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VOLUME 59, ISSUE 63 | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2025 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Construction begins on Main Circle The new design will be a tribute to the contributions of women at Notre Dame By ZACK POHLMAN Associate News Editor
The iconic view of the Main Building’s golden dome from Notre Dame Avenue has been disrupted in recent weeks for Main Circle’s anticipated refresh. Construction began over spring break on the second phase of the Notre Dame Avenue construction project, which is expected to be completed by September 2025. The project was announced in 2022 as part of the University’s celebration of 50 years of undergraduate women at Notre Dame and is currently in its second phase. “Last summer, the first phase of construction was completed, which involved replacing the perimeter sidewalks, enhancing the perimeter landscape and replacing the driveway and curbs,” University architect
Doug Marsh wrote in a statement to The Observer. Phase two of the redesign focuses on the interior of the circle, which has been completely gutted with the exception of a lone sycamore tree. As part of the project, landscaping will return to the space in the form of flowers, shrubs and trees. “The current work involves the installation of a new storm water sewer connection that will enhance the storm water management system serving this region of campus,” Marsh wrote. Marsh estimated the utility work would be completed next week, after which focus will shift to the new look of Main Circle. The new design is intended to honor the impact that women have had on the University “The see CIRCLE PAGE 4
SMC speaker receives backlash
ZACK POHLMAN | The Observer
The changes to Main Circle’s interior include the installation of a new storm water sewer connection, incorporating flowers, trees and shrubs, as well as the addition of a seating area with a view of the dome.
Student pair launches ticket resale startup By MEGAN CORNELL Staff Writer
MONICA VILLAGOMEZ MENDEZ | The Observer
Mary McAleese is the former president of Ireland. McAleese will be the commencement speaker for Saint Mary’s College 2025 May ceremony.
By SAMANTHA GEBERT and SOLEDAD CASTELLANOS Staff Writers
The selection of former president of Ireland Mar y McA leese as the commencement speaker for the Saint Mar y’s College class of 2025 was announced to students via email March 6. Since then, both Belles for
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Life and The Loretto Trust have made statements calling for McA leese’s offer to be rescinded, with the former calling her invitation “a grave scandal to the Catholic faith.” In the email, Saint Mar y’s College President Katie Conboy explained that McA leese, who ser ved as president from see SPEAKER PAGE 4
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Sophomore Rafael Labuto’s vision for a better way to buy resale tickets came to life after he took his ideas to Notre Dame’s Idea Center. His startup, myTickets, created in partnership with Kenan Wursthorn, will launch next week and offer fans a way to purchase resale tickets at lower prices for a wide range of events. Wursthorn, a member of Notre Dame’s ESTEEM graduate program, is both Labuto’s co-founder and the startup’s CEO, while Labuto will serve as the COO. Labuto explained that they met through the Idea Center, whose mission is “bringing Notre Dame’s best ideas to market” by providing commercialization and entrepreneurial resources. Their team also includes Notre Dame alum Jerrick
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Ban and Kaio Lucas, who works in development. Labuto and Wursthorn shared that they have additionally worked with “wellknown venture capitalist in the Notre Dame ecosystem” Tim Connors. Wursthorn and Labuto identified the ticket resale industry as a space with lots of potential for improvement, noting that fans looking to buy resale tickets to concerts or sports games often pay hefty fees and have difficulty finding cheap tickets. To alleviate this issue, they developed myTickets, which will allow users to purchase tickets with minimal fees. “Our mission is to create a better product that people actually enjoy using with features that help them secure better deals,” Wursthorn said. After coming up with the idea, the myTickets team
entered the McCloskey NewVenture competition, where startups pitch their ideas to potential investors and compete for funding. They also entered the Idea Center’s Race to Revenue program, a summer startup accelerator where founders work on their businesses full time. Afterwards, the group focused on raising funding. “We started with our family and friends, and we raised about $17k that way. We had a couple angels come on … and we’ve also worked with Platform Venture Studios and Elevate Ventures, which is what gets us to the $282k mark,” Wursthorn said. After finalizing the website’s development, the team made their service available for the College Football Playoff to test the
WOMEN’S TENNIS
BASEBALL
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see STARTUP PAGE 3
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