Print Edition for Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Fireside chat illuminates enduring ‘friendship’ with Ukrainian Catholic University

On Tuesday afternoon, Volodymyr Turchynovskyy, dean of the social sciences faculty at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv, Ukraine, sat down with Nitesh Chawla, founding director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Safety, for a fireside chat on Ukrainian resilience and university partnerships in the Hesburgh Center Auditorium.

Student section at playoff game to be same size as regular season

Following a thrilling 49-35 victory over the University of Southern California Trojans, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish now appear set to host a home football playoff game on Dec. 20 or 21. As students write their last essays and prepare for their final exams, they may also look forward to attending the first playoff game ever played at Notre Dame Stadium.

Irish drop fifth straight game in loss to Georgia

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team dropped its fifth straight game on Tuesday night, as it fell to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens by a score of 69-48.

The Casper tell-all special

I call this the “Casper Tell-All Special,” even though I don’t intend to tell you anything (at all).

The dream that was ‘Gladiator’

In the original “Gladiator,” released in 2000 and directed by Ridley Scott, the emperor Marcus Aurelius declares that “There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish.”

‘GNX’ and the greatest of all time

For those uninitiated into hip-hop culture, rap has a pantheon as exclusive and illustrious as any athletic Hall of Fame, and every asserted “greatest of all time” is contested. Kendrick Lamar has long been a GOAT contender and even the number one rapper ever for many, such as this author. Lamar’s seismic conquest of Drake this spring, ending in the mythical damnation of “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us,” added the greatest head-to-head victory in any rap beef to his resume. And for those who have downplayed his brilliance before, his surprise album “GNX” is an uncharacteristically direct reminder why he is what he proclaims himself to be on the record: “the greatest of all time.”

Stock up, stock down: End of regular season

On Saturday, Notre Dame officially punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a thrilling 49-35 victory over rival USC in the Coliseum. The Irish closed out the regular season on a 10-game winning run to finish 11-1, the best record of head coach Marcus Freeman’s tenure. The win all but confirmed a postseason game at Notre Dame Stadium that will take place either on Friday, Dec. 20, or Saturday, Dec. 21. That leaves the Irish with three much-needed weeks to prepare for their next opponent, who will be decided after next week’s slate of conference championship games, games Notre Dame will watch eagerly from home. Here are some of the team’s active strengths and weaknesses heading into the playoff in this week’s edition of stock up, stock down.

Saint Mary’s launches new vehicle, ‘Blinkie Too’

On Tuesday evening, the Saint Mary’s campus safety department launched their new replacement vehicle as part of their safety escort services, named “Blinkie Too.” The vehicle was purchased as part of the annual campus security budget.

University photographer Matt Cashore reflects on career at Notre Dame

Since he first arrived at Notre Dame as a freshman in 1990, University photographer Matt Cashore has been photographing Notre Dame’s campus. Cashore has been a full-time employee at the University since 2007 and is also a major contributor to Notre Dame Magazine. 

Were we ever supposed to know this much?

Green beans, steamed rice with almonds, pork chops. I scroll mindlessly through the dining hall dinner menu, debating the merit of using a meal swipe later (with the reduced meal plan, every swipe counts). It’s 11:49 a.m. I stopped trying to follow my professor’s explanation of the same graph a long time ago. Instead, I switch between tabs on my laptop, wondering if pork chops will sound good seven hours from now.

Irish men fall to Rutgers, Houston and Creigton in Las Vegas Players Era Festival

Following a home loss to Elon, Irish fans hoped for success over “Feast Week” as men’s basketball headed to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Slated to play multiple ranked teams, Notre Dame knew this tournament would present a true test for the young group. However, the Irish lost in overtime to Rutgers, 84-85, 54-65 to No. 6 Houston and No. 76-80 to No. 21 Creighton. On top of the consecutive losses, sophomore point guard Markus Burton suffered a knee injury against Rutgers and is set to miss multiple weeks. The Irish showed an ability to come back from large deficits, but failed to close the tight games down the stretch. Despite the challenges and setbacks, there were still positives for the shorthanded team. 

Irish claim a runner-up finish at Friendship Four tournament

Over the weekend, Notre Dame hockey (6-10-0, 1-7-0 Big Ten) made history as the first Big Ten team to compete in the Friendship Four tournament. Held since 2015 at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the four-team event has mostly featured programs from Hockey East and the ECAC, linking the sister cities of Boston and Belfast. This year, the Irish joined Boston University and Merrimack of Hockey East and Harvard of the ECAC in the competitive field.

Gray breaks the chains against USC and steps up in wake of Morrison loss

Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray has been a contributor to the Irish since he stepped on campus. Coming in as a sought after four star recruit from St. Louis, MO — the highest-ranked Irish cornerback recruit since 2015 at the time — he had expectations to fulfill.

Merry Christmas, 007

What constitutes a Christmas movie? This is a surprisingly divisive question. Some movies are undoubtedly Christmas classics: “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Elf”; however, there are those that are debated: “Gremlins,” “Batman Returns” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” However, there is one film that I am always shocked to see left out of this conversation: the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” which I believe to be a Christmas movie that rivals “Die Hard” for high-energy holiday thrills.

Life the American way: first weeks of Trump

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article discussing what Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election meant for the American electorate. However, I failed to entirely give my opinions on it and express the full scope of Trump's initial plans in office. Trump has begun nominating several people for his cabinet in the past few weeks. Most of these people have shown Trump loyalty in the past, further strengthening Trump's plan to fill his administration with people who have proven loyal to him.

Irish drop two in Cayman Islands Classic

During the Thanksgiving break, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team lost its win streak in the Cayman Islands Classic, taking two losses against Texas Christian University (TCU) and the University of Utah. 

I am in a complicated relationship with you

I’ve been thinking about you, and us, ever since that Monday meal with Ben. We were talking about Junior Parents Weekend and the possibility of my dad visiting, when he said: “Hannah, this might be a crazy question, but does your dad speak English?”

It’s the most dreadful (wonderful) time of the year

For those of us who still care about Thanskgiving and validate it as a holiday worth celebrating, it is now officially Christmas season. Nothing is more indicative of festive celebration than Saturday final exams, precariously icy sidewalks and the permacloud. We Notre Dame students return from Chicago and the depths of our beds in our dorms to the final three weeks of the fall semester, a gauntlet of terrible challenges — both academically and environmentally. 

Keys to victory: Interceptions secure win in rivalry game

The Fighting Irish came to Hollywood with cinematic aspirations. Asked earlier this week about whether he had to amp up Notre Dame players in preparation for their last regular season game against the Trojans, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden answered bluntly.