Iconic Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches leaves the Fillmore Charlotte with a visual spectacle and a noteworthy performance
INSIDE THIS ISSUE The annual Clery report shows an increase of reported instances of rape on campus pg. 5
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2015 OP-ED: Ignoring climate change hurts everyone but especially impacts society’s most disadvantaged pg. 6
Things aren’t looking up for 49er football, as the team picks up its sixth straight loss pg. 19
NOV. 3 - NOV. 9, 2015
VOL. 28, ISSUE 9
Jordan Snyder editor@ninertimes.com
Nick Cropper news@ninertimes.com
Matt Chapman sports@ninertimes.com
Leanna Pough ae@ninertimes.com
Alyssa Fronk
community@ninertimes.com
Jared Allen
sports@ninertimes.com
John Lineberger lifestyle@ninertimes.com
Casey Aldridge
Ben Robson
opinion@ninertimes.com
photo@ninertimes.com
Diane Gromelski
Andrew Hocutt
copy@ninertimes.com
Nick Clemens video@ninertimes.com
layout@ninertimes.com
Salina Dickie, Hunter Heilman, Sydney Stephens
ADDITIONAL STAFF Chris Crews, Alex Sands, Indira Eskieva, Kalyn Kisiah, Edward Averette, Pooja Pasupula, Sydney Swafford, Nicole Buckenham, Angie Baquedano, Andy Gustafson, Trevor Wilt
Matt Lorenz
Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF
Tia Warren, Ashley Lyons, David Mendez, Darrell Hayden Jr.
NINER TIMES • RADIO FREE CHARLOTTE SANSKRIT LITERARY-ARTS MAGAZINE MEDIA MARKETING • TECHNICAL
MEGAN VAN EMMERIK
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Cover photo by Ben Robson
NOV. 3 - NOV. 9, 2015
NINERTIMES
HAUNTED UNION KICKS OFF THE HALLOWEEN WEEKEND FOR STUDENTS ALEX SANDS INTERN
UNC Charlotte turned spooky Oct. 29 when the Student Union became the Haunted Union. Many joined, in costume, to check out the fifth annual event. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) provided multiple activities throughout the night for attendees to participate in. From 7-11 p.m., visitors could get involved with any number of activities offered at
Photo by Pooja Pasupula
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this year’s Haunted Union. With the recent hot weather, it’s been hard for some to get into the Halloween spirit, but those in charge of the event hung decorations early to try to encourage students to attend. Many students appreciated the spooky aesthetic when they walked into the Union. “The decorations were nice, but some of the webbing came off of the stairs. They definitely should’ve fixed that,” said freshman Tessa Moore. On the first floor, there was a “monster wax hands” station with a line that stretched down the hallway of the Student Union. At this station, students and visitors dipped their hands in wax and coloring to create a mold. Their newly created monster hands made for fun souvenirs to take back from the event. The lounge area on the first floor was crowded with visitors who were captivated by the the Mentalist Game Show featuring Michael C. Anthony. This area stayed busy throughout the night, making it difficult at times
Students play mini-golf at the Haunted Union. Photo by Pooja Pasupula
to manuever around the first floor or to find a decent spot to watch the show. The second floor was illuminated by a glow light graveyard mini-golf and cornhole room, where students participate in mini-golf. Other students on the floor visited a station where they got to design a glow in the dark T-shirt with their own saying. The main attraction was the haunted house on the third floor. “The house was interactive and was actually pretty scary,” said freshman Chris Walls. Walls was not the only student who enjoyed the haunted house. Many other students and visitors thought the house was really well done and much scarier than they had anticipated.
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Tickets for the haunted house were sold beforehand and visitors entered the house in groups. Many of the attendees were decked out in costume, vying for the top spot in the costume contest. Around 10 p.m., the winners were announced. The winners were dressed as comic book characters the Joker and Harley Quinn. There were other smaller activities going on that night that visitors could participate in. Overall, CAB’s goal was to put together an event to kick off the Halloween weekend for UNC Charlotte. The event had a large turnout and was open to the community, so non-students could also partake in the fun.
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POLICE BLOTTER OCT. 24-27 ACCIDENT OCT. 24
• Lot 25A, officer took a report regarding a hit and run.
ARREST OCT. 24
• UNC Charlotte Football Stadium, officers arrested a larceny suspect who had the stolen item in their possession.
ASSIST OTHER AGENCY OCT. 27
• Off campus, victim reported to a UNC Charlotte officer that she had been sexually assaulted at an off-campus location. CharlotteMecklenburg Police Department was contacted.
Houlshouser Hall receives honorable mention KALYN KISIAH INTERN
There are currently 36 construction projects either in the stages of bidding, planning, design, construction, closing out or on hold on the UNC Charlotte campus. Among these projects, three are particularly notable for the UNC Charlotte community. Road construction on campus is essential to help university traffic flow more smoothly. Currently, there is road construction at the South entrance intersection on campus. Belk Gym is receiving much needed improvements and will be reopening after a year of work, complete with air conditioning for the gyms as well as fitness upgrades
including a new fitness center and classroom amenities. One of the most notable updates to campus is the Houlshouser Hall renovation. In fact, Houlshouser received an honorable mention for its renovations on businessnc.com. The University decided to renovate the dormitory named after former governor James Houlshouser rather than demolish it at a cost of $17.5 million. Houlshouser Hall was built in 1973 and is known as a landmark at the university. Renovations include gutting the entire residence hall and adding
new single and double rooms, along with lounges, resident advising apartments and a new brick exterior facade. Some projects have been underway for a long time and put on hold due to work on other projects expected to be finished sooner. Other projects just take a long time in general and will continue to be underway until completion. For for more information on the many projects that UNC Charlotte is currently working on or for updated information on certain construction projects, visit the utilities page on the UNC Charlotte website.
LARCENY OCT. 24
• Nerf Fields Parking Lots, victim stated that an unknown person broke into her vehicle and removed her purse which was left sitting in the front seat.
SEX OFFENSE OCT. 24
• Cameron Boulevard, a female subject came into the UNC Charlotte police department to report a sexual assault.
MEDIC ASSIST OCT. 24
• Pine Hall, officer responded to a report of an injured individual. Victim was transported to Carolinas Medical Center-University with a possible broken ankle.
For more information on Mecklenburg County arrests, visit arrestinquiryweb.co.mecklenburg.nc.us
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INDIRA ESKIEVA STAFF WRITER
UNC Charlotte’s Student Government Association (SGA) held their weekly meeting Oct. 29. Messages to the Senate The meeting started out with two new senators giving the oath of office. Student Body President Mitch Daratony also gave some updates on the demolition of the Belk Tower. Questions were raised as to why no one was aware of the declining state of the Belk Tower. Daratony explained that UNC Charlotte is given $1.8 million a year to update infrastructure, which is done by level of priority. Previously, academic and office buildings were on the top of the priority list. When the Belk Tower was finally examined, it turned out to be in such bad condition, repairs
would cost upwards of $1 million. However, Daratony said that if preventing Belk Tower’s removal is something the SGA feels passionately about, then they need the help of the entire student body to take a strong stand against the demolition. “If we want to fight for it, let’s fight for it,” said President Daratony. Academic Affairs Committee The Academic Affairs Committee improved the study abroad program for Israel. Student Affairs Committee Secretary of Student Affairs Melissa Martin encouraged members of the SGA to participate in the annual Safety Walk. Members of the SGA will walk around the UNC Charlotte campus Nov. 5 to show their
NOV. 3 - NOV. 9, 2015
support in keeping the campus safe. Student Government Code of Ethics The SGA has voted in an official code of ethics for the Student Government. The main point made in the new code of ethics is that the student body must be represented fairly, equally and in a respectful manner. The chancellor’s visit The meeting ended with Jared Dobbertin, student body vice president and leader of the student senate, reminding members of the SGA that Chancellor Philip L. Dubois will be in attendance at the next meeting. He will be there to answer any questions that the members have.
NINERTIMES
Increase in reported rapes on campus More sexual assault victims are reporting incidents to police
SHAVE A SIGEP TO SAVE A PI KAPPA PHI NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR
ALEX SANDS INTERN
Reported rapes have been on the rise at UNC Charlotte, but those working on rape prevention are viewing it as being one step closer to a safe campus. The 2015 Annual Security and Fire Safety Support shows 32 reported rapes in 2014 and three forcible sex offenses in 2013. In 2014, “forcible sex offense” was reclassified into two distinct categories: rape and fondling. The police department sees the spike in numbers as a reflection of the many options that are presented to students and resources available after surviving a sexual assault. The school has been making an attempt to educate students on these resources. “The increase in numbers shows that we’re getting our message out there because more people are coming forward,” said Title IX Coordinator Dawn Floyd. “Now, what we hope is that, as we’re stepping up our prevention and awareness efforts, eventually the numbers will plateau and maybe even come down.” Only 10 of the 32 reported rapes were made directly through the police department. This means 29 students took advantage of the other options, such as an anonymous reporting form, the Title IX Office, the counseling center or the residence coordinators and advisors. “Essentially, what we’ve created are safe spaces on campus for survivors to talk it out before they make a decision,” said Interpersonal Violence Prevention
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Specialist Nicole Madonna-Rosario. “One of the things that I do is oneon-one consultations with students to assess for safety, talk about the dynamics of what happened, help define what happened sometimes even and then advise accordingly.” The Association of American Universities (AAU) published their Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct project in September, in which 27 institutions sent surveys and around 150,000 students participated. The collected surveys showed 23.1 percent of undergraduate woman had had an incidence of sexual assault and misconduct due to physical force, threats of physical force or incapacitation. “In a four year period, in earning a degree, one in four females would be in some way the victim of sexual battery or sex assault of some kind,” explained Chief of Police Jeffrey Baker. “That’s one of the reasons why I think that numbers that traditionally are reported by universities probably are not real accurate because those numbers are so small.” UNC Charlotte has sent out surveys similar to AAU’s, but not on as large of a scale as what they have planned. A campus climate survey is being worked on and is hoped to be disseminated in Spring 2016. The survey is intended to reach everybody, instead of just the percentage of students who use the health center like in year’s past.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity awareness for cancer research,” said has paired with the Pi Kappa Banish. Phi fraternity to raise money and Donations were being accepted all awareness for cancer research and throughout the event, with half of to also support a brother of the the proceeds going to the American Pi Kappa Phi fraternity who was Cancer Society, which is Sigma Phi diagnosed with sarcoma. Epsilon’s national philanthropy and During the third annual Shave a the other half going towards medical SigEp on Oct. 30, fraternity members expenses for the Pi Kappa Phi shaved their heads brother. to raise money for Brothers from both cancer research. fraternities were However, upon there to show their hearing about support and raise the brother money for the cause. who had been “I think it’s diagnosed with great that two cancer, the two organizations can fraternities come together and decided to work give back in their together to raise respective ways,” money. said Banish. “We initially During the event, heard that the Sigma Phi Epsilon brother had was accepting gotten cancer donations for food. and so ... we felt The food was free, like it would but patrons were be a good able to donate any opportunity amount of money to pair with they wanted to the SIGMA PHI EPSILON them and give cause. PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE them half of our Pi Kappa Phi has MEMBER WILL BANISH proceeds because been tabling outside this is something of the Student Union we are very for the past two weeks passionate about to raise money for the as a fraternity,” said Will Banish, brother diagnosed with cancer. Shave a member of the programming a SigEp was their last fundraising committee for Sigma Phi Epsilon. event for the year. It was the coordination and However, donations can still be planning of the programming made to the brother through the committee that helped bring these organization’s Tilt link, which is two fraternities together to support a the site they are using to collect similar cause. donations. “Initially shave a SigEp was just The link to the page will stay open for our chapter. We really wanted to through Nov. 6 for any last-minute do something where we could spread donations.
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“I THINK IT’S GREAT THAT TWO ORGANIZATIONS CAN COME TOGETHER AND GIVE BACK IN THEIR RESPECTIVE WAYS.”
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Patricia’s path
and the danger of warmer seas One storm is not sufficient evidence for climate change, but politicians should err on the side of caution
EDWARD AVERETTE STAFF WRITER
Imagine having to evacuate from a behemoth hurricane packing winds in excess of 200 miles per hour, the day before it destroys everything you’ve worked for throughout your life. Your home, your community, the things you take for granted such as old family photos and heirlooms may be washed away by the inevitable storm surge, along with family and neighbors you interact with on a daily basis. It’s not an easy reality to accept, but it was one residents along the southwestern coast of Mexico were faced with a day before Hurricane Patricia made landfall. On Oct. 23, the strongest hurricane ever and one of the most powerful tropical cyclones in recorded history made landfall near Cuixmala, Mexico on the country’s southwestern coast. Although the storm made landfall with 165 miles per hour winds and gusts approaching 200 miles per hour, it was nowhere near its peak intensity from earlier that day. This simple yet extraordinary fact is what makes Patricia and her history-making status even scarier. During its initial stages, the budding tropical system had difficulty developing into a tropical depression over a period of six days from Oct. 14- 20. However, in a matter of two days and specifically in the period of a day, Patricia went from being a low-end tropical storm, which was defined as “poorly organized” by meteorologists, and
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underwent a rapid and recordbreaking intensification cycle that transformed the storm into a monster category five hurricane with the lowest air pressure (lower air pressure correlates with a stronger storm) ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. So what does this all mean exactly? Patricia can’t be the sign of things to come or the only proof of climate change, can it? While the latter is definitively true in that one storm cannot be evidence for or against climate change, the former is more complicated, especially when you consider what fueled Patricia. Climate change definitely played its part in providing the right ingredients for Patricia to thrive, as is evident by the warmer ocean temperatures across the planet. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sea surface temperatures have risen since the early twentieth century at an average rate of 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. This change may not seem like much based on the temperature swings we encounter with daily weather, but when the unit of analysis goes from a city to a region to a whole planet, the amount of energy involved changes. Simply put, it takes a tremendous and unfathomable amount of energy to change the temperature of a planet, even by just a tenth of a degree. The difference of a few degrees for the planet is the
contrast between living in an Ice Age or Jurassic Age. When you consider that over the past three to four decades these readings have eclipsed past observations and are rising steadily, you have the clear sign of a warming trend for the Earth’s oceans. What makes Patricia even more complicated is the presence of a strong El Niño event, which creates warmer than average waters and favorable conditions for tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean while disrupting weather patterns across the globe. We’re seeing some of those effects include fewer tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin and more or less rain over an extended period of time, depending on where the jet stream flows (moves storms from west to east and north to south) and where you live. Beyond the technical jargon and complexities of weather and climate, here’s the deal: Mexico was extremely fortunate that Patricia didn’t cause as much damage as it could have. The storm may have weakened as much as it strengthened over a 24-hour period and caused few deaths, but what if Kill Devil Hills or Wilmington, N.C. were hit by Hurricane Patricia instead of Cuixmala, Mexico? When storms such as Patricia hit “faraway” or “unfamiliar” lands, people have a tendency to become complacent and underestimate the impacts of tropical cyclones.
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There’s this “It won’t happen to us” mentality that pervades, which is quite hard to shake off even when communities are under threat. However, such a mentality is dangerous in the face of the changing conditions of an increasingly warming world, and ironically it’s the society’s most disadvantaged, such as lower-income blacks in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, who suffer the most because of such complacency. As a consequence, governments and businesses aren’t taking the enough steps or acting seriously enough to combat the effects of climate change and often times are reacting to situations and in complete denial about the reality of climate change rather than being proactive. While it’s certainly foolish and short-sighted to say one storm is absolute proof of climate change, Hurricane Patricia is a perfect reminder and cautionary tale for the United States and other countries that despite modern technology we cannot control nature and the unexpected often does happen at the worst time possible. In order to be prepared, the United States and other countries need to take steps to address climate change and reduce impacts before the sea levels rise and impacts society’s most disadvantaged, while everyone else seeks higher ground.
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Photos by Chris Crews
BASKETBALL PREVIEW 路 NOV. 3, 2015
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THESE CHARLOTTE 49ERS WILL BE A KEY TO SUCCESS THIS SEASON ANDY GUSTAFSON Staff Writer
RIDELL CAMIDGE Ridell Camidge is a 6’3” sophomore guard from Wilmington, N.C. Camidge played his freshman year at Cloud County Community College before transferring to Charlotte. He averaged 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in his lone season at Cloud County. Camidge is known for his shooting ability, making 38.6 percent last year from three.
ADRIEN WHITE Andrien White is a 6’3” freshman guard from Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem. White averaged 14 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists during his senior season. He played his first three seasons at Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield, Va. White will bring defense and leadership to the table, two traits he was praised for during high school.
JON DAVIS Jon Davis is a 6’2” freshman guard from Upper Marlboro, Md. Davis played at Hargrave Military Academy last year, averaging 14 points, seven assists and started every game for a team that won 38 games during the season. During high school, Davis earned conference player of the year and conference tournament MVP.
CURRAN SCOTT Curran Scott is a 6’4” freshman guard from Edmond, Okla. Scott averaged 21.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists during his senior season at Edmond Memorial. He set a single-season scoring record during his senior year, finishing the year with 634 points. Scott was ranked among the top 150 players in the nation by Maxpreps.com and Future150.com.
LUKAS BERGANG Lukas Bergang is a 7’1” freshman center from Gothenburg, Sweden. Bergang is the sixth sevenfooter in Charlotte history. He spent last season in Sweden’s Eco Orbero, which is the top league in Sweden. Bergang has also played for the U-20, U-18 and U-16 Swedish national teams in the European Championships.
ANTHONY VANHOOK Anthony Vanhook is a 6’4” junior forward from Chapel Hill, N.C. Vanhook played last year at Cape Fear Community College, where he earned second-team All-American and player of the year honors for the Carolinas Junior College Conference Region 10. He averaged 21.7 points and 11.2 rebounds on the year.
BENAS GRICIUNAS Benas Griciunas is a 7-foot redshirt sophomore center from Silute, Lithuania. Griciunas played his freshman season at Auburn University. He played his high school ball at the renowned Findlay Prep near Las Vegas. Griciunas was a member of the U-20 Lithuania national team during the summer of 2014.
JOSEPH UCHEBO Joseph Uchebo is a 6’10” senior center from Enugu, Nigeria. Uchebo transferred from Pittsburgh, where he played at for two years. He played at Word of God Academy in Raleigh, N.C. and was a top-100 player coming out of high school.
All photos courtesy of Charlotte Athletics
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION
DARA PEARSON Dara Pearson is a 6’3” freshman forward from Hampton, Va. Pearson averaged a triple-double during her senior year at Hampton high school. She was listed at number 16 on the Next Sports Phenom chart and was a first-team all conference player for the 2015 class. During her sophomore year, Pearson earned a mention from the USA Today’s top high school performance for her 43 points and 16 rebounds performance, despite not playing the fourth quarter.
JAIDA ROBINSON Jaida Robinson is a 6’2” freshman forward from Albemarle, N.C. Robinson was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game. She averaged 17.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and 4.6 blocks a game as a senior. Robinson won conference and county player of the year and was selected on the first team AllDistrict 8 team in North Carolina. Robinson was also ranked among the top 225 players in the nation according to the All-Star Girls Report.
GRACE HUNTER Grace Hunter is a 5’9” freshman guard from Raleigh, N.C. Hunter was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game. As a senior, Hunter averaged 30.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. She was named to the 2015 All-North Carolina Basketball Association First Team and won the District five player of the year. Hunter finished as the Athens Drive high school’s all-time leading scorer.
NYILAH JAMISON-MYERS Nyilah Jamison-Myers is a 6’3” redshirt junior from Orangeburg, S.C. Jamison-Myers played her first two years at Clemson University. During her freshman year, Jamison-Myers averaged 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and led the team in blocks with 37 rejections. She was ranked no. 91 in the nation as a senior in high school according to ESPN. JamisonMyers was a nominee for the 2012 McDonald’s AllAmerican game as well.
LAIA RAVENTÓS Laia Raventós is a 5’7” freshman guard from Santa Eulàlia de Riuprimer, Spain. Raventós played her prep career at IES Joaquim Blume and is a member of Spain’s U-18 national team. In summer 2015, Raventós averaged 11 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals to help Spain win a gold medal in the European Championship. She was ranked in the top 20 in eight different statistical categories during the tournament.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW · NOV. 3, 2015
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CHARLOTTE
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2015 FRIDAY, NOV. 6 SAINT LEO (EXH.)
MEN’S BASKETBALL 2015 MONDAY, NOV. 9 METHODIST (EXH.)
THURSDAY, JAN. 14 MIDDLE TENNESSEE SATURDAY, JAN. 16 UAB
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Huntington, W. Va. | 6 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, NOV. 13 BALL STATE
SATURDAY, JAN. 23 WKU
FRIDAY, NOV. 13 ELON
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 5:30 p.m.
at Bowling Green, Ky. | 3 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 8:30 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 15 ROBERT MORRIS
THURSDAY, JAN. 28 FIU
MONDAY, NOV. 16 EAST CAROLINA
THURSDAY, JAN. 21 MARSHALL
at Charlotte, N.C. | 4 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Greenville, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, NOV. 19 ELON
SATURDAY, JAN. 30 FAU at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, NOV. 19 FURMAN
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 23 WKU
at Charlotte, N.C. | 6 p.m.
MONDAY, NOV. 23 MIAMI (FLA.)
SATURDAY, FEB. 6 OLD DOMINION at Norfolk, Va. | 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25 SYRACUSE
at Paradise Island, Bahamas | 2:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 28 FIU
SATURDAY, NOV. 28 MERCER
THURSDAY, FEB. 11 RICE
THURSDAY, NOV. 26 MICHIGAN/CONNECTICUT
SATURDAY, JAN. 30 FAU
at Elon, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Miami, Fla. | 7 p.m.
at Macon, Ga. | 3 p.m.
at Houston, Texas | 8 p.m.
at Paradise Island, Bahamas | TBA
at Boca Raton, Fla. | 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 29 GEORGIA STATE
SATURDAY, FEB. 13 NORTH TEXAS
SUNDAY, NOV. 27 BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3 NORTH CAROLINA A&T SATURDAY, FEB. 6 OLD DOMINION
at Macon, Ga. | 8:30 p.m.
at Denton, Texas | 3 p.m.
at Paradise Island, Bahamas | TBA
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 2 NC CENTRAL
THURSDAY, FEB. 18 MARSHALL
TUESDAY, DEC. 1 DAVIDSON
at Greensboro, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Columbia, S.C. | 8 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, DEC. 6 NC STATE
SATURDAY, FEB. 20 WKU
SUNDAY, DEC. 5 MIAMI
THURSDAY, FEB. 11 RICE
at Raleigh, N.C. | 2 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Miami, Fla. | 4 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 8 COLL. OF CHARLESTON at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 25 UTSA
at San Antonio, Texas | 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9 CAMPBELL at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 13 NORTH TEXAS
at Charlotte, N.C. | 4 p.m.
SUNDAY, DEC. 20 DAVIDSON
at Davidson, N.C. | 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 27 UTEP
at El Paso, Texas | 4:05 p.m.
SATURDAY, DEC. 19 APPALACHIAN STATE at Boone, N.C. | 2 p.m.
THURSDAY, FEB. 18 MARSHALL
at Huntington, W. Va. | 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, JAN. 3 OLD DOMINION
THURSDAY, MARCH 3 RICE at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, DEC. 22 GEORGETOWN
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, FEB. 20 WKU
at Bowling Green, Ky. | 3 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 7 SOUTHERN MISS
SATURDAY, MARCH 5 NORTH TEXAS
TUESDAY, DEC. 29 CITADEL
THURSDAY, FEB. 25 UTSA
at Charlotte, N.C. | 1 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | Noon
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, JAN. 9 LOUISIANA TECH
SATURDAY, JAN. 2 OLD DOMINION at Norfolk, Va. | Noon
SATURDAY, FEB. 27 UTEP
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 14 MIDDLE TENNESSEE
at Murfreesboro, Tenn. | 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JAN. 7 SOUTHERN MISS
at Hattiesburg, Miss. | 8 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 3 RICE
SATURDAY, JAN. 16 UAB
SATURDAY, JAN. 9 LOUISIANA TECH
SATURDAY, MARCH 5 NORTH TEXAS
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Birmingham, Ala. | 3 p.m.
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THURSDAY, JAN. 21 MARSHALL
CHARLOTTE
at Charlotte, N.C. | 7 p.m.
at Ruston, La. | 7:30 p.m.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION
at Houston, Texas | 8 p.m.
at Denton, Texas | 8 p.m.
BASKETBALL PREVIEW 路 NOV. 3, 2015
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THE PRICE IS RIGHT The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team turns to former NBA all-star point guard Mark Price to rebuild the program MATT CHAPMAN Sports Editor
The fall from grace for the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball program has been well documented in recent years. The 49ers have stumbled to the brink of obscurity since their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005, culminating with last season’s mind-boggling finish near the bottom of a mediocre Conference USA. Average attendance inside Halton Arena fell to an all-time low during the 2014-15 campaign and one look at the spattering of empty seats revealed a fanbase that had lost all hope in their once proud program. Despite the tough times, Niner Nation remained adamant in their demand for a return to prominence, prompting Director of Athletics Judy Rose to bite the bullet and clean house. Rose started at the top by parting ways with head coach Alan Major after rewarding him with a heavily scrutinized three-year contract extension following a 2012 NIT Tournament appearance. Major’s departure resulted in a slew of transfers, including the loss of freshman phenoms Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods who bolted for N.C. State and Wake Forest respectively. The search for a new head coach began immediately following Charlotte’s first round exit from the C-USA tournament and prospective names started to circulate throughout the message boards and news outlets. In-state candidates including Wofford’s Mike Young, Winthrop’s Pat Kelsey and North Carolina Central’s LeVelle Moton gained momentum, but Rose shocked everyone when she reached out to the National Basketball Association for the new face of the 49ers’ program. Charlotte Hornets’ assistant coach and former NBA all-star point guard Mark Price was introduced to Niner Nation on Thursday, March 26 during a press conference held by the athletics department. “He’s experienced basketball at every level. He’s taught basketball at every level. And he’s shown a pattern of success at every level,” said Rose upon introducing Price to begin the press conference.
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“He’s eager to bring that same work ethic to our program. He’s eager to develop our players. And he’s eager to be our head coach.” The hire was greeted with overwhelming positivity, aside from a select few with valid concerns about Price’s lack of head coaching experience. However, even the most pessimistic of fans can’t deny the value of adding a leader that provides the program with a sense of national recognition that has been nonexistent over the last decade. Sports pundits across the nation applauded Charlotte and Jim Rome even went as far as calling it a “genius hire” on CBS Sports Radio. Price acknowledged his potential impact when I sat down with him at the C-USA basketball media day last week. “I just think that I bring some name recognition obviously for what I was able to accomplish as a player and as a coach at the professional level,” said Price. “It brings some buzz to the program, but ultimately it’s going to be about being successful and putting a product on the court that people are excited to come and watch. That’s the goal and I think that the excitement can be built back in pretty quickly here.” Price, 51, is facing a daunting task in his first head coaching job at the collegiate level. The 49ers lost four-of-five starters and 78 percent of their scoring from last season’s squad. The Niners will have to assemble an entirely new front-court following the transfers of Willie Clayton and Mike Thorne Jr., while also developing a new floor
general after losing seniors Pierria Henry and Terrence Williams to graduation. Given his lack of experience, Price has done a tremendous job assembling an almost entirely brand new roster in a limited amount of time. He had never pounded the pavement on the recruiting trail as a coach and was quick to give credit to his staff of assistants for aiding him in the process throughout the spring and summer. “It was extremely important that I hire a very veteran collegiate staff,” said Price. “To put it together in such a short amount of time, I couldn’t imagine having a better staff.” Former Appalachian State head coach Houston Fancher headlines the staff
BASKETBALL PREVIEW · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION
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The 2015-16 Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team poses at Basketball Madness. Photo by Chris Crews
and is someone that Price can learn from during the grueling day-to-day grind of the college basketball season. Chris Ferguson brings 28 years of coaching experience at the college level and Andre Gray was brought in for his knowledge and expertise of recruiting in North Carolina. Price and his assistants added eight new faces to the roster during the offseason, including four freshmen and four transfers from around the country. Many of the nation’s top prospects might shy away from a program in obvious rebuilding mode, but Price flipped the rhetoric and pitched the opportunity to make an immediate impact on a roster building toward something special in the future. “Opportunity, opportunity to come in and play and be an impact person right away. The opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something that’s going to be special,” said Price. “I had the opportunity to do that as a player at Georgia Tech. I came in when Tech was at the bottom. I knew I was going to play a lot early and I got to be a part of the process. When we were competing for conference championships by my junior year it was a special feeling to know that this wasn’t happening before we got here. That’s a lot of what I sell every single day to these young players. You can go a lot of place, but (UNC) Charlotte is a place where you can make an impact right now and help us get to where we want to be.” Price left his mark on the NBA as one of the top floor generals in the game before retiring in 1998, so it only makes sense that the top signee from his first recruiting class happens to be a point guard from Hargrave Military Academy with natural leadership ability. Jon Davis is a three-star recruit coming out of high school that led his team to 38 victories last year as a senior. Davis originally committed to play at Depaul, but re-opened his recruitment following an offseason coaching change and jumped all over the opportunity to learn from one of the all-time greats at the point guard position. “I felt fortunate that we were even able to have a shot at a guy like Jon. He was really the best
Coach Price with Athletics Director Judy Rose and Chancellor Phillip Dubois.
available point guard that was out there when I took over the job,” said Price. “I went and watched him and I really liked his size. He’s a big, strong point guard making the transition from being a combo-guard in high school. It’s a big learning curve for him now, particularly the way that we like to play. He’s had his good days and bad days, but the thing I love about him is his attitude. He really wants to be good and I’m really excited about his future here at (UNC) Charlotte.” Along with Price, Davis will be able to learn from playing alongside Braxton Ogbueze who is the top returning scorer from last year’s squad. Ogbueze has experience playing in big games from his days at Florida and is slowly becoming the leader on a roster filled with a lot of young, inexperienced players. “With this group and a bunch of new guys coming in I think my role has changed in terms of experience,” said Ogbueze. “I’m going to have to step up to that leadership role. Give guys advice whenever they need it and really set that example for the program.” Ogbueze showcased flashes of brilliance last season, particularly early in the season when he exploded for more than 25 points against George Washington and Penn State. The redshirt junior led the team, connecting on 49 three-point field goals a year ago. Ogbueze is dangerous from beyond the arc, but he struggled inside at times last season, shooting only 35 percent from the floor in conference games. “Braxton has been terrific. Last year he had an up-and-down season, but I really look for him to have a breakout year this year,” said Price. “He’s really bought in to what we’re trying to do here. He’s naturally kind of a quiet guy, but I’ve really encouraged him to step out of that and be a leader and talk to these guys. He’s done a really good job of that. He’s got to be a factor for us every night if we’re going to be successful.” Davis and Ogbueze will likely be the starting backcourt tandem once the season arrives, but the rest of the starting lineup is still unsettled early
BASKETBALL PREVIEW · NOV. 3, 2015
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in November. Anthony Vanhook and Andrien White shined during the green-white scrimmage and Benas Griciunas and Joseph Uchebo both provide a lot of size on the inside for the 49ers. “It’s still wide open in my eyes,” said Price when asked about his starting lineup. “I’ve been rotating guys around and keeping them guessing so to speak. I’m trying to see what unfolds and which guys play well together. We’re still in that process.” Price has expressed that he plans on running an up-tempo offense that spreads the floor with a lot of knock-down shooters on the perimeter. On the other end of the court he plans on playing a lot of man-to-man defense. Price believes he has the personnel on the roster to really guard the ball well, which Charlotte has struggled with in recent years. The Charlotte 49ers might be the biggest mystery in the country after the roster overhaul during the offseason. The Niners have been picked to finish 11th out of 14 teams in the 201516 C-USA preseason poll, exactly where they finished at the end of last season. “It’s simple. I’m not putting numbers on anything. Our goal is to be better tomorrow than we are today and to keep growing as a team,” said Price. “I think my expectations are going to be higher than most everybody else’s right now. I think a lot of that is just due to the unknown of the situation. It’s kind of hard at this point to give any kind of prediction.” Niner Nation must be patient with Price and the 49ers during this rebuilding process. Enjoy watching the hometown team grow and more importantly, come out to Halton Arena and support Charlotte basketball as Price builds something special in the Queen City. “My goal ultimately is to lay a foundation this year, change the culture here, develop an excitement around this program and keep adding pieces to it,” said Price. “I fell in love with the city of Charlotte and I think the opportunity is terrific to build something special.”
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SPANISH SENSATION Charlotte adds newcomer Laia Raventós, a 2-time FIBA European champion, to its roster JARED ALLEN Sports Editor
All photos by Ben Robson
In Halton Arena on a brisk October night during UNC Charlotte’s annual basketball madness, the newest Charlotte 49er, 18-year-old Spanish international Laia Raventós glides into the spotlight as an unfamiliar Niner Nation welcomes her with enthusiastic cheers and emphatic clapping. She is 5’ 7”, her straightened brown hair gleams in the vibrant white light. She smiles proudly. They’ll know her story soon enough. Hailing from Santa Eulàlia de Riuprimer, her hometown is nestled 45 miles inland from the second largest city in Spain, Barcelona. The Catalan guard has been playing basketball for eight years, picking out open teammates, dishing them pinpoint passes since she was 10 years old. Raventós models her game after Los Angeles Clippers’ superstar point guard Chris Paul. Like Paul, she became a hot commodity in her country
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fairly quickly. In 2013 she represented her country in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) U16 Women’s European Championship in which she showcased her skills to the world averaging seven points and just over two assists per game while only playing 20 minutes, half of a game, on average. She was key in Spain’s run to European glory scoring 13 points in the final while pickpocketing Croatia three times in 21 minutes. In 2015 Raventós represented Spain once again on the world stage in the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship, donning the famous yellow and red jersey with the No. 4 stitched on the front and back. Over the two years, the talented guard blossomed into a leader averaging 11 points in 30 minutes of play per game. She ranked in the top five in field goal percentage from inside the arc and was nearly automatic from the free-throw line, only missing one freebie. Spain captured the gold once again. A week after UNC Charlotte’s basketball madness, in the Charles Hayward Memorial Practice Gym, Raventós is tightly huddled with her teammates in a circle surrounding the iconic 49ers logo at center court. Charlotte women’s basketball head coach Cara Consuegra leads the team in their pre-practice ritual. Raventós opens her winner’s manual as Consuegra reads a passage aloud in English, a foreign language to Raventós. The notebook features team plays along with motivational passages that prepare the ladies before they step onto the hardwood. Like Raventós, all of her teammates hail from outside Charlotte but she is the only player representing a foreign nation. Raventós is the first international signee under Consuegra. “I think it’ll take some growing for both her and I,” Consuegra said. “Obviously there’s a language barrier, but Laia knows English so it’s not like its a complete barrier. Certainly, there’s terms and different ways of doing things but so far its been seamless. She’s an intelligent player and has caught on very quickly with her high basketball IQ and that’s made it very easy for us coaches and her teammates as well.”
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Her high basketball IQ has been showcased on several occasions as her play has been publicly noted by Consuegra. In practice, Raventós closes out her defender along the 3-point arc while cutting off potential passing lanes to a shooter stationed in the corner. This minor detail sets her apart from teammates. Raventós will have a major role this upcoming season being one of the six talented ball-handling guards in coach Consuegra’s three guard system. Raventós will undoubtedly benefit from playing at the highest level in Europe at such a young age. She has many tendencies that differ from players in the United States as the game has minor dissimilarities. Raventós likes the quick style of play. “We do many more exercises compared to Spain and faster in the United States. I like that style.” The future is bright for Raventós, the court is at her feet. For the next week, Raventós and her teammates will work diligently, preparing for opening night at Halton Arena. Raventós’ life has been filled with many firsts, but a competitive basketball game in the United States has not been one. It will be very soon.
Q&A WITH LAIA RAVENTÓS Where are you from in the great country of Spain? I am from Barcelona. It is an area quite different with regard to the rest of Spain and is one of the most beautiful cities. How long have you been playing basketball? I started at the age of 10.
What persuaded you to come to Charlotte? I’ve always wanted to have an experience outside of my country and I believe that by coming here to Charlotte is the best opportunity. I liked the campus a lot when I visited my first time and the coach I am interested in. I liked it very much when we met. What was your family’s reaction to you picking Charlotte? They have always wanted the best for my and saw that I had great enthusiasm for living here. Especially my mother, she helped in terms of roles and the process that I had to do to come here. Leading up to the first game, how different was training camp and coach Consuegra’s teaching compared to the game in Spain?
Sometimes too much pressure and nerves because when we went to the final, the stage is full of a lot of noise and I believe it is a great experience and you can learn a lot. Granted you haven’t been here long, but what’s your favorite thing about Charlotte and the United States? I think that the people. I think the character is very different from the rest of Europe and more open, and you can immediately connect with them. Over the next few months, what are you going to miss the most about Spain? The food because it is quite different and I am not used to it yet. Who’s the funniest player on the team?
I think that the style of play is very different from Spain. For example, we do many more exercises compared to Spain and faster in the United States. I like that style.
The most funniest in the team, I believe that it is Lefty, she is always smiling.
Looking ahead to your four years with the program, what is one thing you want to accomplish?
I don’t even know what to study yet. (Laughs)
One thing that I desire to accomplish in four years in Charlotte is to grow both as a player, as a person and learn as much as I can.
Chris Paul, always. I really like the Los Angeles Clippers. They are my favorite team.
What are you studying?
Who is your role model or influence?
Pre-game meal of choice? What was it like playing basketball internationally at the highest level?
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Pasta and meat. Always.
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BASKETBALL PREVIEW 路 A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION
Halton Arena turns TREVOR WILT Staff Writer
Join Charlotte’s beautiful sporting venue, Halton Arena, in celebrating 20 seasons as the home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams this season. Approaching its 20th season on the Charlotte campus, Halton Arena has provided a front row seat to countless Charlotte fans supporting their basketball teams on game day. The arena opened on Dec. 2, 1996 with a men’s win against the visiting Appalachian State Mountaineers. With the opening of Halton, this became the fourth home court for Charlotte, and looks to stay the primary court for the 49ers for many years to come. The arena, which was funded off of private donations and students fees, was named after the former President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola bottling Company of Charlotte Dale F. Halton. She has stayed involved with the university while serving on the University’s Board of Trustees. With a little over 9,000 seats available, Halton Arena has been the home of many great game environments over the last two decades for basketball fans. According to Stadium Journey Magazine in 2014, Halton Arena was ranked No. 22 out of 351 basketball arenas in the nation. With the friendly atmosphere and passionate fans, it makes for a tough environment for opposing teams. On women’s basketball game days, the curtains are brought down to cut out over 5,000 seats, which creates a
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tight and lively atmosphere for every women’s home game. With the men’s team in town, the curtains are raised so Halton can seat more fans. This provides the opportunity for great seats at low prices for guests. This also allows more room for Charlotte students who want to get away from their school work and cheer on their teams in a respectful fashion. When the curtains are brought down and the upper stands are pulled back, the arena allows for students to play multiple sports, such as basketball, volleyball and badminton on four main courts. There is also a track that is used
by students and athletes that helps show how unique the arena truly is. There have been multiple upgrades to Halton Arena since the time it opened in 1996. In 2006, Halton added a video screen to the hanging scoreboard, enabling fans to watch highlights and great moments in Charlotte basketball history at halftime. In 2008, Charlotte purchased a LED board that was used in the 2008 Final Four to have on both sides of the court. This board allows fans to get news on upcoming events, game details, and show advertisements. Halton Arena has been home to
BASKETBALL PREVIEW · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION
multiple events for the women’s basketball team, such as the 2005 Conference USA tournament and the 2009 Atlantic 10 tournament. Halton has yet to hold an event for the men’s team, but with Mark Price at the helm for the men’s team, look for a change in that. As the men’s and women’s basketball teams prepare for their upcoming C-USA seasons, Halton Arena is preparing for a loud environment in the Gold Mine from Niner Nation. The 20th season inside of Halton Arena promises to be a spectacle, much like the past two decades have been.
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CHARLOTTE 49ERS HAUNTED BY EXPLOSIVE MARSHALL ATTACK ON HALLOWEEN The 49ers dropped their sixth consecutive game, falling 34-10 at home against Marshall MATT CHAPMAN SPORTS EDITOR
The Charlotte 49ers welcomed the Marshall Thundering Herd to Jerry Richardson Stadium for a Halloween matchup that lacked suspense from the beginning. The 49ers dropped their sixth consecutive game, falling 34-10 to the Herd who remain undefeated in Conference USA action. “Give Marshall credit. They have a really good football team. They came in and made a lot of big plays in the first half,” said 49ers head coach Brad Lambert after the game. “We didn’t make any long-yardage plays in the first half. We’ve got to keep feeding Kalif (Phillips) more, but I worry about wearing him out. We need to continue to feed him and play off of that.” The Thundering Herd stormed out of the gates and jumped all over Charlotte early in the game. Marshall’s freshman quarterback Chase Litton targeted 49ers’ cornerback Tank Norman on two deep balls in the first quarter. The first long-ball set up a seven-yard touchdown scamper by backup running back Remi Watson and the second bomb went 66 yards for another score that gave the Herd a 14-0 advantage at the end of the opening 15 minutes. Marshall (8-1, 5-0 C-USA) continued their offensive onslaught with back-to-back touchdowns on their first two drives of the second quarter as well. The Herd marched the ball 97 yards on nine plays for the second time of the afternoon and capped the drive with a 17-yard strike from Litton to tight end Ryan Yurachek in the back-corner of the end zone. The Herd then pieced together
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Kalif Phillips extends across the goal-line for the lone 49ers touchdown of the afternoon. Photo by Ben Robson
another lengthy drive — nine plays, 84 yards — on the ensuing possession and took a commanding 28-0 lead on a touchdown run by redshirt freshman Keion Davis. Davis slipped a tackle from Charlotte’s Caleb Clayton-Molby in the backfield and then walked into the end zone from six yards out for the score. The 49ers (2-6, 0-5 C-USA) moved the ball well throughout the first half, but couldn’t make the necessary plays in Marshall territory to light up the scoreboard. Charlotte’s best possession of the half — 14 plays, 59 yards — stalled inside the 20-yard line and resulted in only three points after a 34-yard Blake Brewer field goal. Marshall tacked on a 32-yard Nick Smith field goal with one minute remaining in the second quarter and coasted to 31-3 advantage as the two sides retreated to the locker room at halftime. The 49ers’ defense proved unable to get off the field in crucial situations, allowing the Herd to convert 4-of-8 third down attempts
and an additional two fourth down conversions. Marshall finished the opening half with over 400 yards of total offense, including 333 yards through the air against a Charlotte secondary that has been stingy at times this season. The Herd continued to dominate the football throughout the third quarter, but Smith failed to convert back-to-back field goals following two drives of eight and 12 plays respectively. Smith had been a perfect 12-of-12 to start his collegiate career before missing from 37 and 36 yards out. The 49ers failed to take advantage of Marshall’s missed opportunities in the quarter as two punts and an Austin Duke fumble was all the offense could muster. Duke reeled in the bubble screen and made a sweet move on the defensive back in the backfield before fumbling on the chase-down tackle. Marshall continued to shoot themselves in the foot in the fourth quarter when a third Litton touchdown toss was negated by an
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illegal hands to the face penalty. The Herd trotted Smith back on to the field and the sophomore kicker atoned for his earlier two misses by splitting the uprights on a 39-yard boot. Charlotte showed tremendous grit and continued to battle throughout the fourth quarter despite facing an insurmountable deficit. The Niners pieced together their second 14-play drive of the afternoon and finished the job this time with a six-yard burst up the middle by Kalif Phillips. Phillips hit a career milestone on the possession, surpassing 3,000 career rushing yards earlier in the drive. Quarterback play was the deciding factor yet again for Charlotte. Lee McNeill completed 17-of-32 passing attempts, but only managed 20 yards through the air in the second half. The redshirt junior signal caller threw an interception on the 49ers’ first offensive play of the fourth quarter, pushing his season total to 10. McNeill still hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass this season and Charlotte hasn’t recorded a passing score since Sept. 12 against Presbyterian. On the other side of the ball Litton posted a career-best 486 yards on 33 completions, including his two first half touchdown strikes. Marshall wideout Davonte Allen caught 12 balls for 232 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. The 49ers continue the search for their first conference victory when they battle the Florida International University Panthers on the road in Miami next weekend. Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for noon.
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CHVRCHES Scottish electronic band performs at The Fillmore Charlotte JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR
In front of a sell-out crowd Wednesday night, Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES slowly emerged from the darkness. White lights glimmered as symphonic tunes graced the sound waves sending chills down the audience’s spine. The Fillmore Charlotte crowd drowned in the alluring melody as Glaswegian front-woman Lauren Mayberry appeared, shocking the crowd back to life from a nearly mesmeric state. An array of oranges, reds and pinks flashed before the audience’s eyes as CHVRCHES opened their highly anticipated performance with the introductory track “Never Ending Circles” from their sophomore album “Every Open Eye.” The European threesome consisting of Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty peeked out into the musical spotlight in 2013 with their auspicious demo “Lies” before kicking down the door with their single “The Mother We Share.” Their debut LP “The Bones Of What You Believe” shortly followed and surged to the top of the charts. Returning to the Queen City, CHVRCHES made it known that they’re not afraid to wear their heart on their sleeve. Their sincere and heartfelt lyrics resonate with their listeners and Mayberry’s expressive performance did just that. The gold lighting effects illuminated the room and the gold strobe lights reflected off the rotating disco ball suspended from the ceiling. Mayberry’s sequins glistened in the gold ambience. The crowd belted the lyrics to recent release “Make Them Gold.” The lyrics become dictations when they’re heard straight from Mayberry. The passion was exemplified when she sang, “We will take the
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best parts of ourselves and make them gold.” The optimistic, cheery performance led them into an upbeat, melancholy presentation of hit track “Empty Threat.” The sapphire colored lights gleamed a bit less. Mayberry stood motionless, grasping the microphone with two hands as she peered out into the audience. Band members Cook and Doherty bobbed up and down behind her, flawlessly hitting the synth-chords as Mayberry continued the emotional rendition of the gloomy track. It’s safe to say that over the years Mayberry has mastered her craft of entertaining and amusing the crowd effortlessly. When she wasn’t performing, her soft, lovable voice seized the audience’s attention as she chitchatted, sharing her recent discovery of the true meaning of “Netflix and chill” and hinted at her upcoming Halloween costume.
“I have a plan for what I want to do but these guys are like, we’re old sensible synthlords,” Mayberry said. “It’s a life goal of mine to do this particular costume. I’m excited. People ask why do you get so into it? Life is short and full of lots sad shit so you might as well dress up as stuff.” It was gratifying as Mayberry and CHVRCHES connected with their admirers on not only a musical level but on a personal level as well. The crowd cheered as CHVRCHES moved into what they claimed was they final song of the night, “Clearest Blue.” The audience clapped along knowing that the NOV. 3 - NOV. 9, 2015
All photos in spread by Ben Robson
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CHVRCHES, cont.
unforgettable night was coming to an end. The Glaswegian threesome bowed out behind the turquoisecolored illumination before reemerging to hammer home their grand-finale. The audience’s applause and ovation could be heard on North Graham Street as CHVRCHES’ light spectacle and incredible music performance came to an end with the performance of the song that carried them into the limelight, “The Mother We Share.”
The crowd worshipped the Glaswegian icons even after the overheads turned on. CHVRCHES’ raw-emotion behind the melodious synth-pop beats puts them in a class of their own and like the rock stars they are, the show ended with a bang. For more information on CHVRCHES visit their official site at www.chvrch.es. Follow the band’s tour on both Twitter and Instagram @CHVRCHES. “Every Eye Open” is currently available on iTunes.
67 Not as much 68 Made inquiries 69 Like plow horses
ACROSS 1 Bit of talk show selfpromotion 5 Judean king 10 “Hurry up!” 14 Real snoozefest 15 Native New Zealander 16 Angelic aura 17 *Guys’ hair coloring product 19 Cruise stop 20 Dry, as bread 21 Maui memento 22 Kind of computer error that may cause data loss 23 Steel-cut grain 25 Eccentric person 27 Chain with headquarters at One Geoffrey Way, Wayne, N.J. 31 Former Southwest subsidiary 34 Give __ on the back: praise
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35 Criticize nonstop 37Hold in, as a sneeze 38 Cheering word 39 *Radioactive emission 41 Suffix with percent 42 Defeats soundly 44 Actress Ullmann or Tyler 45 Ran off 46 Informer, to a cop 48 Allergy stimulants 50 Pig noises 52 “__ is me!” 53 Sends junk e-mail to 55 Busy pro in Apr. 57 Digilux 3 camera maker 61 Red “Sesame Street” puppet 62 Hard-to-define element, or a hint to what can precede each last word in the answers to starred clues 64 Bank claim 65 Bluesy Memphis street 66 Danish shoe brand
DOWN 1 Sandwiches with Jif, briefly 2 Rude dude 3 Heavenly bear 4 “Beat it!” 5 Gp. with a copay 6 Countess’ spouse 7 Lover of Juliet 8 Crispy Crunchies! fries maker 9 Noisy clamor 10 Ristorante red 11 *Root source for a database 12 Southwestern pot 13 Holiday season 18 Emotion causing quaking 22 Winks count 24 Listens to, as a radio station 26 Repudiate 27 Fruit pastries 28 Eye-fooling genre 29 *Big place to play online 30 Minded the kids 32 “Magic in the Moonlight” director Woody 33 Food, shelter, etc. 36 Cowboy’s lady 39 Nearly excellent grade 40 Tear apart 43 Latter-day Saints 45 Defrauds 47 Carves in stone 49 “Copacabana” temptress 51 Command to Spot 53 Go like hotcakes 54 Ballerina’s bend 56 Wheel-connecting rod 58 Restless desire 59 Chanel of perfume 60 Yankee with more than 3,000 hits, familiarly 62 Schedule abbr. 63 Nourished
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CRAFTING YOUR RESUME To build a professional resume, here are tips on language, design, color and what not to do
SYDNEY SWAFFORD INTERN
I’ll never get the job I want. That was my first thought after taking a look at my leftover high school resume. Butchered format, colorless and less than a half a page, I had nothing to show for all my hard work. Some of the emptiness was on my part. I wasn’t as involved as I probably should’ve been, but on the other hand I just didn’t know how to make a resume. Apparently neither did my high school teacher when she slathered a red ninety-eight on the top of the page two years earlier. After researching the how-to and the not-to-do of resume building, I thought I’d share my new found knowledge to help every college student’s resume standout. Design is key. After reading hundreds, maybe even thousands of resumes, whoever’s reading about you needs something to catch their eye. Don’t get confused. This doesn’t mean fluorescent paper and cuss words, which have worked in the past for some people. The best way to catch someone’s eye is with soothing colors and linear design. People automatically organize everything in their brain, which is why song lyrics get stuck in your head and why babies can differentiate between languages before they can even talk. Having a layout with an equal design on both sides of the page will help the mind be attracted to the resume. Keep everything on the page symmetrical and don’t let anything become off centered. If you’ve got more than one column on the page, make sure to keep them similar in length for a clean look. Make sure all the text has similar spacing and any lines dividing the page are the same size and proportional to the page. Never use more than two colors. Stick to one or two main colors with the black font and white page. If you don’t want color on your resume, try making the resume unique with a personal design. I would never put a photo of myself on my resume for multiple reasons, but it seems to be a popular trend. Since I’ve never used a resume with a photo, I can’t say whether it’s better or worse, so do what you think is best based on your personality and research, as well as the job you’re applying for. If you’re sticking to the classic no photo look, think about the
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placement of your name instead. Placing your initials in the top left corner looks sleek and will make your resume stand out. I wanted my whole name so I made a dark charcoal banner at the top with my name centered in the middle. Make sure to accompany your name with your contact information. A general rule to resume building is to keep it to one page length. If you’re one of those flourishing individuals, try cutting the page length down by lowering font size, cutting out less important high school information or eliminating headers. I’m sure you’re all familiar with Times New Roman, and probably a little tired of it as well. Although many resume writers suggest sticking to the old school font, I much rather prefer sans based fonts, including Open Sans and Slab Sans. These fonts aren’t so boring but will still carry the reader’s eye along the page. Stick between 10 and 12 point fonts. Going a little smaller than the standard 12 point is fine if you’re cramming everything in, but don’t go any bigger than that; it’s better to have your resume
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look less developed than like a Dr. Seuss book. There should be three to four section headers. These are what divide up your resume for easy reading. My resume is split up into three: experience, educations and skills. Other popular sections are leadership, objective and awards. After every section, you’re going to put all your previous jobs, accomplishments and skills into bullets. Keeping things short and sweet will let your resume be read quickly and easily. Remember to always tell the truth because it’s important to be yourself. Of course you want to show off all you’ve got to offer, but if you don’t have much to offer, don’t worry. Focus on categories like objective and skill and highlight what you could offer instead of previous accomplishments. If you’ve got too much to offer and your resume is becoming way too long, try getting rid of sections like objective and putting them in your cover letter to save space. Don’t dwell on any high school accomplishments less important than your college accomplishments. The thesaurus is your best friend. Changing sentences like “gives good feedback” to “generated feedback to improve company efficiency and employee success,” will make the biggest difference. Start by writing down everything you’ve done in your life such as volunteering, education, previous and current jobs, etc. Don’t worry about the language you’re using until you’ve got everything written down in casual language. Reword all of the casual inexperienced language to make your resume seem advanced and adult. One of the best resources I’ve found and used is 185 powerful verbs. These verbs are organized into groups based on their usage and can be found on themuse.com. If you’re still confused on what to put and not put into your resume to make it the best your employer will receive, search online for example resumes to look at. Looking at examples always helps me conceptualize the information I hear. If you’d like someone to look over your resume from a professional viewpoint, check out the University Career Center located to the right of Atkins Library.
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Let’s just be honest, let’s just be real NICOLE BUCKENHAM INTERN
A new era has emerged amongst today’s youth. And that is to tell the truth. With mottos like YOLO circulating around and people being as reckless as possible, it only makes sense that people are dropping those little white lies for shiny new truths. More and more people are starting to have the mentality that maybe, just maybe they might get hit by a bus tomorrow. Now, if that happened, did you really say everything you wanted to say to whom you wanted to say it to before you left? Telling the truth to people and being as straight up as possible comes with its pros and cons. Have you ever felt like you needed to say something so bad that it was just eating away at you? Whether that was something you felt guilty about or some profound feelings you had for someone … imagine that feeling gone forever because, well, you let it out from inside. You don’t have to worry whether that person you have a crush on will actually want to date you anymore or just fool around. If you announce your feelings to them, you no longer have this confusion. Maybe you felt like you deserved a better
grade on an assignment and you were too afraid to say anything, but with this new wave on honesty going around, why don’t you go ahead and tell your professor how you feel? Speaking your mind is scary, sure, but so is sky diving and falling in love. Both things are magical, scary and completely worth it in the end. That’s how the youth of today is viewing being straight up with people. It may be scary at first and seem like it’s not worth the risk, but that feeling of revealing the truth is worth it in the end. You won’t get anywhere if you keep your feelings bottled up. Now, with telling the truth there’s also the effects that come along with it. Maybe when you say what you want to say, you don’t get the response you wanted back. That’s only the worst that could happen. Maybe when you tell the person you’re in love with that you love them, they won’t love you back. But then, at least you know that they are not the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe when you tell your professor you deserve a better grade, nothing changes. The only negative with speaking your mind is that it might not change anything, or maybe now you know something you never knew before that you didn’t want to know. With every truth spoken, you’re one step closer to something you wanted versus if you did not say anything at all. So with the motto “Honesty is the best policy” actually taking affect nowadays, what does that mean for you? It means go ahead and send that risky text message you’ve been wanting to send that’s been just sitting in your phone for days. Tell the person you can’t stop thinking about that you cannot get them off your mind. Tell your boss you want a promotion or demand a better grade on an assignment that you worked your butt off for. If you don’t say these things … who will? Who will ever know the response you will get back if you never are straight up with people and yourself. After all, that risky text message is just a bunch of words in grey and blue bubbles. Tell someone they’re on your mind because they aren’t a mind reader. Tell your boss you deserve the best because you’re a full time college student working a part time job. And tell your professor you want a better grade because studying harder than you ever have before for a test surely means something. Telling the truth is scary, but worth it in the end. Be straight up, speak your mind, and follow Drake’s advice that you only live once. You never know who needs your back as much as you need them. You never know the endless possibilities that stand before you when you let people know what you want. Say what you’re thinking before it’s too late. Photo by Nicole Buckenham
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Humans of UNC Charlotte ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER
“I started off with photography in high school, but I never imagined it could take me anywhere. I always thought I would follow a pre-med track in college and someday be a great doctor. Lately, I’ve found myself questioning that plan. I think cooking might have been my first love, but photography comes in as a close second. I admit completely that I am a picture hoarder—the delete button is the bane of my existence no matter how potentially embarrassing the picture may be. I refuse to erase my ‘middle school days’ pictures no matter how terrible they are. I also tend to carry my camera with me everywhere and even when it’s just my phone, I pride myself in my out of this world IPhone shots. I take every image very seriously. I don’t think people truly understand the significance of pictures. It’s a memory captured forever, never to change even if the people in it do. It doesn’t lie. It isn’t fake unless you choose it to be. It’s not what you see, it’s what the picture makes you feel, nor does it ever need to be explained or justified. It just is. You don’t actually know the meaning behind those memories until pictures are all you have left. The little things you may have forgotten are all there, patiently waiting to be remembered.”
Maria Saenz
Photo by Angie Baquedano
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