Print Edition for Friday, October 10, 2025

Irish return to ACC play against Virginia

After a 4-2 win against Green Bay Tuesday night, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s soccer team will hit the road and travel to Charlottesville, Virginia to take on the No. 8 team in the country in the Virginia Cavaliers. The Irish come into this one with an overall record of 7-2-3 and a record in conference play of 2-1-1. The Cavaliers are 7-1-2 overall and they are undefeated in conference play with a record of 3-0-2. 

Hockey prepares for Ice Breaker Tournament

Notre Dame hockey is off to a great start with last week’s win, as the Irish prepare to compete in the Ice Breaker Tournament this weekend. Notre Dame will travel to Tempe, Arizona, to play tournament hosts No. 15 Arizona State University on Friday, Oct. 10 at 10 p.m. EST. Based on the first two games, Notre Dame will play No. 8 Quinnipiac University or University of Alaska-Fairbanks in game two Saturday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. 

Notre Dame volleyball battles it out at home this weekend

Notre Dame is coming off an aggressive tough loss to No. 4 Stanford, followed up by a win against California on the road. Against Cal, sophomore outside hitter Morgan Gaerte led the Irish offense with 11 kills as junior outside hitter Sydney Helmers totaled nine. The Irish recorded a total of 37 assists and 40 digs in the contest, plus 10 team blocks. Their California trip pushed the team to 5-7 on the year and 2-2 in the conference while pushing Gaerte to 199 kills, making her 14th in all of NCAA D1 women’s volleyball in kills per set with 4.63. 

Notre Dame’s keys to victory against NC State

It feels like a century ago when Notre Dame traveled to Raleigh and lost 10-3 to NC State in one of the most bizarre games in program history. As Hurricane Matthew battered Carter-Finley Stadium, the Irish and Wolfpack played in a washout, somehow finding a way to finish the low-scoring game. That infamous clash was in 2016. Nine years removed, the two sides meet again. This time, at Notre Dame Stadium and, fingers crossed, without flash flood warnings. Having rebounded nicely since two early losses, the Irish are looking to keep the train chugging. Here’s how they can do just that. 

Football beat picks: Notre Dame vs. NC State

With each convincing victory, Notre Dame grows closer and closer to re-entering the national conversation. Helped by shock upsets to Texas and Penn State, the Irish have now vaulted to No. 16 in the AP Poll. Their two losses look better by the week as well, with Texas A&M rising to No. 5 and Miami staying put at No. 2. Like last season, head coach Marcus Freeman’s team must handle success and take care of business with what remains of a manageable schedule. Should they do so, a place in the 12-team field will be waiting.

Government shutdown pauses processing of new federal research grants

The U.S. federal government officially shut down last week after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement to fund operations for the fiscal year. Triggered by disputes over the status of government healthcare subsidies, the impasse marks the first government shutdown since 2018.

A dead art: The covers of horror novels

You’re told never to judge a book by its cover, but be honest: How many times have you bought a book solely based on cover art? I’m a sucker for used-book stores, and my first stop is always the horror section. When given a vintage printing of a horror novel or a contemporary copy, I will always spring for the retro edition. Why? It’s not because of the “old book smell” or collectability, but for the design.

Notre Dame’s Speech and Debate Team reflects on program benefits, competitive season

Notre Dame’s Speech and Debate Team gives students the opportunity to compete in collegiate debate formats and offers students the chance to develop critical thinking, public speaking and leadership skills.

College Republicans and College Democrats debate for first time since 2022

On Wednesday evening, representatives from Notre Dame College Republicans and Notre Dame College Democrats met at the debate stage to discuss immigration, health care, tariffs, the Israel-Hamas war and political violence. 

Chris Ash takes on old colleague as NC State comes to town

First-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash will get the opportunity to coach against an old friend and colleague, Dave Doeren, as NC State travels to South Bend on Saturday. Between coaching stints together at Drake University and later Wisconsin, the pair have operated teams together with big-time success. The Ash-led Irish defense will take on Doeren’s Wolfpack for the first head-to-head contest between the two in 15 years.

Exoneration justice experts speak on abolishing the death penalty

On Wednesday, the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights hosted a panel discussion on “Stories of Justice from Death Row” in partnership with the Catholic Mobilizing Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to abolishing the death penalty.

Whether AI can be ensouled

I’m tired of having to hear and talk about AI, so I adopted a simple position on the subject which I could reflexively toss at anyone with a different take on the matter before getting on with the rest of my day. It’s a solution which I think many other theists have landed on, and, roughly, it runs like this: Intelligences are God-given and given by God alone, so at the end of the day, we don’t have to worry about whether the AIs we’ve created are conscious — no matter how much they do or don’t seem to be, and whether or not the scientists say they are — because we can rest assured that we are uniquely ensouled and that no Butlerian Jihad, no cosmic cataclysm, no day of wrath awaits us. No matter how stupid ChatGPT makes students and no matter how obsolete Claude makes employees, no matter how much AI degrades the quality of human life, it can never change the fact that I have a nature dignified by Jesus’ incarnation, passion, resurrection and ascension, whereas an LLM does not.

McDonald Center continues mental health grant initiatives with Fresh Check Day

The McDonald Center for Student Well-Being held its first annual Fresh Check Day mental health resource fair Wednesday on Fieldhouse Mall. 

What a day in a leper colony showed me

On my first official day off in India, I visited a leprosy colony. I know when I say “leprosy,” it likely evokes images of a biblical-era disease — something gruesome, something deadly. The stigma surrounding leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is overwhelming, when in reality, it is a completely treatable and curable illness. Although India’s leprosy rates have been rapidly declining in recent years, it still accounts for a large majority of the global burden. Its prevalence among the impoverished and unhoused populations still warrants the existence of leprosy communities and colonies, although their need is readily diminishing. Soon, with enough luck and proper public health measures, leprosy should truly become a disease of the past.

Traore taking command of improving Irish defense

During the first few weeks of the Notre Dame football season, the Irish defense emerged as a major concern. Conceding an average of nearly 35 points to Miami, Texas A&M and Purdue not only set the Irish miles back defensively from where they were last year, but also lost them two games right out of the gate.

Luke Combs to perform at Notre Dame Stadium April 18

On Thursday morning, Experience Notre Dame, a branch of University Operations, Events, and Safety, announced that country star Luke Combs will perform at Notre Dame Stadium April 18. 

Watson: Irish need both sides of the ball to show up

This past weekend, Notre Dame faced off against Boise State. The game finished with a relatively low 28-7 score, something that neither the fans nor I were expecting. 

Will Pauling: Leader of men

When Marcus Freeman announced Notre Dame football’s six captains toward the end of fall camp, the biggest surprise on the list was transfer receiver Will Pauling. Through four seasons split between Cincinnati and Wisconsin, the Chicago native reeled in only nine touchdowns and just over 1,300 yards. So why was Pauling, the apparent fourth-option in his own position group, the lone skill position captain for the Irish? It came down to his innate ability to lead.

Study abroad applications continue as students discern competitive programs

Each fall, hundreds of Notre Dame students submit study abroad applications in hopes of spending a semester or summer in a new country, culture and learning environment. Rome, Dublin and London remain at the top of student interest lists, drawing large applicant pools and competitive selection rates.