Niner Times: October 3, 2017

OCT. 3, 2017 NINERTIMES.COM

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Hunter Heilman editor@ninertimes.com EDITORIAL

Alex Sands NEWS EDITOR Kathleen Cook SPORTS EDITOR Jeffrey Kopp A&E EDITOR Hailey Turpin LIFESTYLE EDITOR Salina Dickie COPY EDITOR Mia Shelton OPINION EDITOR Leysha Caraballo PHOTO COORDINATOR Pooja Pasupula PHOTO COORDINATOR Chris McKinnis VIDEO PRODUCER Carmen Westra COMMUNITY EDITOR Kathryn Whitesides LAYOUT EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITORS

Stephanie Trefzger, Angie Baquedano, Emily Hickey, Joshua Worley, Emma West CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Madison Dobrzenski, Ginger Duchi, Jerry Yan, Brianna Sumpter, Jazz Warren COVER PHOTO BY

Norah Alorainy

A&E • • • •

SPORTS

MOVIE REVIEW: ʻGERALDʼS GAMEʼ IS AN UNFLINCHINGLY FEROCIOUS THRILL RIDE OF THE MOST ELEGANT KIND

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RUNNING GAME EMERGING AS STRENGTH FOR NINERS

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CHARLOTTE DRAW 1-1 AGAINST UAB

ʻBALTIMOREʼ THEATER REVIEW FOSTER THE PEOPLE CONCERT REVIEW

SPECIAL TEAMS ERRORS HAUNT 49ERS: FIU GETS COMEBACK WIN AT HOME

MOVIE REVIEW: ʻFLATLINERSʼ HAS A SUFFICIENT PULSE

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MARKETING STAFF

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NEWS

CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

photos (left) by Norah alorainy, (right) Chimena ihebuzor story By Evan Moore One of the first things people Health Center. The facility includes notice about the university is all the individual meeting rooms, as well as construction. Our campus is in the rooms for group therapy. The project is middle of a major facelift, with many scheduled to be completed this fall. new facilities and renovations to be UNC Charlotte is also in the completed in the next few years. planning stages of its biggest project One of the biggest projects is the ever, a $90 million science building. construction of a $63.5 million dollar The cutting-edge facility will include Health and Wellness Center, which classrooms and research labs for will be located next to the Student the biology, chemistry and physics Union. Parking Lots 18 and 19 will departments. The building will be permanently closed to make be located at the corner of Mary room for the the 140,000 square-foot Alexander and Craver Roads. The facility, which will include weight design is still in progress, but the training rooms, group fitness areas, project is scheduled to be completed multipurpose courts and a pool. The by late 2020. center is being built to make up In addition, plans for the new-andfor the lack of wellness facilities on improved Belk Plaza are expected to campus. Construction is expected to take effect this month. The design be complete in July 2019. includes the addition of a “great lawn,” The expansion of the Union Parking a fountain and a raised terrace off Deck also began this summer. The $14 of Colvard. Developers want this to million project will add 570 parking serve as the central meeting space for spaces to make up for the spaces lost students on campus. with the closure of Lots 18 and 19.

“We created a palate that would The project will be finished by May of accommodate just about anything,” next year. said Adam Martin, an associate with Another notable project is the LandDesign, in an interview last year. construction of a Student Counseling LandDesign is the company in charge Center. Currently located in Atkins of the plans for the revitalized area.

Library, counselors will be relocated Quite a few minor projects are to new facility next to the Student slated to be complete in the next few

years as well.

Renovations to Burson and Denny are expected to be complete in the next few months. You can expect to see a much more modern design on the outside of these buildings, along with improved air conditioning circulation on the inside.

Wireless access points are also being installed throughout campus to increase Wi-Fi coverage. The access points are designed so students can connect to the internet at outdoor spaces around campus.

While the construction of new facilities is beneficial to the university, campus officials are aware of the short-term problems it can cause.

“Facilities management is working through an unprecedented level of construction,” said Phil Jones, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities management, in an interview earlier this year. “The goal is to do our best to ease the challenges and facilitate smooth transitions in the months ahead. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work together through an exceptional series of construction projects that will enrich the campus upon completion.”

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION SEPTEMBER 2017 •

WI-FI IMPROVEMENTS

DECEMBER 2017 •

DENNY RENOVATIONS

JANUARY 2018 • •

BURSON RENOVATIONS BELK PLAZA REVITALIZATION

MAY 2018 • • •

UNION DECK EXPANSION CRI ENTRANCE IMPROVEMENTS SCOTT HALL RENOVATIONS

JULY 2019 •

HEALTH AND WELLNESS BUILDING

NOVEMBER 2020 •

SCIENCE BUILDING

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OCT. 3, 2017

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topics the chancellor discussed on his campus tour Story and photo by Alexandria Sands

Chancellor Philip Dubois welcomed new members of the UNC Board of Governors to campus Sept. 22 with a bus tour. During the tour, he mentioned some of UNC Charlotte’s current and future projects as the university attempts to accomodate its growing population.

light rail, due to a $50 fee being added to tuition.

The light rail will arrive on campus every seven minutes during peak hours, 103 times a day.

The station will be quiet enough not to disturb students in residence halls across the street, Dubois said.

To patrol the station, more officers will be added to campus police next year.

Since the ride to UNC Charlotte Center City is only 22 minutes, more undergraduate programming will be held at that campus.

3. Athletics

Passing by the athletic fields, Dubois noted the university had their largest attendance in football history on Sept. 15.

With the establishment of the football team five years ago, the university is required to add more women athletics. This year, women’s golf began its first season.

In the near future, athletics will add women’s swimming, beach volleyball and potentially one other sport.

1. Construction As the bus passed through campus, Dubois pointed out the ongoing construction on campus. These included renovations to Scott and Moore Hall, the re-purposing of the original dining hall, a new undergraduate admissions office, a new science building, the Health and Wellness Center and the Student Union deck expansion.

“You want to make sure your campus is as attractive as it can be,” Dubois said.

2. Parking With the growth of the university, preferrable parking has become a concern for the community. Dubois said the university is trying to “train” staff, faculty and students to park at North Deck and ride the shuttle in to campus. The university is waiting to see if the light rail will “bail them out” of their parking issue or if they will need to build another parking deck, Dubois said. He wants to keep infrastructure, such as parking decks, on the perimeter of campus.

“We don’t want to use precious campus land for parking,” he said.

3. Light Rail Dubois is hoping the completion of the light rail will attract more people to campus, especially for events such as football games.

“This is a major piece of infrastructure,” Dubois said.

“If you’ve been to universities with light rail systemslike the University of Utah, University of Minnesota, San Diego State- they are transformational to those campuses.”

In March, students will have unlimited rides on the

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4. Long Term Goals One of Dubois’ long-term goals is to construct a building for the music department with a 1,000 seat performance space. Currently, Robinson Hall’s performance space fits only 300 people.

The UNC Charlotte Foundation is in the final stages of making a decision to build a full service Marriott hotel with 15,000 square feet of conference space on campus.

“We think we can get a lot of southeastern academic socieities to come to this campus if we offer that kind of amenity,” he said.

Dubois asked UNC Board of Governors to, eventually, consider helping fund a $22 million building to house both the Charlotte Engineering Early College and the Charlotte Teacher Early College (CTEC). The CTEC began its first classes, with 55 high school students, this August. The building would be on the Charlotte Research Institute campus, between EPIC and Grigg halls.

THE NUMBER TO LOOK OUT FOR

OPINION SPORTS

Story by Veronica Shoemaker Photo by Chris Crews Jeff Gemmell snags the ball after a play during the N.C. A&T game. Photo by Chris Crews The 2017 season has been a dream come true for Jeff Gemmell. After finding success in his new position and becoming a new leader for the 49ers, number 34 is definitely one to get familiar with.

The spring game this past April was Charlotte’s first time hitting the field without all of the 2017 seniors that Gemmell had known and work with for the past two years. Since he played throughout the 2016 season, the redshirt sophomore got the chance to learn and grow with them.

“It was definitely different because up until that point, those guys had always been around and not having them there was just a little bit different,” Gemmell said. “I won’t say it was bad, I won’t say it was good, you know it was just a new experience.”

One of Gemmell’s biggest influences from the 2017 class was senior linebacker Nick Cook. Cook finished off his career on the field by setting a 49er record for the number of solo tackles in a single game and number of tackles in an FBS game.

Though he graduated last year from the program, Cook is still on staff working with the players on strength and conditioning.

“I’ll go down there and say, ‘hey man can you give me some tips on how you prepare for game week?’ or ‘hey man can you, you know, tell me how you analyze this film, how you break down this film?’

It’s definitely a big key for me having him there. He helps me out a lot,” Gemmell said.

Though Cook is still around in the fieldhouse and ready to help, he is not the only thing that has played a factor in Gemmell’s success so far this season.

“This summer I really just worked on my flexibility, worked on my strength and conditioning

well, really focused on film study too,” Gemmell said.

He spent the 2016 season playing outside linebacker, but this fall he made the switch and s tarted as an inside linebacker.

“I’ve played football ever since I was six years old and I’ve never, I’ve played middle linebacker maybe one time throughout that time,” Gemmell said.

There is a lot to learn when making the switch from the outside to the inside of the defensive lineup and Gemmell realized all of the work it would take to be a dependable teammate.

“Being in the middle of the defense you kind of have to know every moving part. I know what everybody on our defense does now compared to last year where I was really just focused on what I was doing,” Gemmell added.

Although he played in every game last season, he still hadn’t recorded his first career start as a 49er.

That all changed in the season opener at Eastern Michigan.

“I’ve been thinking, I’ve been thinking and dreaming about that, praying for that my whole life and it finally came to existence this year and it was just, [I] couldn’t be more blessed,” Gemmell said.

He was one point away from tripling his record tackles in a single game (five vs Elon) by grabbing 14 in his first start at EMU. “I can’t give any, any glory to anyone but God honestly, that’s really the only reason,” Gemmell said.

After only four starts for the 49ers, Gemmell understands the pressure and expectations of being out on the field with the other members of the Charlotte defense. He has found his niche on the team and works hard every week to be someone his teammates can count on.

“I’m a guy who likes to lead through his actions.

On the field I think playing middle linebacker and playing next to Karrington, I feel like I have a responsibility to my teammates to kind of fulfill that leadership role,” Gemmell said.

Gemmell prefers to lead by his action, not his voice.

“I haven’t always been a big vocal guy, but I’m a guy who will show up to work every single day and lead through my actions,” Gemmell said.

As he continues to put in work on and off the field in his second season, Gemmell has high hopes for the football program throughout the rest of his college career. He knows firsthand the hard work that he and his teammates put in and he believes that it will all pay off.

“I think, you know, as the next few years come upon us, one of my main goals is just to get to a bowl game, win a conference championship, you know,” Gemmell said. “Coach Lamberts done a great job with us as a team and I feel like we, we owe it to him and all of our fans, to go out there and be a successful program.”

With about two-thirds of the season left, the 49ers still have a decent number of games to play. Gemmell is not one to look too far past the weekend that lies ahead of him because he likes to focus all of his energy on the next game.

The linebacker is looking forward to a game however, not for a specific reason, but for a feeling.

“If I had to pick one game, I’d probably say Southern Miss, because we went down there last year, it was definitely a good experience last year going down there and beating those guys,” Gemmell said. “Definitely felt successful when we went down there, so I’m trying to, you know, I’m ready for that feeling again.”

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MEAN GREEN A look inside UNCC women’s rugby team

Story by Sam Palian There are over 400 different student organizations on campus and at least 35 of these are sports clubs. One of these clubs is Women’s Rugby.

The Women’s Rugby club at Charlotte was started in 1996 by Kandas Burnett. Four years later, in 2000, the club took a break and then reassembled again in 2008 by way of Maddy Clark and other UNC Charlotte graduates. These young ladies may not have known what kind of a staple this club would be in the lives of many other students in the future, but it certainly has proven to be one.

“Rugby has meant everything to me. These women aren’t just my teammates they’re my family. Even the alumni show love every time they show up,” junior Rachel Jordan said.

Like Jordan said, this is a club with a strong alumni presence and is currently being coached by former player Allie Pickett. Many other former coaches and players will come around from time to time to help out as well.

The women who are members of the Charlotte Women’s Rugby Club clearly have the drive to be great on and off the field and push each other to do so, this being one of the club’s goals which they surely seem to achieve.

The Mean Green does their best to encourage each other in more ways than one. They push each other to get better in practice and their games speak to this. Not only do they provide encouragement as athletes and as teammates, but they also have important relationships with each other that they may not have otherwise had if it were not for joining the club.

“When you join our rugby team, you gain a family for life,” junior Mikayla Coxe said.

To these students this sports club involves much more than just a game.

The team’s practices immediately

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exhibit their work ethic as well as their ability to just enjoy each other and have a good time. A family, as the girls describe, is fairly evident and a big family at that.

A large number of the members of the team had never played rugby or knew too much about the sport until joining this club. The club prides itself on being open to anyone and being able to help them catch on to the sport and in turn, become skilled in the game fairly quickly as well.

“I actually had never played rugby before I got to UNC Charlotte and it has easily become one of the best parts of my life. Rugby has taught me to be a leader a well as help me grow as an athlete and an overall better person. I’m forever grateful for this club and the opportunities it has given me,” junior Tia Wilson said.

They recently played their first friendly-season game of the year against Elon University, winning their match 67-0. In the previous season of 2016-17, the women finished their fall season with a record of 4-0 and then placed no. 13 in the country in their division. The club plays their more competitive season in the spring and do just as tremendously.

The team is working hard this year to get better than ever before and all of the players seem to be very committed to this goal. Moving smoothly in the latter parts of the playoffs each season, the team is hoping to make it even further this year.

“I think we will do well this year.

We have a very strong team and our new players have picked up the game incredibly quickly. After making it to regional playoffs for the past two years, we are hoping to make nationals in the spring,” senior Maggie Reichard said.

Working toward a national championship, the team has high hopes, but are undoubtedly doing their best to make it happen.

NINERTIMES

FRESHMEN PHOBIA OPINION SPORTS

NEW SCHOOL, NEW LIFE, NEW FRIENDS

By Zoe Radojicic Photo By Katie Gruninger

Being a student at a large university, nobody here at UNC Charlotte is a stranger to the lone wolf. Whether you are one or you have seen them around campus, they are usually sitting by themselves in the Student Union or eating by themselves at the dining halls. Though there are people who prefer to be this way, it’s safe to say the majority of these pack-less wolves are freshmen.

Being thrusted into a new environment can be so much to handle sometimes it can seem as though you don’t even have time to make friends, especially if you’re not from here. According to the UNC Charlotte website, each year almost 2,000 international students arrive representing about 85 different countries. It can be tough coming from a different state, but a different country? That seems almost unimaginable.

“I came here from Spain,” says Rocio Safont, a freshman at UNC Charlotte, “It’s really hard being so far from all the people I know. It seems like everybody here knows somebody except me.”

Rocio is just one of many that had to leave her entire country behind in hopes of finding a better education in Charlotte. For many, their family is just a phone call or car ride away, but for Rocio, her family is in a completely different time zone and an eight-hour flight away. It can make a person feel pretty lonely.

The majority of the people that attend UNC Charlotte are in-state residents and it’s not hard to believe most of the freshman here might have high school friends who came with them. Finding your

own clique can be easy when it’s with people you have known for years, but everyone should keep in mind meeting new people is not easy by any means, especially when it seems like everybody already has their own group. If you are this person who has your squad set already, I can understand why you might be hesitant to let somebody new in.

However, making new friends doesn’t necessarily mean letting them into your personal friend bubble. It can just mean you made someone feel less alone simply by introducing yourself and starting up a conversation.

Owen Lee, a freshman here at UNC Charlotte,

also sheds some light on this “I’m from Fuquay, which is a small town just outside Raleigh and a lot of people from there ending up coming to school here in Charlotte, too. The people I hang out with are people from that area. I met this one girl that’s from Miami, but she’s really the one that introduced herself to me and started our friendship. It made me realize maybe I should introduce myself to others more because you never know the friends you might make.”

It’s also important to keep in mind college is definitely not high school. UNC Charlotte has about 30,000 students attending, give or take a few hundred and it is highly doubtful your high school had even 1/3 of that. You could be a senior and you will still be encountering new people, whereas in high school you probably knew everybody who was anybody just after your first few months. Taking this into account, it can be easy to feel like a small

fish in a huge pond, but this is only preparing you for the rest of your life.

Another thing to know about college is that, unlike high school, cliques are a good thing. If you want to make friends, there are endless ways to do this on campus. You could join one of the 400 student organizations on campus, you could rush for a sorority or fraternity, you could start or join a study group for your classes, etc. Rushing is a great way to meet new people and feel out what type of environment you want to see yourself in. Joining an intramural sport is also a good way to be grouped up with people who have similar interests to you.

College is all about meeting new people and making new friends and everybody here has heard this all before. I understand it’s not easy being the person to actually do it. Yes, it’s true eventually everybody will find a group of people that they fit in with and get along with, but why should someone have to go through weeks of solitude before something like this happens? And even still, why should we be limited to our one trusty group once we find it? I believe in the idea of having friends everywhere and in every aspect of college: make friends in class, make friends in clubs and even make friends at the dining halls. Go sit with someone who looks lonely and talk to them about anything, you might be surprised at how much you want to be this person’s friend afterwards.

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ANIMAL TESTING

By Varun Krishnan Photo courtesy of Animalia Life

Who doesn’t want to live a long and healthy life? We all have science to thank for the increased longevity of the human lifespan in comparison to the years gone by. Medical science is growing in leaps and bounds by the day to conquer the one thing humans fear above all: death. In its ongoing attempt, there have been many discoveries, may it be in the form of medicinal treatment or surgery. But would you be able to accept these medicines and treatments with a clean conscience if it were to come at the cost of somebody’s life? Well, this is where the human moral compass seems to be a little skewed, because at the mention of “somebody”, one only thinks of humans. One would think “we aren’t taking anybody’s life for our own”, but what we don’t realize is that yes, we do. The somebody here is animals.

Aren’t they living beings too, sharing the same planet alongside us?

Helpless and hapless, these creatures are either bought from pounds or are bred in labs for the sole purpose of being experimented on and a clear majority of them are later euthanized.

An argument used as early as the 17th century to justify this cruelty (besides no other available technique for medicinal testing) was that animals felt no pain or suffering. In today’s modern age, with all the information available via books and online libraries, falling for this archaic and misleading statement would be an insult to the human intelligence.

Twenty-six million; that’s the estimated number of animals in the U.S. alone that are slaughtered for “progress of science and medicine”. Although this number is nowhere close to reality as most of the animals used are rats, mice and birds which aren’t covered by the “minimal protections” of the “Animal Welfare Act”, they go uncounted. Three hundred and twelve million, that’s the estimated “human” population of the U.S.

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Even in today’s modern age, the process of inhumane animal testing still plagues innocent creatures

If the animals were humans, that number would approximately be 10 percent of the populace. How would that make one feel, that a healthy 10 percent of the populace are slaughtered inhumanly for the sake of the rest? Just because they are animals, people don’t flinch at the thought because our kind reaps the benefit.

Just because they have no human cognition, don’t they have any rights?

While in the past this condition could be justified due to the lack of alternatives, in today’s modern age where science is getting closer to successful cloning of human body parts, this can certainly be changed if there is a will to do so.

To make it plain and simple, let’s lay down some pros and cons to get more perspective. Pros of animal testing are: it has contributed to life saving cures and treatments, one of the greatest examples being that of Polio. From 1988 to 2012, the number of cases has gone down from three hundred and fifty thousand to a paltry two hundred and thirty-three. In more modern times, chimpanzees have been man’s best hope for finding cures to cancer, cystic fibrosis, malaria and many more. Animals make better research subjects as compared to humans due to their shorter life cycle. Hence, the entire effect of the treatment can be observed over an entire lifespan, especially if it involves genetic manipulation. Animals are genetically very like us. The human DNA is 99 percent like that of a chimpanzee and 98 percent like that of a rat.

Cons of animal testing are: animal testing is cruel and inhumane, period.

Animals used for experimentation are subject to force feeding, forced inhalation, forced restraints being used, deprivation for prolonged periods from food and water, infliction of injuries and burns and the list goes on. The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) reported in 2010, approximately 100,000 animals suffered pain during experiments due to not being given anesthesia. Animal tests do not necessitate that the medicine may be equally good for humans. 94 percent of the drugs that clear animal tests fail human trials. A study published by the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” (PNAS) found nearly 150 human trials of treatments to reduce swellings in patients who were critically ill failed despite all being successful in clearing animal tests. While the DNA shared by humans and animals may be highly similar, it doesn’t change the fact that differences such as metabolic and cellular functions exist. The human body is too complex for an animal’s body to be able to match it.

Alternatives exist such as “Microdosing” which involves administering a small dose of a test compound to a volunteer to observe the effects it has. There are computer software and other techniques available too, such as “Positron Emission Tomography” (PET) which allows scanning the human brain of a living person.

At the end, it all depends on the choice one wants to make. Invest more resources on devising techniques to perform tests without having any collateral by using softwares, doping techniques,or to let the status quo remain as we continue to redden our earth with the blood of the innocent.

SPORTS A&E

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OOD IBES

On Sept. 24th, Mutemath played at the Fillmore with Colony House

by Courtney Adsit Photos by Leysha Caraballo

Sunday evening gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “Sunday funday” when Mutemath came into town to play a show at the Fillmore. The room was filled with an excited feeling as the crowd jammed along with the opening indie rock band “Colony House.” The lead singer, Caleb Chapman, gave an incredible performance and kept the crowd head-banging throughout the entire set. Colony House did not disappoint and certainly got us ready for the incredible Mutemath.

A humming sound echoed in the room as the band entered the stage. The anticipation built as the band members prepared their instruments.

The lead singer, Paul Meany’s stage presence was something I’ve never seen before. As soon as the set started, he immediately began dancing in a freeform fashion that showed his “don’t care” attitude.

He moved around the stage swinging his arms and

bobbing his head. The way he danced and threw himself into the music made it seem like he was in his own world. The energy and happiness that radiated off him made it clear he loves music and lives to be on stage.

About midway through the set, Meany brought his young daughter on stage. She beamed with confidence and danced alongside her father as he knelt down to equal her height. It was a touching moment in the midst of a rocking show that had the whole audience saying “awwww.” Not long after she left the stage, Meany was on top of his piano slinging a light bulb attached to a long wire over his head. After swinging it around for a few minutes, he let go of it, not caring where it landed.

The spontaneity Meany possesses was shown in this moment. He did not allow a dull moment in the entire show.

Mutemath played several new songs from their latest album “Play Dead” as well as some classics like “Blood Pressure.” They ended the show with one of their most popular songs “Spotlight” and the crowd was not disappointed. The whole room was jumping up and down and singing along to every word. It was awesome to see a room full of people that supported a band that has been playing since 2002.

The band’s love of music and the crowd’s excitement was enough to fill this intimate venue with an energetic feel. Being so close to the band made it feel like we were all a big family. In between songs Meany made a comment that he loves North Carolina and always feels at home here. It’s safe to say the music lovers in that room felt at home as well.

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MU LT IFA C E TE D M AN T R A S

by Tyler Trudeau Photo by Kathryn Hess

Fade in. A stage, barren yet tempting, expands before you. The floor meets a screen, floating up towards a dark, forgotten ceiling. The large screen suddenly sparks to life, boasting blurred images reminiscent of some distant, delusional fever dream; or perhaps an obscure experimental film harboring a deeper meaning.

Out of the corner of each eye, human forms appear out of the shadows of the small theater. The golden shimmer of a bass clarinet, the tuning of a jet black guitar, the hum of a synthesizer coming to life. The smooth, eerie plane before you has become the starting point for a unique and spiritual, transformation.

Blurring the line between performance and ritual, meditation and movement and the hallmarks of spiritual change. The performance culminated in an intriguing display of improvisational dance, music and visuals.

Like something out of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” some otherworldly creation from the mind of Stanley Kubrick or another artist of similar caliber, “With Signs Following” was initially hard to approach for the common viewer.

With its massive screen cascading interwoven images onto the audience, floating through expressive displays of transformation, the dark room was laden in a corruptible sense of mystery. It perhaps wasn’t until Assistant Professor of Music Jessica

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Lindsey broke the silence with her bass clarinet that some strange stream of consciousness came to light.

As the bass clarinet blared in and out of my left ear and the hum and hurrying of Shamou lent to a performance all its own on my right, the melting and meshing of color on the screen bled ceaselessly into the ritualistic movements of E.E. Balcos.

As the dancer slid from one area of the stage to the next, my thoughts sprung to ancient history, to sporadic yet calculated performances of meditation birthed from the traditional and spiritual. An elegant mimicry of ancient ritual, the performance cycled through themes of existentialism and transformation, moving towards a titular idea that begged for interrogation, even after the lights dimmed.

Even while I might not completely understand what went into the design and ultimate execution of the improvisational performance was “With Signs Following,” the brief yet captivating visual and auditory display presented a fascinating vignette of meditative and spiritual becoming. Exploring unique realms of existence, all while encouraging the audience to both listen and contribute to its design, “With Signs Following” lent its viewers the opportunity to craft their own understanding of mantra.

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Across 1 Ophthalmic sore 5 Season-ending college football game 9 Stories spanning decades 14 __ hygiene 15 Bounce off a wall 16 Chopin piece 17 Evening show with headlines and stories 19 Flabbergast 20 Swiss convention city 21 Fist-pump cry 23 Sales force member 24 ‘60s protest org.

25 Periods that may decide 5-Acrosses, briefly 27 Andean animal 29 Like perceptive hindsight 33 Promise before testimony 36 Take to court 37 Journalist Couric

38 German coal valley 39 Lifts on slopes 42 Gotten a glimpse of 43 Uncomfortably pricey 45 One collaring a perp 46 Watch displays, briefly 47 Generic pre-sunrise hour 51 Prefix for Rome’s country 52 Use a shovel 53 Pound sound 56 __ Palmas: Canary Islands city 58 “No damage done” 60 Five cents 62 Yellowish brown 64 Farm’s remote acreage 66 French sweetie 67 Inland Asian sea 68 Eve’s opposite 69 Frankfurt’s state 70 Lowdown 71 Soon, to a bard

Down 1 Billy Joel creations 2 Trapped on a branch 3 Signs of boredom 4 “Is there something __?”

5 Software trial 6 Halloween mo.

7 Food for Miss Muffet 8 Needing company 9 Seattle athlete 10 Fast-cash spot, for short 11 “Money-back” assurance, perhaps 12 Carving tool 13 Ooze 18 Swear to be true 22 Bottom-row PC key 26 Dismiss with disdain 28 Insultingly small, as a payment 29 “... or else!” remark 30 Instruct 31 Even on the scoreboard 32 Strong desires 33 Not exactly 34 Writer: Abbr.

35 Things to wash after dinner 40 __ rage: PED user’s aggression 41 Very light rain 44 Grassland 48 Netherlands airline 49 “That’s a shame” 50 Jubilant end-of-week cry 53 Ohio rubber city 54 Back in style 55 Swashbuckling Errol 56 __ Ness monster 57 Steady pain 59 Corn syrup brand 61 Unconscious state 63 Ambulance destinations: Abbr.

65 Golfer’s hat

LIFESTYLE

By Hailey Turpin

Down in The Islands

How a trip to Bald Head Island is one of the best one-day getaway

Over the summer, I vacationed in the central and wellknown tourist traps of the south, Myrtle Beach. Even with the thousands of activities located on the grand strand and not too crowded beaches, my family has been vacationing there for over 30 years. In recent years, we have taken one day trips to other locations on the east coast and this year’s was the small Bald Head Island.

Located at the very bottom tip of the North Carolina shoreline, Bald Head Island is known for its desolate beaches and incredible uniqueness. The trip starts with a ferry ride that leaves from Southport, North Carolina.

The ferry leaves at every hour and leaves the island every half hour. Round trip tickets are $22, so set times you have to be on the ferry (keep in mind the last ferry leaves at 6:30 p.m. from the island, so you have to be on that one). When you arrive on the island, renting a golf cart for transportation is a must. The only cars on the island are service cars and the occasional transfer truck (I really don’t know how they got there) and everyone else drives golf carts/gators. Rentals reservations can be made online or when you get there.

One of the biggest attractions is the Old Baldy lighthouse. Its located at the northernmost tip of the island and was originally built in 1817. To the top of the lighthouse is 108 steps which includes a very steep ladder at the top and no air condition, but an amazing view of the whole island. The small price of $6 includes a museum tour and the trip up old baldy and the gift shop includes its 200 year celebration merchandise and other gifts for just about everyone.

Before traveling up into Old Baldy, you learn all of its history through the ages. The lighthouse is the oldest standing lighthouse in North Carolina and has stood through the Civil War (when it was the base of Fort Holmes) and countless hurricanes. the lighthouse stood to bring ships to shore and even though it really didn’t see the battlefield, it was there to help out the union forces.

We spent our first hour on the island exploring Old Baldy, getting a feel for the history and checking out the chapel that stood beside it. Tourists first walk through

the small museum and gift shop before heading up the five platforms and steep ladder to the very tip top of the lighthouse. If you ever find yourself here, please know the lighthouse does not have air conditioning, so it will be very hot and you will most likely need a shower when you leave.

We continued our day with driving the narrow roads and taking our time looking the small shops. They have several boutiques, surfing stores and one or two markets to by groceries. Thankfully, the surfing stores are not at all like Wings, Eagles or Tsunami shops like Myrtle Beach. They are very high quality, but a bit on the pricy side. Unless you are going to buy a kayak or paddle board, the shops are full of expensive clothes.

For lunch, we stopped to eat at the local market which had a great assortment of foods like fried chicken and pizza. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better slice of Hawaiian pizza, but it could have been from the feeling of the beach and island around me. We continued after lunch just driving around the island, checking out the public access points along the beach and gawking at the beautiful houses along the shore. Around 2:30 p.m., it began to rain a little and we unfortunately had to make our way back to shelter to wait out the storm. But don’t worry, the island’s main market also sells amazing deserts, so it turned out to be a great snack break.

I’m going to go ahead and say if you plan on going for more than a day, it can be very expensive to rent a beach house. Bald Head Island for a day trip to check out the historical lighthouse, get some amazing food and take in the gorgeous scenery, it’s a perfect getaway for anyone on a budget. From the ferry ride there and back, to the small shops and peaceful beaches, Bald Head is an unforgettable vacation and is perfect for any budget.

NINERTIMES.COM

OCT. 3, 2017

11

“UNC Charlotte represents unity and the acceptance of all. I won’t be able to ever understand why anyone would want to viciously offend another race of people. Disrespecting other races shows signs of racism, irresponsibility and immaturity and I do not stand by it. The only way to make a change is to put out the energy you want to receive.”

- Ashley Williams

12 OCT. 3, 2017

NINERTIMES