Look back on some memorable moments from this year. p. 11 and 17
A PRODUCT OF STUDENT NINER MEDIA • THE UNIVERSITY OF MAY NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE • VOL. 27, ISSUE 28 APRIL 28 THROUGH 4, 2015 NINERTIMES.COM
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April 28 through May 4, 2015
V O L U M E 2 7, N U M B E R 2 8
Nick Cropper, Salina Dickie, Alex Passannante
ADDITIONAL STAFF Casey Aldridge, Edward Averette, Chris Crews, Josiah Goodrum, Kalyn Kisiah, Aleena Oliveira, Warren Pettee, Benjamin Robson
MARKETING STAFF Katelyn Ford, Malik Francis, Andrew Hocutt, 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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EARTH DAY, #NICKSTRONG EPA COMPETITION SGA, WEATHER, BLOTTER OP-ED: LIFE LESSONS OP-ED: POLITICAL MOVEMENTS
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS SUMMER EVENT CALENDAR CALEB JOHNSON YEAR IN REVIEW
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APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
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UNC CHARLOTTE HOLDS 23RD ANNUAL EARTH DAY FESTIVAL Kalyn Kisiah
Sara Carson
INTERN
With music played on wooden instruments by skilled musicians, earth-friendly activities and countless ways to learn about saving the earth, Wednesday, April 22 marked UNC Charlotte’s 23rd annual Earth Day Festival. The festival was comprised of roughly 30 vendors which set up tables on campus between the COED and CCHS buildings. The vendors, including UNC Charlotte Green Initiative (CGI) and UNC Charlotte Community Garden represented causes such as stopping offshore oil drilling. The organizations had petitions available for activists and enthusiasts to sign in an attempt to discourage the action. Other petitions available at the festival included a petition in support of maintaining a clean environment, recycling and keeping the Earth green by growing and tending to plants and gardens. Each vendor had a table set up with information and giveaways such as water bottles, T-shirts and plants. Many offered interactive activities, like planting your own plant for visitors to take home. In addition to individual organizations’ freebies, there was an annual giveaway, which included boxes of books, binders and other various school supplies that recycling technicians find on campus. In the middle of the festival, you could even find a giant Earth ball to take your picture with in celebration of Earth Day.
Earth Day Festival 2012. Photo courtesy of Devin Hatley
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Over $1000 raised at #NickStrong Soccer Tournament NEWS EDITOR
Decorations displayed at the #NickStrong Soccer Tournament. Photo by Jordan Snyder
Twenty-six teams made up of UNC Charlotte students participated in the #NickStrong Soccer Tournament on Tuesday, April 21. The tournament was organized by UNC Charlotte’s women’s soccer team to support Nick Newberry, a junior who suffered a traumatic head injury after falling down a flight of stairs in March. Teams paid $40 each to register, raising a total of more than $1,000. Family, friends and students who wanted to watch paid a $3 entry fee. Entry fees raised between $200 to $400, according to Alex Weaver, member of the women’s soccer team. “Every dollar counts. I’m so impressed with how it looks. The support of the community is just unbelievable,” said Weaver. In addition to entry and registration fees, outside companies donated a total of $100 to the tournament. Parker Cowan, close friend, fraternity brother and roommate of Newberry, shared that his recovery
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process is moving steadily. He said Newberry is out of the coma, has his full memory and is walking and talking. He also reported that he is currently out of the hospital and is completing rehab at home. In regards to returning to school, Cowan said, “As of now, he tells us he’s coming back in the fall, but it just depends on his rehab.” “We have an appointment with the rehab doctor next week,” said Tabitha Newberry, Newberry’s sister. “They can’t tell us about school yet because of the brain. He has to have neuropsychology testing to determine whether he’ll actually be able to do the school work. Fingers crossed and prayers up to God that he gets back soon.” Tournament team “Frat Tricks” came in first place, winning a Zaxby’s gift card, donated by the restaurant. “It’s mind-blowing the support we’ve gotten from his fraternity and his friends at school. It’s absolutely amazing,” said Tabitha.
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Team mebmers at the EPA P3. Photo courtesy of epa.gov
UNC Charlotte team competes in EPA’s People, Prosperity and Planet National Sustainable Design Expo Faculty members worked together to to develop heat-harvesting windows to preserve energy from the sun
Edward Averette
STAFF WRITER In 2013, UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor Mona Azarbayjani led an interdisciplinary effort with more than three dozen UNC Charlotte students and faculty to the biannual Solar Decathlon. The competition, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, featured 19 academic teams amongst which the UNC Charlotte team won the popular-vote People’s Choice Award and finished in the top five in four of the 10 events. “One of the core objectives of the Solar Decathlon was to turn ideas into research,” said Azarbayjani in UNC Charlotte’s Exchange Online. “Throughout the competition, we wanted to embrace all aspects of sustainability and the built environment. That’s where the idea of a responsive building envelop was born.” At the time, the blueprint for the architecture professor and her team was to design and build an energy and cost-efficient solar-powered
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home that was also affordable and appealing to consumers. However, during this period, Azarbayjani met assistant chemistry professor Michael Walter, Ph.D., and discussed implementing another feature into the project, but time constraints squandered her plans. “We used that idea to develop a material that then later on we decided to apply for grants such as EPA (Environmental Protection Agency),” she said. In August 2014, UNC Charlotte received a $15,000 grant from the EPA to develop a project addressing environmental issues throughout the world. As a part of the grant, UNC Charlotte could compete in the EPA’s People, Prosperity and Planet National Sustainable Design Expo, with the opportunity to win $75,000 in funding if they won the competition. “EPA P3 was a much smaller scale of decathlon,” said Azarbayjani.
Despite the difference of scale, the architecture professor says lessons learned from the decathlon were applied throughout the EPA project. “I learned how to manage time and resources and how to set deliverables and smaller goals for the team and how to hold them accountable for the tasks,” she said. Walter joining forces with Azarbayjani was another difference this time around, as the two collaborated on the production of a solar-responsive power-producing façade using silicon and organic materials. Assisted by an integrated group of six students from fields such as architecture, nanoscience and chemistry, the two faculty members worked together to develop heatharvesting transparent windows, which draw energy from the sun. “The purpose is to lower the energy of the building and to have it become more sustainable,” said Walter. This need to lower energy
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outputs stems from wasted energy from buildings, which according to U.S. Green Building Council, accounts for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions (more than the amount produced by transportation and industry) and 70 percent of electricity use in the country. “All the energy that goes into lighting, heating and cooling, think about it, a lot of buildings are becoming all glass,” he said. “So what are we doing?─We’re creating greenhouses.” To counter this environmental challenge, the group created a material consisting of thin silicon microwires wrapped inside a temperature-sensitive polymer. As the outer polymer layer grows warmer and expands, the internal microwires begin to move and respond to external changes in temperature and sunlight intensity. This effect is most apparent during the heat of the day when the outer polymer layer absorbs heat,
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SUSTAINABILITY EXPO, cont. which causes the silicon microwires to bend and gain excess solar energy. This excess solar energy is then converted into electricity and may one day power cars, houses and skyscrapers, just by applying a filmlike material on or within a glass surface. “What we’re saying [is] let’s tint it and use the material that’s tinting the window to generate electricity,” Walter said.
While the P3 competition selected seven winners, with nearby Appalachian State University being one of them, UNC Charlotte finished outside the top seven. “We got honorable mention, which means that the judges believe that our project deserves further funding,” said Azarbayjani. However, because UNC Charlotte finished outside of the top seven and was one of eighteen teams with an
Two stages of the construction of UrbanEden. Photos courtesy of urbaneden.uncc.edu
After nearly eight months of working on the project and additional funding from the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, the Department of Chemistry and the School of Architecture, the UNC Charlotte team took their design to the P3 competition on April 10-13 in Alexandria, Virginia. There, they competed against 41 other collegiate teams for the possibility to win $75,000 in grant money for two years.
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honorable mention that funding has to come from elsewhere. Although the P3 competition is no longer on Azarbayjani’s radar, the assistant architecture professor and Walter are in the midst of seeking more funding to continue the project. “We’ll pursue larger grants from the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy) and the NSF (National Science Foundation) to make sure the project has long term funding— so we can really develop the technology,” said Walter.
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POLICE BLOTTER APRIL 18-22
ACCIDENT APRIL 19
• Cameron Boulevard, driver of vehicle one lost control and ran off the road onto the sidewalk and grassy area.
APRIL 21
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
• Cone Loading Dock, driver of vehicle one was driving into the loading dock area of Cone and the clearance for the truck was too low. The top of the truck left minor damage to a hanging pipe.
ARREST APRIL 18
• Moore Hall, subject was arrested for multiple drug violations.
APRIL 22
• Sanford Hall, officers conducted a search of a room that was suspected to contain drugs, which led to an arrest.
LARCENY APRIL 21
• Parking Services reported that an unknown person drove a car off campus with a parking boot attached.
APRIL 22
• Football Stadium, officer took a report regarding money missing from a safe. • Cone, officer took a report regarding a stolen iPhone that was left unsecured in a public area. For more information on Mecklenburg County arrests, visit arrestinquiryweb.co.mecklenburg.nc.us
weather.uncc.edu UNC CHARLOTTE METEOROLOGY PROGRAM
The UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) held their final Student Senate legislative meeting of the year April 23. Although this is the last official meeting, Senate is considering the idea of holding a short fiveminute meeting next week to swear in two potential additions to SGA, but the decision is not final. All of the committees besides the Organizational Ways and Means (OWAM) Committee and Internal Affairs Committee did not meet for their weekly Tuesday meetings. Instead, senators assisted OWAM and Internal with their business. Academic Affairs The senators involved in the Academic Affairs Committee have begun getting the policies ready for two pieces of legislation involving more detailed transcripts and a waitlist for classes for next year. Both the detailed transcript and waitlist legislation were proposed earlier in the semester, but were tabled due to problems that were brought up during the debate portion of passing the bills. The committee has been working on fixing these issues and they should be ready for next year.
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Nick Cropper
Partly cloudy. Low of 50.
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Rainy, 90 percent chance of rain. Low of 50.
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Cloudy, 70 percent chance of rain. Low of 47.
Internal Affairs Internal Affairs’ main goal at this point in the year is to work on filling open positions on Senate. This year, there were several seats that remained vacant, but Internal hopes to have all seats filled on Senate. Internal’s desire is to reach this goal before halfway through next semester; that way any new senators will have a chance to really participate in Senate. Committee members also discussed a change in the dress code for next year. This mainly involved more regulation for males, which will require them to wear a shirt, jacket and tie. Open committee for funding approvals OWAM had to bring two travel grants that were awaiting approval to open committee during the meeting. The decision was made to wait until open committee because OWAM was unsure whether or not to approve or deny these organizations their grants. Open committee is when the whole of SGA become temporary members of whichever committee needs assistance. The first issue came from a group who did not send OWAM their itinerary because of technical difficulties. Without an FRIDAY MAY 1
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SATURDAY MAY 2
76°F
Mostly sunny. Low of 52.
itinerary, OWAM cannot approve any travel grant so SGA ruled to deny funding. Another group had prepaid for their registration before their grant was approved which is against FPA guidelines. SGA had to deny funding for this group as well. The Executive Cabinet Confirmation Act The Senate passed the latest Executive Cabinet Confirmation Act, approving two new members to join the Executive Branch. The two positions that are being filled are the Secretary for Student Affairs and the Secretary for State and National Affairs. The new members of the executive cabinet did not take the oath at the meeting like normal because Student Body President Mitch Daratony was unable to attend the meeting. Instead, they will be given the oath at the next executive meeting Tuesday. April 28. Senators take oath Four new senators were sworn in during the meeting, each belonging to different colleges, but all sharing a similar goal. President Pro Tempore Alex Rodriguez recited the oath of office to the new senators. SUNDAY
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Sunny. Low of 57.
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Mostly sunny, 10 percent chance of rain. Low of 59.
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What have we learned? Students are so focused on academics that they sometimes forget some of the most important lessons in college are learned outside of the classroom
Josiah Goodrum INTERN
I am ashamed to admit that while my GPA is decent, it really does not reflect what I think I am probably capable of. I’d like to blame either my poor math skills, the ridiculously large classroom sizes of my business classes or less than inspiring teachers, but I must confess, it is more likely a reflection of my inability to love self-education. Rather, I bemoan the torture that is higher education. As the semester comes to a sudden stop, I feel nostalgic as I look back on my three years here at UNC Charlotte and think of all the things I’ve learned. From an academic standpoint, I’ve learned a little, but from a life perspective, I have learned a lot. Now, before all the stodgy academics that built this university to be academically reputable have heart attacks, let me explain. First off, it is mostly my fault for not getting everything I could out of college. The second is that, while learning
calculus or how the demand curve shifts is nice, it will most likely not be used in the first job I get out of college. Sorry, but no matter how you slice it, most of the info you cram into your brain during college you will not use. Most of us are so focused on getting a grade or passing classes that we never really take the time to slow down and actually educate ourselves. It’s a constant process of filling up our brains with knowledge and dumping it out onto those stupid bubble sheets. Never once do we stop to think about the bigger picture. This is by no means the fault of terrible teachers or horrific textbooks (Can I get an “Amen”?); instead, it’s the students’ fault. It is a lack of willingness to be patient and learn. Instead of approaching academics with an open mind, we really just work for a piece of paper that says we have paid our dues to complete something. I, for one, know that I have not taken full advantage of being in college. I have not asked nearly enough questions, and I have
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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only met with one instructor about ones we learn about ourselves as we my grades. (Yes, this is pitiful, but wrestle with accounting or thermothose business professors can be dynamics is the kind of education scary.) I certainly haven’t asked I am interested in. Learning how them to get coffee – I’m not even to balance assets and liabilities is sure you can do this – and discuss somewhat useful but learning that with them questions relating to life I am impatient, stubborn and not as and the world in general. The fact is, smart as I think I am, is much more while there is value in lectures and useful. PowerPoint presentations, learning You see, while I may not rememin a classroom is not where the best ber the quadratic formula or exeducation comes from. actly how the law of diminishing In my opinion, the best education returns works, I do know myself, comes from life. In the words of my my strengths and my weaknesses – father via Mark Twain, “Don’t let what I enjoy doing and what I abhor school get in the way of your educadoing. tion.” This is so true, and it applies I have learned that I need to love to class. School itself is merely a learning a little more than I do. vehicle of education, and school is I have learned that my tendency what you make of it. is to give up when I What my dad and Twain are don’t find something suggesting is not to easy. I have learned quit school or that comparison Tribune News Service that higher is the thief of all education is joy, especially not a worthy when I compare pursuit; rather, myself to my they are saying honors stuto not get so dent friends. hung up on These are the grades some of that you get the things and learn I’ve learned – truly from being in collearn a lege, and no matter subject. what my GPA says, Life has many I know that I have lessons, and the learned a lot.
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Movements need you more than moments Instead of campaigning for presidential candidates, we should be fighting for movements that matter
Casey Aldridge
STAFF WRITER It’s only the first half of 2015, and already, four people have declared their candidacy for next year’s presidential elections: Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio for the Republican Party. If statistics from the last two presidential elections hold, our generation will vote overwhelmingly in favor of whoever wins the Democratic nomination in the fall of 2016. I’m not here to tell you who to vote for, even though I don’t anticipate any candidate of any political party getting my vote next year. I cannot in good conscience vote for Clinton, who voted for Bush’s war in Iraq, has close ties to Wall Street, served on Walmart’s board known for its anti-unionism and strongly supports drone strikes. She waited months after the death of Michael Brown to even admit that #BlackLivesMatter, and she’s proven reluctant to even acknowledge race. But I’m not here to convince you to boycott the vote and refuse to vote Clinton. That’s for another time. I’m writing this article to ask you not to canvass for her, or lead phone banks for her or donate your money to her campaign. Don’t do that for any presidential candidate running in 2016. I understand why, to many, the prospect of Clinton in the Oval Office is exciting. It’s time we had a woman in the White House; in fact, it’s past due. What we need more than a woman in the White House, though, is a feminist, and Clinton’s records of trailing behind on gender, sexuality and race – not to mention her militarism – indicate her brand of feminism is a conditional one and a corporate one. The first presidential election in which I was politically active was 2012. I was still too young to vote, by a matter of weeks, but I campaigned for Obama’s reelection. And though I had been well too young to get involved in 2008, I wasn’t too young to not vividly remember the contempt everyone had for Bush and the optimism around then-Sen. Barack Obama. Candidate Obama was – rhetorically – ev-
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erything Bush wasn’t. He talked about closing Guantánamo and ending the wars, about revitalizing the “middle class” and, to my limited political understanding, I assumed he meant he’d look out for the working class. He talked about immigration fairness and the environment and healthcare reform – even if it was the template of ’90s era Republicans. But it was just talk. The more time I spent knocking on doors for Obama 2012, the clearer that became. I talked to voters who thought electing the first black president would protect them from racist police harassment and voters with family in Yemen who feared Obama’s drones. I talked to voters who had family in fear of deportation. I talked to voters who –though the Dow Jones was at record highs – were making poverty wages and seeing benefits slashed. Who was I to tell them to vote for “another four years”? Who was I to tell them that hope and change had to wait? By November, I had resolved that – even if I were old enough to vote – I would not have voted for President Obama. I’d spent hundreds of hours on the campaign trail that summer and fall for a cause I realized I never believed in, and that feeling hurt. It hurt to know that I and thousands of others had put so much effort into a vacuous movement. Not even that, but an anti-movement. Because the hours and the money we spent APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
organizing for a renewal of the status quo could have been spent so effectively elsewhere, in grassroots people’s movements across the South and across the country. Don’t make the same mistakes I did by campaigning for and donating to Clinton. Instead, “Fight for $15” and support local low-wage workers fighting for better pay, better conditions and the right to form a union. On April 15, students from around North Carolina joined a mass march for raising the minimum wage at Shaw University, and with looming student debt, it’s a fight that demands our generation. Or affirm that #BlackLivesMatter by deconstructing white supremacy in your friend groups, classrooms and communities. Lives depend on it; since Jan. 1, 2015, police have killed at least 351 civilians in the United States, predominantly people of color. Or join the growing student effort across the country for divestment of university endowments from the prison-industrial complex, fossil fuels and the occupation of Palestine. Our tuition dollars should not fund the violation of human rights, and that’s a fight we as students must Tribune News Service take responsibility in. There is so much to be done that an active, mobilized generation can do. Just don’t give politicians your money or energy when there is such valuable, vital work to be done. Please.
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REFLECTING ON A ROLLER COASTER RIDE THROUGH THE 2014-15 SEASON Take a look back at some of the highlights from the 2014-15 year in Charlotte 49ers athletics
Matt Chapman
SPORTS EDITOR Another year of collegiate athletics is nearing the end as summer approaches, but the Charlotte 49ers took fans in the Queen City on a roller coaster ride from start to finish. From the promising future of football and men’s soccer to the pressing questions surrounding the men’s basketball and baseball programs, 2014-15 could prove pivotal in shaping the future of athletics at UNC Charlotte. Charlotte’s second season on the gridiron finished in a similar fashion to the first. The 49ers finished with a mediocre 6-5 overall record, but showed flashes of brilliance as the team makes their Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) debut next season. Running back Kalif Phillips and wide receiver Austin Duke should provide enough offensive firepower to keep the Niners respectable as head coach Brad Lambert looks for answers on the defensive side of the ball. Phillips and Duke shattered multiple school records in 2014, setting the bar high as leaders for the start-up program. Phillips rushed for 1,436 yards last season and led the team with 20 touchdowns. His unique combination of power and speed should transition well to the FBS. Duke finished the year with 79 catches, 46 more than any other receiver on the team. He started the year slow, but then rattled off six consecutive games with at least 120 yards receiving and a touchdown. Duke exploded for 12 catches, 254 yards and three touchdowns against the Citadel, marking his second 250-yard game of the season. Charlotte’s defense allowed nearly 500 yards per game, prompting Lambert to make a change at defensive coordinator. Bruce Tall returned to his assistant role at West Virginia and Matt Wallerstedt, Lambert’s former college roommate, will be in charge of Charlotte’s defense. Wallerstedt previously ran the defense at Texas Tech before stepping away just two games into the 2014 season. Wallerstedt plans to play a much more aggressive style than Tall, including
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Above: Kalif Phillips rushes for a touchdown against the Wesley Wolverines on Nov. 15, 2014. Photo by Chris Crews Bottom left: The men’s soccer team celebrates a successful goal on Nov. 23, 2014 against Carolina. Photo by Ben Coon Bottom right: Brittney Held sets the ball to Savannah Gaster against Florida Atlantic on Oct. 12, 2014. Photo by Ben Robson
man coverage in the secondary that requires pass rushers to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. Football may steal the majority of the spotlight, but Charlotte men’s soccer proved once again to be the best team on campus. The Niners ranked in the top-10 nationally for most of the season and finished with a 14-4-1 overall record. APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
The 49ers recorded four wins over top-25 programs in 2014, but bowed out of the NCAA Tournament following an upset loss in the second round against the Tar Heels of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The team should be in title contention again next season after losing just one starter from the 2014 squad. Charlotte’s women didn’t achieve the same
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS, cont. success on the pitch last season, but the future is bright for the ladies in green and white. True freshman Martha Thomas exploded on the scene, scoring a team-high 11 goals in her first collegiate season. Thomas earned Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors and should be a force for years to come. Following a successful fall campaign on the field, things didn’t go as planned for the 49ers on the hardwood. Men’s basketball head coach Alan Major faced high expectations entering the season with a roster loaded with talent. Unfortunately, Niner Nation witnessed yet another disastrous season that culminated with Major and the school mutually agreeing to part ways. After a brief coaching search that only included one interview according to Athletics Director Judy Rose, the 49ers hired former NBA All-Star Mark Price to lead the team back to prominence. Price has his work cut out for him as the team could potentially lose six of the top seven scorers from a year ago. Freshmen phenoms Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods have expressed interest in transferring despite their individual success last season. Dorn, named C-USA Freshman of the Year, led the Niners in scoring with 12 points per game in his first year. Charlotte’s women’s team finished two games under .500 on the court, but closed the season strong after battling a difficult non-conference schedule. The 49ers rallied to a 10-8 conference record and nearly knocked off top seed Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The team will have to find a way to replace seniors Hilary Sigmon and Ayanna Holmes if they
want to ride their momentum into 2015. Sigmon led the team, hitting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and Holmes was the team’s floor general, dishing out 4.8 assists per game. Lefty Webster will return for her junior season after leading the team in scoring and steals last year. Webster is a menace on the defensive end of the court and efficient on offense, hitting on 43 percent of her shot attempts. While the Niners struggled on the basketball court, news from the baseball locker room proved far more serious than just wins and losses. On November 15 the University announced an investigation into hazing allegations involving several members of the team. The investigation has yet to be completed, but head coach Loren Hibbs dismissed five key players as a result of the scandal. “The University stands firm in its resolve that there is no place for hazing, bullying or misconduct at UNC Charlotte,” said Chancellor Phillip Dubois in a statement released by the UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations. “The ongoing investigation is being conducted by our Student Affairs Division, under the direction of the Office of Legal Affairs.” The serious nature of the allegations posed a threat to the 2015 season for the Niners’ baseball team, but after nearly a month of uncertainty Dubois authorized Rose to reinstate all baseball activities despite the ongoing investigation. After losing four regular players from an already young squad, Charlotte entered the new season with 23 underclassmen on the 30-man roster. Despite the youth and the circumstances surrounding the program, the Niners hold a 10-14
Torin Dorn soars for a dunk against Rice on Jan. 17, 2015, unfortunately not clinching a victory. Photo by Chris Crews
Kira Gordon finishes a lay-up through contact on Jan. 24, 2015 against Middle Tennessee. Photo by Ben Coon
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True freshman Brett Netzer at the plate for the Niners against Rice on March 7, 2015. Photo by Chris Crews
record in a loaded C-USA. The 49ers have six conference games remaining on the schedule and currently sit ninth place in the 12-team conference. The top eight teams in the standings will compete in the conference tournament in May and the Niners are currently just one game behind Western Kentucky for the eighth and final spot. The Niners have been led at the plate and on the mound by a pair of sophomores in Zach Jarrett and Sean Geoghegan. Jarrett, the grandson of NASCAR legend Dale Jarrett, bulked up in the offseason and he’s reaping the rewards at the dish. He currently leads the team with six home runs and 23 RBIs, while starting all 36 games thus far. Geoghegan has developed nicely into the ace of the 49ers pitching staff, providing a comfortable option for Hibbs to hand the ball to every Friday night. He has started 10 games this season, compiling a 5-3 record on the mound and posting a stellar 2.49 ERA. Geoghegan tossed his first career complete-game shutout in last weekend’s series sweep of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers. Following one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory, all eyes will be on the Charlotte 49ers athletics department during the 201516 school year. Football will make the jump to C-USA, Price begins his reign at the helm of the men’s basketball program and everyone will await the results of the ongoing hazing investigation.
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Photo courtesy of Sam Smith Official Facebook
A&E GUIDE TO SUMMER 2015 HAVE SUMMER PLANS? YOU DO NOW
Leanna Pough
A&E EDITOR
May July 5/12:
CIARA AT THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE
7/18:
SAM SMITH AT TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA
7/1:
TERMINATOR: GENISYS IN THEATRES
7/11:
TIM MCGRAW AT PNC MUSIC PAVILION
Photo courtesy of Ciara Official Facebook
7/14:
5/1:
“THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON” IN THEATERS
5/15:
MIGOS AT THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” IN THEATERS
5/27:
TECH N9NE AT THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE
5/31:
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE AT THE UPTOWN AMPHITHEATER
June
KID ROCK AT PNC MUSIC PAVILION
August
8/4:
NICKI MINAJ AT PNC MUSIC PAVILION
6/2:
6/12:
“JURASSIC WORLD” IN THEATERS
6/19:
“INSIDE OUT” IN THEATERS
6/26:
“DOPE” OPENS IN THEATERS
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Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute
“TED 2” IN THEATERS
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7/24:
“POLTERGEIST” IN THEATERS
7/31:
“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE -ROGUE NATION” IN THEATRES
Photo courtesy of Nicki Minaj Press Page
FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE ALBUM RELEASE - “HOW BIG HOW BLUE HOW BEAUTIFUL”
6/19:
7/21:
ARIANA GRANDE AT TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA
8/7:
LADY ANTEBELLUM AT PNC MUSIC PAVILION
8/14:
“STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON” IN THEATERS
8/20:
UMPHREY’S MCGEE AT THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE
8/25:
MADDEN 2016 RELEASE
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Keeping Up with Caleb Season 13 American Idol winner Caleb Johnson talks tour, new album and life after Idol
65 Jacob’s first wife 66 Lewd material 67 Go on tiptoe 68 Like centerfolds 69 Glazed Easter meats Photo by Brian Bowen Smith
Leanna Pough
A&E EDITOR Season 13 American Idol winner, Caleb Johnson performs at Amos’ Southend in Charlotte May, 8. Since Idol, Johnson released his first album titled “Testify,” celebrated the debut of his video for “Fighting Gravity” and is now preparing for his first headlining tour. Johnson explains music as a religious experience, hence the album and tour title, “Testify.” “I think my influences come from rock and soul and gospel … so that was a perfect word to encapsulate what I’m going to be doing on tour,” Johnson says. “Testify” features Johnson backed by bassist Chris Chaney and former Nine Inch Nails/Guns N’ Roses drummer John Freese. His rock ‘n’ roll show, as he describes it, includes music from the album and song covers. Johnson is also expected to perform a duet with singer Nica Neshae of Georgia. Neshae was also a contestant on Season 13 of Idol. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” earned her the approval of all three
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judges. “Ever since I won the show I’ve been pretty busy,” Johnson said. Johnson has spent the last few months in Nashville, Tennessee writing and demoing new songs for his next album. The March release of “Fighting Gravity” music video was a milestone for the new star. The video was inspired by a personal experience Johnson had while visiting a family whose son had a rare, but terminal form of cancer. Johnson said “Fighting Gravity” was a perfect match to capture the occurrence. “It was just really a powerful and emotional and haunting moment in my life. It’s something that I’ll never forget and I just really wanted to tell that story,” Johnson said. Big vocals and big bands is what you can expect from the Testify Tour. “It’s just going to be over the top awesome, loud, it’s going to be soulful,” Johnson said. Be sure to visit www.CalebJohnsonOfficial.com for more music.
ACROSS 1 Flat-topped hill 5 Bash thrower 9 Arctic or Antarctic 14 “Are you asleep yet?” response 15 Not tricked by 16 Modeler’s wood 17 Color named for a fruit 19 Like a mosquito bite 20 “Ah-oo-gah” horn 21 __ rally 23 Howls at the moon 24 “Hold on a __” 25 Seek the affections of 27 Stop producing opportunities, as a financial market 29 Prefix with red 31 What a musty room needs 34 Ancient invader of Rome
APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
37 Legendary Lady Godiva watcher 39 Converse competitor 40 Gets rid of, as weight 41 Park path 42 Stiff from horseback riding 44 Soon, quaintly 45 Set aside a day for 46 Word before house or plant 48 Oafs 50 Tyke 51 Eric Stonestreet’s “Modern Family” role 54 New Zealand fruit 56 Affirmative vote 58 Pepsi competitor 60 Slip past 62 Clumsy ... or what the ends of 17-, 37- and 42-Across are? 64 Judge’s hammer
DOWN 1 Does a farm job 2 Author Zola 3 “Poison” plant 4 Peak 5 Cornucopia 6 “__ Life to Live” 7 Dance move 8 Got into shape, with “up” 9 __-Wan Kenobi 10 Agile thief 11 Yosemite monolith popular with rock climbers 12 Pale as a ghost 13 Negative votes 18 Red-carpet garment 22 Commendable 26 Black-and-white cookies 28 Yang counterpart 29 “That never occurred to me” 30 Ancient storyteller 32 Forbidden act 33 Fed. agents 34 Quick inhalation 35 Running track shape 36 Seaside disaster cause 38 1995 Reform Party founder 43 Singer Reed 47 Engrave on glass, say 49 Makes watertight 51 Punctuation mark in large numbers 52 Scrapbook 53 Supports for sails 54 Tapped beer holders 55 Tennis great Lendl 57 Out of the wind 59 Like an easy job, slangily 61 Moose relative 63 Southern Cal. airport
NINERTIMES
Jan. 30: Ceilings collapse at Circle University City Two students currently living at Circle University City experienced their ceiling caving in towards the end of January. The cave in was because of a party happening on the floor above with 80 to 100 attendees. No one was hurt in the incident and the two girls whose ceiling caved in said the complex must be built very poorly.
Feb. 1: Super Bowl XLIX
SINCE THE NEW YEAR, THERE HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND OF MAJOR CAMPUS EVENTS. TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 15 MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF SPRING 2015
Amanda Duke
LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Jan. 6: South Village Crossing opens After months of delays, South Village Crossing was finally able to open its doors to students this semester. Inside of SoVi, there is an opening sitting area, SoVi
Market + Bakery, The Den, which is a spin-off of Denny’s and the dining hall. SoVi offers multiple stations with different foods. They also have more vegetarian and special diet options than other places on campus.
Photo by Linnea Stoops
Tribune News Service
On Feb. 1, the Seattle Seahawks lost to the New England Patriots 28-24. Katy Perry won the crowd over with her amazing halftime show featuring two sharks that became Internet sensations. This Super Bowl was the most watched program in American television history with 114.4 million viewers.
Feb. 26: Snowmageddon 2015 Photo by Benjamin Robson
Photo by Benjamin Robson
Just like in the Spring of 2014, we were once again blessed with some days off of school because of the snow. The forecast said the Charlotte area would be covered with up to eight inches of snow, though that was not the case, and there seemed to be just a few inches of ice and snow. Students on and off campus built snowmen, threw snowballs, made snow cream and enjoyed the days off.
NINERTIMES.COM
APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
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YEAR IN REVIEW, cont. Feb. 27: House of Cards season 3 is released on Netflix
Tribune News Service
After fans waited over a year after the premiere of the second season of House of Cards for the third season, it was finally released earlier this year with 13 new episodes. Six hundred and seventy thousand Netflix subscribers binge-watched the whole season the first weekend it was available to stream on Netflix.
March 27: New men’s basketball head coach
March 19: Shawn Johnson book signing and speech Shawn Johnson is an Olympic gold medalist, and she came to speak at UNC Charlotte in McKnight Hall as part of the Center for Leadership Development’s Forty-Niner Forum. She talked about her book “Winning Balance” and had a reception and book signing after her speech.
Photo by Chris Crews
Mark Price was named the new head coach for the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team. Price has an impressive basketball background, not only did he play professional basketball in the NBA for 12 years, but he has also coached teams in the NBA since 2006. Price replaced former coach Alan Major, who took two medical leaves in the past season. Hopefully Price will lead the 49ers to many victories this upcoming season.
March 26: Student Government Association elections Mitch Daratony and Jared Dobbertin were elected student body president and vice president for the 2015-16 school year. Also on the ballot were two changes to the Student Body Constitution. Neither of the two proposed changes were passed since two-thirds of the votes were against it.
Photo by Chris Crews
Tribune News Service
March 31: UNC Charlotte vs N.C. State at BB&T Ballpark Uptown March 24: Holi Moli Each year on the front fields, Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosts a Holi Moli event. It is based on the Indian spring festival, Holi, that celebrates the spring season. This year, over 800 people were in attendance for this campuswide event. Students brought friends and family to throw colored powder on one another. This event has grown larger and larger over the past few years because of word of mouth and how fun it is to attend.
UNC Charlotte and N.C. State played ball against each other in the first ever collegiate baseball game at the new BB&T Ballpark. The new men’s basketball coach, Mark Price, threw the first pitch of the game. There were over 8,100 in attendance for this landmark game, though the Charlotte 49ers did not take home a win. Photo by Ben Coon
Photo by Linnea Stoops
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APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4, 2015
NINERTIMES
April 14: Cone Plaza opens
April 18: Spring football game
After being closed for some time, Cone Plaza opened for students to enjoy. It is a beautiful outdoor area that is a great and quite place to get homework done and get together with friends. To celebrate the opening of the new plaza, there were games, food and other activities for students to participate in.
Lights were finally installed at Jerry Richardson Stadium this semester and with the new lights, the spring scrimmage game was able to have a 6 p.m. kick-off. Fans filled the stadium to watch as the Green team beat the White team 19-3. Many of the students at UNC Charlotte are looking forward to the next football season so that they can attend night games instead of games scheduled for midday.
Photo by Makeedah Baker
Photo by Ben Coon
Photo by Ben Coon
April 16-19: Greek Week Each year, the sororities and fraternities on campus get together and devote the week to philanthropy, school spirit and to unite all the Greek organizations. There are many events that take place during the week. Some of the events are Airband, Greek games and a Relay for Life.
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