THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2025 | VOL. LX, NO. 18
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Irish interceptions punctuate win over Boise State By Henry Lytle News Writer
Notre Dame returned home to take on Boise State after dismantling Arkansas a week ago on the road. The Irish entered with questions about the pass defense and overall defensive consistency, but responded to the criticism with a season-high four interceptions and four sacks. The Irish put together a complete performance on both sides of the ball in a 28-7 victory to bring their record to 3-2 on the season. Notre Dame opened the game with a long drive that included consecutive 24-yard completions from freshman CJ Carr to senior wide receiver Will Pauling and junior wide receiver Jordan Faison. Pushing the ball toward the goal line, the offense had a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line that was stuffed by the Broncos. Notre Dame stopped Boise State on their first offensive series by dialing up pressure on third-and-15 to give the ball back to the offense. On
DECLAN LEE | The Observer
Junior running back Jeremiyah Love carries the football into the end zone in Notre Dame’s 28-7 victory over Boise State in Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 4, 2025. He totaled 103 rushing yards against the Broncos.
the ensuing drive, junior Jeremiyah Love burst through the defense for a 36-yard run that set up a Carr touchdown pass to Pauling for the first points of the game. The 19-yard
University justifies renaming office By Zander Daigle News Writer
On Sept. 19, the former Office of Institutional Transformation, founded in 2022, released a newsletter informing the University community of its renaming to the Office of Belonging, Engagement and Mission. The change in identification follows a series of similar name changes for diversity, equity and inclusion groups and spaces throughout Notre Dame, including the renaming of the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in LaFortune Student Center to the Sister Thea Bowman Center prior to the start of the school year. BEAM’s new name comes as the Trump administration continues to target DEI programs in higher education with executive orders and investigations. In a statement to The Observer, University spokesperson Erin Blasko said the purpose of the name change was to further clarify the mission of the office. “In order to make clear how its efforts align with Catholic social teaching and the educational
NEWS | PAGE 2
charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the office has been renamed the Office of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission (BEAM),” Blasko wrote. “BEAM will continue the great work it began as the Office of Institutional Transformation, serving as a supportive ‘hub’ for students, faculty, and staff. With campus partners, the office helps to ensure that all members of this community are able to thrive, in keeping with the University’s mission as a leading global Catholic research university.” BEAM’s website describes the office’s mission as furthering the University’s commitment to defend human dignity, promote a just society, and attend to the vulnerable. of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission (BEAM) serves as a wellspring for this commitment , helping to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment consistent with the animating see “OIT” on page 4
OPINION | PAGE 5
MVP Fridays
Dear Domer: Help!
Timothy Egan discusses “Historical Echoes and the Klan in Indiana.”
Columnist Zora Rodgers responds to inquiries asking about romance and friendships.
strike helped the Irish take a 6-0 lead and was the first of Carr’s two touchdown passes. Carr completed 15 of his 23 passes for 189 yards and no interceptions in the game,
another strong performance in his third home game. In the second quarter, both teams traded punts until the Irish were again stifled on fourth down. Boise
State took over from their 28-yard line and promptly led a 10-play, 72yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run from quarterback Maddux Madsen. Now trailing 7-6 with four minutes left in the first half, Notre Dame had a chance to respond in a big way. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense rose to the occasion in the final Irish drive of the half by earning three consecutive first downs to get the ball into Bronco territory with just over two minutes remaining. Now with the ability to manage the clock, the Irish went back to the run game, which proved to be consistently reliable against the Boise State defense. Love found the end zone for the fifth consecutive game of the season on a 4-yard scamper, giving the Irish a 14-7 lead after a successful twopoint conversion. Notre Dame’s star running back ended the game with 16 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. The Irish once again broke 200 yards as a team on the ground. see “Football” on page 10
Dining hall employees reflect on hiring freeze By Jane Miller News Writer
Matt Brower has been an employee of Campus Dining at Notre Dame for 12 years, running Decio Café for the past eight years. Everything about the restaurant is familiar to him: the recipes, the faces and the steady flow of students. This year, however, he worries it will look a little different for him and the rest of the University’s dining staff.
In response to increased taxes on university endowments and uncertainty about federal funding under the Trump administration, Notre Dame has implemented a hiring freeze, as a number of universities across the country have also done. A June statement by the University’s executive officers, including University President Fr. Robert Dowd, announced that a hiring freeze that began in March would continue indefinitely with rare exceptions. “As is true
currently, there will be an exception process to fill critical positions, but such exceptions will be limited,” the message read. Brower and other Campus Dining employees discussed how their jobs have been impacted by the freeze. “We just work harder and have more overtime,” Brower said. “As long as we have the overtime, we get the stuff done. There are other units that don’t allow any overtime at all, see “Dining” on page 3
Princeton professor presents on COVID-19 effects On Friday, at 3:30 p.m. in Jenkins-Nanovic Halls, the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government hosted a lecture by Stephen Macedo, professor of politics and former director of the University Center for Human Values at Princeton
University. In the discussion, Macedo examined the ways in which various institutions and governments reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic, with his talk based on his newly released book, “In Covid’s Wake: Science, Liberal Democracy, and Elite Failure,” co-authored with political scientist Frances Lee. Macedo provided a critical lens
to examine how society handles truth and trust amidst a period of crisis. Liberal democracies, he argued, depend on “truth-seeking departments,” such as science, universities and journalism, to be “insulated from, or capable of rising above partisan politics.”
SCENE | PAGE 7
SPORTS | PAGE 11
‘100 Sound Effects’
Men’s soccer
SPORTS | PAGE 12
Fred Armisen’s new album is exactly what it says it is — sound effects!
Notre Dame continues ACC play with a draw against Virginia Tech.
Notre Dame women’s soccer remains undefeated with a win against Louisville.
By Will Prisco News Writer
see “COVID” on page 4
Women’s soccer