THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 25
Female victim reports rape in Jordan Hall bathroom
Observer Staff Report
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Notre Dame Police Department notified the Notre Dame community of a rape reported on campus via email. The alert specified a female victim reported she had been raped by an unknown male perpetrator in a Jordan Hall of Science restroom early Tuesday afternoon. “At this time, the suspect is described as male, but no further description is available. It was reported that the offender was unknown to the victim,” the email read. According to the email, the victim initially reported the incident to Notre Dame’s Office of Institutional Equity, and NDPD is working
on the incident in collaboration with the Office. University spokesperson Erin Blasko shared that NDPD will conduct increased safety patrols while the University reviews the incident. Notre Dame is encouraging community members with knowledge of the reported sexual assault to contact the Office of Institutional Equity at 574-631-0444 or equity@nd.edu. “The safety and security of all students, staff, faculty, and visitors is the University of Notre Dame’s utmost concern,” Blasko wrote in a statement to The Observer. The email concluded with details on the University’s sex-based misconduct policy and reminders that “On college campuses, perpetrators
are more likely to assault an acquaintance than a stranger,” and, “The perpetrator, not the survivor, is responsible for any instance of sexual assault. Nothing a survivor does or does not do is an excuse for sexual assault.” The email also pointed students to the ND Safe App’s “Mobile Blue Light” safety feature as well as additional resources available from NDPD and the Office of Institutional Equity. The University has not issued a crime alert since 2023, when the campus community was made aware of drink spiking in a male residence hall. In 2021, students were alerted that the Office of Institutional Equity had see “Report” on page 4
Professors contextualize President Trump’s Asia visit
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Irish Ambassador to US speaks at ND By Will Prisco News Writer
Members of the Notre Dame community gathered in a packed McKenna
Auditorium Wednesday afternoon to hear a lecture delivered by Geraldine Byrne Nason, the Ambassador of see “Ambassador” on page 2
WILL PRISCO | The Observer
Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, speaks with Claire Cronin, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland.
Belles shop at free
thrift pop-up
On Sunday, President Donald Trump embarked upon his sixday tour throughout east Asia, meeting with key partners in the region, seeking to secure economic investments and trade policies with Japan, South Korea and China. His trip began in Malaysia with the signing of a peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand and continued with meetings with new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Global affairs professor Kyle Jaros wrote in a statement to The Observer that the stakes are high in Trump’s first East Asia trip of his second term. “The headline here is certainly the effort to strike more durable trade deals with China, South Korea, and Japan, all of which are key trade partners but also, to varying degrees, economic competitors of the U.S.,” he wrote. During Trump’s meeting with Takaichi, both leaders made commitments to various
projects in areas of energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. Additionally, Japan promised a $550 billion investment in the U.S. as part of a deal to relieve tariff pressures from the Trump administration. Similarly, Lee agreed to invest $350 billion into the U.S. in return for lower tariff rates on South Korea. International economist and economics professor Robert Johnson characterized the Trump administration’s approach to deals with Japan and South Korea as focusing on lowering tariffs in exchange for investment commitments. “The U.S. is a large financially integrated country with the rest of the world,” he said. “So when we’re getting promises from Japan and Korea to invest in the U.S., I don’t really understand exactly how that’s changing the overall investment dynamics in the U.S. in any way that is meaningful.” Trump met with Xi in South Korea Thursday. Both sides agreed to extend a truce designed to limit tariffs and Trump suspended port fees on Chinese ships. Xi agreed to
pause China’s export controls on rare earth minerals. “The current economic and security relationship between the U.S. and China is volatile, making any in-person meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping very sensitive,” Jaros wrote. Professor of politics Joshua Eisenman contextualized China and the United States’ relationship as lacking trust and reliability. “The U.S.-China relationship is never and has never been built on trust, but the question is can they figure out a way to put aside certain grievances in order to make progress on issues of importance in the relationship,” he said. According to Trump, during Trump and Xi’s meeting, China also agreed to buy U.S. soybeans and crack down on fentanyl in exchange for the U.S. cutting down on tariffs. Additional information about discussions that occurred in the meeting have yet to be announced. “They’re creating pressure points: soybeans, rare earths,
NEWS | PAGE 3
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 8
SPORTS | PAGE 10
Alumni of Notre Dame’s Washington Program reflect on their internships and courses.
Columnist Abby Hernan writes on losing her possessions and Europe’s lax pickpocketing laws.
The notorious movie has the most traditional Halloween vibes in the entire franchise.
The No. 1 Notre Dame women’s soccer team wrapped up its regular season verus Pitt.
After Brian Kelly was fired at LSU, Freeman’s preformance at ND has never looked better.
By Grace Sullivan News Writer
Notre Dame in D.C.
European charm
see “Asia” on page 2
‘Halloween III’
By Sophie Lewandowski News Writer
On Wednesday, the Saint Mary’s Office for Student Empowerment and Center for Faith, Action and Ministry hosted their bi-annual popup thrift shop. The OSE and CFAM transformed the second f loor of the Saint Mary’s student center into a store full of student donations. The idea for the thrift shop began in the summer of 2023, when María GonzálezDiaz, sustainability coordinator for CFAM and Christin Kloski, director of the OSE, sought to create something fun and inclusive for the Saint Mary’s community. “We really wanted to find an event [where] all students could get access to free clothing,” Kloski said. “We really just wanted students to have fun, to shop like they were shopping at a thrift shop [and] make sure that it was free of cost for any students who were attending.” OSE’s mission is to ensure every student at Saint Mary’s has “the voice, agency, and
Women’s soccer
resources to fully engage in the college experience,” while CFAM seeks to provide a community of belonging in which students can “build a more just world.” The event’s organizers emphasized that the thrift shop encompasses these missions through its encouragement of equability and sustainability. González-Diaz found that the thrift shop allows for an intersection between sustainability and community. “Community is also a part of sustainability. It’s in Laudato Sí. It’s in the sustainable development goals from the UN ... Community is just a pillar of living life,” she said. González-Diaz saw good in the broadness of events, bridging members of different cultures. “[It’s] a common space for everyone,” she said. Describing the nature of the event, Kloski said, “It’s something that’s different and unique, but people like to shop together with their see “Thrift” on page 2
Freeman vs. Kelly