THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S AND HOLY CROSS ESTABLISHED 1966
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026 | VOL. LX, NO. 46
NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Students brave lines for Keenan Revue tickets By Mara Hall News Writer
With the 50th Keenan Revue approaching, students lined up outside Dahnke Ballroom on Monday for ticket distribution. The show runs Feb. 26 to 28, and approximately 1,500 tickets are distributed for each night. Doug Tackney, a senior studying mechanical engineering, is one of the producers for this year’s Revue. With tickets in high demand, distribution gets busy. “We rent out Dahnke Ballroom from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. We open the doors at 8 a.m. Anyone can come in and wait in line. We hand out tickets at 4. Two tickets per ID, and anyone can have two IDs,” Tackney said. He added that they do not enforce a hard line, allowing friends to come take turns or trade in and out for classes and meals. Elle Brouillette, a junior in Ryan Hall, said she arrived around 11
a.m. to get tickets for her and her friends. She was switching out with friends for class, but was unsure if she would make it to class on time. “I arrived at 10:30 to join my friend Ryan who has been here since 8,” John Jabbour, a senior, said. “Funnily enough, my classes got canceled today, so I got volunteered to be one of the ticket guys.” Andi Bell, a freshman in Badin, said her friend grabbed a spot in line at 8 a.m. “It is a much more comfortable setup than I thought. I had been told that the line does not get too long until 2 or 3, but my friends and I, we wanted the experience of waiting, so here we are,” she said. The line was guided by crowd control barrier posts and tables, with students scattered across tables and the floor. Some students complained about a lack of organization. see “Keenan” on page 4
MARA HALL | The Observer
Students gather in Dahnke Ballroom on the 7th floor of Duncan Student Center after lining up for hours to secure tickets for the Keenan Revue. While doors opened at 8 a.m., tickets were not handed out until 4pm.
Grojean and Coyle Halls Record OCIA cohort approach completion for fall seeks sacraments By Chloe Hanford News Writer
Notre Dame’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) class of 2026 has so many participants that they relocated their upcoming Rite of Election to ensure adequate space. With 76 participants in the year-long OCIA course, 60 participants in the spring short course and
MATTHEW MORIN | The Observer
Coyle Hall and Grojean Hall stand on South Quad last week amid the snow. Construction on the halls began in the summer of 2024 and will conclude this summer. The dorms replace Fisher and Pangborn Halls.
27 participants in the fall short course, Notre Dame’s OCIA class of 2026 is the largest in the school’s recorded history. This year’s numbers surpass last year’s record-breaking 55 participants who received baptism, first Holy Communion and/ or confirmation through Notre Dame’s OCIA process. see “OCIA” on page 4
SMC RHA announces formal theme By Soledad Castellanos
The formal will take place on Saturday, April 10 at the Gillespie Conference Center. Leading the project was senior Bella Perry, now in her second term as RHA president, who utilized her years of experience working alongside RHA vice president Destiny Magaña-Stokes. “This will be my third Saint Mary’s formal that I get to attend, and we really start
In the fall, Therese Mary Grojean Hall and Coyle Hall will be opened and dedicated as Notre Dame’s newest residence halls, replacing Pangborn Hall and Fisher Hall, respectively. The new residents of Grojean Hall will be students who currently live in Howard Hall, while those in Coyle are presently in Zahm Hall. Both
projects began in the summer of 2024 and, after two years of work, are nearing completion. Coyle Hall is 82,428 square feet with 258 beds and four apartments to be used for rectors, priests in residence, faculty or staff who live in the dormitory. The male residence hall is named after John and Jill Coyle, who served as co-chairs of the University’s Gift Planning Advancement
Committee and are members of the Cavanaugh Council and Badin Guild. John Coyle ‘94 is a member of the Board of Trustees, and Jill Coyle ‘89 is a member of the Advisory Council for Undergraduate Experience and the Notre Dame Hesburgh Women of Impact. They are both parents of three Notre Dame alumni. Grojean Hall is 83,670 square
NEWS | PAGE 4
OPINION | PAGE 5
SCENE | PAGE 6
SPORTS | PAGE 12
Leonard on patience
Lacrosse wins
CAVA, BIBIBOP are among incoming restaurants as Blaze Pizza, Urban Outfitters close.
Columnist Carlos Basurto recounts his experience with the ND housing process.
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of the classic Victorian novel is a pointless and boring disaster.
Riley Leonard explains his draft process and first season in the NFL in an exclusive interview.
Notre Dame lacrosse took down Marquette in the opening game of the season in a 16-11 win.
By Matthew Morin News Writer
Eddy Street turnover
In favor of exemption
see “Grojean” on page 3
‘Wuthering Heights’
News Writer
The Residence Hall Association of Saint Mary’s College revealed the theme for the 2026 Saint Mary’s formal on Thursday. The reveal event debuted the “Once Upon a Belle” theme alongside matching novelty sweaters for students to purchase on the student center’s second floor. At the reveal, students enjoyed sweet treats, a themed scavenger hunt and a zip-up sweater giveaway.
see “Formal” on page 3
SPORTS | PAGE 12