Niner Times: February 3, 2015

Multi-stalled gender-neutral restrooms are closer on the horizon for UNC Charlotte than many realize. p. 3 National Jewish Book Award

UNC Charlotte professor James Grymes is the receipient of the 2014 National Jewish Book Award for his novel, “Violins of Hope.” p. 5

OP-ED: Tolls on I-77 to be more trouble

Even if you’re not in the proposed toll lane, your travel time may be affected by other drivers on the road. p. 8

Spring Break forever

For some Niners, Spring Break plans are already settled. For others, the planning hasn’t yet begun. Either way, here are some of our suggestions. p. 15

A PRODUCT OF STUDENT NINER MEDIA • THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE • VOL. 27, ISSUE 17

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ADDITIONAL STAFF Madison Dejaegher, Jared Green, Sean Grier, Chester Griffin, Hunter Heilman, Andrew James, Javon Jeter, Warren Pettee, Sydney Stephens, Vivian Westra

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GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS SGA UPDATE ‘VIOLINS OF HOPE’ SUSTAINABILITY GRANT OP-ED: NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY OP-ED: I-77 TOLLS GRIFFIN DEMPSEY MEN’S BASKETBALL RECAP ‘THE DUFF’ REVIEW NINER COMICS CAREER FAIR FASHION SPRING BREAK IDEAS

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UNC Charlotte plans to expand presence of genderneutral restrooms throughout campus With many single-stalled, gender-neutral restrooms currently on campus, Joshua Burford hopes to implement multi-stalled, gender-neutral restrooms One of the gender-neutral restrooms on campus. Photo by Andrew James

Andrew James

STAFF WRITER The Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Trans Committee under the Multicultural Resource Center is partnering to create more family style accessible unisex restrooms (FSAUR) in various buildings on campus.

Joshua Burford, assistant director for Sexual and Gender Diversity, said the committees teamed up to create restrooms that make campus more accessible.

“We developed these ideas around what it would be like to create these bathroom spaces that would be both accessible to trans-identified people who might need that kind of space,” said Burford.

Together, the committees took a survey of all academic buildings on campus identifying the buildings that had the most traffic. They then looked to see where genderneutral bathrooms were on campus and identified high traffic buildings that were not near a gender-neutral restroom.

“When we are building them, we want to build smart so we started with the rings of where they were

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not, so we were building them in that ring,” said Burford.

One part of campus they identified as needing a genderneutral restroom is the area around the Student Union. With no genderneutral restrooms in the Student Union, one was built on the first floor of the College of Health and Human Services.

Burford said this semester, a gender-neutral bathroom will be installed on the first floor of the Student Union.

“In the Union we are opting for a multi-stalled gender-neutral bathroom instead of a single-stalled bathroom,” said Burford.

The men and women’s restrooms on the first floor of the Student Union by the movie theater will be renovated into two “All Gender Restrooms.” Burford said this will allow any student to use this restroom regardless of their gender identification.

One student who will be affected by these changes is UNC Charlotte sophomore Jesse Howie. Howie is a transgender student who does not

identify “as a gender, with male or female or the whole gender binary in general,” said Howie. “I am just Jesse.”

In Howie’s opinion, the creation of more gender-neutral bathrooms should have already happened.

“It is actually something that should have been done a lot sooner but I think it is a really big step towards being more inclusive on campus,” they said.

Howie said they currently spend extra time planning out their class schedule to make time to use one of the gender-neutral restrooms that are spread out across campus.

“Usually I use the women’s restroom because it is not worth the walk if I’m nowhere near a bathroom,” Howie said. “But it’s like a personal thing, it’s not going to kill me to use a women’s restroom, but I feel invalidated when I have to.”

As for other improvements on campus, Howie said this is a good starting point and base for more changes in the future.

“Having a place in public where I

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can pee is the most basic thing and I’m not given it,” they said.

Dr. Cindy Wolf Johnson, chair of the Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee, said more restrooms will be installed every year.

“The Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee has a goal to design one a year and to implement one a year, presuming the funding is available. In addition, when renovations on campus including restrooms are being conducted, it is recommended that those restrooms be renovated to become FSAUR where possible,” said Dr. Wolf Johnson.

Johnson also said currently there are gender-neutral bathrooms in Atkins Library, College of Health and Human Services, Colvard, Cone Center, EPIC, Kennedy, Macy, Motorsports II, Robinson Hall and one under construction in Fretwell.

The Campus Accessibility Advisory Committee has a list of priorities that address physical and programmatic improvements throughout campus which impact student life.

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POLICE BLOTTER JAN. 28-30

ACCIDENT JAN. 28

• Union Deck, while exiting the parking deck vehicle one struck vehicle two after trying to avoid being hit by an unknown vehicle. Vehicle two was unoccupied and parked in a marked parking space.

JAN. 30

• Martin Village Road, vehicle one was parked and unoccupied when the manual clutch slipped out of gear rolling into vehicle two, which was also parked and unoccupied.

BREAKING AND ENTERING JAN. 30

• Belk Gym, an unknown subject forcibly entered a secured area causing damage and vandalizing property.

LARCENY JAN. 29

• Robinson Hall, an unknown subject removed a victim’s cell phone left unsecured in a public area.

VANDALISM JAN. 28

• Lot 20, an unknown subject used an unknown object to cause a dent in the hood of a parked vehicle.

For more information on Mecklenburg County arrests, visit arrestinquiryweb.co.mecklenburg.nc.us

weather.uncc.edu UNC CHARLOTTE METEOROLOGY PROGRAM

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ASST. NEWS EDITOR The UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) met for their weekly Student Senate legislative meeting Jan. 29.

New senator sworn in Junior NeBia Shatterfield was sworn into senate Thursday to fill a seat in the College of Health and Human Services. She is currently interested in joining the Students Affairs Committee.

Shatterfield said she was compelled to join SGA because she wanted to get involved in the legislative process and be a voice for the students within her college.

Academic Affairs The Academic Affairs Committee is working on legislation regarding more detailed transcripts. These transcripts will offer far more information than the ones that are currently available to UNC Charlotte students.

Some of these features will include class averages, comparing grades of students who had similar course loads.

This legislation should be ready as early as the Feb. 5 meeting.

Student Affairs Members of the Student Affairs Committee have begun

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working on legislation for the gym monitoring system. This system would give students the ability to check a gyms capacity online, allowing them to make better decisions about their workout habits.

There is no current time frame for when this legislation will be ready.

The Outreach Act The Outreach Act is a bill designed by the Publicity and Outreach Committee with the goal of clarifying the duties of the committee and to scatter outreach responsibilities to the legislative branch. Currently, there are no laws that require the legislative branch to maintain a relationship with the Charlotte community.

This act makes it so the committee will oversee matters pertaining to the outreach of senators to the student body and maintaining student body relationships with the committee.

The Apportionment Act Along with two other pieces of legislation, the Apportionment Act was brought to SGA Jan. 22, when it was still a first draft.

Originally, this bill was to remove the Resident Student Advisor (RSA) seat from Senate.

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Several campus organizations have claimed this unfairly represents one organization, but not the rest and so it should be removed. However, SGA elected not to remove this seat from Senate.

Also, this bill was originally going to increase the number of seats from 39 to 40, but this was later changed back to the original 39.

Instead, the bill is updating the amount of seats reserved to colleges based upon the number of students enrolled in each college. The Apportionment Act was passed with these changes.

Elections Act Amendment There were also changes made to the Election Act. These changes include lowering the required GPA for the president and vice president seats to 2.85 from 3.0. Also, the time requirement has gone down from three semesters, to nine months before elections.

These changes were made to make the position attainable to more senators, but still be challenging. The act was passed with these amendments.

Greek Village Stair Act There were no updates made to the Greek Village Stair Act and it was approved as is.

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UNC CHARLOTTE PROFESSOR WINS NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD Chester Griffin

STAFF WRITER In January 2015, UNC Charlotte Professor and Chair of the Music Department James Grymes won the 2014 National Jewish Book Award for his first commercialized novel, “Violins of Hope: Violins of the Holocaust--Instruments of Hope and Liberation in Mankind’s Darkest Hour.”

“It’s an important book for me obviously, but it’s an important book for this campus because the book wouldn’t have happened had this campus not made a significant investment. It took a lot of money to bring the violins here and stage all these performances and exhibitions and workshops and lectures,” said Grymes.

The Presentation for the Awards will be held on March 11, 2015 at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.

While Grymes was excited to be a finalist, it never occurred to him that he would actually win the award.

“As proud as I am of ‘Violins of Hope,’ I didn’t anticipate it being that well-received,” said Grymes.

“It was completely unexpected and a wonderful surprise that I could not have anticipated to have my work recognized on the same scale of seminal works in literature that I’ve admired so much.”

“Violins of Hope” retraces the accounts of 18 violins all the way back to musicians in both concentration camps and ghettos.

“For them, playing the music that they loved when they were growing up, reminded them of a better time and gave them a sense of normalcy and restored a sense of humanity in Mankind’s darkest hour,” Grymes said.

The College of Arts and Architecture brought the 18 Violins of Hope to the UNC Charlotte campus in 2012.

“We had them on display, we had them during performances and that was the first and thus far the only time that the violins have been in the

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Western Hemisphere,” said Grymes. “I wasn’t a part of the team; it took about a three or four year process for the college to put the whole thing together … but as a member of this faculty and as a musician and as a historian and just as a human being, I was really fascinated by when I was here, what I was learning as the college was preparing to bring these instruments to Charlotte.”

A year before the instruments were brought over, Grymes took a trip out to Tel Aviv, Israel to meet Amnon Weinstein, a violin maker who assembled the collection over the last 20 years.

“So the topic of the book is about violins played

by Jewish musicians in concentrations camps and ghettos during the holocaust, but what’s holding it together is Amnon and his story and the way he uses the project to reconnect with the 400 family members he lost in the Holocaust who he never met and he never even knew their names and now through this project, it’s him reclaiming his lost heritage,” said Grymes.

Grymes describes the lengthy process that went into researching the book.

“It took about a year to research it and then a year to write it, basically 12 months nonstop, and that was just the nature of the contract,” said Grymes. “I wanted to take longer, but the contract, they wanted me to write it in nine months and I said no way, they said 12 months and that’s it …

For 365 days, every day I came in and worked on the book, no holidays, no vacations, no breaks, I just had no choice but to crank.”

The lengthy process of research came with its own challenges for him.

“The stories were sort of all over the world and in different languages … I can handle German, French and Italian, but there were things in Norwegian, there were things in Hebrew, there were things in Yiddish, that I had to get translated

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Grymes with his award winning book. Photo by Diedra Laird

and then track down a translator,” said Grymes.

“It’s a bit of a challenge to do research in other languages because even before you have to get something translated, you have to find it and you have to figure out that this is important enough to get translated.”

While Grymes would like to write another novel, the possibilities seem less likely given his busy schedule.

“I wrote this book before I became the chairman of the department and when I started the process of writing it and getting an agent and … at that point I wasn’t a father so by the time I finished writing it, I was a father, a professor and a chair,” said Grymes. “I started out as a professor and it was just hard enough to be a professor and a writer, and now being a professor, a father and a chair, frankly I want to write another book, but right now at least, I simply don’t have the time or the day.”

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UNC Charlotte professor and Nigeria’s Awolowo University professor partner for sustainability research project Jared Green

STAFF WRITER The head of the Department of Africana Studies Dr. Akinwumi Ogundiran, recently received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation in partnership with his associate Dr. Benjamin Ogunfolakan, from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.

The foundation has awarded the Carnegie Foundation African Diaspora Grant to Ogundiran and Ogunfolakan so they can undertake a two phased project in urban research using their backgrounds in anthropology, archaeology and urban studies. The two professors will travel between the two universities throughout the course of the project.

Ogundiran plans on using his background in archaeology to use sacred groves to develop a sustainability project in urban areas in Nigeria. Sacred groves are ancient green spaces, somewhat like parks.

According to Ogundiran, they have existed in many civilizations from ancient Greece to India. Their traditional purpose was to serve as a place of refuge for religious contemplation, but Ogundiran hopes to use them as a means of creating more green space in cities.

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Ogundiran hopes to use the groves to create more green space in cities. Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

“They [serve as] a refuge for different lifes, plants and animals,” Ogundiran said. “They will become important spaces not just for religious purposes but for, I would say, a quality of life.”

Ogundiran has studied the spiritual value of these spaces and hopes this will serve to maintain their preservation. If it does, this could aid in raising awareness as well as providing one solution to sustainability in Nigeria.

Phase one of this project includes an exhibition and raising public awareness about these sacred grove spaces.

Phase two centers around developing new urban studies curriculum to teach students how sacred groves can be used for sustainability. This is where the partnership between UNC Charlotte and Obafemi Awolowo University will play out. Ogundiran expressed the importance of training students in urban studies in this project.

“We need a new generation of students that will know how to manage these green spaces and be able to develop a new strategy on how to enlarge them,” he said.

Students from UNC Charlotte and Obafemi Awolowo University will

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connect using online resources to collaborate in making strategies for sustainability efforts.

Ogundiran hopes to see this model of international collaboration grow as a new model for distance education.

By using technology, distance education is made easier and cheaper while it still retains a high quality of education for students in both locations.

“We can use technology to deliver distance education in a way that benefits us locally and in the same way benefis people thousands of miles away,” said Ogundiran.

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THE BLUNDERS OF THE NCDP

The North Carolina Democratic Party’s recent missteps hurt its standing with our generation

Sean Grier

STAFF WRITER I have a love-hate relationship with politicking – specifically, when establishments get in the way of candidates and people who want and can do great things for our state and party.

This story is about the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) or what’s functionally left of it. Take Randy Voller, the current but embattled president, for instance. Voller is accused of awarding contracts and money to his friends, owing back taxes and charging over $300,000 on a trip to Las Vegas with his friends to watch a basketball game.

Wait – I’m not done. As if this wasn’t bad enough for our “competent” party, we now bring to the front Patsy Keever, the first vice chair of the party. I know my Republican friends remember her from last October when she thought it was a grand idea to use NCDP funds to send out a “voter shaming” letter stating, “Public records will tell the community at-large whether you vote or not … it would be an understatement to say that we are disappointed by the inconsistent voting of many of your neighbors.”

The letter gets even better as Vice Chair Keever continues, “If you do not vote this year, we will be interested to hear why not,” because apparently North Carolinians owe Keever and the Democratic Party an explanation. Keever using NCDP funds for this failure of a project also contributed

to the organization losing even the most contested N.C. House of Representative seats up for election.

She didn’t resign after her failed letter campaign, and recently, she thought it was OK to turn a political forum into a discriminatory comedy in which she called Janice Covington, an openly transgender activist and candidate for NCDP chair, a man.

The context of the insult is not important; the fact that an educated woman in one of the highest leadership positions in this state thought this remark was appropriate or funny is enough for me to close my wallet for the next couple of election cycles, especially if she wins.

The chair should be more than a fundraiser for this morally confused and fiscally broke party.

Let’s be fair here, if a GOP leader had called Janice a man, we would demand his or her resignation and rightly so. So I need Voller to explain why he didn’t encourage Keever to not only drop out of the race but also resign as first vice chair.

Then, I need to hear Keever explain why she not only thought an apology would suffice but also why she hasn’t dropped out of the race or resigned from her position.

Maybe it’s a generational dilemma; some blamed her “mistake” on her lack of knowledge of the transgender community. Covington introduced

EDITORIAL POLICY Niner Times is written and produced by students at UNC Charlotte. All unsigned editorials are the expressed opinion of the editorial board and do not represent the views of the University. Views expressed in signed editorials are solely those of the author. Niner Times is published on Tuesdays during the regular academic year except during holidays and exam periods.

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herself as a woman but was called a man – Keever is excused from this because she didn’t know?

What is even more interesting is the fact that leadership from Human Rights Campaign North Carolina, LGBT Democrats of North Carolina and Mecklenburg County have acknowledged Keever’s mistake but have remained supportive of her candidacy.

These individuals and groups just told everyone that it’s OK to purposefully misgender someone as long as you apologize later.

These “leaders” do not see it this way, but I can promise them it’s not my problem – it’s theirs. My candidates will receive my campaign donations, volunteer hours and undivided support because I can recognize people and establishments worth my time and money.

The NCDP has made many mistakes, and they keep building upon each other. If Keever is elected chair simply because the party is broke, the Democrats will be guilty of the same thing they charge Republicans with: putting money over values.

The NCDP can have fun next election cycle without my generation’s help or money because we have morals and refuse to take lame apologies from shady parties and their politicians. I am a registered Democrat, but that doesn’t mean I have to vote like it.

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Proposed toll lanes on I-77 will do more harm than good Madison Dejaegher When I heard toll lanes were going to be added to the I-77 highway here in Charlotte, I was passive about the issue. How could an extra lane addition affect someone like me on a daily basis? After speaking with some key opponents of this issue from the group Widen I-77, my opinion became more active.

Widen I-77 is a citizens group concerned with ending the creation of the toll lanes. The toll lane project will stretch across 26 miles of I-77, starting at the Brookshire Freeway (Exit 11) in Mecklenburg County to N.C. 150 (Exit 36) in Iredell County, using High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes.

HOT lanes are segregated toll lanes that run next to general purpose lanes, requiring drivers to pay a fee that varies based on demand (congestion pricing). The higher the congestion, the higher the toll.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) says on their website, “Express lanes are the key to unlocking congestion along the I-77 corridor. They offer drivers a choice – pay a toll and use the express lanes to avoid travel delays, or continue driving on the general purpose lanes for free.” In reality, these HOT lanes will do more harm than good to the citizens of Charlotte for more reasons than one.

Sharon Hudson, a concerned Lake Norman citizen and also a member of Widen I-77, asserts that the better solution to this congestion problem is building general purpose (free) lanes, rather than HOT lanes. Her group has done thorough research to back this assertion. One study shows that the highly congested parts span 14 miles and would cost approximately $100 to $130 million to widen with general purpose

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lanes. The current plan to build one HOT lane from Exit 36 to Exit 28 and two HOT lanes from Exit 28 to Exit 11 would cost $655 million. It would span 26 miles and require the removal and rebuilding of nine bridges and a cemetery in the process.

The NCDOT’s reason for not expanding general purpose lanes, as they recently did on I-485 in South Charlotte and Concord, is lack of funds. Its solution to the lack of funds is to build lanes that charge people a toll, depending on the level of congestion, to pay off the HOT lanes within the 50-year contract.

The NCDOT says its contract with the private Spanish company Cintra, “significantly speeds up the schedule to add more lanes on I-77.

Without it, the state would not have sufficient funds to complete this project for at least 20 years.”

The truth is, toll lanes are a billion dollar business, which Cintra will be cashing in on. Cintra and other private investors would not waste millions on a little 14-mile, $100 million project. They would, however, have much greater incentive to invest in a more enticing and lucrative 26-mile, $655 million project. An appropriations bill that was passed in the House of Representatives and has crossed over to the Senate awarded the N.C. Turnpike Authority $1.4 billion, yet the NCDOT says there are no funds for general purpose lanes.

As described on Widen I-77’s website, “The NCDOT study forecasts that this HOT lane nonsolution will cause commute times in the ‘free’ lanes to double by 2035.”

The same NCDOT study forecasts a round trip commute between Mooresville and Charlotte during rush hour using the HOT lanes will

Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates

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cost over $20 and double by 2035.

These “Lexus lanes,” as some are calling them, are meant for a meager 5 percent of people willing to pay this amount on a daily basis. What about the other 95 percent?

The NCDOT would pay $88 million of the costs up front and would be responsible for up to another $75 million if revenues aren’t enough to cover the debt service. $250 million of the cost is backed by a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan, which is backed by the federal government. Widen I-77 found that similar toll lanes in Texas and Indiana are going through bankruptcy and loan restructuring.

If the same were to happen here, Charlotte citizens would pay the

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price in taxes.

What are the citizens of Charlotte doing now to put a halt on activities pursuant to this issue? Widen I-77 recently filed a suit in Mecklenburg Superior Court to stop the I-77 toll lane project. The group’s complaint contains 12 separate counts. Widen I-77 has said there are many moving parts, which will be discussed at a series of town hall meetings next month. Upcoming meetings will be held at the Charles Mack Citizen Center in Mooresville on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. I urge you to attend and become even more educated on this issue. If you are unable to attend the meetings, please visit WidenI.77.org for more information.

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Griffin Dempsey.

Photo by Ben Coon

DEMPSEY HAS HIGH HOPES IN CHARLOTTE TRUE FRESHMAN POINT GUARD GRIFFIN DEMPSEY HAS BIG SHOES TO FILL NEXT SEASON

Sydney Stephens

STAFF WRITER The Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball program will lose three key players at the end of the season.

Hillary Sigmon, a standout guard who recently became the 20th member of Charlotte’s 1,000-point club, will graduate this spring along with forward Olivia Rankin.

Point guard Ayanna Holmes will also graduate, leaving big shoes to fill in a major leadership position.

Holmes averages 4.1 assists per game, 4.6 points per game, 1.7 steals per game and 30.4 minutes per game. As the point guard, she has a great responsibility both on and off the court with her teammates. After this season, Holmes will hand over her role to true freshman Griffin Dempsey.

Dempsey wears number 11 and is a 5’6” guard from Huntington, W. Va. She attended St. Joseph Central Catholic High School where she had a very impressive career, earning recognition for All-West Virginia First Team in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

Dempsey was also ranked as high as 24 in the country amongst point guards and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game. She finished her high school career with 1,526 points,

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384 assists, 310 rebounds and 299 steals.

“Griffin is the heir apparent,” said 49ers head coach Cara Consuegra.

“She has all the qualities you look for in a point guard, but there’s still work to be done.

As a freshman, Dempsey is averaging 11.2 minutes per game. She is fine-tuning her game and learning from Holmes in order to take over as point guard next season. Playing at the collegiate level was a big adjustment at first for Dempsey, but with the support of her teammates and coaches she is now more confident and comfortable in game settings.

“I have to keep my focus the entire game,” Dempsey said.

“There are minimum mistakes that are allowed at the collegiate level, whereas in high school if I made a mistake I could make up for it on defense.

Now the players are better and there is no room for that.”

Dempsey has been under Holmes’ wing preparing for next season. She will benefit tremendously from being able to watch as well as play behind Holmes instead of being thrown into a starting position right away as she still has many adjustments to make to her game now and in the off-season.

“My biggest learning experience so far has been realizing that I thought I could handle the ball well before I got here, but now I realize it is completely different. I can’t take someone off the dribble the same way,” she said.

“I have to protect the ball and see the floor, and FEB. 3 - FEB. 9, 2015

be able to communicate to everyone at the same time. There are so many things that go on at one time that I did not realize before.”

Head coach Cara Consuegra has made it clear to Dempsey that in order for her to be a successful point guard she will need to be vocal, so she plans to continue to work on that aspect of her game.

Dempsey is preparing mentally by building team chemistry and observing and absorbing knowledge that she gains from Holmes. Dempsey said she is lucky to be able to learn from Holmes and watch her while still having the opportunity to play so that she can mature and grow as a player before taking over.

Dempsey is handling the pressures of being a collegiate athlete well. She was surprised at first by the amount of hours that go into life as an athlete that no one sees, but she has adjusted to the long and grueling schedule. She has found a home at Charlotte and enjoys the family aspect that her team has.

“Everyone gets along really well. We all mess with each other and the coaches are really supportive and loving outside of basketball,” said Dempsey.

Dempsey has a bright future as the starting point guard in the Queen City. She has immense passion for her school and the game of basketball.

She also brings a tremendous amount of energy to her team and will make major contributions as a leader in the future.

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49ers men’s basketball splits two against Florida schools The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team currently sits at 9-12 overall and 3-6 in Conference USA

Alex Passannante

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR GAME ONE Charlotte men’s basketball has had a rough season so far. Underperforming and multiple losses have highlighted the slate, but Thursday night was far from the norm, with Charlotte blowing past the Owls of Florida Atlantic (FAU) by 25 points.

Before the game, senior guard Pierria Henry was recognized for

Keyshawn Woods goes for a basket against Flordia Atlantic. Photo by Ben Coon

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a special feat: the all-time steals record in Charlotte 49ers history with 271.

Florida Atlantic, who broke a four game losing streak with a win against Marshall on Jan. 17, came into the contest with an 8-8 record.

Charlotte opened with the first points of the game from a Henry free throw. Mike Thorne Jr. followed with two straight hooks. After multiple turnovers from each side and a lethargic pace, Charlotte trailed 9-7 at the first media timeout. Thorne Jr. led with four points and one rebound.

With a little under seven minutes left, the 49ers picked up their pace thanks to Henry and Keyshawn Woods, who provided seven points together. The Owls committed two straight turnovers and couldn’t handle Henry and the height of Charlotte’s guards. While heading into the under eight timeout, Charlotte was on an 8-2 run and led 25-21.

In the last few minutes of the half the 49ers started to put on the pressure. Ivan Benkovic provided some scoring and hustle while Henry ran the offense without any opposition.

Charlotte scored on six of their last eight field goal attempts while FAU was on a three-minute scoring drought. Charlotte led 36-24 at the last media timeout.

Charlotte ended the half on a strong note. The Owls made only two of their last 14 shots and were on a 2:33 minute scoring drought at halftime, where the 49ers led 41-25.

The second half opened up with Marquan Botley making a contested jumpshot, but the 49ers didn’t shy away due to multiple layups from Willie Clayton.

Charlotte was sticking to their strength, which was getting the ball in the paint. The Owls had a lot of difficulty in stopping Thorne Jr. and Clayton, who made both contested and open shots at the rim.

At the second media timeout, Charlotte exploded for a 62-37 lead while on a 21-12 run. The 49ers made eight of their last nine while FAU was on almost a four minute scoring drought. Charlotte never let their foot off the pedal and continued to drive down to the paint.

Even though Henry didn’t score a lot, his presence was certainly felt while he was playing defense. Michael Curry, Florida Atlantic’s head coach, said he was a huge factor in the end result.

“Henry is very unselfish and doesn’t score as much as he can score. He single-handedly disrupted what we wanted to do.”

With five minutes left in regulation, Bernard Sullivan, the transfer from Clemson, checked into the game for the first time in his career at Charlotte. He landed his first basket from a left-handed hook nearly 30 seconds into his substitution.

Sullivan sat out every game of the 2014-15 season due to multiple concussions, but dressed on Thursday.

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Pierria Henry attacks the Florida Atlantic defense in the win on Thursday night. Photo by Ben Coon

Interim head coach Ryan Odom said Sullivan could have sat out this year, but the process of getting a sixth year of eligibility wasn’t worth the risk.

“Bernard doesn’t play for himself, he plays for the team. He’s doing his best in practice and has been on the scout team. We’re excited that he wants to play this year and forgo the medical waiver later on.”

The game ended in the 49ers favor with a 86-61 victory, breaking a three-game losing streak. Charlotte was led by Clayton, who had 19 points and seven rebounds. Thorne Jr. had 14 points and seven boards.

After the game, Odom reiterated that his team played up to par tonight.

“It was a total team effort tonight, no one logged over 30 minutes. This game was won for us after we lost at Middle Tennessee. The team was very upset and ready to get back to work. Our attitude and effort this week was tremendous.”

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GAME TWO Following a blowout win against Florida Atlantic on Thursday, the Charlotte 49ers looked to continue their winning streak against another team from the Sunshine State.

Despite a late comeback attempt, the 49ers fell to the Panthers of Florida International (FIU).

Braxton Ogbueze opened the game with a 3-pointer, but scoring was hard to come by early on. After multiple misses and turnovers from each side, Torin Dorn got the lead on a fast break and posterized an FIU defender, making Halton Arena erupt in cheer. For the first time all night, the building had some life and the players seemed to feed off it.

Following the successful first four minutes, interim head coach Ryan Odom substituted out several starters like Pierria Henry and Ogubeze, inserting bench players in, which seemed to ruin the pace that was established in the first few minutes.

Leaving in several bench players like Ivan Benkovic and Cameron Blakely, the 49ers went to a 2-3 zone and got torched by a hot FIU team who couldn’t miss from deep.

They were 5-8 from deep range with five minutes to go in the first half,

Torin Dorn ignited Halton Arena with a posterizing dunk early in the game Saturday night. Photo by Ben Coon.

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forcing Charlotte to go back to manto-man defense.

The Panthers continued their redhot shooting and went on a 6-0 run to knock their lead to 13 points at halftime. FIU, which only averages 61.7 points per game, had 44 in the first half while shooting 64 percent from the field. Mavin had 19 points to lead all scorers on 8-11 shooting.

Henry, who recently broke the all-time steal record at Charlotte, was extremely quiet in the first half with zero points, one rebound and five assists.

FIU head coach Anthony Evans, called a timeout after the 49ers went on a run early in the second half. Mavin, who was hot in the first half, was held scoreless in the first nine minutes of the second half.

With seven minutes left, Charlotte picked up their pace and shrunk the deficit to 12 points, 6957. Coming out of the media timeout, the 49ers trapped full court and Henry got his first basket, nearly 34 minutes into the game. The 49ers went on an 11-0 run in the next few minutes, cutting the deficit to just five points.

Despite the late comeback attempt, Charlotte couldn’t complete their aspirations, falling 78-70 to the FIU Panthers. Ogubeze led the 49ers in points with 18, and Thorne Jr. had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Despite his best scoring performance at home this season, Ogbueze said there was one main thing he wanted the most.

“The most important thing is who gets the win, that’s the biggest thing to look at. If it’s anything less than a win, then we need to improve on something.”

FIU came into the game shooting 27.5 percent from 3-point range, but shot 62 percent tonight against a lethargic Charlotte defense. Coach Odom said it didn’t matter what defense they played, FIU continued to make shots.

“Not the outcome we had hoped for. They shot the deep ball very well. The combination of them making outside shots plus points in the paint led them to victory. We played 1-3-1 in the first half and man to man, but their transition offense is what got us.”

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‘THE DUFF’ MAKES TEEN MOVIES COOL AGAIN Hilarious film hits theatres Friday, Feb. 20 Hunter Heilman

STAFF WRITER

Directed by: Ari Sandel Starring: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, Romany Malco, Nick Eversman, Chris Wylde, Ken Jeong and Allison Janney Runtime: 105 minutes Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual material throughout, some language and teen partying.

CBS Films presents, a Wonderland Sound and Vision/ Vast Entertainment production, “The DUFF”

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“Mean Girls” is one of my favorite movies.

For me, there was never and has not yet been a teen comedy that measures up to what “Mean Girls” did for our generation. It’s hard to believe that almost 11 years have passed since its release, but it’s been hard to replicate that sort of success and has since died down as a genre. I was surprised to see a movie like “The DUFF” being released in 2015. It seems like a prime movie that would’ve done well in 2005, and plays as such. Unfortunately, the trailers for “The DUFF” didn’t blow me away.

Nothing about it was necessarily wrong, it just didn’t look that interesting and was plagued with the “27-year-old actors playing 17-yearold high schoolers” syndrome, but I will always give a movie a chance.

Imagine my surprise when “The DUFF” was a hilarious, charming movie.

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a happy, intelligent high school senior who concerns herself with her work and intelligence much more than her appearance. She is surprised when she finds out from childhood acquaintance and school quarterback, Wesley (Robbie Amell) that around school she is eponymously labeled as a DUFF, aka Designated Ugly Fat Friend.

Bianca is devastated by this information and takes her anger out on her prettier and more popular friends Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey (Bianca A. Santos) for letting her be labeled as such. After being humiliated by the school bully, Madison (Bella Thorne, the only actual high school age actor in the film), Bianca strikes a deal with Wesley to “Un-DUFF” her if she helps him pass chemistry to play football.

The film does delve into genre clichés from its basic plot, but what sets “The DUFF” apart is the humor and editing. Both of these aspects are cleverly self-aware without becoming a meta disaster like some movies of late. Whitman is fantastically awkward and charming as Bianca, again, being self-aware without

being pretentious. Thorne plays bully Madison with a campy attitude in the vein of Regina George of “Mean Girls,” which was quite cheeky for a film like this. The rest of the cast also performs very well, with some wonderful appearances from Ken Jeong, Romany Malco and Allison Janney in hilarious supporting roles.

“The DUFF” handles the issue of high school labels very well, and how it’s not about a label, but what you make of it.

I think the film does a great job of handling the big issue of self-acceptance and loving yourself. I hope enough teenagers feel the message that this film is bringing across. “The DUFF” hearkens back to many of the great teen comedies of the 80s and 90s, and stays current without being too obnoxious about new technology, while paying tribute to past comedies like “Mean Girls” without being a wannabe copycat. “The DUFF” is a feel good film with wonderful messages of self-confidence and loving yourself, something people of all ages can benefit from.

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Photos courtesy of CBS Films

NINERTIMES

NINER COMICS Wut Had Happened Wux... by Javon Jeter

“Tacos for Lunch”

ACROSS 1 Pharmacy purchase 5 Figure (out), slangily 9 Early Yucatán settlers 14 German “a” 15 Irish New Age singer 16 Bite-the-bullet type 17 400 athletes?

19 “Star Trek” lieutenant 20 Trophy prized by actors 21 Watermelon eater’s discard 23 Austin-to-Baton Rouge direction 24 Flat hat with a pompom 26 40 polos?

28 Football club based in Lombardy 32 Many a casino visitor 33 Bank offering 34 Kelly of morning TV 37 Moral code

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39 Texter’s “Horrors!”

40 Four tire inserts?

42 Squeeze (out) 43 Local news hr.

45 Mix 46 ESPN analyst Hershiser 47 Wife of Abraham 49 Chatty gathering 51 600 stand-ups?

54 Plea at sea, briefly 55 “Sadly ...”

56 Pouty expression 58 Repetitive musical piece 62 ACC team with a turtle mascot 64 1,500 thermometer units?

66 Gobbled up 67 Letter carrier’s sackful 68 Starbucks order 69 Sound from an angry dog 70 Sugar bowl invaders 71 Battle of Normandy town

DOWN 1 Geometric art style 2 Frees (of) 3 Like the word “waitress,” briefly 4 Gummy bear ingredient 5 Susan of “L.A. Law” 6 Small bills 7 Oven-safe brand 8 Stand in a painting class 9 East Lansing sch.

10 Nonreligious sort 11 Mall directory words 12 Bombing missions 13 Sings like Ella 18 Shrunken Asian sea 22 Broadband initials 25 Harry and __, “Home Alone” bad guys 27 Ground breakers 28 Plenty 29 Fesses up 30 Document sealed by King John in 1215 31 Petty peeves 35 Salt (away) 36 “Not __ deal” 38 Boston NBAer 40 Islamic prayer leader 41 Notable periods 44 Thrive 46 In some respects 48 That guy 50 Five-time Wimbledon champ Bjorn 51 Goes out with 52 Pause punctuation 53 Khartoum’s land 57 Cut a line from, say 59 Well-kept 60 Computer giant 61 Norway’s most populous city 63 NBC comedy staple 65 Some Bronx trains

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DON’T JUST LOOK YOUR BEST, BUT BE YOUR BEST THE CAREER FAIR IS FRIDAY, FEB. 6; MAKE SURE YOU ARRIVE PREPARED

Sydney Stephens

STAFF WRITER As a college student, planning and preparing for the future is imperative.

Building a substantial resume is essential during college years and these days, employers are looking for active students who have had some sort of professional work experience in the field to which they are applying.

It is never too early to start thinking about the field in which you wish to work.

UNC Charlotte has plenty of resources and ways to help students explore their interests and prepare for the professional world.

The Career Center, located in Atkins 150 next to the main entrance to the library, offers weekly events, drop-in hours and career advisers. There is staff that is always willing to help students no matter how big or small the request.

On Friday, Feb. 6, the Career Center will host an Off-Campus Job and Internship Fair.

This will be a huge event as it is completely full with 112 employers coming to campus.

With companies such as NBC News Channel, Chick-fil-a and Belk, this fair offers something for all majors.

Whether you are seeking part-time summer employment or a professional internship, this fair could help with making great strides in your professional future.

It is very important to come prepared to this event.

Dressing professionally is one great way to ensure success, but there are two other key steps to making a great first impression.

The first step is to bring multiple copies of a professional resume. If you do not have a resume or need help polishing your resume, the Career Center can help you.

The second step to standing out is having an elevator speech or a short introduction speech containing information such as name, class standing, major, any relevant experience and the type of position you are seeking.

This is very important because it shows the

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NT File Photo

recruiter confidence and initiative. It is essential to go to recruiters with knowledge about their company. Nothing turns employers off more than students who ask, “What do you do?”

Each company that will be attending is listed on the Career Fair website with links to the employer’s website so that students can do research and have an idea of the companies they wish to talk to at the fair.

It is likely that the recruiters will ask students what they wish to do, so it is also important for students to be prepared to answer questions about themselves.

Interaction is a major part in standing out to a recruiter, so do not be afraid to promote yourself.

Asking the employer relevant and insightful questions is also a beneficial action.

Inquiring about what they look for in their employees will impress them and also help you decide if you are interested in pursuing a future with them, or even help you determine if you are qualified.

The Off-Campus Job and Internship fair has grown exponentially in the past few years. It is expected that over 900 students will attend the FEB. 3 - FEB. 9, 2015

event.

With the expectation for students to have professional experience in order to obtain a full-time job, this fair provides contacts with employers who are willing to hire students who are seeking experience.

Brooke Brown, senior assistant director for publicity and outreach said, “We know that students are really looking for work experience to help support themselves and also relevant experience for their careers so I think students are really going to take advantage to talk to employers.”

The career center prides itself on the diverse group of companies that will be attending providing opportunities for students. There are non-profits and other large corporations that will be attending.

It is a common misconception that in order to obtain an internship, a student needs to be very close to graduating, but that is not the case.

Sophomores and juniors are often successful in finding internships if they take the steps to promote themselves well.

Brown said, “Most employers are willing to consider sophomores, juniors and early seniors for internships, and are looking for the best fit.”

Brown also stressed that if you are a student who may not have as much experience and are working on building a resume, it is a great idea to include relevant coursework, projects, clubs and organizations and community service because employers value a well-rounded candidate.

Do not underestimate the activities that are unpaid and may not seem official; they are just as relevant.

The career center offers abundant opportunities for students to have a successful future, and the Off-Campus Job and Internship fair is a great example. It will be held February 6, 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Student Activity Center.

Come well-dressed and well prepared and make important steps in your professional future.

NINERTIMES

AFFORDABLE SPRING BREAK GETAWAYS Spring Break is a shocking one month away. Start planning where you and your friends will adventure off to with these ideas

Vivian Westra

STAFF WRITER Group Cruises

Road Trip

Group cruises are great ways to go on an all-inclusive trip with friends and family without worrying about bringing spare change.

All-inclusive trips are ideal because it informs you upfront how much money will be spent and what all is included, such as activities and food.

Cruises are always filled with fun activities on and off board for all interests.

There is currently a sale for Carnival Cruises for $99 per room for the whole cruise.

Another fun and adventurous idea is road tripping.

There are endless places to visit while sightseeing along the way.

If everyone participating chips in gas money, it is much cheaper than flying somewhere.

Popular places to visit are Panama City Beach, Fl. There are endless possibilities for ways to spend each day.

There are activities such as parasailing, paddle-boarding, surfing and dolphin tours.

There is also a sale for the Holiday Inn $39 for each night with exclusive passes to multiple activities.

Photo by Vivian Westra

Photo courtesy Tribune News Service

Photo by Amanda Duke

North Carolina Beaches The coast of North Carolina is beautiful.

If you’re looking for a shorter drive time to the beach, try planing a trip to Wilmington or another nearby beach.

With extensive beaches and activities, it is hard to become bored.

Some fun activities are Jet Ski tours, adventuring downtown Wilmington or just relaxing on the beach.

NINERTIMES.COM

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NINERTIMES