d ame sophomore right hander r yan s moyer pitched 4 and 1/3 innings to earn the win in his second start of the season. s moyer lasted just 2 and 1/3 innings in his first start in a m arch 11 matchup with s avannah s tate.

“ we just want to give r yan some innings and, hopefully, he continues to improve and all that kind of stuff,” a oki said. “… i think if we’re going to be a good team, and we’re going to be able to compete at a high level in these midweek

games, we’re going to need him, and we’re going to need some other guys to really help us out.”

g rosjean was tagged with the loss, while i rish sophomore left hander s cott Tully allowed just two hits and one run in 3 and 2/3 innings of relief.

notre d ame continues its homestand this weekend, with a three-game series against no. 16 l ouisville at Frank e ck s tadium.

Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu

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Happy Birthday: your ideas are unique, but it will take hard work and dedication to get them up and running. don’t let the demands others make on you stifle putting your needs first. it’s important to follow your dreams if you want to be happy. make personal changes that will help you expand your interests and improve your appearance and future prospects. your numbers are 1, 8, 15, 21, 32, 38, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): someone from your past will remind you of your dreams and inspire you to make them come true. meet change with optimism and energy. a contract deserves consideration, but shouldn’t sway you to settle for less than what you want.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): you’ll have problems finishing what you start if you put others first. don’t feel you have to say yes to everyone who wants something from you in order to be loved. Take care of what’s important to you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Keep a close watch over what your colleagues, peers or superiors do and say. Knowing exactly what’s expected of you will help alleviate professional problems or misunderstandings. a change at home will turn out to be more beneficial than expected.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): uncertainty or making impulsive moves will not turn out well. put your time, effort and energy into developing skills or creative talents that can separate you from any competition you face. love is in the stars.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): change will give you the boost you need to follow through with your plans and reach your goals. you will have to be careful how you handle debt, money and other people’s possessions. don’t take a risk with something that doesn’t belong to you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): don’t limit what you can do by taking on responsibilities that don’t belong to you. invest your time, money and talent into your future, not someone else’s. engage in a little romance and you will discourage an argument.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): what you learn from helping others will aid you in getting ahead professionally. Take a leadership position and embrace change. what you stand for and accomplish will be impressive. be sure to take the credit and rewards you deserve.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Take time to do the things you enjoy or to turn your home into a user-friendly atmosphere that is conducive to expanding on the ideas, skills and goals you want to pursue. romance will help you improve your mood and your home environment.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): you’ll meet interesting people if you travel or attend a conference geared toward future trends, fitness and nutrition or technological insight. don’t be gullible; ask questions if something seems too good to be true.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Take your time, rely on facts and refuse to be pushed into an awkward position. stick close to home and do your best to improve your surroundings to suit your needs. an old friend will help you solve a problem.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): look at your options and strive to reach your goals. you can step into the spotlight and present what you have to offer with confidence. success is within reach if you don’t hesitate to make your move.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): emotional matters will slow you down. deception is apparent, and double-checking all the information you are given will be necessary if you want to avoid making a costly mistake. work on personal improvements, not on trying to change someone you love.

Birthday Baby: you are a dreamer. you are inquisitive, entertaining and popular.

BasEBaLL | nd 8, cmu 3

Notre Dame enters spring healthier

By MARY GREEN

a ssistant managing e ditor

by the end of the 2014 season, injuries had depleted notre dame’s depth chart, and within two months, the i rish coaching corps had seen three assistants depart for different teams.

The i rish got a fresh start wednesday morning in their first spring practice of the season, with several players coming back from injury and the coaching staff receiving new additions.

The defense in particular battled through a shortage of experienced players at the end of the season, competing without graduate student linebackers Joe schmidt and Jarrett grace, safeties sophomore drue Tranquill and senior nicky baratti and senior defensive lineman Jarron Jones among others.

w ith the exception of Jones, the rest of the group participated in wednesday’s practice — grace and baratti in all the drills through the first 30 minutes and Tranquill, sporting a brace on his left knee, where he tore his acl , and schmidt in some drills. Jones, who suffered a l isfranc injury near the

end of the season, watched his teammates from the sidelines without the aid of crutches, which supported him during notre dame’s bowl victory.

“it’s super exciting, just to have an opportunity to play

nd soFtBaLL | nd 8, cleveland sTaTe 4

with all of our guys again this year, and there’s guys still recovering, but right now, it’s just about getting better in the spring, taking it one day at a time and continuing to improve,” junior linebacker

Jaylon smith said. smith said grace’s return to practice especially excited him as grace has not seen the field since a leg injury knocked him

nasland leads irish over vikings

By MIKE GINOCCHIO sports writer

i rish sophomore pitcher

r achel n asland followed up her no-hitter s unday in strong fashion wednesday against c leveland s tate, pitching into the sixth inning to lift n otre d ame to an 8-4 victory in its home opener.

l eading just 2-1 headed into the bottom of the fifth, the i rish (16-11, 1-5 acc ) exploded for five runs in the frame to open up some breathing room against the v ikings (12-8).

n asland gave up a singular run in the first inning before running off four straight scoreless frames, giving the i rish bats time to come alive in the home half of the fifth.

s he faced two batters in the sixth — both of whom scored to close the gap to 7-3 — before ceding the circle to junior a llie r hodes to get the final six outs.

c onventional wisdom suggests a drop-off for a pitcher after throwing a milestone game, but those kind of

thoughts were barely on n asland’s mind, she said. “ i typically don’t look at the number of hits on the scoreboard, nor do i keep track of them myself,” n asland said. “For some reason, the last inning, i did look at the scoreboard and realized that i was one inning away from a no-hitter. i pushed it out of my head though, because what was most important was finishing the game with a win. i want that to be my main focus.”

n asland notched nine strikeouts against c leveland s tate yesterday against just two walks while r hodes struck out and walked two in relief.

Junior first baseman m icaela a rizmendi paced the i rish with three hits and pair of rbi s, while senior third baseman Katey h aus also batted in two on the day. Freshman right fielder b ailey b igler had a two- rbi , pinch-hit single in the fifth to contribute to the win.

s enior center fielder e milee

By MARY GREEN a ssociate managing e ditor

Forty-five degrees isn’t exactly baseball weather, but that didn’t stop the i rish in their home opener wednesday, when they cruised to an 8-3 victory over central m ichigan.

notre dame (15-4, 3-3 acc ) wasn’t able to take the field at Frank e ck stadium last season until may 9 because of an extended winter and FieldTurf installation. This year’s earlier start in the home schedule was matched by the team’s hot start against the c hippewas (13-8, 0-0 mac ).

The i rish got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning after senior right fielder robert youngdahl walked with the bases loaded to drive in freshman left fielder Jake Johnson. Johnson got on base with a lead-off double that took a big bounce in front of first base before skipping into right field, and the hit extended his consecutive on-base streak to all 19 games of the season. a sacrifice fly to center field from sophomore catcher r yan l idge brought in a second notre dame run. l idge finished the game with three rbis and two hits, crossing the plate once himself as well.

The catcher put together a .264 batting average last year as a freshman, which has spiked to .317 so far this season. i rish head coach m ik aoki said while l idge was always a talented player, he attributes l idge’s improvement in 2015 to a rapid development last summer.

“he’s been able to continue that, and he’s done a really good job, and he’s been really solid behind the plate, and he’s been giving us some good offense and some timely hitting, so i’m happy to see him have some success as well,” aoki said. notre dame tacked on two more runs in the first to extend its lead over the c hippewas to 4-0 and push central m ichigan sophomore starter Jordan grosjean’s pitch count to 41 throws after the inning.

The i rish continued to torment grosjean in the bottom of the third. Junior shortstop l ane r ichards connected on a two-out single to center field that darted right over the starter’s extended glove, and the hit knocked in l idge for the fifth