Niner Times: November 10, 2015

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NOV. 10, - NOV. 16, 2015

VOL. 28, ISSUE 10

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, Andrew James

ADDITIONAL STAFF Indira Eskieva, Leysha Caraballo, Angie Baquedano, Makeedah Baker, Evan Moore, Trevor Wilt, Hailey Turpin, Chris Crews

Matt Lorenz

Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF

Tia Warren, Ashley Lyons, David Mendez, Darrell Hayden Jr., Tyler Delk

NINER TIMES • RADIO FREE CHARLOTTE SANSKRIT LITERARY-ARTS MAGAZINE MEDIA MARKETING • TECHNICAL

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Cover photo by Leysha Caraballo

NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

NINERTIMES

DANCING FOR THE KIDS

Students participate in 12-hour Dance Marathon, raising money for Levine’s Children Hospital, meeting families in need INDIRA ESKIEVA STAFF WRITER

Students dance during the third annual 12-hour Dance Marathon. Photo by Leysha Caraballo

From Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. until Nov. 8 at 7 a.m., UNC Charlotte hosted its third annual Dance Marathon, a 12-hour event celebrating year-long efforts to raise funds for the Levine Children’s Hospital.

Headed by Executive Director Emily Grassett, a UNC Charlotte senior majoring in Political Science and Philosophy, the leadership team that raises money for the Levine Children’s Hospital and organizes the Dance Marathon consists of 98 members. It is an organization that is part of a much larger Children’s

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Miracle Network.

Children’s Miracle Network is a national non-profit organization that aims to raise money for children’s hospitals all across America. UNC Charlotte is one of many universities, including Duke University and John Hopkins University, which work with the organization.

UNC Charlotte was one of hundreds of universities that held their Dance Marathons on the eve of Nov. 7.

The Dance Marathon is an

opportunity to honor those involved in the organization, the members of the community who contributed their time and money for the cause and the families whose lives were changed by the donations made.

“This is our celebration. We’ve worked hard for the last year and this is the point where we celebrate for 12 hours by dancing, eating tons of delicious food and meeting some of the families we have been able to impact,” said Grassett.

The planning stage for the Dance Marathon began back in August

NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

of this academic year. The event organizers faced multiple challenges going into the third year of the fundraiser and dance marathon.

“We weren’t the new kids on the block, but we also weren’t yet a tradition. It was all about getting people interested in us and reminding them why the previous years were so much fun,” said Grassett.

She adds that the organization had to work at spreading the word and getting the message out on campus without bombarding or become a nuisance.

Another challenge event organizers faced was entertaining the public for 12 straight hours. The Dance Marathon incorporated a variety of entertaining activities.

Throughout the night, a lip-sync battle and a disc jockey battle were held. Students performed all kinds of different dances ranging in style and the culture they evolved from.

An example of one such dance was the kizomba, a sensual dance which originated in Angola.

Throughout the night there were different theme hours to change the music up. Some of these hours were hippie hour, during which people were invited to dress up as a hippie, throwback hour and the popular rave hour, when glow sticks were handed out and the music changed to club music.

At 8 p.m. an hour after the start of the Dance Marathon, Norm the Niner arrived. During that hour the activities centered on Charlotte sports.

As the excitement began wearing down towards the early morning, the continued on page 5

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‘Aperture’ statue is newest addition to UNC Charlotte NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

UNC Charlotte dedicated the has been, especially the architecture, latest edition to their collection of it’s just amazing,” said Carl. artwork on campus called “Aperture” Carl then thanked Dubois and the Nov. 5.

University for honoring them that The statue was designed by artist day.

John Medwedeff and is the first in “On behalf of my dad and also his series of “Aperture” sculptures. many of my other relatives … the It is located next to whole family loves this university.

Hechenbleikner Lake, near the main Thank you for honoring us today,” entrance of campus. said Carl.

The statue can also be rotated.

After remarks from Carl, Dubois Medwedeff’s inspiration behind once again took the podium to end the Aperture statue came from the the dedication. sweeping waters of the lake it looks “In recognition of the Belk over. tradition of philanthropy, business UNC Charlotte Chancellor and leadership and on behalf of the Phillip Dubois began the dedication trustees of UNC Charlotte, it is my ceremony with a few opening honor to formally dedicate Aperture. remarks.

May it motivate and enlighten all Discussion for the addition of a those who live, work and learn on new statue next to Hechenbleikner this campus,” said Dubois.

Lake first began a few years ago.

After Dubois’ closing remarks, When the dome was being repaired, guests were treated to food and Dubois began speaking to Belk refreshments. about the possibility of a new Back in 2013, Belk commissioned addition to campus. two 12-foot statues depicting football Aperture was commissioned by players outside Jerry Richarson Irwin Belk, who has made many Stadium. donations to UNC Charlotte over the years.

Belk was unable to attend the dedication, but was instead represented by his son Carl Belk, who said a few words on behalf of the Belk Family.

Carl spoke of how proud he and the rest of the Belk family are of UNC Charlotte and how remarkable it is to see the campus as it is now.

“I’ve seen first hand how well Aperture statue next to Hechenbleikner Lake.

Photo by Makeedah Baker this university

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NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

NINERTIMES

DANCE MARATHON, cont. morale team, which also organized the different themed hours, had the important job of hyping everybody up.

What made this year’s Dance Marathon different from the first two years was that the pool of entertainers during the first two years stayed relatively the same, this year that pool expanded.

“We said to ourselves ‘What haven’t we tried before’ and really pushed the limits,” said Grassett.

Over the course of three years, UNC Charlotte’s branch of the organization raised a total of over $100,000.

Grassett hopes to see the Dance

Marathon continue on for many years to come. On a visit to Purdue University, where the Dance Marathon has been held for over 20 years, she watched the school raise $100,000 in just one day.

“It was spectacular to see other schools do something like that after such a long period of time. It really makes me want UNC Charlotte to have the Dance Marathon become that one thing one campus that everyone does and owns,” said Grassett.

More importantly for Grassett, it is about so much more than 12-hours of dancing, food and entertainment.

“Our slogan is FOR THE KIDS.

That is what it all comes down to. As much work as this takes, seeing the families we were able to impact come out is a little reminder that everything we do is for the kids. It feels special to be a part of something big like that,” said Grassett.

Although the UNC Charlotte Dance Marathon has raised over $100,000 over the course of the past three years, there is no actually fundraising taking place at the marathon.

Instead, the event is more in the spirit of celebrating what they have accomplished and how much they have raised for families in need.

POLICE BLOTTER OCT. 31 - NOV. 3

ARREST OCT. 31

• PORTAL building, officers responded in reference to an intoxicated male walking in the street.

After making contact, it was determined that the individual had an active order for arrest.

ASSAULT NOV. 3

• Greek Village, officers responded in reference to a student’s mother living in the dorm with the student.

The previous night officers responded to a disturbance in the same room. The female stated that she had been assaulted and was transported to a hospital.

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

EVAN MOORE INTERN

UNC Charlotte’s Student Government Association (SGA) held their weekly meeting Nov. 5.

Messages to the Senate UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phillip Dubois came to speak to members of the Senate at this weeks’ legislative meeting.

Dubois spoke about many of the construction projects on campus, including the pending completion of Levine Hall. The hall is designed to house about 400 students, but is not expected to be completed until October 2016.

He also talked about the Belk Gym renovations, which should be completed by the middle of this month. The gym will be the primary facility for students until the Health and Wellness Center opens in fall 2019.

Dubois also discussed the budget for the university. He explained that there will be a $20 million budget increase in

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order to provide a compensation increase for many faculty and staff.

With this increase, 75 percent of faculty on campus will be paid at or above the market rate for their positions.

UNC Charlotte Police Chief Jeffrey Baker also addressed the Senate. Baker seemed very optimistic about the safety of campus, explaining that burglaries and larcenies have dropped significantly over the past few years.

He also talked about the increased number of sex offenses on campus.

“A good campus will show a rise,” said Baker. UNC Charlotte offers many resources for victims of sexual assault, like the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center. With that, more students are seeking out help because they don’t feel ashamed to do so.

During the spring semester,

there will be a big push to market the LiveSafe app, which puts students in direct contact with an emergency dispatch center. The app allows students to not only call, but text too.

Notifications from the app are constantly monitored by campus police and the app is free to download.

Officer Reports Senator Kelsey Summey, chairwoman of the student affairs committee, presented the Safe Crossing Act during the meeting.

Right now, many of the crosswalks around campus do not have right-of-way signs.

Many students have addressed the safety of the walkways, saying that they will feel better if signs were in place.

The bill would allow for Yield to Pedestrian signs to be placed at every major uncontrolled crosswalk around campus.

NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

NINERTIMES

Bernie Sanders is not the socialist you’re looking for Sanders might be left of Clinton, but he’s still a pawn of the Democratic Party CASEY ALDRIDGE OPINION EDITOR

In 2008, Hillary Clinton ran for president as the establishment favorite of the Democratic Party. Pundits said she was a lock for the nomination - and she certainly appeared as if she was - until a charismatic young senator from Illinois challenged her from the left. Then-Senator Barack Obama campaigned on ending Bush’s wars, closing Guantanamo Bay, addressing and working to reverse climate change and expanding healthcare to more Americans. In the process, Obama stole the heart of the party, and went on to win the presidency in 2008 and re-election in 2012.

But in two terms, President Obama has been either unwilling or unable to end Bush’s wars, and just announced intent to put “boots on the ground” in Syria to combat ISIS. When it could have happened with the stroke of his pen on day one of his presidency, Guantanamo is still open and still a source of national shame. President Obama, to his credit, just blocked the Keystone XL pipeline, but only after thousands engaged in civil disobedience to force him to make that decision. The Trans-Pacific Partnership that his administration has pushed so heavily will work to undermine any environmental progress he’s achieved, by handing power directly to multinational, billion-dollar corporations. And his healthcare plan still leaves out too many, which is easy to understand when the law now referred to as “Obamacare” was modeled initially off of a 1990s Republican-sponsored bill, written by health insurance companies. So much for universal healthcare, right?

Now, in late 2015, former Secretary of State Clinton is running for president again, and again as the establishment favorite of the Democratic Party. Again, pundits say she’s a lock for the nomination, but there’s an old charismatic senator from Vermont once again challenging her from the left. Senator Bernie Sanders, despite the age gap, has become something of an Internet sensation amongst progressive millennials. He’d been an independent as mayor of Burlington,

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Vt. and as Senator for decades, but in 2016 he’s running on the Democratic ticket for president, if he can follow Obama’s example and knock Clinton off of her acceptance podium.

As a socialist, it’d be easy to get caught up in the Bernie hype. It’s pretty incredible to have someone running for president who is willing to affiliate with the term socialist, even if he repeatedly attaches “democratic” to the front end of the label. It’s meant some quite vitriolic Red Scare-reminiscent rhetoric from Clinton and GOP supporters, but it is a breath of fresh air to be able to have a debate over capitalism’s nature for a change.

But, to my fellow socialists, Sanders is not the socialist you’re looking for. Ideologically, he’s not a socialist at all; he’s a social democrat, as is evident by his incessant praise for the “Nordic” method of government with their comparatively robust safety nets. But, as the first Democratic debate demonstrated plainly, he and Clinton very much agree on the fact that capitalism should be regulated for capitalism’s own sake.

Sanders aspires to reform a broken and exploitative system to make it “less broken” or “ less exploitative.”

His proposals might include regulating Wall Street more stringently, but he’ll stop short of nationalizing the banks. He might say we need to spend less on military budgets in favor of social welfare programs, but he still has regularly voiced support for the occupation of Palestine. He might have the most complete platform assessment of racist police brutality nationally, but he’ll always stop short of disarming or dissolving police forces; in fact, recently he NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

lauded police departments as part of what “a long tradition of American socialism looks like.”

There is no American socialism, unfortunately.

Much less are the police socialist. They’re more of an armed guard for the bourgeois state than anything. But, a) Sanders’ “socialism” doesn’t look anything like the socialism we need, and b) even if elected, have we learned nothing from eight years of an Obama presidency?

In 2008, Obama seemed like the most genuinely anti-war candidate in some time, and yet he’s often referred to as the “drone president” these days. If there’s one thing we know about politicians it’s that they look differently in office than they do on the campaign trail. The notion that a Sanders’ presidency would be different is not based in any kind of fact. It’s based in a naïve hope, a hope that overlooks reality.

Because reality suggests that when you have masses of people who want a real change from the left, a real push against capitalism and for socialism, the Democratic Party is going to try and tap into that. Barack Obama was used by the Democratic Party to regain relevance in an election year when voters weren’t going to accept establishment politicians.

Sanders is being used by the Party in much the same way; the fact that he’s said he wouldn’t run against Clinton as a thirdparty candidate and would endorse her if she wins the nomination is evidence enough.

Socialists should be building their own political power outside the establishment two-party system, not donating to and volunteering for a candidate in one of those two parties who - in reality - doesn’t actually promise anything for socialism.

Tribune News Service

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NOV. 14 VS. UTSA CHARLOTTE VS. UTSA 路 NOV. 14, 2015

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GAME-DAY TAILGATING

UNC CHARLOTTE FOOTBALL 2015 FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

EDEN CREAMER

Georgia State

GUEST WRITER

at Atlanta, Ga.

3:30 p.m.

With the launch of a new football program, the need for an official policy regarding tailgating at the university becomes necessary.

As the university revved up for football, a tailgating policy was created to make sure students and fans have the most fun possible while being safe. These rules and regulations are meant to maximize safety and comfort for all that attend.

Tailgating rules and regulations are completely broken down in University Policy 706, Alcoholic Beverages.

Any violation of this policy may cause students and campus guests revoked tailgating rights, criminal prosecution, disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct if the violator is a UNC Charlotte student and/or trespassing charges should the individual be a campus guest.

CAMPUS ENTRANCES AND LOT INFORMATION All entrances except the main entrance and the John Kirk Road entrance will be closed five hours prior to kickoff. Game-day entrances open four hours prior to kickoff.

Parking and tailgating will be available in lots 5, 5A, 6, 7, 7A, 14, 18, 19, 23, 25, 27 and CRI 2 and 3. Decks available for parking are Union Deck, Cone Deck 1 and 2, West Deck and CRI Deck. Oncampus residents not attending the game can park in East Deck 2 and 3 or North Deck.

Students who live on campus who normally park in lots designated for tailgating for football game-day parking will be required to move their vehicles to an alternative parking location the night before a home game. If there are any cars in the parking lots as of midnight on game day, the vehicle will be automatically towed.

Tailgating areas will open four hours prior to the game.

Tailgating at halftime and during the game time is prohibited, and tailgaters will be encouraged to vacate lots. Lots must also be evacuated no later than two hours after the end of the game.

Presbyterian at Charlotte, N.C.

Noon SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, Tenn.

7 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

Florida Atlantic at Charlotte, N.C.

7 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 2

Temple

at Charlotte, N.C.

7 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 17

Old Dominion at Norfolk, Va.

3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 24

Southern Miss

FINAL SCORE: CHAR 27, UTSA 21

“Saturday marks what might be Charlotte’s last legitmate shot at a Conference USA victory this season. The 49ers threw three touchdowns last week, snapping a two-month drought.”

at Charlotte, N.C.

Noon SATURDAY, OCT. 31

Marshall

at Charlotte, N.C.

3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 7

LOT CONTRABAND

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SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

STAFF PICKS

FIU

at Miami, Fla.

Kegs, glass containers, drinking games, devices used to accelerate the consumption of alcohol, grills in parking decks and on brick pavers, open pit fires, staked tents, household furniture and animals are prohibited.

Noon

STADIUM CONTRABAND

2 p.m.

Tobacco products, other drugs, alcohol of all kinds and weaponry are prohibited.

Football patrons will be permitted to bring empty, clear, plastic bottles into the stadium to fill with water at designated fill stations, but other beverages will be prohibited.

Kentucky

The complete University Policy 706 is available online. Tailgaters are encouraged to read this policy prior to game-day.

at Houston, Texas

SATURDAY, NOV. 14

UTSA

at Charlotte, N.C.

SATURDAY, NOV. 21 at Lexington, Ky.

TBA SATURDAY, NOV. 28

Rice

3:30 p.m.

GOLDRUSH · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION

FINAL SCORE: CHAR 21, UTSA 17

“The 49ers have a chance to earn their first Conference USA victory on Senior Day in the final home game of 2015.

Expect the team to be fired up against a struggling team from UTSA.”

Tweet us your predictions to @NT_Sports using #CHARUTSAPicks

49ERS BEAT THEMSELVES IN MIAMI AGAINST FIU The Charlotte 49ers fell 48-31 on the road against the FIU Panthers on Saturday afternoon

MATT CHAPMAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Charlotte 49ers took their talents to South Beach on Saturday afternoon in search of their first Conference USA victory in a showdown with the Florida International University Panthers.

The Niners shot themselves in the foot on several occasions and fell 48-31 on the road for their seventh consecutive defeat. A pair of special teams blunders derailed Charlotte early as a 24-point halftime deficit proved too much to overcome.

The quarterback situation in Charlotte has been impossible to figure out all season and nothing changed on Saturday. The trio that has struggled mightily throughout the entire 2015 season combined to complete 25-of-38 pass attempts for 264 yards. Each of the three quarterbacks threw a touchdown pass, snapping a drought that lasted nearly two months without a scoring toss. Head coach Brad Lambert wouldn’t commit to a starting quarterback moving forward when asked after the game.

“You just have to trust the system and the game plan,” said wide receiver Austin Duke after Charlotte’s best passing performance in months.

Duke put together the type of performance Niner fans have become accustomed to over the past two seasons. The redshirt junior hauled in all three touchdowns while eclipsing 100 yards for the ninth time in his career, but just the second time in 2015 after battling a nagging back injury.

The 49ers wasted a golden

opportunity as two botched special teams plays resulted in FIU touchdowns, not to mention a picksix in the second half that put the game out of reach. The Niners lost by 17, but gifted 21 points to the Panthers and couldn’t overcome the mistakes.

“We gave up the pick-six in the second half, but up until that we were rocking along pretty solid,” said Lambert.

“But we can’t survive with a blocked punt and a kickoff return that we don’t field. Those are plays that we can’t afford to make.”

The Panthers (5-5, 3-3 C-USA) blitzed the 49ers from the get-go, blocking an Arthur Hart punt on the first drive of the day. Kenyatta Anderson recovered in the end zone as FIU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead over the visiting Niners.

Charlotte (2-7, 0-6 C-USA) answered immediately with an impressive 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with the first touchdown pass of the season from quarterback Lee McNeill. McNeill completed four passes, including a 29-yard strike to Duke to knot the score at 7-7 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. The 49ers had not thrown a touchdown pass since Sept.

12 against Presbyterian.

FIU wasted no time responding to the score as the Panthers pieced together a 73-yard drive on 12 plays. Sophomore quarterback Alex McGough capped the possession with a 15-yard scoring toss to wideout Clinton Taylor, putting FIU back up by a touchdown late in the

opening quarter.

The Panthers broke the game wide open in the second quarter, starting on the second play when Alex Gardener busted up the middle for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the goal-line.

The 49ers fought tooth-andnail throughout the majority of the first half before FIU scored a pair of touchdowns in the span of seven seconds with less than one minute remaining before halftime.

The Panthers converted another fourth-and-short before McGough found Taylor again with a 24-yard touchdown pass. The Niners made a costly error on the ensuing kickoff as FIU recovered at the Charlotte nine yard-line and immediately tacked on seven more with Gardener’s second rushing touchdown of the game.

“It just shot a hole in us,” said Lambert when asked about the end of the first half.

“We thought, ‘Hey it’s a tight game, a one or two score game, we’re in this,’ and then bang-bang.”

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a couple key completions by McNeill set up a school-record 56-yard field goal by Brewer as the clock expired on the first half. Brewer’s bomb was the longest in C-USA this season and it cut the Charlotte deficit to 34-10 as the two teams headed to the locker room.

The Niners were dominated up front by the Panthers’ defensive line throughout the entire first half.

Charlotte found themselves in the red with negative two rushing yards

CHARLOTTE VS. UTSA · NOV. 14, 2015

as FIU wreaked havoc with four sacks and nine tackles for loss at halftime.

McNeill played his best half of football this season, completing 13-of-22 passes for 135 yards and the early touchdown pass. However, redshirt freshman Brooks Barden trotted onto the field at quarterback to start the second half and McNeill didn’t play a single snap after the

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All three Charlotte 49ers quarterbacks threw a touchdown in Saturday’s loss on the road against Florida International.

Photo by Chris Crews

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GOLDRUSH · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION

intermission.

The 49ers cut the lead to 17 points early in the third quarter when Charlotte’s third quarterback Matt Johnson found Duke in the flat for a 36-yard touchdown. The Niners had a chance to get within two scores after a defensive stop, but Barden floated a back-breaking pick-six that the panthers returned 58 yards for a 41-17 advantage late in the third.

Charlotte’s redshirt freshman signal caller rebounded nicely from his mistake by accounting for two fourth quarter touchdowns, but it was too little, too late for the 49ers.

Duke topped his season total as he reeled in his third touchdown grab of the afternoon on a 15-yard throw from Barden with 13:09 left in the game. Barden capped his up-anddown second half by leading a 16play, 87-yard drive before scrambling into the end zone from five yards out after a botched handoff attempt.

The 49ers return home next weekend to host the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners on Senior Day at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

VIEWS FROM ‘THE RICH’ PHOTOS IN SPREAD

BY CHRIS CREWS AND BEN ROBSON

CHARLOTTE VS. UTSA · NOV. 14, 2015

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49ERS WELCOME UTSA TO CHARLOTTE ON SENIOR DAY The Charlotte 49ers host the UTSA Roadrunners in the final home game of the 2015 season MATT CHAPMAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Charlotte 49ers return home to Jerry Richardson Stadium for the final time in 2015 this Saturday to play host to the Texas-San Atonio (UTSA) Roadrunners on Senior Day. The Niners are still in search of their first Conference USA victory, coming off of a 48-31 drubbing on the road against Florida International.

Charlotte (2-7, 0-6 C-USA) needs to take advantage of a struggling Roadrunners squad that has won just one game this season. The 49ers close with two tough opponents away from home against the Kentucky Wildcats and Rice Owls.

UTSA (1-8, 1-4 C-USA) will have to rebound quickly from a heartbreaking five-point loss on their home turf against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Roadrunners have lost four consecutive games, although three of those losses have come by a touchdown or less.

The Niners finally found a rhythm last weekend with their passing attack that ranks dead last in the 14-team conference. Lee McNeill, Matt Johnson and Brooks Barden

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Austin Duke is coming off of his best game of the season agasint FIU last Saturday.

Photo by Ben Robson

all saw their share of snaps under center against FIU and combined for over 250 yards and three touchdown passes.

McNeill’s first quarter scoring toss marked his first touchdown of the season and Charlotte’s first passing touchdown as a team since Sept. 12.

McNeill’s accomplishment earned him a spot on the bench for the entirety of the second half as Barden

took the reigns and performed admirably after a gut-wrenching pick-six in the third quarter. The redshirt freshman showcased talent with his arm and legs, throwing a 15-yard touchdown while adding another on a five-yard scramble as the closing seconds ticked off the clock.

Head coach Brad Lambert wouldn’t commit to a starting

GOLDRUSH · A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION

quarterback for Saturday’s showdown with the Roadrunners when asked at the post-game press conference.

Charlotte’s human-highlight reel Austin Duke exploded for the first time since the Presbyterian game, snagging three touchdown receptions from each of the three quarterbacks.

“We’re trying to be real intentional about getting number 10 the ball,” said Lambert.

“We did it again this week and Austin looks back to healty. Those were big plays for us.”

Duke posted his ninth career 100-yard performance and looks to be completely healthy for the final three weeks after battling a nagging back injury for the majority of the season.

“You just have to trust the system and the game plan,” said Duke after his best performance of 2015 this past week.

“That’s what this season has been all about. We’ve hits some hiccups this season, but if we keep doing what we’ve been doing things will click.”

The 49ers will run out of the tunnel at Jerry Richardson Stadium for the final time this season against UTSA on Saturday. Photo by Ben Robson

Duke will be licking his chops come Saturday after UTSA allowed a pair of Old Dominion receivers to post monster games last weekend.

Jonathan Duhart and Zach Pascal went off for 146 and 160 yards respectively as quarterback David Washington aired it out for nearly 400 yards and two touchdowns.

The Roadrunners’ secondary has been exposed over the last month, allowing over 340 passing yards in three of their past four outings.

Expect both defensive lines to wreak havoc in the backfield as Charlotte and UTSA have allowed the most sacks in Conference USA this season. The Niners were shellshocked against FIU as the Panthers finished with seven sacks and 14 tackles behind the line of

scrimmage.

Larry Ogunjobi and Zach Duncan have been a force along the Charlotte front line this season.

Ogunjobi leads the team with nine tackles for loss, while Duncan has made a name for himself as a redshirt freshman with a team-high three sacks.

The Niners and Roadrunners will both rely heavily on the ground attack in hopes of counteracting the opposing pass rush.

Kalif Phillips has been bottled up effectively in each of Charlotte’s last two games as Marshall and FIU chose to stack the box against the 49ers’ putrid passing game.

Phillips has been the lone bright spot on a struggling Niners offense this season as the junior needs

only 49 more yards to eclipse 1,000 for the second consecutive season.

Philips’ 951 rushing yards rank second in the league while he’s also tied for fifth with five touchdowns.

Charlotte has yet to put together a complete performance in all three phases of the game and an abundance of special teams blunders this season have cost the 49ers in a few close contests. The Niners had a punt blocked last week and failed to possess a kickoff as both miscues resulted in touchdowns for the opposition.

“At some point we have to eliminate those mistakes that really cost us at the end of the game. If we can eliminate those we can give ourselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter,” said Lambert.

CHARLOTTE VS. UTSA · NOV. 14, 2015

“We can’t give up big plays when our defense isn’t even on the field,” added linebacker Caleb ClaytonMolby.

“We’re going to come out Monday and work like we always do. Nothing changes. We’re going to focus real hard on special teams and not giving up big plays.”

Charlotte will honor a handful of seniors before the game Saturday as they suit up in green and white for the final time in front of Niner Nation. Clayton-Molby and Branden Dozier, two of Charlotte’s defensive leaders with over 100 career tackles, are among the seniors graduating in 2015.

Kickoff against UTSA inside Jerry Richardson Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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GOLDRUSH 路 A NINER TIMES SPECIAL SECTION

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM CHARLOTTE’S WIN OVER SAINT LEO A few key additions and changes have the 49ers flying out of the gate TREVOR WILT STAFF WRITER

With the first game under their belt, the Charlotte women’s basketball team had plenty of positives to take out of their debut win over Saint Leo in Halton Arena Friday. Nov. 6. Without further ado, here’s our three takeaways from the 49ers’ first win of the season: SPANISH SENSATION After Friday night’s game concluded, the buzz in Halton Arena was on the Spanish sensation, Laia Raventós. Raventós is a 5’ 7” freshman guard from Barcelona who has brought her talents to the Queen City to assist the 49ers in making a trip back to the NCAA tournament. After an anxious first couple minutes, Raventós settled down and recorded 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals in her first collegiate game in the United States.

Charlotte 49ers head coach Cara Consuegra said, “Laia was who we thought she would be.

She’s tremendous in transition and very hard to guard in the open court. She did a great job communicating and running the offense.”

Not just that, Raventós generated some crowd excitement with some smooth crossovers at the top of the key to free herself and her teammates for easy baskets. Her strong drives into the lane had Niner Nation on their feet as she rose up to finish with her right hand before adjusting midair to lay the ball up with her left.

Lefty Webster said, “I like how she gets the ball down in transition and her first option is to look up and see who’s out.”

Raventós will be a key building block for the 49ers as they try to march their way into the big dance come March.

TEAM BASKETBALL Something else that was exhibited on the court Friday night was all the team basketball that was

Coach Consuegra calls a timeout early to settle down the Charlotte 49ers. Photo by Ben Robson

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being played by the 49ers.

Consuegra said, “They enjoy playing with each other. They complement each other.”

That was surely demonstrated throughout the Friday night exhibition game. The wealth was spread throughout the entire lineup with five players reaching the double digit mark. Out of those who scored in double digits, four of them were guards.

The Charlotte roster is guard heavy but they showed that they can work the ball down low to their forwards, who can then draw the double team and find their shooters, such as Gregory and Raventós, behind the arc. With the ability to knock down the three pointer so well and work the ball down in the paint, the Charlotte offense will be tough to control with all of their diverse weapons on the court.

NEW OFFENSIVE SCHEME Consuegra and the 49ers admistered a new offense Friday night, which worked like a charm, as the team tallied 84 points. Webster was one of the many beneficiaries in the team, playing freely and scoring the basketball.

“I thought it was fun to not really think about what plays to run but to just play basketball.”

The new offensive scheme allows for the players to keep the pace and tempo they’d like, instead of calling and setting up a play that might kill their momentum.

The 49ers started the game a little nervy with some early turnovers but after a timeout, Charlotte was back to playing fundamentally sound basketball and fixed a few early mistakes.

The 49ers showed off their defensive abilities causing 28 turnovers by the Lions, which led straight to offensive possessions and points.

Charlotte ended up registering 18 fast-break points in the second half, 16 more than Saint Leo’s 2 fast-break points.

The 49ers have seven days to fix some loose screws before next week’s home opener against Ball State, where they’ll look to have the same positive outcome as Friday night’s win over the Saint Leo Lions.

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‘Room’ is both everything and nothing and stands among the best films of the year HUNTER HEILMAN ASST. EDITOR

Last year, one of my first reviews written for this publication was of a charming little indie called “Frank,” directed by Lenny Abrahamson.

This was an eclectic comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson and Michael Fassbender ... Do you remember it now? The one where Fassbender wore a papier-mâché head for the entire film.

“Frank” put Abrahamson on the map for me as a potentially great comedic director, one that can find good messages in his humor. “Frank” brought up the idea of societal acceptance and turned it on its head, with some absolutely wonderful commentary on mental illness in modern society.

I found that Abrahamson could be the equivalent of a non-pretentious Wes Anderson if he really wanted to.

But then he had to go and make “Room.”

“Room” in every sense, ruined me. From start to finish, Abrahamson has crafted a film that is everything and nothing at the same time. “Room” is a culmination of so many different genres, horror, fantasy, adventure, drama, mystery,

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all in one. Yet, “Room” also was none of these things, existing in its own plane of existence, refusing to conform to any genre standard that Hollywood has placed upon the other films that surround “Room.” The premise is simple enough: A mother, Joy (Brie Larson), and her son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), are kept hostage by a captor, Old Nick (Sean Bridgers). Joy, having had Jack in captivity, decides to tell him that the world he lives in exists only inside the walls of the small shed they are kept in. Once the situation with Old Nick worsens, Joy decides that it’s time for her and Jack to attempt an escape. Once free, Joy must now explain to Jack the most basic part of humanity to her five year old, the world. “Room” is split into two parts. I like to call the first part “Room” and the second part “World,” both aspects just as wonderful and terrifying as the other.

Larson and Tremblay give the best performances of the year as Joy and Jack. Not “one of the best performances,” no, THE best performances of the year. Tremblay, being only NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

eight years old at the time of filming, has such a pure and unaware element to his performance that it almost seemed like Tremblay didn’t exist, only Jack. You hear that said a lot about many performances, to the point that it’s cliché, but the, literally childlike innocence and wonder to Tremblay gave way to this comparison. Larson, known for her previous roles in “21 Jump Street,” “Short Term 12” and “Trainwreck,” goes completely out of what we’ve come to expect from her as an up-and-coming young actress and transcends the boundaries of age and experience to truly captivate each scene she’s in. Larson and Tremblay have a cinematic bond that cannot be described by any fancy words I put in this review, it’s simply indescribable.

Abrahamson has outdone himself early on in his career with “Room.” The ability to mesh so many genres together until you’re left with a strange, beautiful hybrid is more than 99 percent of filmmakers can say they’ve ever come close to doing in their careers, let alone this early on.

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ROOM, cont.

Abrahamson plays with perspective so incredibly well in “Room,” that it’s shocking to see what we were accustomed to in the first half after being exposed to the second half of the film. The ability to transform characters and situations throughout a film is impressive enough, but to transform an entire aesthetic, one that actually is crucial to the entire film, is another thing.

“Room” is a film that, at a point, reduced me to tears, something that is not easy to do in a film. Sure, I cry when a film is well edited, even if it’s a bad film, but rarely does a film take me down simply from how moving the story is. (Only one film this year has done that, that film being “Inside Out.”) The screenplay for “Room” is sparse at times, leaving Larson and Tremblay to their own silent devices, pondering the world’s continuance without them. These scenes might not have spoken words, but the meaning is heard throughout. The film says just as much in its silent moments as it does in its scenes of dialogue.

Despite its seemingly simple story, “Room” is one of the most complex films in recent years. Each character, from Joy, to Jack, to Nancy (Joan Allen) or to Leo (Tom McCamus), has a different story, with different lessons to be learned from each character. These lessons are distinct,

vivid and moving, with some that are clearly painted for the audience to see and some for the audience to come up with on their own. Each viewing experience for “Room” will be different for each individual viewer in the lessons learned.

I don’t want to admit that there might be a film that surpasses “Mad Max: Fury Road” as my favorite of the year, but “Room” might be it, though I haven’t decided yet, the race is too close. Hierarchical differences aside, “Room” is completely flooring from start to finish, literally. “Room” will break your heart and rebuild it. “Room” will put you on the edge of your seat and push you back into it. “Room” will charm you and then rip the rug out from under you. “Room” makes you want to explore the world outside of your door, rather than typically wallow in our rooms in selfpity. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child who only heard about it as a myth, makes the meaning of the world we live in so much more special. Beyond the obvious parts about “Room” that make it great, from the two amazing performances from Larson and Tremblay, the wonderful direction from Abrahamson, etc. “Room” is a film that will ruin you and make you.

The balance of life is what makes “Room” so incredibly special.

ACROSS 1 Not at all flexible 6 Long and lean 10 Declare openly 14 Easily tipped boat 15 “__ further reflection ...”

16 Building toy with theme parks 17 Western crooner Gene 18 Sanctuary recess 19 Overly compliant 20 Compressed video file format 21 Close to defeat 23 The brown one is Louisiana’s state bird 25 Mae West’s “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted” is one 26 Sonoma Valley vessel 27 Start of an envelope address 32 “Cool duds!”

36 Covert org. in “Argo” 37 Dashing style 38 Granola grain 39 Citrus drink used by

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NASA 40 Obstinate critter 41 Use one’s influence 45 Where soldiers go?

47 Swat 48 Manning of the Giants 49 “Storage Wars” sales event 53 Membranes that vibrate 58 Napoleon’s exile isle 59 Biz bigwig 60 Mishmash 61 French-__ potatoes 62 No-frills shelter 63 Speak abrasively 64 Apartment rental agreement 65 Former trans-Atl. fliers 66 Kremlin rejection 67 Milk dispenser DOWN 1 Mischief-maker 2 Brownish gray 3 Info from a spy drone 4 Pardoned

5 “Saturday Night Live” alumna Tina 6 Blonde comic strip teenager 7 Date bk. entry 8 Quick bite 9 Skateboarder’s protective gear 10 Energy bar nut 11 Show for which Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won four consecutive acting Emmys 12 S-shaped molding 13 Bowl-shaped pans 21 Sworn statement 22 Makes tracks 24 Jazz aficionado 27 Breakfast and dinner 28 “Darn it!”

29 Shoe brand Thom __ 30 Line around a tub 31 Droops 32 “Hud” Oscar winner Patricia 33 “Casablanca” heroine 34 Play list 35 Play part 39 Giggled nervously 41 Medicinal dose 42 Mythical horse with a horn 43 In the manner indicated 44 Rocker Ocasek 46 Punches back, say 49 Bring home from the shelter 50 Homeric epic 51 Like Santa Claus 52 “Unsafe at Any Speed” author Ralph 53 November parade participants 54 Clumsy oafs 55 Lincoln’s coin 56 Big name in skin care 57 Get to one’s feet 61 Winter illness

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The truth about stress and mental health in college Your mental health is an important part of life, and you are not alone HAILEY TURPIN STAFF WRITER

In 2013, anxiety and depression were surveyed as the top mental illnesses on college campuses, according to the American Psychological Association. Out of students surveyed, 41.6 percent showed signs of severe anxiety, and 36.4 percent showed symptoms of depression.

Psychologists see numbers growing in cases of reported mental health issues, and still continue to do work to understand the cause, but the answer might be simpler than it is actually perceived to be.

Adulthood is something that many of us have high expectations for. When we are young, we hear about the independence we have as adults.

No more living under our parents’ roof and making up our own rules.

It sounds awesome to an adolescent who just wants to grow up, but the reality is student loans, tuition and high expectations put on us by society start to pile up. We are expected to live an adult life when we graduate from high school, when there we had to raise our hand to go to the restroom.

It adds up. All of the paperwork, the loans or money and the demand for new workers with exceptional talents weigh more than a dreaming adolescent can bear. We feel so overwhelmed at the idea of college that we want to spend all day in bed and shut out the world. Five assignments, two papers and that one exam that could make or break your academic experience. We spend all day in class, and have four to five hours of homework, and must retain a social life, work with organizations and maintain wonderful physical health. No wonder students may feel like they are alone and can’t get help.

With all the activities going on in a person’s life, it gets hard to balance everything on one plate. The biggest step to helping put everything in perspective in your life is self-acceptance.

Once you realize that you are good enough and smart enough, all of your problems that look

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Photo by Hailey Turpin

like mountains will not be as big anymore. Tell yourself that you are able to do whatever you want to do, and nothing will be impossible.

Understand the purpose for writing those papers and doing those assignments is to help you become better. The goal is not perfection, it is using every part of you to the best of your ability.

So, if you are struggling right now with too much on your plate and not a lot of time, take a breath. Step away from the work for a little while and ask yourself what you want to do to make yourself the best you can be.

Figure out your goals and where you want to be, and do everything possible to get there.

Clear your mind of bad thoughts and make a list of all of the things you can do. You are able to NOV. 10 - NOV. 16, 2015

do whatever you set your mind to, and you can make the most of your full schedule.

Just remember you are not alone. If you feel like you are, talk to a friend about everything on your mind. We don’t know what is going on in other people’s lives, and talking about how you feel no matter how hard it is makes you realize that everyone is in the same boat as you.

We all can feel like we are sinking, and knowing that other people are struggling just as much as you are will make the waves around you seem not as big. It’s okay to not be okay. The struggles we face are just a part of life.

If you feel like you need additional help, contact the University Counseling Center at 704-6870311 or by email at counselingcenter@uncc.edu.

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BEAUTY PRODUCT REVIEW:

Too Faced Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer Fall is the season of the beauty hangover, but with this product, you can finally say goodbye to those stressful bags under your eyes ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

Ladies, I sorrowfully announce the beginning of the beauty hangover season. The end of the semester is quickly approaching and what I am now calling the “BH Plague” has begun its course of tan destruction and under eye bag hoarding.

A long night in Atkins studying your life away with nothing but a cup of coffee and your fleeting sanity is more than enough stress to cause the dreaded beauty hangover.

Once you emerge back into the daylight, you look sleep deprived.

All the caffeine you ingested has dehydrated your skin, and any hint of color has been completely drained from your face. Halloween is way behind us, yet you’ve begun to consider changing your name to Corpse Bride.

These are just a few of the symptoms of the BH Plague, but this season a cure has been found. You can now wave goodbye to the Corpse Bride and say hello to being as radiant as Rapunzel from “Tangled.”

I present to you Too Faced’s newest product, Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer. The heavens have spoken, and we have been bestowed

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the gift of a light yet powerful beauty weapon. Infused with coconut water, probiotics and skin reviving electrolytes, you will now look as if you have had a full night’s sleep all along, rather than a half hour, openeyed nap.

Calling out to all my vegans and chemical-conscious ladies— Hangover RX is paraben free, sulfate free, vegan-friendly, phthalate free, silicone free and cruelty free.

Hangover RX can be worn alone as a nighttime moisturizer and a daytime prep/primer for your daily beauty routine. It goes great under foundation and prepares the skin for the day. Skin will now look healthier, radiant and those pores will be almost nonexistent.

It’s smooth, long lasting and light, unlike other primers that tend to feel thick and perhaps chalky or powdery. Its non-sticky formula helps your skin regain its natural, healthy tone that may have been drained right out after spending several hours with your head in a textbook.

It doesn’t cause breakouts, absorbs quickly and has a pleasant coconut

Photo by Angie Baquedano

scent that quickly dissipates for those who are sensitive to aromas.

For $32 it can be easily found at stores such as Ulta and Sephora. I know what you’re thinking: $32 for a primer? It’s worth it.

You get 1.35 ounces of this skinsaving elixir in a tube with a pump so you can use it until the very last

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drop.

Use it at night to wake up to healthy moisturized skin in the morning, use it again before your foundation or wear it alone with full confidence that you will always look great even if you don’t feel it.

Goodbye beauty hangover, you have been eradicated.

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Humans of UNC Charlotte SYDNEY STEPHENS ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“I just started here. I’ve been here for two months. Never be afraid to move. You’re never too old, and I guess that would be my advice for anyone.

I got my English degree and now I’m working for the university’s writing program.

I like to come here and read on this little bench. At my university, there were only 10,000 students and a little fountain. There wasn’t a place like this. I really like it here at Charlotte.”

Jacki-Lynn Baynks

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