Niner Times: February 10, 2015

Women in Business get 100k

In a program to launch fall 2015, Belk College of Business and MetLife team up to support women with leadership roles in the business sector. p. 7

Men’s basketball continues streak

The 49ers overpowered North Carolina A&T with a 77-61 victory, NCAA 2015 Tournament in sight. p. 13

Dark Star Orchestra comes to Charlotte

The first band to play a full Grateful Dead cover set, Dark Star Orchestra comes to the Fillmore on Friday, Feb. 20. p. 15

This Valentine’s Day, do something different than the traditional dinner date. Check out 11 ways to celebrate love that won’t strain your wallet. p. 17

FEB. 10 - FEB. 2015 CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE • VOL. 27, ISSUE 18 A PRODUCT OF STUDENT NINER MEDIA • THE UNIVERSITY OF16, NORTH NINERTIMES.COM

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Nick Cropper, Salina Dickie, Alex Passannante

ADDITIONAL STAFF Louis Aiello, Selim Ayyildiz, Jared Green, Chester Griffin, Warren Pettee, Benjamin Robson, T.J. Sachs, Jessica Shappley, Taylor Welsh, Vivian Westra

MARKETING STAFF Katelyn Ford, Malik Francis, Kayla McCall, Dylan Robison, Tia Warren Promotions Coordinator: Sean Grier

Street Team: Natalie Chan, Amanda Duke, Morgan Richards

SALES OFFICE: 704.687.7144 CIRCULATION BY STUDENT UNION LOADING DOCK TEAM

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CAMPUS DIVERSITY PLAN TUITION INCREASES SGA UPDATE METLIFE DONATES TO WOMEN IN BUSINESS OP-ED: PEACE AND FORGIVENESS IN RELIGION OP-ED: HOLLYWOOD DEPICTION OF FOREIGNERS WOMEN’S TENNIS FOOTBALL RECRUITS MEN’S BASKETBALL AND SOFTBALL RECAPS STEVE PINKERTON PROFILE DARK STAR ORCHESTRA TYLER NAIL REVIEW VALENTINE’S DAY

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Chancellor Philip Dubois to receive CASE award for developing Campus Diversity Plan Chester Griffin

STAFF WRITER UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois will receive the 2014-15 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) award during the District III conference in Orlando, Fla. The conference runs from Feb. 15 -18.

The awards reception starts at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, and will be followed by a banquet at 6:30 p.m.

“On behalf of my administrative team, I’m honored to be recognized,” said Dubois. “CASE is one of the country’s leading higher education organizations.”

Achieving the award was not a sole effort as creating a diverse campus was achieved in thanks to a dedicated team.

“Our efforts have been led by the Council on University Community which developed our Campus Diversity Plan in 2008,” said Dubois.

According to the university’s website, the Council was appointed in 2006 by Dubois after he had stressed the importance of on-campus diversity in both his installation and convocation addresses.

“It is chaired by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Joan Lorden and includes all of the vice chancellors and the

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athletic director,” said Dubois. “They have done an outstanding job in moving us forward.”

Dubois listed several methods in which he along with his team were able to create a successfully diverse campus.

“Our approach has been broad, encompassing diversity in the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students as well as encouraging diverse perspectives to be included in the curriculum and in campus events,” said Dubois.

“We have also made major progress in ensuring that historically-underutilized businesses (HUB) owned by minorities and females receive an equitable share of our contracts for goods and services.”

Regardless of receiving the award, Dubois realizes there is still much left to be done.

“In the case of recruiting a diverse faculty and student body, there is always the question of whether an institution has attracted a ‘critical mass’ that makes prospective faculty and students believe that they will find a welcoming and inclusive environment on campus,” said Dubois. “We still have more work to do, but we see increasing levels of success each year.”

Dubois says part of his motivation is to ensure that all students receive the same educational opportunities regardless of race, gender or socio-economic status.

“I think most higher education leaders see diversity as something we need to achieve, both for ensuring that our students receive the kind of education that will FEB. 10 - FEB. 16, 2015

enable them to be successful in a multi-cultural world and for extending educational opportunity to as many citizens as we can,” said Dubois.

“Compared to individuals who have not attended college, degree recipients earn superior annual and lifetime incomes, are healthier, less likely to have to rely upon social services, less likely to end up in trouble with the law, more likely to vote and more likely to donate their time or money to charitable organizations.”

On the university’s website, it states that “Dubois and his team also have actively promoted inclusion of minority- and women-owned businesses in the University’s construction work on new facilities and building renovations and as suppliers of University goods and services.”

Dubois says that the most crucial thing in regards to that was creating and funding a position for the now full-time HUB coordinator, Dorothy Vick, who is a part of the Facilities Management staff.

“Dorothy oversees our HUB program, stays in continuing contact with HUB vendors concerning emerging opportunities for construction and renovation contracts on campus and ensures that general contractors effectively subcontract with HUB firms,” said Dubois. “Her work has produced two awards for the campus—North Carolina’s Good Faith Effort ‘HUB Advocate’ in 2012 and the 2013 North Carolina Good Faith Effort ‘Public Sector Owner.’”

His team’s work has also led to other achievements as well.

“We have the highest African-American participation in the UNC system, exceeded by only two historically-black colleges, North Carolina Central University and Elizabeth City State University,” said Dubois. “We were also honored by the Charlotte Chamber’s Belk Innovation in Diversity Award in 2013.”

Dubois has received several other awards including the Leo M. Lambert Engaged Leader Award 2014 and Charlotte Energy Leadership Award 2013.

“Some of these are individual and some are institutional but, as with most things in life, it takes a great team to get things done,” said Dubois.

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UNC system to vote on tuition increase for 2016-17, 2017-18 fiscal years this month Jared Green

STAFF WRITER The University of North Carolina system recently submitted a proposal for a tuition hike for the next two fiscal years for tuition at UNC Charlotte.

The proposed plan would increase undergraduate tuition rates by $106 for fiscal year 2016 and by $109 for fiscal year 2017. The board of governors will vote on the proposal during their February meeting on Feb. 26 and 27 that will be held at UNC Charlotte.

The funding that comes to UNC Charlotte falls into three main categories: tuition, fees and appropriations.

Fees generally cover student life while tuition covers the actual education that students receive.

Appropriations are paid by the state’s education fund and highly subsidize tuition. Beth Hardin, vice chancellor for business affairs, explained this is done so “the state pays for the academic ‘stuff’ and students pay for ‘student life.’”

According to Hardin, 65 percent of tuition is covered by state appropriations, and in-state students are only required to pay about 35 percent of the actual cost of tuition. This explains why tuition for out-of-state students is much higher as their tax dollars are paid to their home state and therefore they pay the full, unsubsidized price of tuition at UNC Charlotte.

The state of North Carolina has done well at highly subsidizing higher education, according to Hardin.

“Even after the [2008 recession], UNC schools are still very well supported with appropriations,” said Hardin.

The rate change has been adjusted so that, if approved, both in-state and out-of-state students will pay the same amount in tuition increases.

For in-state

students, this equates to roughly a 3 percent increase in tuition for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. This means the proposal has an aggregate tuition increase of 3.3 percent for in-state undergraduates.

Out-of-state students will have a tuition increase of roughly 0.635 percent and 0.649 percent for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 respectively.

In addition to the increase in tuition, there is an expected increase in fees of 5 percent for both fiscal years. Increases in tuition and fees comply with the fee cap set by the board of governors which allows a maximum 5 percent increase per fiscal year.

This year a two-year tuition increase was proposed in lieu of the usual annual increase proposal to allot for needed revenue due to the increasing student population. From 2009 to 2014, a total of 46 percent of the UNC systems’ enrollment growth came from UNC Charlotte alone. This has put increasing demands on university resources and especially on faculty and staff.

According to Hardin, the tuition and fee increases will fund more faculty, better compensation for faculty and staff and more student services. The incremental revenue from the tuition increases will be roughly $2.9 million for fiscal year 2016 and $3.2 million for fiscal year 2017.

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POLICE BLOTTER FEB. 3-5

ARREST FEB. 5

• EPIC Building, subject was arrested for violating a trespass order.

Nick Cropper

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

ASSAULT FEB. 5

Senators of the UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) gathered for their weekly Student Senate legislative meeting Feb. 5.

COUNTERFEITING

Internal Affairs Committee Currently, the Internal Affairs Committee is working on two projects. The first project is working on being more involved with the executive and judicial branches of the student government. There are still details that need to be sorted out, but Internal Affairs hopes they could get to the point where they are meeting with the other branches of government once a week.

Internal Affairs is also working on increasing involvement within SGA. With many of the current leaders of SGA preparing for graduation this year, Internal Affairs is looking for some of the newer and less experienced members to start getting more involved in senate.

• Storrs, victim reported being struck in the face after a brief verbal disagreement with his ex-girlfriend.

FEB. 3

• Student Union, an unknown subject used a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase food at Wendy’s.

LARCENY FEB. 3

• Alumni Way, a victim arranged to purchase a pair of shoes from an unknown male. While counting the cash the unknown male snatched $120 from victim’s grasp and fled the scene without giving the shoes to the victim.

VANDALISM FEB. 5

• Martin Hall, police took a report regarding damage to a door in a dorm caused by a chair that was thrown during a verbal altercation.

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

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weather.uncc.edu GET MORE INFO ABOUT THE UNC CHARLOTTE METEOROLOGY PROGRAM

Online grants The Organizational Ways and Means Committee (OWM) is beginning to make adjustments necessary towards pushing forward with online grants. This feature will allow for student organizations to fill out grant requests online.

Partly sunny.

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Disc golf course update Members of the Student Affairs Committee continue to work with members of the UNC Charlotte Disc Golf Club on the approval of a disc golf course to be constructed on campus.

The cost of the course has been determined to be roughly $17,000. Since this is such a large sum, SGA and the Disc Golf Club must show the university there is student support for such a project. Student Affairs will be conducting surveys about the matter soon.

Detailed Transcript Act The Academic Affairs Committee is pushing for the approval of the Detailed Transcript Act. If passed, this act will add more context to transcripts that will give students a better idea about their academic performance.

Transcripts currently allow for no means of comparisons to students who exhibit similar course loads for that semester.

This act will add several new pieces of information to transcripts to benefit students.

These new transcripts will include the class size, the median grade for that class, the percentile range of that students grade compared to other FRIDAY FEB. 13

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SATURDAY FEB. 14

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students within that class and it will also introduce the schedule point average (SPA). The SPA compares the GPAs of students who shared similar course schedules.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the only schools to have this transcript in the country.

Publicity and Outreach Clarification Act During the Jan. 29 legislative meeting, the Publicity and Outreach Committee introduced the Outreach Act with the purpose of clarifying some of the roles of the legislative branch and opening up communication between the different branches of government.

The only change the act has seen since its debut was the change in name from the Outreach Act to the Publicity and Outreach Clarification Act; all other content remained the same. This act was approved.

New student organization The Political Society for a Better Tomorrow is a new student organization that is dedicated to increasing the number of politically active students on campus and raising awareness for political events around campus.

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MetLife Foundation donates 100K to Woman in Business UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business and MetLife plan to launch their program in fall 2015

Diane Gromelski COPY EDITOR

The Belk College of Business announced on Jan. 26 that they are working with the MetLife Foundation to create a “Women in Business” leadership program.

The program will be designed and run by the Student Center for Professional Development (SCPD) in coordination with MetLife and is likely to begin in fall 2015.

MetLife has been partnering with the Belk College of Business since the company relocated their retail headquarters to Charlotte in 2013.

Jim Boylan, vice president of human resources for MetLife’s U.S. retail division, said the Belk College of Business presented several ideas for possible programming MetLife could sponsor, but the company opted to fund the creation of a leadership program for women because it is cohesive with MetLife’s values.

“We thought that (the Women in Business Leadership Program) was a great fit for us because MetLife has a strong commitment to diversity and to women leadership,” Boylan said. “While there has been a lot done in recent years to promote women in business and the workplace, there is still a lot more that can be done, so I think it is important for us to continue to be involved in the development of women business leaders of the future. I think this program will help address some issues and help female students with some of the skills that they need to be successful in a business world and really take leadership roles down the line.”

Director of SCPD Kristine Hopkins said the main goal of the program is to help students develop

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the non-technical skills they will need in the workforce they would not normally learn in standard business classes.

“We do a lot of work with employers, and over the years they have told us we have great candidates in terms of the technical side, so they know their accounting, marketing and management, but they’re lacking the soft skills they really need to be good in management and make them employable in the workforce,” Hopkins said. “Soft skills are things

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METLIFE, cont. like good communication, problemsolving, working in teams, but also navigating culture at work when you’re new to that environment.”

Many details surrounding the program such as how many students it will include, how students will be admitted and what specific programming will look like have yet to be determined.

Hopkins said SPCD will spend the remainder of the spring semester as well as the summer planning the program.

Some of the confirmed benefits for students in the program are the opportunity to be mentored by and intern with business leaders in the Charlotte area, membership in a student organization for women and access to networking events with local businesses.

“What we envision is creating a tailored experience that will help undergraduate women prepare for careers in business and leadership roles, having some programs on various skill-building, gaps we see where we can have some training,”

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The main goal of the program is to help students develop the non-technical skills they will need in the workforce. Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

Boylan said, “I think it’s about giving people a real-life example and advice on what it’s like to make the transition from being in the classroom to being in a conference

room. With mentoring and bringing people to the school to talk about the workforce, we want to help give students the tools they need so they are successful when they walk in the

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employers’ door.”

According to a survey by Bloomberg Business, incoming freshman males are twice as likely to major in a business-related field than freshman females, leading to a male-dominated workforce.

Boylan said he wants the program to encourage mentorships with male and female business leaders of all ages in order to give students a wellrounded perspective of the industry.

“We definitely want to focus on mentorships with both women and men. I think we sometimes focus on programs that just say it’s about women, but we definitely want men involved in this because there are men as leaders in the community of business and we want them to translate and transpose to women in school some of their learning as well,” Boylan said. “We want to get women involved in all levels of business because I think when you’re a student you can look up to a leader as a role model, but I also think you want to know what it’s like to walk in the door.”

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Salaam and shalom Peace and forgiveness are the key elements in setting the world on the right track Louis Aiello

STAFF WRITER they do as I do even with those who committed the terrible acts of 9/11. If it took only 19 people to make everyone wake up to the fact that the world wasn’t as it seemed, then why can’t the opposite happen? It takes only one group of people to lead the way to repair the world for the better.

There’s a state where one can go for cancer treatment, to walk again after paralysis or to get a free heart transplant for an infant. It’s a place that researches new energy sources and agricultural irrigation advancements and pursues artistic ideals.

Such a dream sounds farfetched, but I’m not done yet.

In times of war, this state treats individuals from a foreign conflict, and it is an avid supporter of women’s rights as well as free speech. This state of existence sounds like a pipedream, but this is the Israel that I have come to know and love.

I understand that I will be heckled and even threatened for stating it, but it’s important for people to understand that Israel has never been our enemy. True, there are incidents of violence against Palestinians, such as the recurring bombing of Gaza, but it’s also important to

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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Tribune News Service

Almost every Sabbath, I speak to three wise men – two rabbis and another good friend of mine.

One told me, “Remember, Louis, even though we see the good in people, it still pains us when they fail to also see it.”

I asked, “Is it possible for us to show it to them?”

“Yes,” he replied. “But it takes time and a great deal of patience. You will not solve the world’s problems in one day. Also, it’s still important for you to be aware of the situations taking place globally, but don’t lose yourself in it.”

Another wise man said, “I understand that you are scared, Louis, but it’s far more important to live your life for something you believe in than to die for it.”

The last wise man said, “If you make yourself useful, there is no reason for anyone to harm you.”

We live in a growing world of ignorance, and for the longest time I thought it was the same as stupidity. But the wise men showed me that stupidity couldn’t be the explanation if one doesn’t have the information to make the conclusion that another sees. Such an expectation is not feasible and unfair.

Islam is a wonderful faith with great potential.

I have also recognized that the word “Islam” is similar to the word “salaam,” which means peace.

Salam and shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, I’d like to think go hand in hand, but due to circumstances in the Middle East – like ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood – a recognition of that relationship has disappeared.

Remember in the New Testament when Jesus was being nailed to the cross by the Romans, he yelled, “Lord, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

I sympathize with those who know not what

understand that Palestine was using resources given by Israel for the construction of schools and hospitals to build tunnels to infiltrate the Jewish state. Hospitals and schools are essential for the progression of the Muslim population in the region. Then why would they take such a move?

The answer is that jihadis hate Israel more than they love their children.

We Jews value life above all else; jihadis value death. The coming conflict between Israel and the world will be determined by the valuation of life or death. If life is valued more overall, the West will be victorious against jihad and ISIS; if death is valued more, Israel will falter and the West will soon follow.

I am worried about the growing amount of anti-Semitism, but I accept it’s the world we have always lived in. I have great love for the world and everything in it. I find the joy of being Jewish is the ability to express the wonders and mysteries of the universe.

This is why being Jewish is so important to me. I wish my deepest sincerity, compassion and love to all because I agree forgiveness is the most powerful tool. I forgive those who do what they do in the name of God, for they know not what they do.

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US VS. THEM

Hollywood’s depiction of foreigners as ‘others’ was all too prominent last year

Selim Ayyildiz INTERN

This past year, I’ve watched more movies than I ever had in my previous 18 years of existence. I am not sure if that’s necessarily a good thing considering the amount of money I’ve spent on all those tickets might be more than a semester’s worth of textbooks. However, I am more concerned about a certain trend I’ve noticed in the movies this past year. Many movies shared a compelling true or politically relevant story as a source of awareness and entertainment.

Of course, the main characters are always the good guys, but as for the villains, the go-to plan is to fill that spot with foreigners. How unfair is that? For some reason, it’s acceptable for Hollywood to portray other countries however they feel like, but then it’s a surprise when it backlashes. I just don’t understand the purpose of creating movies that deliberately attack other nations, beliefs and values.

Maybe it’s entertaining for some.

For example, “The Interview” with

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James Franco and Seth Rogen definitely had intentions of being funny. Although I agree there were some funny scenes, the overall humiliation of North Korea as a country was just too cringe-worthy.

I am not surprised there was controversy about releasing the movie to theaters all around the country. Of course, North Korea was not too pleased about the idea of assassinating its leader, King Jong-un. Not surprisingly, this all backlashed when North Korea allegedly hacked Sony’s computer systems, releasing private information. It’s mind-blowing that many people found this movie acceptable.

As for a more serious and inspiring story, the movie “Unbroken” revolved around the Japanese prisoner of war camps during World War II, telling following the story of Louis Zamperini. This movie has actually become one of my favorites.

Zamperini’s story is so inspiring.

His braveness and strength helped

him surpass all the torture he was put through. Although director Angelina Jolie did a beautiful job, the movie comes across very onesided.

At the time of the war, the Japanese felt as though they were doing the right thing. They were following orders, and the country’s goal was to be victorious, just like any other nation at the time. In the movie, we really didn’t get the opportunity to understand Japan’s intentions. Instead, the only thing that I got out of the movie about Japan was that the camp leaders were forceful and brutal. I can only imagine what Japanese veterans would think about the film. Whether they feel remorse or feel shorted because of the biased one-sided story this movie portrayed, I can only say it’s unfair.

“American Sniper,” the story of Chris Kyle, a soldier who felt obligated to support his country and fellow soldiers, shared another inspiring story. Leaving behind

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his life back in America, Kyle was dedicated to saving lives, while putting his own life in jeopardy.

Director Clint Eastwood did a great job spreading awareness of Kyle’s story. The film increased my appreciation for all the soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the safety of our country. As great as this movie was, I couldn’t get my mind off the stereotypical portrayal of Iraq.

It seems like in every war movie, Iraq is portrayed as a dry, barren battlefield, when, in fact, it is filled with rich culture and beautiful landmarks like every other country.

I understand movies are not created for everyone’s satisfaction, but they can often be misguiding.

Many stories are biased, stereotypical and just plain mean, but as the audience, we should take all that in consideration before we jump to conclusions. In most cases, these movies are entertaining and appealing, but all too predictable.

That’s Hollywood for you.

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WOMEN’S TENNIS HITS FULL STRIDE WITH THIRD CONSECUTIVE WIN Taylor Welsh INTERN

The Charlotte 49ers women’s tennis team seems to be hitting full stride as they came away with their third consecutive home win Saturday afternoon, defeating Wingate 6-1. The 49ers played a doubleheader at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex, only giving away a single point throughout the entire day.

Charlotte (3-1) ended up sweeping through doubles action against the Bulldogs (0-2) who entered the contest listed at No. 47 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) NCAA Division II rankings. The

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toughest match of the day came on court one as 49ers’ underclassmen Fleur Holtkamp and Victoria Pahlett snuffed out the team chemistry weakness between Wingate’s Maria Garcia and Oroma Womeodu, ending the match 6-4.

Courts two and three finished in similar fashion, ending with identical scores of 6-2 in Charlotte’s favor.

On court two it was junior Tyler Baker and sophomore Macy Vonderschmidt who rallied over Caroline Holland and Becca Thomas to get the second point of the day. On court three Charlotte seniors Lisa Grosselius and Natsuko Takayanagi followed the fate of their fellow teammates, defeating Bulldogs Layla Tanik and Andrea Ternera.

To add on to this perfect outing so far, the Charlotte 49ers ended victorious in five of the six singles matches, all in straight sets.

Court one featured a quick 6-0, 6-2 victory for Pahlett as she took down the Bulldogs No. 1, Ternera. Also, Vonderschmidt had an impressive win of her own, blowing an ITA Southeast Regionally-ranked Tanik out of the water 6-1, 6-0 on court two.

The final three positions all grabbed the decision of the umpire, but who really stood out was freshman Megan Smith, who earned her first collegiate game earlier in the

Above: Fleur Holtkamp, freshman, joins the 49ers from the Netherlands. Left: Tyler Baker gestures to Macy Vonderschmidt in doubles competition this weekend. Photos by Benjamin Robson

day. To gain full control over court six, she dynamically moved back and forth, strategically putting the opposing team on their heels, and defeating Maria Garcia 6-2, 6-4.

The rest of the Charlotte team who came out of their matches with a smile on their faces were Baker and Takayanagi. Baker had

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a close match, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats, ending the game in dramatic fashion, 6-3, 7-6 (4), while Takayanagi had an easier time getting the win, defeating Thomas 6-2, 6-2.

The 49ers will spend this week away, returning for their next home match against Wofford on Feb. 25.

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Lambert and staff finalize 2015 recruiting class The Charlotte 49ers bolstered their roster with 17 incoming freshmen following National Signing Day

Matt Chapman

SPORTS EDITOR Another National Signing Day has come and gone and the Charlotte 49ers football program has moved another step closer to their first season as a member of Conference USA. Charlotte received 16 commitments yesterday to go along with mid-December signee Cameron Clark, forming a 2015 recruiting class of 17 new players in advance of the upcoming milestone season.

According to 247Sports the 49ers finished the day with the 120th-ranked recruiting class, good for 12th-best in the 13 team C-USA. Charlotte added four 3-star recruits according to ESPN, with three of those players being offensive linemen. Head coach Brad Lambert said after last season the biggest difference between FCS and FBS football is the talent and speed of the opposing defensive line and he clearly made it a priority to sure up the front-line protection for his backfield.

The 49ers have made it a priority to recruit local talent in recent years and that trend continued with the 2015 class. Lambert and his staff landed nine players from the state of North Carolina, including six men that played their high school ball in the Charlotte area.

Charlotte’s new class of recruits is headlined by cornerback Nafees Lyon who played his high school ball for local powerhouse Mallard Creek.

Lyon helped produce back-to-back state championships, delivering nine interceptions and three defensive touchdowns in his final two prep seasons. Given Charlotte’s defensive struggles

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Charlotte 49ers 2015 recruiting class Alex Barrow Cameron Clark A.D. Cunningham Darren Drake Desmond Floyd Jeff Gemmell Jonathan Hardy Tyrig Harris Michael Holmes Darius Irvin Ben Jacques Nafees Lyon A.J. McDonald Nate Mullen Akease Rankin Trevor Stacy Randy Suydam

5’11” 170 WR 6’5” 260 OL 6’1” 220 LB 6’3” 300 OL 6’5” 275 DL 6’3” 216 LB 6’4” 257 DE 6’3” 215 LB 6’4” 230 TE 6’0” 184 DB 6’6” 225 TE 5’10” 180 DB 6’0” 190 DB 5’9” 170 WR 6’0” 210 RB 6’5” 300 OL 6’3” 245 DL

a year ago, Lyon could compete for playing time right away as a true freshman in the defensive backfield.

The 49ers’ trio of 3-star recruits on the offensive line include Darren Drake, Trevor Stacy and Cameron Clark. Drake and Clark should provide strength inside at the guard position for Charlotte

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in the future. Stacy was awarded the 2014 Hunt Award, given to the top offensive lineman in the state of West Virginia. 49ers’ offensive line coach Phil Ratliff is a former coach at Spring Valley High School where Stacy was named first-team all-state for three consecutive years.

Nate Mullen, a speedy wide receiver with tremendous kick and punt return ability, provides another unique tie with a member of the Charlotte coaching staff. Mullen is the son of 49ers’ offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen and was listed as a 2-star recruit by ESPN. He racked up over 1,500 yards of total offense during his senior season at Hickory Ridge and scored 25 touchdowns, becoming the first player from his high school to be named to the Shrine Bowl.

Akease Rankin, a running back out of Mooresville High School, is another signee that could potentially see playing time as a true freshman.

After the dismissals of Alan Barnwell and Maetron Thomas, the 49ers have a depth issue in the backfield behind Kalif Phillips. Rankin rushed for over 3,500 yards and 44 touchdowns in his final two high school seasons. He averaged an astounding 10 yards per carry during his senior year.

The recent announcements of the 2015 schedule and recruiting class have fans in the Queen City anxiously awaiting kickoff against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome to open the season.

The 49ers will play their spring game on Saturday, April 18 under the lights at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

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49ERS BREEZE PAST NORTH CAROLINA A&T THE CHARLOTTE 49ERS MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM STEPPED AWAY FROM CONFERENCE PLAY, EARNING A 77-61 VICTORY OVER N.C. A&T

Alex Passannante

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Pierria Henry has accomplished a lot in his career at Charlotte (10-13); one thing he hasn’t done however, is make the NCAA Tournament. After Wednesday night’s blowout win against North Carolina A&T (618), spirits were high, including Henry’s when he talked about how far this team can go.

“I want to be remembered for being on a championship team.

More than anything, I want to be hanging from the ceiling in Halton Arena. I want to have a banner that says NCAA 2015.

We will win the conference tournament.”

While the next reporter was going to ask a question, Henry called my name again and reiterated his promise, “We will win this conference.”

The 49ers struggled early, an all too familiar sight this season. Braxton Ogbueze was the catalyst in the beginning for the 49ers, scoring their first five points. He would finish with a game-high 18.

At the first media timeout, the 49ers trailed 12-5 while shooting just 20 percent from the field. Despite N.C. A&T having a bad season with a 6-17 record coming into the game, most teams are able to get an early advantage on Charlotte due to lethargic play in the first 10-15 minutes of the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Charlotte went almost four minutes without scoring until Keyshawn Woods converted on a layup. At the second media

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timeout, Charlotte trailed 15-7.

Bruce Beckford, who was fourth in the conference in scoring, had five points and two rebounds for the Aggies.

It took more than halfway through the first half, but the 49ers finally established a pace and went on a 9-0 run. At the third media timeout, they lead 19-18 thanks to a couple of baskets from 3-point specialist Ivan Benkovic.

After the hot shooting, Charlotte fell right back into the drought, going two for their last eight field goal attempts. Even though the 49ers couldn’t buy any baskets, they led 26-25 at under-four timeout.

The 49ers returned to their lackadaisical play when nearing halftime, giving up easy baskets to the Aggies and especially their leading scorer, Beckford, who had 12 points at the half.

Leading the 49ers at halftime was Ogbueze with 10 points.

There were a lot of boos coming from the stands in Halton Arena going into halftime, which apparently sparked a fire for the struggling 49ers in the second half.

Regarding halftime, interim head coach Ryan Odom said, “I really didn’t tell them anything special, just that they need to run faster than before. They took it upon themselves and played unselfish. We impacted them with pressure and dug some balls out with a faster pace.”

Charlotte came out in the sec-

ond half on a 7-0 run, forcing a timeout right away from Aggies head coach Cy Alexander.

Charlotte continued their hard play, forcing turnovers with their full-court trap defense.

After another timeout, Charlotte led 46-38.

Most importantly, Henry became the all-time assist leader in Charlotte history, while also surpassing the 1,000 career points plateau.

Charlotte never let go of their lead, keeping the buckets coming from players like Ogbueze, Mike Thorne Jr. and Bernard Sullivan. With 12 minutes left in regulation, the 49ers had a 56-44 advantage.

Sullivan, who has sat most of the year while battling concussions, delivered his best game in a Charlotte uniform. After catching an alley-oop from Henry, he had nine points and four boards.

Charlotte’s hustle in the second half made the Aggies really struggle when it came to putting points on the board. Beckford, who had a big first half, only had four points in the second half.

Charlotte coasted to the finish line, defeating the Aggies easily, 77-61. Odom spoke about how his team finished off, saying how he wants to see his team play faster more often.

“Our guys did a great job in the second half. We controlled the pace and began to pressure.

We can’t play at a frenetic rate for 40 minutes, so we pick and choose when to do it.”

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Softball splits season-opening series against Gardner-Webb T.J. Sachs INTERN

After a heartbreaking loss in Charlotte’s (1-1) first game of the season the 49ers softball team took game two by force, cranking out 10 runs and coming out on top over Gardner-Webb (1-1) 10-2.

The contest started off slow with three scoreless innings before the slew of runs poured in. Action started in a jam packed fourth inning; the Runnin’ Bulldogs tacked on their only two runs before the 49ers put their foot down.

Natalie Capone was walked, followed by a double to left-center by Jessica Plemmons.

This set the 49ers up with runners at second and third as Jackie Kleinsmith recorded her first RBI of the season driving home Capone to cut the deficit in half. Senior third baseman Chelsea Lisikatos would clean house with her second home run of the day to center field giving the Niners a 4-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Gardner-Webb called for a pitching change, which would not prove to do any good as the 49ers continued cash in at the plate. Hayley Pace would take first base on a single and Courtney Carroll found a soft spot with a double. Grace Beatty followed her teammate up with a two-RBI double stretching the lead 6-2. Beatty then scored herself off a shortstop error. The 49ers scored two more runs in the inning off a Plemmons single that drove in Samantha Slade and Capone.

“A lot of offense, a lot of offense from a lot of players, I really like how aggressive we were,” said Charlotte head coach Aimee DeVos. “We did a great job on the bases today. We attacked them and put the hammer down and didn’t give them a chance to come back.”

The Niners added their 10th run in the bottom of the sixth when pinch hitter Taylar Byrne would get in on the action driving home Plemmons from first to seal the victory. Pitcher Mackenzie Hauser picked up her first win of the season, allowing six hits with two runs and four strikeouts.

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Local gym owner competes in Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge Steve Pinkerton of Charlotte, N.C. will compete on season 2 of the CMT program Leanna Pough

A&E EDITOR Steve “Stone Cold” Austin, one of the toughest, most memorable wrestlers of the 90s. His trademark can of “whoop ass” has made him one of the biggest stars in World Wrestling Federation (WWF/WWE) history. Since, Austin has transitioned to new forms of entertainment. “The Steve Austin Show” podcast and “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge,” his personal obstacle course in which eight contestants are selected to compete in a series of challenges for a $10,000 prize.

A North Carolina native and season two contestant, Steve Pinkerton said breaking his regimen was the hardest part of the challenge. After eight years in the military, he said structure becomes second nature.

“I like to be in control all the time.

When you do something like a reality TV show you realize how little control you have over a three-day period,” said the Marine veteran.

It was in the Marine Corps that Pinkerton was first introduced to Cross Fit.

Photo courtesy of Steve Pinkerton’s Facebook Page

“I loved what I did when I was in the Marine Corps. I couldn’t think of anything I would love more … but this is about as close as it gets.

I’ll never be a suit and tie guy,” said Pinkerton.

Cross Fit is a strength and conditioning program that combines

Photo courtesy of Steve Pinkerton’s Facebook Page

Steve Pinkerton

Height and weight: 6’5”, 240 lbs Age: 33 Hometown: Charlotte, N.C. Occupation: CrossFit gym owner Specialty: CrossFit

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elements from gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, aerobic exercise and high-intensity interval training.

“I fell in love with it really early on. It’s definitely something where there’s no middle ground with it.

Either people really like it or they don’t,” said Pinkerton.

Recalling his first experience with Cross Fit, Pinkerton notes the importance of living an overall healthy life.

“It’s not about how much we can lift or how fast we can do things, it’s about being active and creating a lifestyle that helps us outside the gym … I was getting beat by people that, in my mind, should not have been beating me,” Pinkerton said.

After being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the large intestine, Pinkerton made a decision to improve his diet.

“For me, I had to clean up my diet.

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I don’t eat sugar, it’s probably the most boring diet you’ve ever heard of,” said Pinkerton.

Scalable to all fitness levels, Pinkerton believes Cross Fit focuses on surrounding yourself with a community of people who put their health and fitness as a top priority.

Something, he says, we as a society need to get back to.

“Right now the metrics out there that talk about childhood obesity and how we’ve quickly become the most obese country in the world, it’s a scary pie chart when you look at the direction we’re going,” Pinkerton said.

If he wins, the money will go towards a new gym.

Watch Pinkerton compete for his chance at $10,000 in season two of “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge,” Sundays at 8 p.m. on Country Music Television (CMT).

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DARK STAR ORCHESTRA

BREATHES LIFE INTO THE DEAD Grateful Dead tribute band scheduled to perform at The Fillmore Charlotte Friday, Feb. 20

Chester Griffin

STAFF WRITER “Dark Star Orchestra was the first band to perform a set list of the Grateful Dead on a regular basis. So I think that aspect attracted the curious who wanted to see if the band could actually pull that concept off,” said Dark Star Orchestra drummer and percussionist Dino English.

Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead tribute band based in Chicago.

“I believe what keeps people coming back is that DSO has always maintained a high level of musicianship and the band has always played in a manner where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

Recently the band outplayed the Grateful Dead in number of shows. For English, this comes as huge surprise.

“The amount of shows the Grateful Dead played only means we are a hardworking band,” English said.

“It’s more of a testament to the power of Grateful Dead music and its survival into the future. ” Part of what makes Dark Star Orchestra stand out among other tribute bands is the amount of money that goes into their production value.

“There’s nothing wrong with a little local band playing at a bar, but it’s a step above that in terms of production,” said Jeff Mattson, lead guitarist and vocalist.

“I think that the musicians are excellent and know their parts really well and know what they’re supposed to be doing and have dedicated their life to it.”

Dark Star Orchestra Members Rob Barraco Rob Eaton Dino English Rob Koritz Lisa Mackey Jeff Mattson Skip Vangelas

Keyboard, vocals Rhythm guitar, vocals Drums, percussion Drums, percussion Vocals Lead guitar, vocals Bass

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DSO has performed over 2,200 shows in the past 17 years.

Photo courtesy of Dark Star Orchestra’s official site

Dark Star Orchestra is fully committed to their road tours.

“You can do it on the weekends, or a few gigs a month, but you know, we’re out there doing 137 shows a year,” Mattson said.

Rather than following along note for note with the original Grateful Dead rendition, Dark Star Orchestra stays faithful to the band’s spirit by improvising their shows.

“We get to shape our own personality because there’s so much improvisation going on,” Mattson said. “It’s contrary to the spirit of the music to play anything note for note, so you’re improvising in real time and reacting to the other musicians playing and so it’s got a little twist of our own to it.”

While on the road, the band members occasionally find time to write and record their own original songs.

“We’ve written some songs and we record them on the road, but that’s more for our on enjoyment,” Mattson says. “We’re not making a switchover to playing original music or anything like that, we don’t think that’s what our audience wants to see. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll put out a CD of these songs and people can listen to it or not.”

Mattson says part of the excitement of carrying on the Grateful Dead legacy is seeing FEB. 10 - FEB. 16, 2015

new generations of Deadheads emerging as a result.

“Not only do we have older folks who are coming to relive their hay day of going and seeing the Grateful Dead, we have a huge audience of young people that never got to see the Grateful Dead and are getting an idea what it was like vicariously through our performances,” Mattson said. “We have a whole range of generations in our audiences and that’s very satisfying. It’s nice to know that there’s all these new Deadheads coming up, who never got to see the real thing and they’re still appreciating the music and they still know the words.”

For English, he became a part of the later generation of Deadheads.

“I am the baby deadhead of the band in that I didn’t start seeing them until 1991,” English said.

Not everybody is on board with the Deadhead craze for Dark Star Orchestra.

“We aren’t universally accepted by all Deadheads as some think we are controversial because we follow the Grateful Dead line so closely,” English says.

“In the end, it’s just some of the best music ever written played by real musicians and played with heart.”

On Feb. 20, Dark Star Orchestra performs at the Fillmore in Charlotte.

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The tales of Tyler Nail

Netherlands 68 Winter fall

Tyler Nail’s second full length album, “Feathers” combines his older material with touches of jazz, funk and soul. Photo courtesy of Tyler Neil

Jessica Shappley INTERN

There has to be dedication to the process of song writing to successfully blend music genres and that is what indie-folk artist, Tyler Nail, achieved in his two new singles, “San Antonio” and “Valentina”. Both songs are part of his album “Feathers.”

Nail is from King, North Carolina, and developed his own unique style influenced with an Appalachian background. What really stands out in these singles is his focus on narrative. He is a true song writer who crafts a story to share with his listeners, and he is an artist to follow if you value heart in your music.

“San Antonio” is the perfect traveler’s song. Combining powerful imagery and the universal theme of looking for a sense of home, Nail’s voice is a novel all in its own. He takes you with him, accompanied by a rich rhythm

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of guitar. His lyrics are unforgettable; how much emotion and character he gives to San Antonio as a rift is alchemical. This is the kind of song you bring with you on the road when you are unsure of where you are going to end up.

It reminds you that the journey is always worth it, especially the journey of connecting with other people.

“Valentina” relates the archetypal experience of meeting someone who changes your life, but they are a continued mystery to you. The song plays on the bitter sweet hot and cold of the history of a relationships. The gift of music versus a broken heart.

Nail continues to paint with his words, and “Valentina” shows his range in adding just the right musical nuance to any subject matter. He brings a human sound to the old story of love.

ACROSS 1 “The Alphabet Song” opening 5 Closed 9 Postpone 14 Lemony in taste 15 “__ Lisa” 16 Overjoy 17 *Handy tool to have when you’re out of loose-leaf paper 19 Red-suited reindeer driver 20 China’s Zhou __ 21 Forming a queue 23 Memory aid, such as “HOMES” for the Great Lakes 26 Amount paid 29 *Amulet 34 Sch. in the smallest state 35 T-shirt sizes, for short 36 Sound portion of a movie 37 *Prime ballpark

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accommodation 39 *Architectural style featuring geometric shapes 41 Amazed 42 Regret 43 “__ Misérables” 44 *Stand-up venue 48 French father 49 Kids’ show host with a “Neighborhood” 51 “Will you marry me?” is one 55 Flusters 59 Deceived 60 Ostracize ... and what the first words of the answers to starred clues comprise 63 Submit tax returns online 64 Actor Lugosi 65 Sulk 66 Small and unimportant 67 Cheese from the

DOWN 1 Arthur of tennis 2 Timely benefit 3 Select with care 4 Imagined while sleeping 5 Church-founded Dallas sch.

6 Luv 7 Clean with Liquid-Plumr 8 Hummus paste 9 Dry up 10 Vivacity 11 Vampire tooth 12 Caesar’s immortal “And you?”

13 Gather in a field 18 Bowler’s target 22 Actor Cage, in tabloids 24 Austen heroine 25 Milkshake additive 26 Like Rubik’s creation 27 Maine college town 28 Early riser’s hr.

30 1963 Paul Newman film 31 Dancer Astaire 32 Potato cutter 33 Bullwinkle, for one 35 Start-up cash 38 Nor. neighbor 39 Cut __: dance, in old slang 40 Hick 45 1520 and 2015, e.g.: Abbr.

46 Buster who played Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon 47 Lazed 48 Biblical songs 50 Bobby’s monogram, in ‘60s politics 51 Argued in court 52 Lower-interest mtge.

53 Norse war god 54 President when Texas was annexed 56 Utah national park 57 1960s-’70s Boston Bruins nickname 58 Hearty dish 61 Pie __ mode 62 Pic taker

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11 WAYS TO RECAPTURE THE SPARK WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK It can be hard to keep Valentine’s Day under budget, especially when you’re working with a college student budget. Here are some simple, inexpensive ideas for you and your special someone this Valentine’s Day.

Amanda Duke

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Museum There are many museums uptown that have special college rates or are even free.

Take advantage of the college discounts with your friends and stop by one of the many amazing museums Charlotte has to offer.

There are art museums up and down North Tryon, as well as the Discovery Place.

Though that may seem like a museum for children, it is always fun to relive your childhood days.

Visiting museums can be something fun for you and your significant other. You may even discover a new activity that the two of you enjoy doing together.

If you cannot get uptown, you can visit the art gallery in the Student Union.

NT File Photo

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Photo courtesy Tribune News Service

Vivian Westra

STAFF WRITER

Picnics Picnics are a more exciting way to enjoy a meal. Whether it is downtown or in the backyard, it is a great way to spice up Valentine’s Day. Pack up a blanket and some delicious snacks and spend the day outdoors with your loved one.

Some easy things to pack are Nutella and strawberry sandwiches, PB&J and bite sized treats.

Bring a bottle of wine to make the picnic a bit more romantic than just hanging out outside.

Bake together A great activity to do is bake cookies or make chocolate covered strawberries together. It is a fun and cheap alternative to going out and buying expensive desserts.

Baking things from scratch is always a fun idea as well.

Though it is significantly more time consuming than just adding milk to a box mix, you will be more satisfied with your final product if you bake it yourself.

Chocolate covered strawberries are a Valentine’s Day favorite. Mix it up a bit by buying other types of fruit, such as apples, pineapple or even nuts. You can cover just about anything in chocolate and have it taste delicious.

Movie night in Everyone loves a night in with his or her couch and Netflix once in a while.

A fun and relaxing thing to do is cuddle up and watch a good movie or TV show with some pizza.

Papa Murphey’s Pizza makes an adorable heart pizza around Valentine’s Day that is affordable and fun.

Another idea is to make your own pizza. It may not be as easy as just ordering a pie and could get to be extremely messy, but it will be a lot more fun for the two of you.

You can also easily pop your own popcorn. Put 3 tablespoons of oil into a pot on medium-high heat. Place three or four kernels into the pan and wait for them to pop, when they do add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels to the pot. When all of the kernels have popped, add butter, salt or pepper to it.

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Photo courtesy Tribune News Service

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DATE IDEAS, cont.

Ice or roller skating Ice skating is a great activity to do whether you can actually ice skate or not.

Grab your date and head over to Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail for a fun filled two hours of falling and twirling around on the ice.

Though it may be crowded on the weekends with little kids birthday parties and such, it will still be fun and romantic.

Though it may seem like they don’t exist anymore, you can also go to a roller rink.

Frye’s Roller Rink in Concord is a great place to spend the afternoon with your loved one.

Photo by Michelle Carpenter

Bike rides Going for a bike ride is another great way to spend some quality time with each other.

You can go for a nice ride on the Greenway right on campus.

If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, take your bikes uptown and ride around instead of walking.

If you do not have a bike, uptown there are bike rental stations that you can rent bikes from. You can rent the bikes per hour and can return them to any rental station uptown.

Biking together is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air with one another.

If you are not familiar with uptown Charlotte, biking is a fantastic way to get familiar with the city instead of walking.

Photo by Amanda Duke

Group dates

Stargaze After your fun filled day of Valentine’s activities, take some time in the evening to stargaze.

Just grab a blanket to lay on and a sweater to keep you warm, and spend some time looking up at the sky admiring the beautiful stars in the sky.

If you do not have any place to stargaze at your apartment complex, use one of the court yards on campus or go to a local park.

Before you go to stargaze, print out some of the constellations and see which one of you can find the most the quickest.

When you are picking the perfect place to stargaze, make sure you are not near many lights. The more lights you are near, the less you will be able to see the stars.

While you are outside, try to keep an eye out for shooting stars, you never know when you will see one.

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Go to a party If you do not want to do anything extremely romantic, go to a party together.

Going to a party is a great way to spend time with your friends as well as your significant other. It is also a good way to meet each others friends in a fun setting.

You can even throw your own anti-Valentines Day party if you and your friends would like.

Game night

Group dates are a great way to have a lot of fun with all of your friends and do activities such as bowling, going out to the movies or adventuring uptown.

Starlight Theater on North Tryon offers student discounts as well as $5 matinee showing of movies.

A group date is a good idea if you and your date are still getting to know each other. Invite a friend or two to join you and you will end up having a great time together.

Even if you do not have a significant other, grab some friends and make it a group night out. You and your friends can have a simple dinner then participate in an activity of your choice.

Photo by Michelle Carpenter

Having a game night is a great way to show your competitive sides. Get out an old board game, like Monopoly or The Game of Life, and have an afternoon of trying to beat each other.

This is also a great idea if you are going on a double date.

You can play a few games and see which couple wins the most games.

If you or your significant other has a Wii, playing Wii Sports is another way to show your competitive side in a fun way. You can each make your own Mii character and compete to see who is the best at Wii bowling, tennis or even a round of golf.

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Nature walk Though going for a walk down North Tryon may not seem ideal, there are plenty of paths around Charlotte and the University area to go for a walk.

There is the Greenway on campus that are open to go for a walk or run on with your significant other.

Since Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday, there will not be many people walking around campus. Take advantage of the peace and quiet and go for a walk around campus.

Photo by Eden Creamer

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