reflects on his past year as student body president
By MARISA IATI Associate News Editor
In April 2011, newly elected student body president Pat McCormick and vice president Brett Rocheleau began enacting an ambitious plan to transform student government. Sunday, McCormick handed the reins to Rocheleau, now student body president, and incoming vice president Katie Rose.
McCormick said his administration sought to unite student government, augment its constituent services capacity and “build a kind of student government capable of building a Notre Dame for the 21st cen-
MCCORMICK/page 5
Rocheleau, Rose look forward to succesful year in student gov.
By NICOLE TOCZAUER News Writer
Student body president Brett Rocheleau and vice president Katie Rose, who took office Sunday, said Rocheleau’s experience as vice president last year, combined with their new platform, will help this year’s administration strengthen relationships on and off campus, improve safety and modernize Notre Dame. Rocheleau said the connections he made as last year’s student body vice president will be important in achieving the goals outlined in the new administration’s platform.
‘Professors for Lunch’ panel discusses liberal arts
By NICOLE MICHELS News Writer
The value of a liberal arts education was discussed Friday afternoon at the second installment in the “Professors for Lunch” series. The event, titled “Why choose the liberal arts?” was hosted at the Oak Room in South Dining Hall.
The “Professors for Lunch” series is meant to enrich intellectual life at Notre Dame by
engaging students and faculty in dialogue. Diverging from the structure of the inaugural event on Feb. 24, the second meeting featured a panel of speakers from diverse academic backgrounds, followed by questions from the audience.
Professor Mark Roche, professor of German language and literature and former dean of the College of Arts & Letters, was scheduled to speak about his book “Why Choose the Liberal
Arts?” which inspired the topic of this Friday’s event. However, Roche was unable to attend, so senior event organizer Morgan Pino said the organizers worked to find a diverse group of panelists.
“It went really well [because] they all had something different to bring to the panel,” Pino said.
“I enjoyed getting to hear multiple points of view on the issue.”
Fr. Brian Daley of the theology department, Dr. Kevin Burke of
Marathon raises money for hospital
SAIN / The Observer
By JILLIAN BARWICK Saint Mary’s Editor
Dancing continues to be more than just fun for many members of the Belles community.
The seventh annual Dance Marathon held at Saint Mary’s on Saturday raised over $80,000 for the Riley Hospital for Children, which helps needy families seeking medical care.
Rebecca Guerin, president of the Dance Marathon, said she was impressed with this year’s fundraising total.
“Last year we raised $63,248, so this year we took on the 20 percent challenge from the foun -
the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) and Michael Zuckert of the political science department comprised the panel.
The panelists addressed the purpose of a liberal education from varying disciplines.
Daley said he drew on his Christian faith, especially his Jesuit background, to inform his analysis of America’s universities and its general academic culture.
“One of the things that always
By ANNA BOARINI News Writer
With relief efforts continuing two years after a major earthquake hit Haiti, students can fast from food, Facebook or other luxuries for 24 hours in a show of solidarity with the island nation.
The Fast For Haiti, sponsored by Friends of the Orphans (FOTO), started after a 2010 earthquake rocked the Caribbean country, FOTO president Erin Wright said.
struck me when I think about our universities is that they are very artificial institutions, that we create them for a specific purpose,” he said.
Daley said these institutions are embodiments of a common culture, resting on specific assumptions, hopes and values. He said this leads to questioning what type of person would be a successful Notre Dame
Students to fast in solidarity with Haiti
cause there is still a lot of relief needed.”
The fast is not just centered on food. The event begins with an opening prayer service tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Geddes Hall Chapel and concludes with a Mass on April 4 at 5 p.m. Following Mass, there will be a dinner in the Coleman-Morse lounge for students to break their fast, Wright said.
“It’s a 24-hour fast in solidarity with the Haitian people,” she said. “We started the spring after the earthquake and we’ve done it the past three years be-
“People don’t have to fast from food,” Wright said. “They can fast from their phone, fast from snacks, basically whatever they feel like they can do.”
The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for Haiti’s resto-
HAITI/page 3
work on arts and crafts during Saturday’s Dance Marathon benefiting Riley Hospital for Children. see LUNCH/page 6
DANCE/page 3 see TURNOVER/page 5
Photo courtesy of Katie Rose
Student body president Brett Rocheleau and vice president Katie Rose stand in front of Main Building. Rose and Rocheleau assumed their new positions Sunday.
MACKENZIE
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QuestIon of the day : What activity do you enjoy doing on the quad?
Nick Raie senior off campus “Quad Golf.”
Tommy Freeman senior Alumni
“Tossing the pig skin.”
Aaron Lorton senior Alumni “Afternoon catch.”
Monica Torres sophomore Lyons Hall
“500.”
Catherine Porto sophomore Lyons Hall
“Laying around all day.”
From left, John Steinbruner, Fr. Robert Dowd and Kevin
today’s staff
News
Tori Roeck
Nicole Michels
Kaitlyn Rabach
Graphics
Dan Azic
Photo
Grant Tobin
CorreCtIons
Sports Andrew Gastelum
Mike Monaco
Peter Steiner
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Maria Fernandez
Viewpoint
Meghan
Thomassen
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. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at (574) 631-4541 so we can correct our error.
Man is struck by lightning after buying lottery ticket
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas man was struck by lightning hours after buying three Mega Millions lottery tickets on Thursday, proving in real life the old saying that a gambler is more likely to be struck down from the sky than win the jackpot.
Bill Isles, 48, bought three tickets in the record $656 million lottery Thursday at a Wichita, Kansas grocery store.
On the way to his car, Isles said he commented to a friend: “I’ve got a better chance of getting struck by lightning” than winning the lottery.
Later at about 9:30 p.m.,
Isles was standing in the back yard of his Wichita duplex, when he saw a flash and heard a boom lightning.
“It threw me to the ground quivering,” Isles said in a telephone interview on Saturday. “It kind of scrambled my brain and gave me an irregular heartbeat.”
Debris from tsunami drifting off Canadian coast
SEATTLE — An empty Japanese fishing boat drifting off the coast of western Canada could be the first wave of 1.5 million tons of debris heading toward North America from Japan’s tsunami last March.
The wreckage from flattened Japanese coastal
towns - including refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets - is heading inexorably east across the Pacific and could arrive sooner than expected, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The early indication is that things sitting higher up on the water could potentially move across the Pacific Ocean quicker than we had originally thought,” said Nancy Wallace, director of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which had forecast the debris only up to the year of 2013.
Information compiled from the Associated Press.
In BrIef
The Notre Dame Alumni Association and the Notre Dame campus community are invited to the Crypt of the Basilica for the Stations of the Cross at 4 p.m. today. After, the group will travel to the Grotto to pray prayers that have been submitted by alumni from all over the globe.
Today from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Bond Hall , Marc Appleton, principal of Appleton and Associates, Inc. Architects in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, will present a lecture titled “The Time Honored Traditions of Vernacular Architecture”.
Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in DeBartolo Hall Dr. Harry Kolar, IBM distinguished engineer, will present his lecture titled “Cyberphysical Systems Supporting IBM’s Smarter Planet Initiatives: Advanced Water Management in the Hudson River Estuary and Galway Bay, Ireland”.
Tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Eck Hall of Law, Room 1140 John Tasioulas, Quain professor of jurisprudence in the Faculty of Laws at University College London, will be delivering a lecture titled “Human Rights, Legitmacy, and International Law.”
Participate in 24-hour fast for Haiti sponsored by Friends of the Orphans The fast will begin tomorrow with a prayer service at Geddes Hall Chapel at 6 p.m.
To submit information to be included in this section of The Observer, e-mail detailed information about an event to obsnews.nd@gmail.com
JULIE HERDER/The Observer
Jones
Saint Mary’s hosts siblings
By KAITLYN RABACH News Writer
This weekend, Saint Mary’s welcomed students’ younger siblings to campus for the annual Little Siblings Weekend.
The event, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association (RHA), offered a chance for younger siblings to experience their sisters’ campus lives.
Mary’s College Dance Marathon to allow younger siblings to participate in Dance Marathon events, specifically the show “Silly Safari,” which was performed in Angela Athletic Facility on Saturday.
“Judging by the smiles I’ve seen around campus, I would say the weekend was a huge success.”
Sarah Copi vice president
Residence
Hall Association
Sarah Copi, vice president of RHA, said the weekend helped to bring families together.
“Judging by the smiles I’ve seen around campus, I would say the weekend was a huge success,” she said.
First year student Maddie Sampson said having her younger sisters visit was a wonderful treat, and she looks forward to hosting them again next year.
“I invited them to come down because I haven’t seen them in a long time, and they both have been really excited to come here and visit me,” Sampson said.
The festivities kicked off Friday night with an ice cream social event, and main events of the weekend took place Saturday.
Copi said RHA collaborated with Saturday’s Saint
“By partnering with Dance Marathon and utilizing their theme, we were able to pool resources and add fun events such as the safari show,” she said.
Kathryn Siver, younger sister of first year student Tess Siver, said the show was the highlight of her weekend.
“I had such a fun weekend visiting my older sister,” she said. “We are from Arizona, so I do not get to see her very often. She took us to the safari show, and that was by far my favorite part of the entire weekend. We got to see a bunch of different animals, but the baby cub was my favorite.”
Copi said crafts were available in the Student Center Lounge, including face painting, making masks, coloring, painting frogs and sidewalk chalk.
Maddie Sampson’s sister Claire said she enjoyed these crafts, along with other weekend activities.
“Getting my face painting was a lot of fun,” she said. “But my favorite part of the whole weekend was getting pictures with my sister and her friends in the photo booth.”
The weekend’s activities came to an end Sunday when students and their siblings tie-dyed drawstring bags with the Saint Mary’s logo on them.
The weekend provided an opportunity for her younger sisters to experience the college life she loves, Sampson said.
“I am so happy that Saint Mary’s offers this opportunity for my siblings to come and see some fun aspects of the College.”
Maddie Sampson first year
“I had a great weekend with my sisters,” she said. “I am so happy that Saint Mary’s offers this opportunity for my siblings to come and see some fun aspects of the College. I hope this experience will help my sisters aspire to be future Belles.”
Contact Kaitlyn Rabach at krabac01@saintmarys.edu
Dance
continued from page 1
dation, which meant that our goal was to raise $75,898,” Guerin said. “I was speechless when the total was revealed at $80,523.57. It was the best feeling in the world knowing that we exceeded our initial goal and beat last year’s total by 27.3 percent, especially in this economy.”
The theme of the 12-hour dance marathon was “Animal Kingdom,” Guerin said.
“We definitely got the theme right this year,” she said. “The dancers came dressed in crazy animal attire, and it was really great to see the excitement!”
The event featured live animals, including a baby lion and a baby kangaroo. Songs about animals also played in the background, Guerin said.
“We had an animal show early in the marathon that included various animals from bunnies to snakes,” she said. “The show was great because everyone could pet the animals after the show.”
Guerin said the most excit -
Haiti
continued from page 1
ration and money to help the country rebuild, Wright said.
Wright said one of the biggest problems Haiti currently faces is controlling the outbreak of disease isn the postearthquake environment.
“Cholera is a problem,” she said. “Rebuilding is a problem.”
To assist in development in Haiti, fundraising for the event benefits an orphanage and medical mission, Wright said.
“All the money raised will go to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Haiti, which is affiliated with St. Luke’s medical mission,” she said.
The money sent to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) Haiti will go towards the orphanage and its programs, and funds sent to St. Luke’s medical mission will assist cholera relief, as well as basic medical needs, Wright said.
“The first year after the earthquake, the money [sent to
ing part of the night was the exotic animals brought in by a company from Michigan.
“The lion cub, baby kangaroo, fennec fox and an exotic bird were among the exotic animals at the event,” she said. “It was so cool being able to interact with the animals, especially the lion cub.”
Over 15 Riley families spoke at the event, a record number, according to Guerin.
“Many people don’t realize how much of an impact the money we all raise makes a difference for the Riley families,” she said. “Riley Hospital for Children never turns away a child due to their inability to pay for care or lack of insurance.”
Guerin said she credits the success of the event to the team who organized the dance.
“Having a great group of girls working together towards this goal was amazing,” she said. “I honestly had the best executive board and committee members that anyone could ask for.”
Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu
the medical mission] was mostly used to help with injuries from that, but now it’s mostly used for cholera relief,” she said.
Wright said FOTO is very active in other countries, like Honduras, the club supports nine different orphanages, including the one in Haiti. She said the others helped NPH Haiti following the earthquake.
“After the earthquake, each NPH home rallied and all pulled together and were able to create a lot of support for NPH Haiti,” she said.
During the 24 hours of the fast, participants will receive reflections and information about the situation in Haiti via e-mail.
“[The reflections] are all a little different,” she said. “Some are from people who have been to Haiti. One we’ve used is [from] the director of St. Luke medical mission ... We also use different prayers, ideas and thoughts about the event.”
To participate in the Fast for Haiti, sign up online at foto. nd.edu.
Contact Anna Boarini at aboari01@saintmarys.edu
MACKENZIE SAIN/The Observer
The Dance Marathon donated all funds raised to the local Riley Hospital for Children, emphasized by this sign in Angela Hall.
McCormick
continued from page 1
tury.”
Through reforming elections and fusing the Council of Representatives and Student Senate, McCormick said his team cut through the red tape that had accumulated in student government.
The Department of Constituent Services addressed issues of convenience through projects such as restoring the price of quarter dogs to 25 cents and hosting Puppy Days and Circus Lunch, McCormick said.
“Our hope for the Department of Constituent Services was that it would serve as the front door to the student government office,” McCormick said.
“There is no
is pursuing its own due diligence, as it would for any project of this scope,” he said. “It’s been positively received, and we’re grateful to the administration for considering it.”
McCormick said his and Rocheleau’s 2011 campaign centered on students’ hopes that Notre Dame could serve as a crossroads where ideas could intersect and a lighthouse that could serve as the conscience of higher education.
university
more capable of being a transformative force for a world deeply in need than the University of Notre Dame .”
Patrick McCormick student body president emeritus
“Through the leadership of [sophomore department director] Heather Eaton and her Constituent Services team, we’ve seen, I think, an enormous increase in the ability of student government to deliver on constituent service needs.”
McCormick said student government advocated for a University sustainability strategy, promoted the Playing for Peace initiative and proposed a peace summit and charity benefit concert, tentatively titled “3.17,” to administrators.
“We have submitted the proposal [for 3.17] to the University, and the University now
“From the beginning of when this journey began to where we sit today, I think that my greatest hope for student government was that we might be able to … serve as a means for students to realize their own greatest hopes for Notre Dame,” McCormick said. “If there’s even one student who believes still in that greatest hope that we have for Notre Dame, then the work goes on and the hope lives on.”
The death of sophomore Sean Valero last spring was the most challenging experience of his term, McCormick said.
“Any time that there’s a student death, that is the most challenging part of serving in student government,” he said. “And I think at the same time, it’s consistently those times of tragedy where we most see the Notre Dame family coming together.”
The incoming student government team is uniquely
suited to furthering the outgoing administration’s vision, McCormick said.
“I think that one of the greatest gifts of all has been getting to work alongside of such an extraordinarily gifted and talented team,” he said. “To the extent that we have made progress in realizing the vision that brought us all together in the first place, it’s because of their leadership, and I’m beyond excited to see not only where Notre Dame will take them next, but where they will take Notre Dame.”
During his time at the University, McCormick said he has learned Notre Dame is uniquely capable of educating students’ minds and hearts.
“There is no university more capable of being a transformative force for a world deeply in need than the University of Notre Dame,” he said. “That’s our project and that’s our family, and I think that my hope is that the next generation of students at Notre Dame will find it to be the journey of a lifetime.”
McCormick, who will graduate in May, said he will continue a few projects during the remainder of his time at Notre Dame and will participate in a research project in Ireland in the fall. He said he will then pursue a master’s degree in forced migration and refugee studies at Oxford University.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life so far to serve the student body of this extraordinary University,” McCormick said. “Notre Dame will without a doubt be with me for the rest of my life. It has been formative in ways that I could never have imagined, and I couldn’t be more grateful for not only the place itself, but the people who make it.”
Contact Marisa Iati at miati@nd.edu
Turnover
continued from page 1
“Pat [McCormick, student body president emeritus] and I began to build relationships with everyone, all the way from [University President] Fr. John Jenkins, the Provost’s Office, Faculty Senate, different student organizations, to the community as we took office,” he said. “Now we have those established, so we’ll just build Katie in.”
Rose said she looked forward to joining the network established during the last administration.
“I’m really excited … that the groundwork is laid for them,” she said. “The people we talk to can help us tremendously.”
Rose said the first goal of the administration is to improve constituent services.
“We want a two-way connection where we keep people updated on things they asked us to work on,” she said.
Rocheleau said he hopes to run a student government that is transparent to the student body.
“Every other week we will update them on the process,” he said. “Students need to feel comfortable working with us. The accountability side is important.”
The Rocheleau-Rose platform also aims to reach beyond campus and deepen Notre Dame’s roots in the South Bend community, he said.
“Five years ago tensions were at a high, but as each administration goes by, it gets better,” Rocheleau said. “Our administration will value keeping these up and working
with the community.”
Rocheleau said the pair has already worked to improve campus safety by advocating for the installation of more lights on campus and popular places for students off-campus.
“Putting up simple lights can deter crime and assaults,” he said. “Also, off campus there was a lot of crime first semester this year. It will be a challenge to get lights installed since it’s not land owned by Notre Dame, but we’ll work with the mayor’s office.”
Rose said the team also hopes to modernize the University through improvements in sustainability and the introduction of new campus groups.
“We love Notre Dame and its traditions, but we also want to bring the campus up to a modern standard,” she said.
She said the two would continue striving for the past administrations’ goal to connect Notre Dame to the global community, as well.
“Like Pat and Brett’s administration, we want to make Notre Dame a forum for social concerns, and make it easier for student to access funding to go abroad,” Rose said.
Rocheleau said he and Rose hope to represent the student body in the fullest capacity.
“Our position is to represent the students, even if it goes against what other people say,” he said. “If it’s what the students believe, we want their voices to be heard. That will have made us successful, if we can embody what the students on this campus feel.”
Contact Nicole toczauer at ntoczaue@nd.edu
Hopes run high after Suu Kyi’s election in Myanmar
Associated Press
YANGON, Myanmar — She struggled for a free Myanmar for a quarter-century, much of it spent locked away under house arrest. Now, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate whose nonviolent campaign for democracy at home transformed her into a global icon is on the verge of ascending to public office for the first time.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, was elected to parliament Sunday in a historic victory buffeted by the jubilant cheers of supporters who hope her triumph will mark a major turning point in a nation still emerging from a ruthless era of military rule.
If confirmed, the election win will also mark an astonishing reversal of fortune for a woman who became one of the world’s most prominent prisoners of conscience. When she was finally released in late 2010, just after a vote her party boycotted that was deemed neither free nor fair, few could have imagined she would make the leap from democracy advocate to elected official in less than 17 months, opening the way for a potential presidential run in 2015.
But Myanmar has changed dramatically over that time. The junta finally ceded pow -
er last year, and although many of its leaders merely swapped their military uniforms for civilian suits, they went on to stun even their staunchest critics by releasing political prisoners, signing cease-fires with rebels, relaxing press censorship and opening a direct dialogue with Suu Kyi — whom they tried to silence for decades.
Results continued to trickle in early Monday from poll watchers within Suu Kyi’s party, and spokesman Han Than said the opposition had won at least 43 of the 44 parliament seats it had contested. Those included four in the capital, Naypyitaw, considered a stronghold of the ruling party, whose leaders helped build the city.
The party’s foray into electoral politics was its first since 1990 — when it won a landslide that was promptly annulled by the army.
“It’s the people’s victory! We’ve taught them a lesson!” a shopkeeper who goes by the single name Thien said late Sunday, when it became clear the opposition was going to sweep the poll. He was among thousands watching outside the party’s crumbling headquarters as a digital signboard repeatedly flashed news that Suu Kyi had won the Kawhmu constituency south of Yangon.
Clinton urges nations to pressure hostile Syria
ISTANBUL — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed doubt Sunday about whether President Bashar Assad would ever adhere to a U.N.-sponsored peace plan to end Syria’s year of bloodshed, and urged world solidarity against a regime that she said was waging war on its own people.
Clinton told the 60 nations attending the “Friends of the Syrian People” conference in Turkey that no one could “sit back and wait any longer,” even as the United States refuses to entertain military options to intervene in the crisis. Instead, she urged unity behind a plan that includes more sanctions, humanitarian aid, support for the opposition and the promise of justice one day for the Assad regime’s willing accomplices in human rights atrocities.
“We meet at an urgent moment for Syria and the region,” Clinton said. International pressure forced Assad to agree to U.N. mediator Kofi Annan’s proposal, which includes an immediate a cease-fire, she noted, adding that “nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding
to its long list of broken promises.”
The meeting aims to further isolate Assad’s government and bolster a divided Syrian opposition. The United States and its European and Arab allies have papered over some of their own disagreements on how best to advance the cause of the opposition and help bring about the regime’s collapse, with countries agreeing for now to hold off on military options from directly arming the anti-Assad rebels to creating buffer or safe zones within Syria for them to operate.
Clinton lamented that Assad promised to pull his regime’s forces back, silence its heavy weapons, allow peaceful demonstration and access for humanitarian aid and journalists. He also should begin a political transition, she said.
But, “rather than pull back, Assad’s troops have launched new assaults on Syrian cities and towns,” she said. “Rather than allowing access for humanitarian aid, security forces have tightened their siege of residential neighborhoods in Homs and elsewhere. And rather than beginning a political transition, the regime has crushed dozens of peaceful protests.”
Penn State trustees work to improve accessibility
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Keith Masser was busy enough running his 4,600-acre potato farm before his schedule got even tighter the past couple months.
In January, he became the vice chairman of Penn State’s Board of Trustees. He likened the time he’s put into the leadership position to that of a second full-time job.
Masser and other board leaders are working to foster openness and ease tensions on a campus on the mend from the scandalous aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, who was arrested last fall. Eight of 10 boys he is accused of abusing were attacked on campus, prosecutors allege.
The trustees remain a target of criticism from vocal alumni watchdog groups angered by what critics have called the board’s rash decision to fire longtime coach Joe Paterno, days after Sandusky was charged.
Masser hopes increased interactions with students, faculty and other university groups are helping repair the rift. Board leaders recently met with some of the groups as part of an ongoing listening tour.
Lunch
continued from page 1
graduate, and how the University’s vision differs from the general national opinion.
“I suspect that many undergraduate institutions, Notre Dame among them, would also hope to have some consensus that at the end of four years, a graduate would be a virtuous person, a person who is trained morally, virtuously [and is working] to make the world a happier, more just place,” Daly said.
doing more, thinking more, spiritually being more. When you think about what your vocation might be, does it think about doing more for the world?”
The ultimate goal for each individual’s undergraduate education is at the intersection of each individual’s answers to three distinct questions, Burke said.
“The questions are ‘What are you good at?’ ‘What brings you joy?’ and ‘What does the world most need you to do?” Burke said. “I’m going to argue that you figure out the answer to those three questions in conversation.”
“If there are kinds of human activities that are choice-worthy in themselves and not as a means for other things, then there remains a case for liberal education as the education conducive to engaging in those activities.”
Discussion of the Christian faith, particularly the Jesuit theology, enables students to engage in evaluation of the culture and faith from which they come, Daley said.
Michael Zuckert political science professor
“I say this as a Jesuit because we have a long tradition of doing education,” he said. “The Jesuits happened into education by accident; the first Jesuits were pastoral ministers that happened into education because they shared the assumption that teaching young people … made them better Christians.”
Burke said he also drew on Jesuit teachings to inform his opinions on undergraduate education and the search for personal vocation.
“I’m going to go back to the Jesuits and their idea of the ‘magis,’” Burke said. “The magis [means] ‘more in the world,’
Zuckert said his definition of contemporary liberal arts depends on their basis in classical educational tradition. However, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville pointed out the tendency in modern democracies is for people to believe practical education is the only kind that makes sense, Zuckert said.
“In America, liberal education is always threatened by education that is not liberal,” he said.
“If there are kinds of human activities that are choice-worthy in themselves and not as a means for other things, then there remains a case for liberal education as the education conducive to engaging in those activities.”
These sorts of activities are those that contribute to living well and rightly, Zuckert said.
“Liberal education helps us to answer these questions,” Zuckert said. “It goes beyond the
necessities of living, answering the question of what the point of living is.”
Pino said though the speakers only had a brief time to formulate their comments, the laidback style of communication made the talk accessible.
“With Professor [of early modern European history Brad] Gregory’s talk [at the last meeting], I think everyone was blown away,” Pino said. “The problem was that we didn’t leave enough time to really get into it … This time we were going to try to make it a little less formal, and to leave more time for questions and answers afterward.”
The shorter comments from the panel allowed for more discussion and engagement with the speakers’ ideas, Pino said.
“I’m glad it was a little shorter and that we had more time to talk afterward,” Pino said. “I think students really got into it.”
Event organizer and political science professor Vincent Muñoz said h e is pleased the panel format successfully interested the audience.
“The turnout was very strong,” Muñoz said. “It seems to me that we have found something that is really resonating with the students. The panel format seemed to work well … It’s unfortunate that Professor Roche couldn’t be there, but the [resulting] format allowed for more voices and more conversation.”
Pino said the organizers want to continue the series, and they are taking it one step at a time.
“It’s really sort of up in the air,” she said. “I think we’re just going to take it topic by topic and see what professors come forward and what interesting work comes up. We are not set on particular ideas, more on what we think people would be interested in and what people want to talk about.”
Contact Nicole Michels at nmichels@nd.edu
“A key component is accessibility,” Masser told The Associated Press in an interview this month.
“We’re making ourselves accessible to them,” he said. “It creates transparency and openness, which is relieving some of the tension.”
The board has begun an internal investigation of the Sandusky case led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, but some critics have complained about a lack of transparency that they say has raised questions about trustees’ motivations.
“We’ve heard it all. We got grilled in some of these listening groups,” Masser said before a recent trustees meeting in Hershey.
Masser assumed his post in January, when banking executive Karen Peetz was also elected chairwoman after their predecessors stepped down.
“The biggest issue is keeping the difference between the Sandusky matters and the crisis ... and keeping focused on the future,” Peetz said. “A lot of what we’re working on ... is to keep us focused on the future. That’s an incredibly important role for the trustees as we deal with what’s current, but we focus on where we go.”
U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton speaks with an Arab official as foreign ministers arrive to set conditions for a new Syria.
Democrats target Romney
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — President Barack Obama’s administration launched a multi-pronged assault on Mitt Romney’s values and foreign policy credentials Sunday, while a fresh set of prominent Republicans rallied behind the GOP frontrunner as the odds-on nominee, further signs the general election is overtaking the primary season.
A defiant Rick Santorum outlined plans to leave Wisconsin the day before the state’s contest Tuesday, an indication that the conservative favorite may be in retreat, his chances to stop Romney rapidly dwindling.
“I think the chances are overwhelming that (Romney) will be our nominee,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” ‘’It seems to me we’re in the final phases of wrapping up this nomination. And most of the members of the Senate Republican conference are either supporting him, or they have the view that I do, that it’s time to turn our attention to the fall campaign and begin to make the case against the president of the United States.”
Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden went after Romney Sunday, underscoring the belief inside Obama’s Chicago re-election headquarters that Romney will — sooner than later — secure the right to face Obama this fall. Their involvement comes as both sides sharpen their general election strategy, perhaps weeks before the GOP contest
formally comes to an end.
“I think Gov. Romney’s a little out of touch,” Biden told CBS’ “Face the Nation” in an interview broadcast Sunday.
“I can’t remember a presidential candidate in the recent past who seems not to understand, by what he says, what ordinary middle-class people are thinking about and are concerned about.”
The line of attack is likely to play prominently in the Obama campaign’s general election narrative. While Obama is a millionaire, Romney would be among the nation’s wealthiest presidents ever elected. And he’s opened himself to criticism through a series of missteps.
Romney casually bet a rival $10,000 during a presidential debate, noted that his wife drives a “couple of Cadillacs,” and lists owners of professional sports teams among his friends. His personal tax records show investments in the Cayman Islands and a
Swiss bank account.
Obama’s team on Sunday also seized on Romney’s foreign policy inexperience.
Biden said Obama was “stating the obvious” when he told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more latitude on missile defense after the November general election. The two presidents did not realize the exchange, during a meeting in Seoul, South Korea, last weekend, was being picked up by a microphone.
Romney called it “alarming” and part of a pattern of “breathtaking weakness” with America’s foes. He asked what else Obama would be flexible on if he were to win a second term.
“Speaking of flexible, Gov. Romney’s a pretty flexible guy on his positions,” Biden said. Romney’s GOP opponents have accused the former Massachusetts governor of “flipflopping” on issues such as health care and abortion.
Early study abroad numbers on the rise
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — As American teenagers go, Sally Kim is pretty typical. She’s crazy about singer Bruno Mars and the Plain White T’s rock band, spends way too much time on Facebook and can’t wait to start college in the fall.
Yet when it comes to that familiar bane of her fellow high school seniors — uncool parents — Kim has few worries. Hers are nearly 7,000 miles away in Seoul, South Korea. They sent their only child to live with relatives in Missouri a decade ago, when she was just 8.
The three keep in touch over Skype, but Kim craves personal contact even more than when she first arrived.
“As I get older, it definitely gets harder,” said Kim, who lives with an aunt and uncle, a college professor, and returns to her native country in the summer. “I look back, and I think I’ve missed out on so many years of being with my mom and dad.”
Such relocations, known as early study abroad, have surged in popularity in South Korea, where a rigid, test-driven education system, combined with intense social pressure to succeed in an English-first global economy, often means breaking up families for the sake of school.
Some children, like Kim, live with relatives or family friends. Others move with their mothers and siblings while the fathers remain alone in Asia to work.
Among Koreans, the families are known as kirogi, or “wild geese,” because they visit home briefly once or twice a year before returning to their overseas outposts.
The Korean Educational Development Institute reports that the number of pre-college students who left the country solely to study abroad increased from just over 2,000 in 1995 to a peak of nearly 30,000 in 2006. And that number did not include students whose parents work or study overseas.
The number has since de-
clined to more than 18,000 in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Unlike American students who usually wait until high school or college to study abroad — and generally limit the experience to a semester or two — 77 percent of Korean students in the U.S. in 2009 were in elementary or middle school, a time when they are seen as best able to learn English.
Wild geese families are particularly common in college towns such as Columbia and Champaign-Urbana, Ill., where researchers are studying the effects on family life, culture and the economy in both countries.
Sumie Okazaki, an associate professor of applied psychology at New York University who previously taught at the University of Illinois, said that many young Korean students feel intense pressure to succeed and are reluctant to share any doubts or misgivings, whether the topic is family finances or their own well-being.
“The parents are so motivated by what they think may be helpful to the kids,” Okazaki said. “Because they know the family has sacrificed so much, that the parents are stretching themselves, they feel like they can’t complain.”
The students often isolate themselves. “We hear a lot of problems with depression, distress and worries,” she added. Sending their children to school abroad can also strain marriages, particularly when the father stays behind.
Hyoshin Lee, a mother of four, is now back in Columbia for the third time since she and her husband came to study at the University of Missouri 25 years ago. Each time, her husband either eventually returned to Korea or did not accompany the family at all.
Their two oldest children are grown and studying at American graduate schools. Another child is a high school senior soon headed to college. The youngest is a ninth-grader who wants to finish high school here.
AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, left, shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in Fitchburg, Wis. on Saturday.
InsIde Column uWIre
Romantic comedies
“I love that you get cold when it’s seventy-one degrees out, I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich … and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night.”
Carrie Turek Scene Writer
“When Harry Met Sally” is the quintessential, oh-soquotable, feel-good flick. It captures Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in their prime, playing two unlikely best friends. It is a true romantic comedy classic. Men and women alike are familiar with the deli scene and Meg Ryan’s hairstyle transformation. It is a film that transcends the decades. But today, where have all the good rom-coms gone?
Despite their sometimes gapingly obvious lack of reality, romantic comedies are essential to female life. We know they are unrealistic and they capture only the most once-in-alifetime kind of moments. But it really comes down to stress relief and the need for optimism. What could go better with ice cream, pajamas and popcorn for those stay-in girls nights than movies like “Notting Hill,” “Pretty Woman,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “When Harry Met Sally”?
The problem, though, is that all four of these movies are at least 13 years old. Today, we can watch new “romantic comedies” but the humor and charm just doesn’t feel the same.
For example, just last week I watched “One Day” (with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) for the first time.
I was excited to see this film. It looked promising and cute — a perfect weekend pick-me-up to be watched in the comfort of the dorm. The back of the DVD gave hope with critics’ acclaim as “a smart and endearing romantic comedy.”
The cover called it “an epic must-see romance.” Add in a European setting and cute accents, and I was sold. Sadly, though, this movie that I had half expected to add to my list of go-to romantic favorites didn’t make the cut.
Don’t get me wrong — it was well put together, well-cast and humorous at parts, but it surely should not have been classified as a romantic comedy.
My general rule has been that a “romantic comedy” should leave the viewer in a happy state, feeling better and more hopeful about life and the world. “One Day,” though dramatic and romantic, did not fulfill this expectation. The attempts to move away from the stand-by “When Harry Met Sally” were fruitless.
It seems that some movies are simply destined to last. “Pretty Woman” has released multiple anniversary editions. “Notting Hill” airs frequently as a romantic comedy special.
So what lessons can new films take from the older classics? Is it plotline? Actresses? Setting?
Maybe it’s simply time.
Perhaps all a good romantic comedy needs is a little space. Maybe we’ll look back ten years from now and suddenly appreciate the genius of “The Vow” or “Love and Other Drugs.” … or maybe we will simply be laughing again and again as Meg Ryan professes her tearful hatred of Billy Crystal.
Obamacare goes beyond healthcare
Twenty-seven states have officially filed lawsuits against it, and more than half of Americans favor its repeal. Now, it’s the Supreme Court’s turn to give its opinion on Obamacare and decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s most recognized “achievement.”
Brendan Pringle Mustang Daily
Amidst all the hype, this unpopular piece of legislation might not even be constitutional.
Aside from the basic question of whether or not the Supreme Court can hear the case (based on the Anti-Injunction Act), the primary question before the court is a simple one: Does the minimum coverage provision of Obamacare exceed Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce?
The left will continue to cite precedents such as Wickard v. Filburn and the more recent Gonzalez v. Reich as case law justification for the controversial legislation. Wickard, for instance, determined that Congress could regulate the amount of crops an individual farmer grew simply because it affected interstate commerce in the aggregate. The same precedent applied later to those cultivating and using local non-medical marijuana (Gonzalez v. Reich).
While these two cases and others expanded the latitude of Congress’ interstate commerce power, they fail to align entirely with the unique nature of this particular case.
The individual mandate in question does not only permit Congress to “regulate” a new area of interstate commerce; it actually forces individuals “to engage in commerce” so they can be better regulated. Once it takes effect in 2014,
letter to the edItor
any individual who refuses to purchase a “government approved level of healthcare” will face a financial penalty.
According to the legislation, the concept of a contract is outdated and unnecessary. Why is there any need for freedom of contract when the federal government can simply force people to enter a commercial agreement, and then regulate them accordingly?
Paul Clement notes in his brief on behalf of Florida and the other states represented in this case: “The power to compel a person to enter into an unwanted commercial relationship is not some modest step necessary and proper to perfect Congress’ authority to regulate existing government intercourse. It is a revolution in the relationship between the central government and the governed.”
And as we have seen in the decades of expansion following New Deal legislation, this can be a very slippery slope, setting dangerous precedents for federal government power.
If familiar with the Patriot Act, it becomes obvious we can’t ignore the fact that this legislation deals with the health and well-being of Americans. As Solicitor General Donald Verrill rightfully notes, “No one is more than an instant from needing health care.”
But there are better (and more financially sustainable) ways of ensuring universal health care in the U.S. Contrary to what the media constantly feeds us, the Republican position on Obamacare is “repeal and replace” — not “repeal and relax.”
From the earliest debates, Republicans have advocated a “more market-based” health care reform through a“defined
benefits” structure. Taxpayer-supported health insurance imminently leads to “un-needy” people taking advantage of the system. This has already happened to our welfare system. Do we really want it affecting everyone’s health care as well?
Of course, for the sake of expediency, the left ignored conservative solutions during the debates and squashed all resistance as it forced the bill through the legislation process. Still today, the mainstream media refuses to acknowledge any conservative alternatives to Obamacare.
We have already witnessed the ridiculous arguments stemming from this bill’s passage.
Suddenly, free contraceptives are a human right (obviously, this is what the Founding Fathers must have intended with the phrase “pursuit of happiness”), and proponents treat pregnancy as if it were some sort of disease. This legislation leaves far too much room for manipulation by its beneficiaries and by the federal government.
If the Supreme Court severs the individual mandate or decides the entire legislation is unconstitutional, Congress will have the opportunity to consider more effective and less imposing methods of ensuring the health of our nation’s people.
If our health care system doesn’t get fixed soon, it will be the cause of its own demise.
This column originally ran in the March 29 edition of the Daily Mustang, serving Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
We’re getting sold short
As a member of the class of 2012, I would like to congratulate the administration for their stellar choice of — wait.
No. Stop. I can’t.
I can’t even pretend to be excited about our Commencement speaker. I’ve heard her name about two dozen times and I still can’t remember it. There is nothing else in my brain to make it stand out, no point of reference to give it traction.
Regis? Was Regis Philbin too busy being retired? He loves Notre Dame!
Our Commencement speaker didn’t even have a Wikipedia page as of the time of the the announcement. She’s not even mentioned on a different page. The administration couldn’t spend an hour or two clicking “Random Article?”
We might have ended up with some Under-under-secretary of the UN Com-
Quote of the day
“I passionately hate the idea of being with it, I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.”
Orson Welles
U.S. actor and director Contact Carrie Turek at cturek@nd.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
mission on Greek Poetry and River Blindness, but at least she’d meet Wikipedia’s notability guidelines.
Hillary? Hillary Clinton is important and allegedly a woman. We couldn’t get her? You have to go back to 1991 to find a commencement speaker who doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, all the way back to 1974, Dr. Rosemary Park, to find someone who isn’t even mentioned on Wikipedia. Last time Notre Dame had a speaker this obscure, Hank Aaron had just hit his 715th home run and PONG became the first video game to sell 100,000 copies. NASA began building the first space shuttle, and the final frontier beckoned.
Gary Oldman? He has an inspiring story of overcoming long odds. I know that because I read his Wikipedia page. Because he has one.
There are plenty of reasons to have
this particular speaker: It’s the 50th anniversary of Notre Dame admitting women. Her life is being made into a movie, which I’m sure will be as faithful to the original story as Rudy was. But none of those reasons are in service to us, the Class of 2012. If in twenty years I have to listen to my family talk about how inspired they were by that one scene where she gets to be the commencement speaker and everyone loves it, I’m going to flip out. In 2009, in the midst of controversy driven by outsiders for political leverage, we were told again and again that the Commencement is supposed to be about the graduates, no one else. So what went wrong here?
Tommy Maranges senior off campus
March 29
Is Haley Scott DeMaria a good choice to be the Commencement speaker? Yes — she’ll be inspiring No — she’s too low-profile Vote by 5 p.m. Wednesday at ndsmcobserver.com
My monologue about the ‘Monologues’
If you watched “Show Some Skin: The Race Monologues,” then you’ve been exposed to race issues. As the director of the production, let me stress this: exposure is different from education. The actors did not explicitly walk you through every monologue analyzing how race played a part in the writer’s life. There was no commentary on the bias intrinsic to each piece. Theories weren’t laid before you to help you understand the behavior of the anonymous writers. Statistics weren’t thrown at you to help you realize the trends in our society. “The Race Monologues” was just what it is called — monologues, nothing more.
Edithstein Cho
Asiatic Gaze
For example, having heard a monologue from the Middle Easterner’s perspective does not mean we know how it feels to be Middle Eastern. We have been given a chance to peek into a window from the angle that the anonymous writer has allowed us to look into. We have heard from one person — this gives us no right to assume anyone else’s point of view. On top of this, we have heard from an interpreted version of a writing — who knows if the anony-
to the edItor
mous writer is upset about how the story was portrayed?
Yes, many people have been touched by the stories. And that’s great. The monologues were raw. Yet the stories were not about pointing fingers or venting. This caught even the audience by surprise. Most writers seemed to have written solely for the sake of sharing. The authors themselves seemed lost on what tone to adopt for telling the stories, how to put the events together, and what to think of their own stories. Many of them ended their stories with explicitly saying that they are confused or undecided.
Life is not clean cut for any of us. So why assume that the stories’ authors have it all figured out? The complexity reflected in the monologues is natural. As human beings, we hold onto tensions in our minds.
Many monologues had individuals justifying themselves as they portrayed contradicting aspects. One monologue talked of loving Notre Dame but hating the sometimes racially homophobic environment. One spoke of preferring a partner of the same ethnic background while still supporting interracial relationships. Another story illustrated how
Dear fellow Notre Dame students, In this, my last day in office as student body president, I just want to thank you for the honor of serving. On behalf of our entire 2011-2012 student government team, I want to thank you for your support and leadership this year. It’s been a blast working with you on projects large and small to improve our university and student life here, as well as to advance the mission of Notre Dame to serve as a powerful force for good in the world. And I hope you will join me in wishing Brett Rocheleau and Katie Rose every success as our new president and vice president. They’ll do a terrific job. Again, thank you so much for the honor of a lifetime. Go Irish!
Patrick McCormick senior
student body president, 2011-2012 March 31
one can be anti-racist but not know how to act so. One monologue showcased how one defended oneself by targeting another group with the same prejudice. Holding such dual tensions is the messy reality. Talking about race is never black and white. Instead, race affects people in various ways like the different shades of grey.
Despite its complexity, storytelling brings out the beautiful aspect of humanness. There is no level in which we can measure the perfection or the validity of the story. There is no one to tell you that your understanding of an experience is right or wrong.
Especially for this production, both anonymous writers and actors had to take the leap of faith. If the courage embedded in such faith is not beautiful, I don’t know what else is. The anonymous writers had no clue what their stories were going to be transformed into or how they were going to be judged.
The actors simply stepped up to lend a voice to the unheard — they didn’t know which monologue they were to be assigned. While many actors were assigned to pieces they disagreed, disliked, or could not connect to, they amazingly convinced at least me that
they were the anonymous writers themselves. This process showcased empathy in a different level. Moreover, the fact that many people have gathered as listeners illustrate human solidarity for me.
This cannot stop here. The storytelling must be continued. The fact that these are not representative should not undermine the value of the stories; the monologues should be taken as the vulnerable narratives that are finally being shared. However, the production “Show Some Skin” should not be understood as any form of education. The support that “Show Some Skin” received illustrates that our Notre Dame community wants to be educated. We need venues to educate the interested parties about anti-racism and help people understand the complexity of race. “Show Some Skin: The Race Monologues” was exposure. Now how are we, the Notre Dame family, going to educate ourselves?
Please contact Edith at echo1@nd.edu for any comments or interest in being involved with The Race Monologues. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Fulfilling the moral mandate
Last Monday night, the Common Council passed a measure protecting South Bend residents from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. The 6-3 vote is more evidence of the change of attitudes celebrated by the Notre Dame 4 to 5 Movement. Things have improved significantly for gay and lesbian students at Notre Dame, thanks in part to the efforts of the Core Council. But as the 4 to 5 Movement video pointed out, “It needs to get better at Notre Dame.”
At present, the 4 to 5 Movement is promoting two initiatives that could make significant difference. First, the students are seeking club status for a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) that would address discrimination and harassment on campus and provide support to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual and questioning (GLBTQ) students. Second, they are once again pushing for the inclusion of sexual orientation in the University’s non-discrimination clause.
Similar proposals were rejected in the past, partly on the basis of a concern for Catholic teaching and Catholic character. As concepts, Catholic teaching and Catholic character are far from simple. But it is reasonable to take the Catechism of the Catholic Church as guide to current teaching approved by the hierarchy.
Speaking of “persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies,” the Catechism affirms that they “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.” It continues, “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” (2358).
On these principles, Catholic teaching does not preclude measures like the GSA and the non-discrimination clause; indeed, it would seem to require them.
The mission statement of GSA proposes as its aim to “serve as a peer-to-peer interaction-based student club/gay-straight alliance, where GLBTQ students and allies can work together to ‘create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good’ as outlined in Notre Dame’s mission statement.” A GSA would provide social support for GLBTQ students without isolating them, as well as a significant complement to classroom learning, and would be a venue for student-led effort to assure that GLBTQ students are, in the words of the Catechism, “accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.”
Equally important is the Catechism’s stipulation that “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” Endorsing the capacity of gay and straight students (and associated faculty) to organize around sexual identity and adding sexual orientation to the non- discrimination are two essential steps toward fulfilling the moral mandate the Catechism articulates.
Mary R. D’Angelo associate professor Department of Theology March 30 Thank you
By KEVIN NOONAN Scene Editor
Sometimes it’s not the story that matters, but how you tell it. Saturday night at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center “Intergalactic Nemesis” told its story in one of the most uniquely fascinating ways conceivable.
The show originated as a radio play, for voice actors to act out over the airwaves while that sort of thing was still popular. It then evolved into a comic book, giving visualization to words and characters previously only heard.
But that wasn’t enough for Jason Neulander, creator of the show. Both the radio play and the comic book are limited in their storytelling capabilities, but combined, they open a whole new world of entertainment possibilities.
That’s exactly what Neulander did, and because of it the show succeeds in the most wonderful ways.
The audience is intrigued from the time they step in the theater. The stage, devoid of any scenery or backdrop one might normally expect for a theater performance, is instead filled with an odd assortment of what look to be everyday items on a table center stage and three 1900s-era microphones off to the left.
The show itself is nonstop action from the start, with twists, turns and wide array of colorful characters, all voiced by three actors who neverthe -
less sound distinct and genuine.
The plot is authentic to the time period to which the show pays homage, with the kind of light-hearted mystery common in depression era radio plays and graphic novels. Even the voice actors speak in the diction and cadence of a bad black-and-white movie from the ‘30s.
The show is very self-aware, and that quality might be the key factor that elevates the show from just being aboveaverage to being uniquely exciting. The actors are aware the plot is a bit ridiculous, and they aren’t performing to win an Oscar, so they feel free to overact and be as absurd as possible.
That self-awareness results in a show that is entertaining not just for its unique presentation values, but also for the continuing laughs.
The actual graphic novel was also very impressive. It was projected, frame-by-frame, on a screen at the back of the stage, and each frame was as beautifully and expressively drawn as the next.
But the best part of the show by far is the on-stage foley artist. The foley artist’s job is to create the sound effects that go along with the plot. The role is extremely necessary in such a show, because without one the performance would quickly become dry and unexciting.
However, this show’s foley artist goes above and beyond just being on stage. As men -
tioned before, the sound effects table is center stage, so the audience’s attention is often drawn to the artist. And she didn’t just make the sound effects; she was a magnificent nonverbal actor and an active part of the show.
She reacted to every plot twist or ridiculous act of a character with an equally impressive or hilarious facial expression, all while shaking a sheet of plastic to make thunder or slapping two pieces of wood together, or one of the other million little things she did throughout the show to keep it moving.
All in all, “Intergalactic Nemesis” was a wonderful show, and the world should wait on pins and needles for Neulander and his team to unveil a sequel, which he says he plans to in the near future.
Contact Kevin Noonan at knoonan2@nd.edu
“The
Intergalactic Nemesis”
Where: DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
More information: www.theintergalacticnemesis.com
By SAM STRYKER Assistant Managing Editor
In case you didn’t hear the screams and swoons of preteen girls nationwide last Monday, the epidemic otherwise known as “Bieber Fever” has returned, sweeping across America like wildfire. Yes, ladies and gentleman Justin Bieber is back, dropping his new single “Boyfriend,” which should turn even the most jaded of listeners into a “Belieber.” The first song off his third studio album, “Believe,” set to be released later this year, sounds unlike anything we have heard from the Biebs not only because he clearly has fallen off of the puberty tree and hit a few branches hard on the way down, but because the song itself has a different resonance to it. It might be too much to say “Boyfriend” is edgy, but it certainly makes you forget the days when Justin was a little Canuck nugget singing with a schoolboy voice puberty has given his vocals a bit of authority.
If I hadn’t known it was Bieber singing on it, I would have thought it was another Justin dropping rhymes and crooning over the beat Timberlake,
that is. Unfortunately, the man behind the world’s most notorious wardrobe malfunction seems committed to making movies and “SNL” shorts, so we’re left with the next-best thing and to be honest, I’m not complaining.
Bieber is a polarizing figure, and at first, it would appear he does not do himself any favors with his new track. He launches into the song with some spoken-word rapping talking about his “swag” this coming from a boy who is just barely legal and is dating a Disney Channel star. Let’s be real, voice cracks, not “swag,” are what Bieber should be worried about for at least the next few years.
But laughable introductions aside, Bieber and Mike Posner, who co-wrote the song, have crafted some sleek beats to fit Justin’s mature new image. The song sounds like it could have come off a Justin Timberlake album, and is eerily reminiscent of “Senorita,” one of JT’s early hits. It is smoother than anything on the radio right now never would I have thought to consider Bieber an innovator, but this is not one of the dime-a-dozen dance-oriented tracks currently crowding airwaves. Rather, it
signals the young Canadian icon wants to step into the shoes of the likes of Usher and Justin Timberlake as pop’s next major crooner.
It will be interesting to see where the next few years of Justin’s career take him. He has already established a niche as the number one male teen icon and by niche, I mean he has a huge fan base of teenage girls and cougars nationwide idolizing him. But as the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and countless other young adult acts have displayed, translating childhood success to a prolonged career in the entertainment industry is no easy feat.
However, Justin seems to know what he is doing he is changing his image to become more mainstream and radio-friendly, while also respecting his main core of fans. I wouldn’t go so far as to say Justin is Canada’s version to Frank Sinatra, but he clearly can sing. Bieber attracts a lot of criticism for being a primary example of what is wrong with the music industry today namely for focusing too much on image and not on talent but you can’t deny he has the “it” factor or the “X” factor, the sort of indescribable aura some
performers simply have.
Regardless of looks, we as consumers and viewers are simply drawn to certain artists, ranging from the gorgeous Beyoncé to the music industry’s answer to a crazy cat lady, Susan Boyle. This even goes across the talent spectrum. There are surely thousands of everyday people who can sing better than Britney Spears, but none possess the sheer spectacle she has as a performer. It is hard to describe what it is, but the recipe to pop superstardom has many ingredients.
Bieber seems to recognize this multifaceted path is the way to a long and healthy career. One day, his fans will grow up and not be screaming teenage girls anymore they’ll be screaming college girls, or screaming moms, or screaming residents of a retirement home. Justin could never stick with bubblegum pop forever, and thankfully, “Boyfriend” marks a new direction for the teen icon. It seems there is no cure for “Bieber Fever” in sight and it looks like it will stay that way for a long, long time.
Contact Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu
By MAIJA GUSTIN Senior Scene Writer
Jon Hamm. Kristin Wiig. Maya Rudolph. Chris O’Dowd. No, this isn’t a sequel to “Bridesmaids.” And these are just the supporting players.
“Friends with Kids” will inevitably be compared to last summer’s hit female raunch-com due to its cast and similarly heartwarming and often crass take on adult relationships. While there are no major grossout food poisoning scenes, “Friends with Kids” follows “Bridesmaids’” comedic look at adult life, though falls less for the latter’s heightened comedy.
Rather, “Friends with Kids” is all about the nitty, gritty, less-thanglamorous world of growing old(ish), getting married and having kids.
Written by Jennifer Westfeldt Jon Hamm’s longtime partner the film stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Party Down”) as two best buddies, and the only single ones amongst their group of friends. Westfeldt has proven her knack for biting portrayals of modern adult life with her feature-writing debut “Kissing Jessica Stein,” and she turns the trials and tribulations of being young in the city into the trials and tribulations of watching friends disappear from
the social scene, thanks to raising children.
In an effort to avoid the fates of their once-exciting friends whose lives have seemingly been ruined by children, Westfeldt’s Julie and Scott’s Jason decide to trick both Julie’s ticking time bomb and cruel fate by foregoing ruined relationships to just have a kid together. They reason that, as best friends, they can raise a child together, skipping over the pratfalls of a loveless relationship, while continuing to date on the side.
While this plan makes little sense to their friends, Julie and Jason get along so well because of their shared, unique outlook on life. Miraculously, life seems perfect for the oddball family of two-at-a-time after the birth of their son. Inevitably, though, feelings are born where they once never existed, and Julie and Jason’s easy relationship becomes increasingly complicated.
“Friends with Kids” isn’t exactly unpredictable, despite its unique premise. But Westfeldt’s talent for writing along with fantastic performances from the stellar cast ¾ make the journey to get to an inevitable end interesting, tasting different from the other prototypical romcoms on the market.
Westfeldt and Scott match wits at every turn, sometimes spouting
quips at each other, at other times exchanging jabs. They are an unexpectedly great couple with a natural chemistry that comes out of the blue and easy to root for, even if against your best judgment.
Fans who head to see “Friends with Kids” looking for laughs from Hamm, Wiig, Rudolph and O’Dowd won’t be disappointed. While these four only turn in supporting roles as Julie and Jason’s married friends, they make every scene memorable, even if short. Hamm and Wiig have a relationship as dysfunctional as theirs in “Bridesmaids,” while Rudolph and O’Dowd are undeniably charming as beleaguered parentsof-two.
Megan Fox and Ed Burns also show up as Jason and Julie’s respective flames, but neither can hold a tea to the humor or charm of “Friends with Kids’” main six.
At its best, “Friends with Kids” attempts to capture the highs and lows of real adult relationships, despite a somewhat-outlandish plot. While not always perfect, there is an honesty to the way the relationships are depicted that seems in stark contrast to what one usually finds in contemporary comedies. There are, though, moments when the film seems to drag, either veering too far from the inevitable, or drawing it
out too much.
The conclusion is both predictable and welcome, luckily avoiding cliché for something that seems much more truthful.
While “Friends with Kids” is outlandish at times, more often than not, Westfeldt’s sharp writing nails the complexities of adulthood on the head. The talented cast will have you laughing at one minute, cringing at the next, but always feeling wholly invested. Most of all, through all the laughter, you’ll likely end up taking a bit of time to think about just what it means to be all grown up and in love in the real world.
Contact Maija Gustin at mgustin@nd.edu
Directed by: Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd
“Friends with Kids”
Basketball in NBA is inferior to college game
nCaa men’s BasketBall
Kentucky fans celebrate win
Forget the brackets, betting and buzzer-beaters. Forget the office pools and unheard-of schools. March Madness certainly has all that and more. But there’s another reason why these 67 games, and the college basketball season as a whole, are the best hoops in the world.
Mike Monaco Sports Writer
Yes, I have heard of the NBA and I am aware (although Charles Barkley is not) of the skill discrepancy between a top collegiate team and a cellardwelling professional squad. If anyone tells you Sunday’s NBA games were the best basketball of the weekend, just wait for the punch line, because yesterday was April Fool’s Day, after all. I don’t care that the NBA has deadeye shooters, rim-rattling dunkers and tree-like shot blockers littered throughout the league — I’ll take the college game any day.
No, I am not crazy. I’d rather watch players such as Kentucky forward Anthony Davis try on both ends of the floor. I’d rather see him come up with a blocked shot on defense, sprint down the floor and throw down an alley-oop to get his team back in the game. As a matter of fact, I don’t even need such “SportsCenter” Top Ten caliber plays to see the passion. Give me a benchwarmer taking a charge or a walk-on diving for a loose ball. In Saturday’s matchup with Louisville, Davis routinely found himself in press row or behind the cheerleaders after chasing down loose balls. Forget about Amar’e Stoudemire, I want to watch the players who play with passion and intensity.
Levy, “In the NBA, everyone makes a run.” How can this happen? There’s no reason why clearly inferior teams should be able to sneak their way back into a game against a juggernaut. And it is inexcusable for an Eastern Conference contender like the Orlando Magic, with tradewaffling megastar Dwight Howard, to lose by 16 points to the 7-42 Charlotte Bobcats as they did in early March. No, I do not blame it on parity, sheer luck or the rigorous nature of an 82-game season. The problem with the NBA is effort. If Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony played with even half the effort of Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft, he would be a no-doubt MVP candidate and the Knicks would not be mired in mediocrity. Guys in the NBA just don’t bring the requisite effort level every single night.
Associated Press
injuries to police.
If anyone tells you Sunday’s NBA games were the best basketball of the weekend, just wait for the punch line, because yesterday was April Fool’s Day, after all.
Yes, I do want a team full of Aaron Crafts. He is the type of player who makes the NCAA better than the NBA. For example, take Saturday’s Final Four showdown between Kansas and Craft’s Buckeyes. Craft led the team with his pestilential defense, which can be directly attributed to level of effort. And while we’re at it, I want my basketball players to have Craft’s leadership. No, I do not want players who play to fulfill their stat quotas. Too many players in the NBA are worried about their pointsper-game average when they should be solely focused on if their team has more points than the opposition. To employ an oft-used cliché, college players compete for the name on the front of the jersey. I’m not convinced some NBA players care about the team for which they play.
Yes, I do know there are players in the NBA who don’t fit the slacker stereotype (see Faried, Kenneth.) But the league is chock-full of guys who do fit the bill. In the words of “SportsCenter” anchor Steve
ClassIfIeds
Contact Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Riot police used pepper spray in small amounts for crowd control as thousands of rowdy fans swarmed into the streets near the University of Kentucky campus, overturning cars and lighting couches ablaze after a victory over cross-state rival Louisville in a Final Four matchup.
Police had been bracing for the possibility of post-game violence and resorted to pepper spray though large amounts weren’t needed before they ultimately began dispersing the throngs, Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said.
She said 150 officers deployed on the streets at one point to quell what she called “a very dangerous situation with the fires and the violence” that dragged on for hours.
“It’s a fairly difficult situation, but not anything we didn’t plan for,” Roberts told The Associated Press.
Lexington City spokeswoman Susan Straub said police made fewer than 10 arrests, and a few injuries were reported after the celebrations turned rowdy in the streets after the Wildcats’ 69-61 win in New Orleans.
Roberts subsequently told The Lexington Herald-Leader that by 1 a.m. there had been at least 13 arrests, including several people suspected of arson. The newspaper also reported police had to dodge flying beer bottles while taking fire extinguishers to put out dozens of fires involving sofas, trash and other debris set ablaze in the streets. There were no immediate reports of any serious
Many streets had already been blocked off around Kentucky’s Lexington campus earlier to make way for the crowds, but sirens blared and police shut down more streets when the blazes broke out. Twitter feeds reported police in riot gear moved in to disperse crowds as some people on the streets were overturning and vandalizing vehicles and others smashed glass bottles.
Straub said the crowds began to disperse by about 11 p.m., nearly three hours after the game ended. But she said at no point had things “gotten out of control.”
Roberts said a street sweeping machine was called in later at night to clean debris where crowds had departed. But authorities had no immediate report on the damages. “I think it would be hard to estimate (damages) at this point,” she added.
Earlier in the week, Lexington’s mayor and UK’s president had exhorted fans to respect property and neighbors. But the city and university were prepared for a fiery celebration after police reported at least a dozen couch fires last week after Kentucky’s win over Baylor to earn a Final Four berth.
“We’ve come at this with a significant show of force,” Straub said.
The raucous street scenes triggered a rebuke from UK spokesman Jay Blanton.
“It is unfortunate that a small number of people are using what should be a night of celebration as an excuse to attempt to tarnish the university and the community,” Blanton said in a statement.
“To the extent that students are involved in any illegal activity or actions that violate the university’s student code, they will be dealt with appropriately.”
In New Orleans, Micah Fielden, Kentucky’s student body president, had earlier urged his fellow students in a tweet not to be destructive. “Let’s be smart and act like we’ve been here before,” he wrote on his Twitter feed.
The celebration was controlled when it began as celebrating fans streamed out onto the streets. At stoplights, fans hanging out of their cars chanted “C-A-T-S” while police and firefighters watched from the sidelines before the fires were lit.
Things were more peaceful 70 miles away in Louisville, where heartbroken Cardinals fans gathered on a closed street near campus and chanted “C-A-R-D-S” while waving a school flag.
Louisville fans were divided over whether to root for their rival in Monday’s championship game against Kansas.
“Even though it’s a Kentucky team, I hope they lose,” said Michael Funke, who watched the game from a pizzeria just off campus.
Kentucky and Louisville fans took in the game from bars, restaurants and living rooms as their uneasy co-existence was challenged by the high stakes.
Saturday’s game culminated a week of buildup in the state, with many fans recalling the “Dream Game” between the teams in 1983.
That year, Louisville beat Kentucky in overtime in the NCAA Mideast Regional Finals. It was the teams’ first meeting since 1959. It took the governor to get the two schools together on an annual basis, and before Saturday the Wildcats were 18-11 since the annual game started in 1983-84.
Saturday’s game was the fifth time the schools had met in the NCAA tournament — the two sides having split the four previous meetings.
Song by The Shins
Kentucky fans celebrate the Wildcat’s 69-61 win over Louisville in an NCAA Final Four semifinal game on March 31 in Lexington, Ky. Police were forced to use pepper spray to control the crowds.
nasCar
Newman wins at Martinsville
Associated Press
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Ryan Newman needed help and was running out of time. Finally, Clint Bowyer provided an opening with two laps to go at Martinsville Speedway.
Bowyer’s aggressive move took out race leaders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson entering the first turn, allowing Newman to slide into the lead, and he held off A.J. Allmendinger and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on another restart for his first win in 23 races.
“We were not a dominate race car,” Newman said. “Clint kind of cleared out Turn One for us and we were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.”
The reverse was true for Gordon, who led 328 laps, and Johnson, who led 112. The Hendrick Motorsports teammates seemed poised to battle it out to see which one would give owner Rick Hendrick his 200th Sprint Cup victory, and neither had a chance in the end.
“Jeff and I had been the class of the field so I really thought it was going to be a race between the two of us, and it certainly didn’t turn out that way,” Johnson said.
He wound up 12th, and Gordon was 14th.
Of the restart, Johnson said:
“That inside lane is awfully inviting at times to dive-bomb on people. The No. 15 (Bowyer) threw a dive-bomb in there. I’m sure once he got in there, he realized it wasn’t the best idea. It turned me around. It turned the No. 24 around.”
Gordon angrily sought out Bowyer after the race, and heard the whole story.
“He said he got hit from behind by the 39 (Newman),” Gordon said. “I had nowhere to go. Jimmie had nowhere to go. It was pretty unfor-
tunate. ... I didn’t want to see that last caution. We had such a great battle with (Johnson). ... It was going to be an interesting race.
“That’s just the way our year’s been going. It can’t go on like this forever.”
Gordon improved three spots in the points standings, but is still just 22nd.
Newman’s performance drew praise from car owner Tony Stewart.
“I’m ecstatic for Ryan,” the defending series champion said. “I got to see it on the replay during the caution after all the havoc broke loose. Ryan made an awesome move to the bottom. He was heads up to get in the gas and through that hole before it closed up.”
Allmendinger was second, followed by Earnhardt, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr.
The finish overshadowed what had been a stirring duel between Gordon, a seventime winner on the 0.526-mile oval, and Johnson, a six-time winner.
Johnson second and everyone behind them heading to pit road for tires.
What had been an atypically clean raced turned into mayhem on the restart.
Earnhardt, who was in position to give Hendrick a sweep of the top three spots before the caution, said everyone being on fresh tires played a factor in the crash.
“We all took off and ran into the back of the leaders, all of us,” he said.
Earnhardt had no issue with Bowyer for trying to take the inside line, saying that’s how you approach a two-lap sprint, but was at a loss to explain Reutimann’s actions.
“We were not a dominate race car. Clint kind of cleared out Turn One for us and we were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.”
Ryan Newman NASCAR driver
Johnson first took the lead when he passed Gordon on the 356th lap. He lost it on pit road, then passed Denny Hamlin to lead again on lap 393. He held off a modest challenge by Gordon with about 30 laps to go and then dueled side-by-side with his teammate until the caution, which came when David Reutimann ran out of gas near the entrance to turn one.
Gordon, who had just nudged in front of Johnson before the yellow flag came out, was the leader, with
“I would like an explanation on why that happened,” he said of Reutimann stopping where he did after having made several troubled laps without going to the pits.
“There doesn’t seem like there could be a logical reason for him to have to stop on the track.”
Reutimann said his motor just died.
“I would not have stopped on the freaking racetrack. I would have limped it around there and come to pit road, which is what I was trying to do,” he said. “The thing quit going down the back straightaway, and it shut off. I just didn’t stop there intentionally.”
Greg Biffle, who finished 13th, remained the points leader by six over Earnhardt.
Djokovic beats Murray to take Sony Ericsson
Associated Press
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Two boys stood on the top row of the stadium, beautiful Biscayne Bay at their back and the world’s best tennis player down below, as they waved a sign in his support.
“Djokovic in the house,” it read.
From the youngsters’ remote perch, Novak Djokovic looked like a tiny figure, yet he still loomed large. The top-ranked Djokovic won his third Sony Ericsson Open title Sunday, holding every service game to beat Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (4).
Djokovic improved to 20-2 this year and 90-8 since the start of 2011. He didn’t lose a set in six rounds at Key Biscayne.
“I’m playing at the peak of my form ... the best tennis that I have played,” Djokovic said. “I have to use that as much as I can.”
He also won the tournament in 2007 and last year. Only sixtime champion Andre Agassi has more men’s titles at Key Biscayne.
Mulling how to celebrate his latest trophy, Djokovic said he might violate his gluten-free diet.
“I cannot guarantee anything,” he said with a laugh. “I think I deserve a fresh bagel.”
It was Djokovic’s first championship since he won the Australian Open in January for his fifth Grand Slam title and third in a row. Now begins the clay season culminating with the French Open, the only major Djokovic has yet to win.
“This is very encouraging for me prior to the clay-court season,” he said. “I’m going to have more confidence.”
The lone break point Djokovic faced in the final came in the fifth game, and he erased that. He lost only one service point in the tiebreaker, went ahead to stay when Murray double-faulted to make it 3-2, and closed out the victory when the Scotsman sailed his final forehand long.
“I managed to play my best tennis when I needed to,” Djokovic said.
He’s enjoying his success. Warming up before a match earlier in the week, he joked with fans and used his racket handle to whack balls to them.
“Honestly, I’m not a big fan of baseball,” the Serb said with a
smile. “I’m a fan of hitting the home runs with a tennis racket at the practice sessions.
“We try to come up with some crazy ideas and invent new sports on the tennis court. Yesterday we played a little tennis hockey, if you want to call it, or whatever. So we like having fun.”
Djokovic said he felt ready for a physical final after a day off, while the No. 4-seeded Murray was also fresh but rusty after needing only three matches to reach the last round. He advanced twice due to walkovers, and was playing for the first time since Wednesday, which may have explained his slow start.
“Maybe it took a few games to get used to the pace,” Murray said.
The lopsided early score was a bit misleading, but Djokovic won the pivotal points and hit an ace to close out the 47-minute first set.
The tense second set featured a succession of entertaining rallies. Djokovic lost one 26-stroke baseline exchange that left him panting, hands on his knees on the sunny, 85-degree afternoon. Eager to finish, he twice was forced to deuce on his serve in the second set and slapped his hips in frustration more than once, wary of a Murray rally.
“That’s why he’s right at the top — he always comes back, even if you feel you have control of the match,” Djokovic said. “I’m really happy to close it out in straight sets.”
Their friendly rivalry began when both were juniors, and Djokovic now has an 8-5 edge.
“He doesn’t have many holes in his game,” Murray said. “When you play against him, it takes normally six, seven, eight shots, like 15-, 16-shot rallies, to win a lot of points. You have to be very patient, pick your moments to go for the right shots. That’s why he’s been so good the last 18 months.”
The final matched two of the game’s best returners, but it was serving that dominated. Murray faced eight break points and erased six.
Djokovic’s serve was even better, and he won seven of his final eight service points. With the victory complete, he screamed to match the roar from the crowd, looked to the sky, pumped his arms and blew kisses — a celebratory routine now well-rehearsed.
AP
Novak Djokovic reacts after defeating Andy Murray in two sets in the men’s singles final of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday.
Juventus crushes Napoli to put pressure on AC Milan
Associated Press
TURIN — Juventus beat Napoli 3-0 Sunday to move within two points of Serie A leader AC Milan and set up an enticing battle for the Italian league title with eight rounds remaining.
Leonardo Bonucci scored from the center of the area in the 53rd minute at the Juventus Stadium,
Arturo Vidal found the target in the 75th with an impressive solo effort, and Fabio Quagliarella finished off a counterattack in the 83rd as Juventus dominated from start to finish in a preview of the Italian Cup final.
Napoli was reduced to 10 men for the final five minutes after Juan Zuniga was sent off for elbowing Giorgio Chiellini in the face.
Milan was held to a 1-1 draw at Catania on Sunday and faces a tough test at Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, following a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the San Siro.
Juventus, which remained undefeated in all competitions this season, holds the tiebreaker over Milan, with a win and a draw head-to-head.
“Over the last two weeks we’ve solidly beaten Inter and Napoli, two squads that began the season ahead of us,’’ said Juventus’ first-year coach
Antonio Conte, referring to last week’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan. “I keep thanking my players because they’re doing something beautiful and extraordinary.’’
Earlier, new Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni had a successful debut as Diego Milito scored a hat trick and the Nerazzurri held on for a wild 5-4 win over Genoa in a match that both sides finished with 10 men.
The 36-year-old Stramaccioni was hired Monday after Claudio Ranieri was fired following a miserable streak of one win in Inter’s previous 10 league matches.
A week ago, Stramaccioni led Inter’s youth squad to a win over Ajax in the inaugural NextGen Series final - a sort of Champions League for under-19 players.
“The important thing is that Inter won. Yes, it was a wild victory,’’ Stramaccioni said. “I want to thank the entire group for giving their all to find success again. The merit is theirs. All I added was that little that I know to try and achieve this result.’’
This victory moved Inter past Catania into seventh place, 20 points behind crosstown rival Milan.
Stramaccioni is Inter’s fifth manager since Jose Mourinho departed after leading the club to a treble in 2010, with
Rafa Benitez, Leonardo, Gian Piero Gasperini and Ranieri each failing to fully satisfy president Massimo Moratti.
“Now we’ve got to go match by match without making any plans,’’ Stramaccioni said.
“I’m just glad the president
gave me this chance, which I didn’t deserve. Having his support gives us the serenity to do our jobs.’’
Earlier, Roma routed relegation-bound Novara 5-2 to keep alive its chances of finishing third and taking the Champions League berth. Roma is sixth, four points behind third-place and city rival Lazio, which lost 3-1 at Parma on Saturday. Lazio has 51 points, Napoli and Udinese 48, Roma 47 and Inter 44.
Juventus celebrates a goal by Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal in its 3-0 victory over Napoli at Juventus Stadium on Sunday. With the win, the Bianconeri pulled within two points of first place.
Belles split conference matches
By AARON SANT-MILLER Sports Writer
In a season filled with substantial margins of victory and defeat, Saint Mary’s played two close matches this weekend. On Friday, the Belles lost to Alma 5-4, but were able to bounce back Saturday and beat in-state rival Trine by a score of 6-3, both conference matches.
Against Alma (9-2, 3-0 MIAA), Saint Mary’s (8-6, 2-2) played a tight match, before the Belles fell 5-4.
“Saturday, we did a good job of resetting and getting our minds ready for that next match.”
Dale Campbell Belles coach
“It was a good match,” Belles coach Dale Campbell said. “I thought we were slightly favored, so I’m a little bit disappointed in that match.”
The match seesawed back and forth throughout, with the Belles taking the third doubles match, 8-4, off the stellar play of sophomore Margaret Boden and freshman Jackie Kjolhede. However, Saint Mary’s slipped up in the first and second doubles matches, with the overall margin turning to 2-1 in Alma’s favor.
Kjolhede and Boden again asserted themselves, as they captured two of the three Saint Mary’s singles victo -
ries, while sophomore Mary Catherine Faller claimed the third win in the one-spot. However, Alma was able to take the other three singles matchups, leading them to the victory. Belles freshman Kayle Sexton battled her way into a second-set tiebreaker, but fell 11-9 to Alma freshman Erin Clutter. Clutter took the third-set and the match as well, winning 7-5. Alma senior Amy Baranowski was able to defeat Saint Mary’s freshman Shannon Elliott in the third spot, the deciding match, as it claimed the fifth necessary victory for Alma.
“They were very good in doubles, and got out to an early lead on us,” Campbell said. “There were a couple close matches there at the end that could have gone either way, so it was a tough one to lose.”
The Belles showed their resilience Saturday, as they were able to bounce back and claim a decisive victory over Trine (4-7, 0-3). This fortitude did not escape Campbell.
“Saturday, we did a good job of resetting and getting our minds ready for that next match,” Campbell said.
The Belles flexed their mus -
cles early, as they swept all three doubles matchups, something Campbell said they had focused on doing.
“Trine is a much improved team and we knew they would be tougher in singles, which was something we talked about that ahead of time,” Campbell said. “So we wanted to get ahead in doubles, and that’s what we were able to do.”
Boden and Kjolhede again claimed victories in the five and six singles spots, wrapping up an undefeated weekend for the duo in singles and doubles.
However, Trine was able to claim the first, third and fourth singles matchups, nabbing three victories on the day. Sexton was captured a singles match, leading to a split between the schools in singles play. With the 6-3 victory over their in-state rival, the Belles returned to a .500 mark in the MIAA, and move to an 8-6 record overall.
Looking forward, the Belles have more than a week to rest. They will not play again until after Easter.
“We’re going to let the team off four days during Easter break,” Campbell said. “This is intentional, so we can give them a little bit of a break as we go into the home-stretch for the rest of the season.”
The Belles next hit the courts April 12 at home at 4 p.m. against Bethel.
Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu
Rondo leads Celtics in 91-72 win over Heat
BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had a triple-double and the Boston Celtics handed Miami its biggest loss of the season, pulling away for a 91-72 win over the Heat on Sunday.
The Celtics outscored the Heat 31-12 in the third quarter, turning a 49-44 halftime lead into an 80-56 advantage. They stayed ahead by at least 19 the rest of the way for their fifth straight win.
Miami’s last three losses have been by at least 15 points and its previous worst defeat of the season came just one week earlier in a 103-87 setback at Oklahoma City.
Rondo finished with 16 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds,
Women’s Golf
reaching the triple-double mark with 8 1/2 minutes to play. It was his 13th consecutive game with at least 10 assists and his fifth triple-double of the season.
The Celtics, combining tenacious defense with outstanding play in transition, increased their Atlantic Division lead to one game over idle Philadelphia. The Heat, playing their third game in four days, were led by LeBron James with 23 points but he had no assists for only the second time in his career. Dwyane Wade added 15 points. The Heat continued to struggle on the road, losing for the seventh time in their last 10 games away from home. Miami has the fewest home losses in the league at 21-2 but is only 16-12 on the road.
Armstrong leads Irish to 10th-place finish nd
By ISAAC LORTON Sports Writer
At this weekend’s 40th annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, hosted by the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., Notre Dame took tenth out of a field of eighteen, shooting an 892 as a team.
The Irish were led all three days by freshman Ashley Armstrong, who finished even-par, with an overall score of 216. Armstrong finished at even-par after the first round, earning her a tie for 16th. On Saturday, Armstrong ended her round with a second-straight day of par or better, shooting a twounder 70, moving herself up in a five-way tie for ninth. In her final round, she finished with a tie for13th place, shooting two-over, rounding off her final round with a 74.
Following Armstrong’s performance was sophomore Kristina Nhim, who finished in a tie for 28th with a six-over par 222 for the tournament.
“Overall with the weekend, I think we performed well and it was a good showing,” Irish coach Susan Holt said. “I’m definitely pleased with how we played.”
After the first round, the Irish were in 12th place, finishing with a team score of 301. With a second-day score of 292, Notre Dame propelled themselves into ninth place. The Irish completed the tournament with a 299,
falling one spot to 10th overall.
“It was a really good opportunity to go up against some top-ranked competition,” Holt said. “We held our own and did pretty well. We beat five teams ranked ahead of us, which at this point of the year is a real positive.”
As the season winds down, the Irish hope to take their performance and the momentum gained to the Big East tournament.
“We have conference [championships] coming up, then postseason play, and we are certainly hitting our stride and playing better as a team,” Holt said. “This should give us a boost of confidence going into the Big East tournament.” Campbell said the team is looking to retain the Big East title, which the Irish won last year, and bring the trophy back to Notre Dame.
“We are excited about the tournament, especially going in there as returning champions,” Holt said. “I think we are in a good state of mind right now, and we are just going to be working hard for the next few weeks preparing for the Big East.”
The Irish will look to keep their Big East championship title starting April 22 at the Reunion Resort and Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.
Contact Isaac l orton at ilorton@nd.edu
Associated Press
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, left, drives past Heat guard Mario Chalmers in Boston’s 91-72 win over the Heat on Sunday.
ND remains perfect in Big East with win
By KELSEY MANNING Sports Writer
The No. 20 Irish continued their Big East shutout streak Saturday, defeating DePaul 7-0.
The Blue Demons (10-6, 1-0 Big East) were Notre Dame’s third conference opponent this season, and all three teams — Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul — have failed to post a single point against the Irish. Despite the perfect outcome, DePaul was not a team the Irish (14-5, 3-0) took lightly, according to senior captain Shannon Mathews.
“They’re a really good team in the Big East that we always have a duel match against,” Mathews said. “They’re one of our rivals in the Big East, and they always come out and play really well against us, so we know we can’t take them for granted.”
Setting the tone for the match with doubles play remains a staple in Notre Dame’s arsenal, according to Mathews. Saturday marked Notre Dame’s 10th consecutive match in which it claimed the doubles point, another streak that has been integral for the squad’s success of late.
“We did really well taking all three of the doubles matches,” she said. “It was really crucial to come out strong from the get-go. To be able to separate ourselves and win all three was a great boost going into singles.”
Though the No. 1 doubles team of Mathews and senior captain Kristy Frilling recently dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the national rankings, Mathews said the pair felt good about its play against the Blue Demons.
“[Frilling and I] came out being really aggressive. We’ve been working on going back to the basics and we mixed up the play really well — being aggressive off the ground from the baseline and [helping] each other out a lot out at the net,” Mathews said. “It’s something we hadn’t done in the past from the get go.
“The first two games of the match we were aggressive at the net and got our opponents really off-balance. Starting off and being really aggressive at net was really crucial. We both served really well, a high percentage of first serves really helped.”
Irish win nine events at Purdue
By BRIAN HARTNETT Sports Writer
Notre Dame concluded a busy weekend of multiple competitions by winning nine events in an impressive two-day showing at the Mike Poehlein Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.
“Our team was really focused on qualifying for the Big East, and everyone competed very well,” Irish coach Joe Piane said. “I was pretty happy with their performances.”
Notre Dame swept the pole vault on both sides, with senior Kevin Schipper earning a victory in the men’s event with a vault of 5.10 meters. Senior Ann Polcari captured the women’s title with a vault of 3.60 meters.
Only five dual matches remain before the Big East championships, including two tough Big East opponents — South Florida and Louisville — along with No. 11 Baylor, No. 15 Northwestern and No. 16 Texas A&M. Mathews said the Irish are ratcheting up their focus these next couple of weeks.
“I think these next [few] matches are going to be really, really crucial, especially for ranking and our confidence looking toward the NCAA tournament,” she said. “We’re taking it one match at a time.
“Northwestern will be our next big challenge. They’re definitely ranked ahead of us so it will be a great opportunity for us to compete well at home. They’re another rival in the Midwest region. We always have really long tough battles with them. [We want to] just go out there and let everything hang out, and just play a little bit freely and go for it.”
The Irish will look to build on their win against Depaul when they take on Northwestern at home Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Contact Kelsey Manning at kmannin3@nd.edu
Freshmen twin standouts Kalia and Jade Barber each earned victories at the invitational, as the former narrowly edged out junior sprinter Nevada Sorenson to capture the women’s 100-meter hurdles in 13.82 seconds. Jade Barber won the women’s 400-meter dash in 55.62. Sophomore sprinter Aijah Urssery added another victory for the Irish short-distance squad, as she won the women’s 100-meter dash with a mark of 12.03 seconds.
“I was impressed with Kalia’s win in the 100-meter hurdles because she hasn’t run them at all this year, and she did a very good job,” Piane said. “That’s not to take anything away from Nevada Sorenson, who was right with her the entire way.”
The Irish outdoor field team saw success in their second meet of the year, as sophomore javelinist Amanda Chamblee won the women’s javelin throw with a toss of 38.71 meters.
The Irish women captured Notre Dame’s three other victories at the invitational. Sophomore jumper Kelly Burke took the top spot in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 11.50 meters, freshman Emily Frydrych won the women’s 800-meter dash in 2:11.41 and senior Kari Johnson took
the women’s 5,000-meter event with a time of 18:03.92.
With the Irish taking home nine victories and earning numerous top-three finishes, Piane said he was impressed with the overall depth of the team.
“We’re probably as deep a team in both genders as we’ve been in years,” Piane said. “To do well in a conference meet, you need people scoring in all different events and I feel we’ve been doing just that.”
Four Irish pentathletes and heptathletes also concluded competition at the Neil Moore Multi-Event Invitational in Charleston, Ill. on Friday, with the male pentathletes competing in five events and female heptathletes finishing their final three events. Junior Dean Odegard posted the top showing for the Irish, finishing second in the pentathlon with a final score of 6,297 points. Odegard highlighted his performance by finishing first in both the 1,500-meter run and the discus throw. On the women’s side, sophomore Meghan Moore
finished sixth in the heptathlon with a score of 4,279 points, a performance marked by her fourth-place finish in the long jump and fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash.
Notre Dame will head west to Palo Alto, Calif. next weekend to compete in the Stanford Invitational. As the meet will mark the first spring competitions for indoor All-Americans senior Johnathan Shawel, senior Randall Babb and junior Jeremy Rae, Piane said he hopes to see the team meet some NCAA qualifying standards at the event.
“The real objective of going out to Stanford is to get some qualifiers for the NCAA region meet,” Piane said. “We’re going to open up some ladies and guys that haven’t run yet, and hopefully we can get some regional qualifying marks out of that.”
Competition at the Stanford Invitational kicks off on April 7.
Contact Brian Hartnett at bhartnet@nd.edu
ALEX PARTAK/The Observer
Junior Ted Glasnow competes in the long jump at the Meyo Invitational on Feb. 3 at the Loftus Sports Center.
XULE LIN/The Observer
Senior Kristy Frilling returns a shot in her doubles victory over DePaul on Saturday at the Eck Tennis Center.
Winter
continued from page 20
The right-hander utilized her changeup to perfection, as she routinely used the pitch to keep the Huskies off-balance.
“The [Connecticut] hitters are very, very aggressive and we knew that,” Gumpf said.
“We knew that if we got them to fish, we’d be successful, and that’s I think what Laura ended up doing well. She got them to fish at changeups, her off-speed drop, her rise ball, and when she does that, good things will happen for her.”
The offense piled on more runs in the fourth inning in support of Winter to extend the lead to four, but Connecticut scored once in the fifth. Winter, however, shut the door in the final two innings by striking out four to secure the 5-2 win.
The Irish pounced on the Huskies early in the second game, as the offense put across three runs in both the first and third innings.
Irish junior pitcher Brittany O’Donnell was in complete control from the start as well, as the right-hander retired the first six batters of the game.
“[O’Donnell] does a nice job of completing [Winter] because they are so opposite,” Gumpf said. “If someone is hitting Laura pretty well, then they’re probably not going to hit [O’Donnell] very well … If they are both on, it changes everything. [O’Donnell] keeps hitters off balance, so she’s a great complement to [Winter].”
Leading 7-1 after five innings, the Irish ran into some trouble in the sixth when Connecticut sophomore infielder Audrey Grinnell ripped a tworun double to left-center field to cut the lead to four. The
Huskies proceeded to load the bases with two outs, but the Irish got out of the jam and finished off the game in the bottom of the seventh, as O’Donnell went the distance to get the 7-3 win.
In Sunday morning’s series finale, the Irish offense came through with 11 hits from seven different players, and Notre Dame got out to a 6-1 lead after three innings. Gumpf said the early offensive eruption was due to the familiarity of the teams.
“I think both offenses were [clicking] today,” Gumpf said.
“The third time you play an opponent, the game just changes because you have seen everyone you are going to see. So you’re always expecting [the offenses to come through].”
After a shaky first inning, Winter settled down in the circle. She scattered eight hits and two earned runs while not allowing a walk. A day after committing six errors, the
Irish defense complemented its pitcher by recording a slew of difficult putouts.
The Notre Dame bats cooled off down the stretch, but the Irish held on for the 7-2 win.
Gumpf said the three-game sweep is exactly how you want to start conference play.
“Anytime you sweep a team it gives you a lot of confidence,” Gumpf said. “I think the girls are really confident in the Big East as it is. We know our opponents really well ⎯ we do a lot of research and make sure we’re prepared to play anybody — so it’s really about how we play. If we play our game and really focus on what we need to do, I think we’ll be fine.”
Notre Dame looks to make it seven wins in a row when it closes out its homestand Wednesday against Northwestern at 5 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium.
Contact Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu
Rutgers
continued from page 20
seconds remaining in regulation completed the home team’s comeback, sending the game to overtime.
“I think that they came up with a couple of big stops down the stretch and made it an exciting game,” Irish coach Christine Halfpenny said. “They are a big, athletic team. There was a bit of back and forth, and they won three draw controls in a row and were able to convert on our goalie.”
Junior goalkeeper Ellie Hilling notched six saves in between the pipes for the Irish, and sophomore midfielder/attack Lindsay Powell led Notre Dame with four goals in the game, bringing her team-leading season total to 27 scores. Irish senior attack Maggie Tamasitis recorded five points and assisted on both of Notre Dame’s overtime goals.
After escaping from Piscataway, N.J., unscathed, the Irish headed to Baltimore to face a Loyola (7-3, 3-0) team in search of its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season. After the Greyhounds and the Irish each had scoring runs of four consecutive goals in the opening half, Loyola carried a 7-5 lead into the break.
The teams traded goals in the early minutes of the second half before Loyola embarked on an 8-0 run, spanning more than 17 minutes, giving the home team an 17-8 advantage. Notre Dame
men’s tennIs
scored three straight goals to end the game, but was unable to erase the substantial deficit.
“I think it was obviously a game of a couple momentum shifts … I think the biggest shift was draw controls and their possession style,” Halfpenny said. “They basically won the draw and burned a lot of clock [during their runs], and that was a big game-changer.”
In the draw-control battle — a category in which the Irish have struggled all season — Notre Dame won 11 of the 13 draws in the first half, before controlling only six of 17 in the final half.
Loyola outshot the Irish 3627 in the game and put 25 shots on goal to Notre Dame’s 19. The Greyhounds took advantage of Notre Dame’s 30 fouls in the game by converting five of six free-position shots.
With the Irish loss, No. 1 Northwestern (9-0) remains the only unbeaten team in Division I. Despite losing for the first time this season, the Irish maintain confidence, Halfpenny said.
“I mean, it is one of 16. Loyola is a very good team, they are very athletic, they have a lot of firepower, they have a great goalkeeper, they are number one in the Big East,” she said. “It is certainly an opportunity that we can go back and learn from.”
Notre Dame will look to get back on track when it resumes Big East play Thursday night when they host Syracuse in Arlotta Stadium at 7 p.m.
Contact Joseph Monardo at jmonardo@nd.edu
Irish improve to 14-7 with weekend sweep
By PETER STEINER Sports Writer
On a day when 13 members of the Irish played in at least one match, Notre Dame (14-7) took down opponents Ball State, 6-1, and St. Bonaventure, 7-0.
The Irish excelled against their opposition all day, winning every match in two sets, with the exception of senior Casey Watt’s narrow 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) loss to junior Dalton Albertin of Ball State (14-7) at No. 1 singles.
“I thought we did a really good job of winning the matches that we won when we got ahead,” Irish coach Bobby Bayliss said.
“I thought [senior] Niall Fitzgerald played really well against Ball State. I thought [sophomore] Greg Andrews played well.
“I thought we were in control in the doubles. We just took control of the match and did a pretty good job.”
The Irish followed up the victory over Ball State with another strong performance against St. Bonaventure (1-10) — a match in which the Irish sent out a much different lineup to meet the Bonnies. Andrews and Fitzgerald moved up to No.1 and No. 2 singles, respectively, and junior Spencer Talmadge played with Andrews at No. 1 doubles. Otherwise, the lineup was made up of younger, less-experienced players.
“I was pleased with the poise the younger guys showed,” Bayliss said. “When you haven’t been in there on a regular basis, there is a lot of adrenaline pumping and your heart is racing and it’s hard to be calm and poised. I thought we did a good job of that.”
While the Irish received solid performances all-around, freshman Wyatt McCoy and junior Michael Moore put forth particularly strong efforts against St. Bonaventure. The duo first played together at No. 2 doubles, winning 8-1. McCoy and Moore then went on to win matches at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively — dropping only three games between the two.
“We told Michael Moore he was the player of the day because he only lost one game,” Bayliss said. “He must have hit twenty aces and another twenty winners with his forehand.”
With two victories on the day for the Irish, the only negative that emerged on Saturday was the weather. The Irish had planned to play their first outdoor match at home against Ball State, but the colder weather kept them inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion for both matches.
“We were hoping to play outdoors, and it would have been better for us long run to play outdoors, but at eleven o’clock this morning when the match started it was 37 degrees,” Bayliss said. “Not getting to play outdoors was a little bit of a setback in preparation for the upcoming week.”
The Irish have four matches left before the Big East championships, one of which will occur at home Wednesday against Big East foe DePaul. Next weekend, the Irish will travel to Texas to take on Southern Methodist and Texas A&M.
Contact Peter Steiner at psteiner@nd.edu
XULE LIN/The Observer
Sophomore pitcher Laura Winter fires a pitch in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Connecticut at Melissa Cook Stadium.
Kelly
continued from page 20
said other, less-experiencedlinebackers may get a shot at playing time as well.
“I’d say it’s a very competitive battle and I’d say Carlo’s got an opportunity to continue to press and play more,” Kelly said. “We are just going to let that [position battle] go, because we know what we have and we are going to let those guys continue to compete. They have got equal reps over there, and then add [sophomore Jarrett] Grace and [sophomore Joe] Schmidt and [junior] Kendall [Moore] inside. It’s a nice competitive spring for us inside that we can play a lot of those guys and get good film on them.”
Juniors Danny Spond and Prince Shembo and sophomore Ishaq Williams will see time at the outside linebacker positions, nicknamed Cat — the pass rusher — and Dog — the coverage backer.
Shembo has been earning reps mostly at the Cat position this spring, but he sat out prac-
Doyle
continued from page 20
lead for the Irish.
St. John’s came out with two quick goals in the second quarter, taking a 3-2 lead against a Notre Dame team that struggled to find an offensive rhythm.
Red Storm sophomore midfielder Ryan Fitzgerald netted his second goal of the game with just seven seconds remaining in the half, giving St. John’s a 4-3 lead at halftime.
Doyle said the Irish were prepared to face an underrated Red Storm defense.
“They were playing tough defense, and we knew that coming in. They played some close games with some really good teams,” he said. “We knew they were going to put up a fight, and they certainly did in the first half.”
Irish junior midfielder Ryan Foley and senior midfielder Eric Keppeler each scored early in the third quarter to put Notre Dame back in control with a 5-4 lead. Doyle added his second goal of the day, and both teams exchanged goals to end the quarter with a 7-5 Irish advantage.
Notre Dame opened the fourth quarter with six consecutive goals. Irish sophomore midfielder Jim Marlatt scored three goals within 1:19 to start the rally, and put Notre Dame up 10-5. Three additional players would score for the Irish before St. John’s found the net for its final goal of the day.
The Irish outscored the Red Storm 6-1 in the fourth quarter and 10-2 in the second half.
Irish coach Kevin Corrigan said the difference in the game was picking up ground balls and attacking St. John’s defense.
“[In the first] half, we were a little bit lethargic and not very crisp,” he said. “Our decisionmaking and our play improved in the second half. I thought we played well, hard, smart, very aggressively and made good decisions. I was very pleased with the second half.”
Marlatt led the team with a career-high three goals, and was named the game’s most valuable player.
Despite a sluggish start for the Irish, the offense scored a season-high 13 goals and featured nine different scorers.
tice Friday with turf toe.
The coaching staff has singled out Williams as one of the spring’s main improvements — mainly with his effort. Williams said the coaches had previous meetings with him about his effort a year ago.
“Ishaq is learning how to practice,” Diaco said. “He’s learning how to compete at this level and prepare to compete at this level. There’s a lot less plays where he’s loafing or not giving effort.”
Kelly harped on Williams’ potential when he gives the effort the coaches have been looking for.
“He’s getting there. The light is starting to go on,”
Kelly said. “We had a couple of instances today where we had some one-on-one matchups with [sophomore tight end] Troy Niklas and Ishaq Williams. It was pretty exciting stuff. So he’s getting there, you know he has got to do it consistently, but we know what he is capable of when it all starts to come together.”
Contact Matthew De franks at mdefrank@nd.edu
Notre Dame junior goalkeeper John Kemp collected 10 saves for the Irish.
Corrigan said Notre Dame’s second-half performance indicated his team has found its identity.
“It was an important game because the second half was very much the way we want to play all the time,” he said. “We are finding our identity. You get better because you find out who you are, what things you need to do to be at your best, and we’re also getting more and more people contributing.”
Doyle said he enjoyed playing in MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
“It was great. Anytime you get to play in an NFL stadium, it’s awesome,” Doyle said. “It was my first time playing in a venue like this and I will never forget it.”
The Irish will next host Providence on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Arlotta Stadium.
Contact Megan Golden at mgolde01@saintmarys.edu
Hudgins
continued from page 20 allowing his first run in 25.2 innings off a solo shot by senior catcher Daniel Rockhold. The Irish senior continued his strong performance by getting out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth when South Florida had the bases loaded. The game was all knotted up at 3-3 after nine innings and headed into extras. Notre Dame freshman outfielder Conor Biggio delivered a clutch pinch-hit two-run single to give the Irish a 5-3 lead. There was no turning back, as the Irish piled on three more runs before closing out the Bulls to end the game, 8-3.
“Our kids showed good resilience,” Aoki said. “When South Florida had a couple of opportunities to win, we were able to hold them off, and then we were able to put things together in the late innings ourselves.”
The momentum shifted the Bulls’ way Saturday and Sunday, as the Bulls took a page out of Notre Dame’s book and orchestrated two wins thanks
to late-inning rallies.
“They turned the tables on us on Saturday and Sunday,” Aoki said. “We were able to make that pitch, that play on Friday, but unfortunately they were able to change that in the last two games.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Adam Norton started Saturday’s game for the Irish and kept the score close, but South Florida’s offense took the game out of reach in the later innings. After falling behind 4-1 early on, Notre Dame rallied when sophomore third baseman Eric Jagielo hit a tworun home run, followed by sophomore first baseman Trey Mancini’s solo shot to tie the game at four. In the top of the seventh, the Bulls exhausted the Irish pitching staff, forcing Notre Dame to go through five pitchers, who allowed two runs and gave up the lead to make it 6-4. South Florida managed to pull away and win, 11-6.
For the rubber match Sunday, Notre Dame sophomore righthanded pitcher Sean Fitzgerald gave the Irish a solid start and kept the Irish in contention. In the fourth inning, freshman
right-hander Pat Connaughton stepped on to the mound and provided strong middle relief, as the Irish were able to catch up and tie the game at 3-3. In the seventh inning, the Bulls tallied three more runs and closed Notre Dame out, defeating the Irish, 6-4. Despite the solid relief by Connaughton on Sunday, Aoki said a key difference between the two teams in the series was the bullpen.
“Pat did a good job out of there today and so did Steve Sabatino,” Aoki said. “But I would like to see it more often. We need to attack the batters and the strike zone and get ahead in counts.”
The Irish will have a chance to make adjustments this week with a matchup against Toledo, before traveling to face Seton Hall this weekend.
“We need to snap this twogame skid and go into the Big East series this weekend with some momentum,” Aoki said.
Notre Dame will host Toledo on Tuesday at 5:35 p.m.
Contact Brendan Bell at bbell2@nd.edu
ASHLEY DACY/The Observer
Sophomore third baseman Eric Jagielo heads to first base after launching a home run in a 12-4 win over Eastern Michigan on March 20 at Frank Eck Stadium.
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Right in the middle
Irish linebacking corps will play key role in 2012
By MATTHEW DeFRANKS Associate Sports Editor
There is the humble and hard-working All-American. There is the experienced tagteam. There is the cat. There is the dog. There is the group of developing youngsters.
This is Notre Dame’s linebacking corps, a group that will be counted on to play behind the aggressive and promising defensive line and in front of an inexperienced and unproven secondary.
Senior Manti Te’o returns to Notre Dame after passing up an opportunity to be drafted in the NFL’s first round. In returning, he previously asked Irish defensive coordinator Bob Diaco to treat him like the
BaseBall
worst player on the team.
“[Diaco] hasn’t treated me bad,” Te’o said. “He’s been great. He’s corrected me on all my little mistakes. He makes sure I can identify them and when I make a mistake, I know what I did and where it started from.”
Despite totaling 128 tackles and five sacks last year, Te’o and Diaco both said the veteran can still improve each practice.
“We’re working on things every day,” Diaco said. “We just give him something to work on each day. He goes out on the field and he diligently tries to work on it. He’s all about getting better on a daily basis.”
While Te’o has locked down the starting job at one inside
Bulls take two of three to cool off Irish squad
By BRENDAN BELL Sports Writer
In three close games between Big East foes, Notre Dame defeated South Florida in an extra-inning thriller Friday night, before falling to the Bulls on Saturday and Sunday.
“It was two pretty evenlymatched teams,” Irish head coach Mik Aoki said. “They made a few more plays then we were able to that made the difference for the series.”
On Friday night, Notre Dame (16-10, 4-2 Big East) faced USF’s (20-9, 5-1 Big East) daunting senior left-handed
pitcher Andrew Barbosa. The Bulls’ six-foot-eight Barbosa struck out all six batters in the first two innings, but the Irish managed to wear the ace down during the game.
“Barbosa was dominating us early, but we got his pitch count up,” Aoki said. “We got an opportunity to tie it and actually go ahead against him.”
The Irish utilized senior right-handed pitcher Will Hudgins, who wasn’t to be outdone by Barbosa, to take a 3-1 lead. Hudgins’ scoreless streak was snapped, though,
see HUDGINS/page 18
Women’s laCrosse
ND falls to Loyola 17-11, suffers first loss of year
By JOSEPH MONARDO Sports Writer
Just two days after miraculously avoiding their first loss of the season, the No. 6 Irish saw their winning streak halted at eight games on the back end of a weekend road swing.
Notre Dame scored two goals in the final minute of overtime to capture a 13-12 (OT) win over Rutgers on Friday before falling to No. 15 Loyola (Md.), 17-11, on Sunday.
In the weekend opener, the Scarlet Knights (6-4, 1-1 Big East) forced overtime and netted the period’s first goal before Irish junior midfielder Jenny Granger scored with under a
nd softBall
linebacker position, the other has been up in the air since the beginning of last season, with seniors Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox battling for playing time.
Diaco, however, said the competition is not so much of a race.
“I’m not sure it’s a race,” Diaco said. “They’re both doing a great job. They both have incredible value. They both could start on defense. One could be the Mike, one could be the Will.
“The way we conduct our business on defense, there’s going to be enough plays for both of them to play.”
Irish coach Brian Kelly echoed Diaco’s sentiments and
men’s laCrosse
minute remaining to tie the game. Less than 40 seconds later, Irish sophomore midfielder Margaret Smith deposited the game-winning goal, helping Notre Dame (8-1, 2-1) avoid the upset loss.
Rutgers hammered out a 3-1 lead in the first half by controlling the pace of the game and limiting Notre Dame’s explosive offense. Eventually, the Irish managed to regain control, depositing six-straight goals in a run that spanned into the second half.
The Irish failed to put the game away in regulation, however, as a Rutgers goal with 15
Irish sweep Huskies to open Big East play
By MIKE MONACO Sports Writer
The Irish opened up the defense of their Big East regular season title with a three-game sweep of Connecticut, kicking off conference play within the friendly confines of Melissa Cook Stadium.
Notre Dame (17-10, 3-0 Big East) defeated the Huskies (13-14, 3-3) in Saturday’s doubleheader with a 5-2 win followed by a 7-3 victory, and captured its sixth consecutive win Sunday with a 7-2 win.
“It’s really important to set a precedence of our expectations in the Big East,” Irish coach Deanna Gumpf said. “And our expectations are al-
ways to win the Big East.”
The Irish took a step in the right direction toward another conference crown with their victory in the first game.
The Irish trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the third inning before senior infielder Dani Miller blasted her teamleading sixth home run of the season to give Notre Dame a 3-1 lead.
The two-run lead was plenty for sophomore pitcher Laura Winter, who was undeterred by four Irish errors. Winter allowed two unearned runs and struck out eight Connecticut hitters en route to her tenth complete game of the season.
see WINTER/page 17 see RUTGERS/page 17
Marlatt earns MVP in win
By MEGAN GOLDEN Sports Writer
In pursuit of its sixth consecutive win, No. 6 Notre Dame opened the Konica Minolta Big City Classic with a 13-6 victory over Big East foe St. John’s.
Irish sophomore attack Westy Hopkins scored the first goal of the tripleheader at MetLife Stadium, giving the Irish (7-1, Big East 2-0) an early lead one minute into the contest. The Red Storm (5-4, Big East 1-2) responded with a goal midway through the first quarter, but Notre Dame freshman attack Conor Doyle netted a goal to regain a 2-1
see DOYLE/page 18
g RANT TOBIN/The Observer
Sophomore midfielder Jim Marlatt makes a pass in a 4-3 loss to Penn State on Feb. 26 at Arlotta Stadium.
g RANT TOBIN/The Observer
Junior linebacker Kendall Moore, left, and sophomore cornerback Jalen Brown, right, participate in spring practice March 24 at LaBar Practice Complex.
