Niner Times: December 8, 2015

REFLECTING ON OVER 40 YEARS OF HISTORY AT THE BELK TOWER AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE OF BELK PLAZA PG. 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: WHAT WOULD THE MEN’S BASKETBALL STARTING FIVE LOOK LIKE IF YOU PICKED THE ALL-TIME BEST PLAYERS? PG. 8

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OP-ED: ESPECIALLY IN 2016, ALL POLITICS AFFECT US ON A LOCAL LEVEL

WHAT MOVIES SHOULD YOU BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WINTER?

PG. 9

PG. 11

DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

VOL. 28, ISSUE 13

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Contents

News

Jordan Snyder editor@ninertimes.com

Nick Cropper news@ninertimes.com

Matt Chapman sports@ninertimes.com

community@ninertimes.com

Jared Allen

sports@ninertimes.com

John Lineberger

Casey Aldridge

Ben Robson

opinion@ninertimes.com

photo@ninertimes.com

Diane Gromelski

Andrew Hocutt

ae@ninertimes.com

copy@ninertimes.com

Nick Clemens video@ninertimes.com

Belk Tower farewell

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Red Cross scholarship

5

SAE/Scarykind partnership

Sports

Alyssa Fronk

Leanna Pough

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6

Kenya Olley feature

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Men’s basketball top players

Opinion 9

lifestyle@ninertimes.com

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Culture of fear

A&E

layout@ninertimes.com

Salina Dickie, Hunter Heilman, Sydney Stephens, Andrew James

ADDITIONAL STAFF

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Top 5 winter movies

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Winter album releases

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Winter release calendar

Lifestyle

Andy Gustafson, Chris Crews, Pooja Papsupula, Indira Eskieva, Sean Grier, Stephanie Trefzger, Hailey Turpin, Angie Baquedano

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Long distance relationships

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Humans of UNC Charlotte

16 Matt Lorenz

All politics are local

Surviving fall finals

Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF

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

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

MEGAN VAN EMMERIK

www.ninertimes.com/app 2

Cover and contents photos by Chris Crews and Pooja Papsupula

DEC. 8 - JANUARY. 11, 2015

NINERTIMES

LOOKING BACK AT THE HISTORY OF BELK TOWER, PLANS FOR THE FUTURE NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

The Belk Tower surrounded by chain-link fences. Photo by Chris Crews

For 45 years, the Belk Tower has dutifully served as a hub of student activity on campus.

The tower is an integral part of UNC Charlotte’s culture and history.

The Belk Tower is almost as iconic as the UNC Charlotte logo itself.

Odds are that every student on campus has had some interaction with the Belk Tower.

Any student walking to class around noon has heard the UNC Charlotte fight song played from the tower, along with the bells that chime at the top of every hour.

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While the tower is too old to play the original bell that it was built with, it now uses an electronic Carillon to mimic the sound.

The 142-foot-tall tower reigns as a popular gathering place for students to relax, study, meet with friends, eat lunch or simply lay out and get a tan in between classes. Many student activities and events incorporate the Belk Tower in one way or another.

The Belk Tower is named after William Henry Belk, founder of Belk Department Store. The Belk family has been a huge supporter of UNC

Charlotte, making several donations to UNC Charlotte over the decades, including the new Aperture Statue located next to Hechenbleikner Lake and the bronze football statues located outside Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Aside from being the most notable structure on campus, the area also functions as the free speech zone. Since its creation, the Belk Tower has been at the helm of students and community led vigils, protests and charity events.

Earlier in the year, during the 2015 spring semester, students held a vigil for an injured student.

Hundreds of students gathered around Belk Tower as fraternity brothers raised awareness for the student’s condition and held fundraisers to help pay for his medical bills.

Roughly every year, the Belk Tower Plaza features destroyed cars depicting the possible consequences of drinking and driving. These cars act as a message to students about being responsible when drinking.

Last year, students gathered at the Belk Tower and marched to the Student Union during the Ferguson protests to raise awareness of police

DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

brutality in Ferguson, Mo. Several student organizations united that day to make the march possible.

In 2012, flash mobs broke out around the Belk Tower. Hundreds of students rushed Belk Tower, bringing awareness to the oppression in Syria.

Looking back 40 years ago, the Belk Tower was the location of UNC Charlotte’s first International Festival.

The first International Festival was a small event that featured different boards containing information on other countries and nationalities.

In October, the International Festival Fun Days, events held to build excitement for the 40th International Festival, hosted their final Fun Day at the tower. It featured original boards from the 1975 IFest and international cuisine.

In the wake of the tower’s inevitable demolition, little information concerning the future of the free speech zone has been shared with the UNC Charlotte community.

“The ‘designated’ free speech zone will be determined from campus input provided in the public sessions and may be incorporated in the design of Belk Plaza,” said Associate Director for Media Relations Buffie Stephens. “The entire campus is subject to the exercise of free speech.”

Many students and alumni were outraged when they heard the news. Earlier in the semester UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois released a statement explaining Cont. on page 4

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Red Cross scholarship opportunities Students who host blood drives this winter have chance to receive $2,500 INDIRA ESKIEVA STAFF WRITER

The Red Cross of America is giving students the chance to earn up to $2,500 in scholarship money by hosting a blood drive between Dec. 15, 2015 and Jan. 15, 2016.

The opportunity is open to community-minded high school and college students.

While the idea of hosting a blood drive around this time of year might seem like a large undertaking for most students, the Red Cross organization has representatives that help students organize and prepare for the event.

The scholarship funds are distributed based on a drawing. It is important to note that hosting a blood drive does not mean that students are automatically guaranteed to receive scholarship money.

Instead, students will be placed in a drawing that is divided into three different categories.

In order for students to be eligible for the drawing, they must have collected at least 25 pints of blood at their blood drive within the given time frame of the competition.

Students who collect 25 to 59 pints are eligible to win $1,000, which will be drawn four times.

Students who collect 60 to 99 pints of blood are entered into the drawing for $1,500, which will be drawn only once.

Lastly, students who collect over 100 pints of blood are eligible for the $2,500 drawing grand prize, which will also only be drawn once.

However, all participants who have earned over 25 pints of blood will receive gift cards ranging in amounts from $50 to $200 for their efforts.

For students who are interested in hosting a blood drive, the process is jumpstarted when they go on the American Red Cross website and fill

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out the form for the Leaders Save Lives Scholarship Program.

Afterwards, they will be contacted by an American Red Cross account manager, who will help the students organize the event.

Krystal Overmyer, the external communications manager at the American Red Cross, encourages students to look at this as not only an opportunity to earn money for their education, but also as a way to give back to their community.

“Blood cannot be manufactured — it can only come from volunteer donors. The Red Cross relies on people in the community to host blood drives to help make sure patients have blood wherever and whenever it is needed,” said Overmyer.

For the American Red Cross, these blood drives are especially important during the summer and winter months.

In the past, high school and college students have accounted for 20 percent of all blood drive donations.

“We had a similar scholarship program during the summer months. Donations tend to decline in the summer and winter for many reasons, including holiday travel.

By hosting a blood drive this winter through the Leaders Save Lives program, students can help save lives while also getting the chance to win a scholarship and earn a gift card,” said Overmyer.

Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients and individuals going through treatment for cancer are just some of the people who may need blood.

The blood that is collected during these high school and college hosted blood drives will go directly to someone in need of it.

Tribune News Service

BELK TOWER, cont. that, due to structural issues and a potential safety hazard, the Belk Tower would be dismantled over the winter break.

When students return from their break, the Belk Tower will be gone and construction for the new Belk Plaza underway.

Two months ago, in response to Dubois’s statement, students created petitions which garnered more than 800 signatures from students and alumni, urging the university to reconsider its current course of action. The petition supports the idea that, despite the $1 million cost, the Belk Tower should be remodeled or rebuilt, not just torn down.

A passage taken from the petition’s website states that “[The Belk Tower] holds a lot of historical meaning for UNCC students, it’s literally the center of attention and serves as a place of comfort, protest and vigils for Charlotte students, staff, alumni.”

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A group of students even threatened to chain themselves to Belk Tower to protest its removal.

However, there has been no follow up to those threats.

Since the announcement, Dubois selected a team of 14 designers who will colaborate on the new look for the Belk Plaza. Each of these designers holds some tie to the university as either a current faculty, student or an alumni.

A few of the selectees include UNC Charlotte’s Landscape Architect Peter Franz, Student Body President Mitch Daratony, Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Jeff Gillman, Associate Vice Chancellor for Business Services Keith Wassum and Karen Reavis, an alumna from the class of 1979.

Franz currently heads the Belk Plaza Design Committee. The committee will also work directly with Charlotte architectural firm LandDesign to remodel the plaza.

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UNC Charlotte Formula SAE team partners with Scarykind NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

The UNC Charlotte Formula performing in the marketing and Society of Automotive Engineers business plan aspect ... To enhance (SAE) team has partnered with our performance, we decided as a Scarykind to build the marketing team to find a way to bring more efforts for the team. eyes to our program through video UNC Charlotte’s Forumula SAE productions,” said Formula SAE PR team is an entirely student run race Manager Camille Jones. team that also designs and builds Scarykind will produce two videos their vehicles. for the SAE team. The first video is a Scarykind is a multimedia teaser of what the team is currently production company that specializes working on. The second video will go in photography, cinematography and much more in depth on the design graphic design. process and car performance.

“Scarykind The second is an artistic video will also marketing brand feature footage that creates a of the Kulwicki platform for Motorsports Lab young creatives, and Motorsports brands and Research various other Building where companies to get the team works themselves out on campus. there through Scarykind is our video and also producing photography a business production,” said commercial for Scarykind CEO the marketing Mark Borja. aspect of the Borja is competition. a current “So together, student at UNC we want to Charlotte. He show that UNC has been with Charlotte has Scarykind since something to say it first began in the Formula SCARYKIND CEO operations his industry; 2016 MARK BORJA freshman year, is going to be a two years ago. big year for the Borja will work team as well as with Scarykind Scarykind with CFO Matt Trask as lead producers all the huge projects we are working in creating content for the SAE on,” said Borja. team.

The partnership is set for the Trask is also a current student at 2015-2016 Formula SAE season and UNC Charlotte. will end at the SAE competition in The goal of the partnership is to May 2016. increase marketing for the annual “If the partnership is successful Formula SAE competition that UNC for both the UNC Charlotte Formula Charlotte’s team competes in along SAE team and Scarykind, we will with 120 other teams. most definitely look to continue “As a team, we have not performed working with them in the future,” where we feel we are capable of said Jones.

“SO TOGETHER, WE WANT TO SHOW THAT UNC CHARLOTTE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY IN THE FORMULA INDUSTRY.”

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DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

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THE KENYA OLLEY EFFECT With each blocked shot, Kenya Olley is proving why she’s one of the best rim protectors in the country

JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR

Seven games into the season, the Charlotte 49ers sit comfortably near the top of the Conference-USA, holding a 5-2 record. Many factors have contributed to Charlotte’s early season success thus-far, but one aspect in particular is junior Kenya Olley. The 6-foot-3-inch forward is a defensive presence to say the least as she continues to prove why she’s one of the best rim protectors in the country.

The junior forward grew up and graduated from Dorman High School in Spartanburg, S.C. Basketball and blocking shots in particular came naturally to Olley. Throughout her high school varsity basketball career, she averaged more than three blocks per game despite only playing in 10 games her senior year due to injury.

“My dad taught me how to block them [shots] when I was younger. He told me he wanted me to become a

shot blocker so he showed me how to block shots,” Olley said.

After Olley’s freshman season in which she played in 16 games, she earned a consistent amount of playing time in her sophomore year, last season. Olley appeared in all 32 games and tallied 40 blocks, a personal career-best. It was obvious that Olley possessed potential but in order to make the most of her unteachable skill-set, she would have to work.

“Kenya made the decision this summer to change her work ethic,” 49ers head coach Cara Consuegra said. “Her first two years being an underclassman still trying to figure it out, she would come in to get through practice. This summer she made a decision to practice to get better. And her game grew tremendously because of it and she’s continued to have that mentality

Kenya Olley on the court versus NC Central. Photo by Benjamin Robson

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here throughout the season.”

The 49ers extended their win streak to three games defeating NC Central, Dec. 2. As presumed, Olley made her presence known impacting the game in a various amount of ways, the least startling of which was her defensive prowess.

Charlotte outscored the Lady Eagles by 29 points when she was on the court, proof of her defensive performance. Olley continues to exemplify consistency defending on the low post. NC Central relished little to no joy in the paint while Olley was on the floor.

Olley began to irritate the Lady Eagles’ offense from the get-go but tallied her first blocked shot just over four minutes into the second quarter. Rodneysha Martin started a fast break for the Lady Eagles, drove the lane eyeing an open layup, but Olley met her at the rim. The 49er forward denied Martin restarting the Charlotte offense as Mintrell McKoy hauled in the rebound.

Much of the second half was the same story as Olley rejected NC Central on three occasions in the third quarter alone. She was a stalwart in the paint and is the perfect insurance policy. Her defensive presence is assuring to teammates. Perimeter defenders can increase their on-ball pressure knowing that Olley is providing protection inside the arc. Any opposing undersized guard that penetrates Charlotte’s defense is challenged by Olley on each scoring attempt. Against NC Central, three of Olley’s blocks were on the Lady Eagle’s guards.

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In addition to keeping the opponent from scoring, each battle Olley wins in the paint is a confidence-deflator for the opposition. This affects the game in more ways than one especially if opposing players become hesitant to drive the lane when Olley is on the court.

“What we teach in our defense is that when we get beat baseline in particular we want to level off the drive, but if we can’t, Kenya always knows she’s allowed to rotate over and block the shot,” Consuegra said.

“I think the kids know that and that gives them a lot more confidence when defending good perimeter players.”

Olley’s continued defensive success on the low block has her ranked nationally as she currently sits fifth in the NCAA averaging 3.43 blocks per game. In the C-USA, Olley ranks first by a wide margin.

She’s tallied 24 blocks on the season, twice as much as the next player.

As impressive as these statistics are, Olley’s uncanny ability to stay out of foul trouble while contesting so many shots is remarkable. Thusfar, Olley averages just 2.5 fouls per game which contributes to her stellar 1.33 blocks per foul average, a number on par with NBA veterans Pau Gasol and Anthony Davis.

“I go up straight and usually block shots with one hand,” Olley said. “I just let them drive by and I can read by their body to see if they’re about to go up for the shot.”

As if proving to be a remarkable defensive anchor isn’t enough, Olley is improving her offensive

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production game-by-game. Against NC Central, Olley logged 12 points while shooting 60 percent from the field. This point tally marked the second best scoring output she’s enjoyed in her 49er career.

At the same time, her 12 points against the Lady Eagles was her second doubledigit scoring game and first game in which she led Charlotte in scoring.

“I think for her, she has a great touch,” Consuegra said. “She’s always had a great touch around the rim and from 15 feet. The biggest thing we work on with her is getting her to get squared all the way on her shot especially when she’s in the paint.

Once she commits to getting all the way squared, using a double pivot, she has the capability of becoming a really good scorer.”

Olley’s offensive game is versatile.

While she enjoys playing under the basket scoring with her left hand, the Spartanburg, S.C. native has shown off her shooting range on

numerous occasions. The junior forward hasn’t hesitated to pull up from 15 feet away from the basket.

Nearly a third of the way through the season, that midrange jumper has served Olley well as she’s currently shooting 53 percent from the floor.

“She [Consuegra] wants me to score more, I know I don’t really score a lot,” Olley said.

“I look to block shots. I would rather be on defense than offense but I have to learn to play offense too. She told me she wants me to score more, I have to step up to it.”

As Olley’s offensive production continues to improve game-by-game, Charlotte’s offense as a whole will raise. As a team, Charlotte currently averages 77 points per game on average, second best in the C-USA. Olley is a tough player to guard simply based on height but add a smooth mid-range jump shot and fluid post moves to the package and she quickly becomes a nightmare for opposing coaches.

“SHE’S ALWAYS HAD A GREAT TOUCH AROUND THE RIM AND FROM 15 FEET.” HEAD COACH CARA CONSUEGRA

Kenya Olley shows off her 15-foot jump shot. Photo by Chris Crews

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DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

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Charlotte 49ers all-time starting five A look at five of the top players in 49ers’ hoops history ANDY GUSTAFSON STAFF WRITER

For those that don’t know, Charlotte basketball has a rich history. Charlotte danced their way into the NCAA Tournament 11 times, including a Final Four appearance in 1977. Charlotte swept the regular season and conference tournament and pulled an upset against Michigan to advance to the only Final Four in school history.

Perhaps the golden years for Charlotte basketball were during the ‘90s. The 49ers appeared in March Madness five times and had a combined record of 166104 during the decade.

Choosing the all-time five for Charlotte is not an easy task. Eight players have their numbers retired, hanging in the rafters of Halton Arena.

Pierriá Henry (2011-2015)

Who better to run the show than the all-time leader in assists and steals in school history? Pierriá Henry was an oversized point guard that caused chaos during his four years at Charlotte. Henry made the all-conference defensive team three times during his career and never finished below second in steals for the conference during his four years.

Also, it’s worth noting that Henry could create buckets as well. As previously noted, Henry is the all-time leader in assists at Charlotte, totaling 566 career assists. Henry averaged five assists a game his final two years. Henry finished 18th in school history in points, finishing with 1,238 career points. During his final three years, Henry averaged 11 points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals a game, while starting every game for Charlotte.

After playing for the Houston Rockets summer league team, Henry signed a professional contract to play professionally in Georgia. It may be sooner, rather than later, that Henry’s number 15 hangs in the rafters of Halton Arena.

Henry Williams (1988-1992)

Henry Williams was a lights-out shooter. Williams connected on 308 career three-pointers, which ultimately led him to become the all-time leading scorer at Charlotte with 2,383 career points. Williams finished his career with 65 games with at least 20 points, marking a school record.

During his freshman season, Williams was named the Sun Belt conference freshman of the year and made the second-team AP freshman All-American team. Williams finished his career as a four-time all-conference selection. During his senior year, Williams led the 49ers to a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

After Charlotte, Williams was drafted in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. Yet, Williams found success overseas in Italy, winning six Italian League championships and an Italian League MVP in 1996.

Williams averaged 20 points in his professional career.

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Cedric Maxwell (1973-1977)

Cedric Maxwell was the face of the Charlotte basketball program during their lone Final Four run.

Maxwell holds the school record for rebounds in a career with 1,117 total. Maxwell is sixth all-time in points for Charlotte. Before Maxwell, Charlotte never won more than 15 games in a season. During his four years, Charlotte won at least 22 games.

Maxwell averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds a game his final two years at Charlotte. Maxwell would win the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year his senior season.

After Charlotte’s magical Final Four run, Maxwell was drafted 12th overall by the Boston Celtics. Maxwell went on to have a successful NBA career, playing eleven seasons and winning NBA Finals MVP in 1981. Maxwell was a key piece in the Celtics dynasty of the early ‘80s.

Maxwell won another championship with the Celtics in 1984. Maxwell would finish with over 10,000 points and 5,000 rebounds in his career.

DeMarco Johnson (1994-1998)

DeMarco Johnson was a star during Charlotte’s golden years. In his four yeas, Charlotte made the NCAA tournament three times and had the best record in Conference USA twice. Johnson is fourth all-time in points and rebounds for Charlotte. The combination of Maxwell and Johnson would be a formidable scoring and rebounding frontcourt.

Johnson would earn all-freshman honors in the Metro Conference. Then, during his sophomore year, Johnson would go on to wreak havoc. Johnson would earn secondteam C-USA honors his sophomore season and firstteam C-USA honors his final two years at Charlotte.

Johnson would also win C-USA Player of the Year his senior season.

Johnson would be drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round. But, similar to Williams, Johnson would find professional success overseas. Johnson played a decade in multiple countries and leagues. After his playing career, Johnson became an assistant coach at Hampton University.

Jarvis Lang (1990-1991, 1992-1995)

Defense wins championships, right? That’s exactly what Jarvis Lang brought to Charlotte. Lang finished fourth all-time in blocks and ninth in steals for Charlotte. Lang is also fifth all-time in points and second in rebounds in Charlotte history.

After a sensational freshmen year that saw Lang lead all freshman in scoring (19.6) and rebounding (10.6), Lang would sit out his sophomore season with an injury.

Lang would return with a vengeance, though. Junior year, Lang averaged another double-double and was named to the all-Metro conference first team. During his senior season, Lang would average 16 points and nine rebounds to win the Metro Conference player of the year.

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ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL,

ESPECIALLY IN 2016 SEAN GRIER STAFF WRITER

Democrats need to understand something very important: No matter your politics, your conservative, liberal or progressive ideals, you are your own worst enemy. Already our party is blessed with a double-edged sword. Our make up as a heterogeneous party provides sound benefits to a party that could not exist with only middle class white families, but it also provides blatant challenges in terms of priorities, movements and fundraising. It is also important that Democrats understand the processes by which our government forms, functions and in some cases how we lose the ability to affect change in the formation process.

It does not matter if you support Secretary Hillary Clinton, Senator Bernie Sanders or Governor Martin O’Malley; what matters is that after the dust settles on March 15 in North Carolina that we can unite successfully and quickly because we can all agree that no one in the Republican field is worthy of our vote or capable to lead our nation towards the values that most Americans desire. Secretary Clinton has a trust issue and has flip-flopped on a lot of issues since 2008, most recently she has also backed Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emmanuel who is accused of ignoring evidence of a horrific murder of a teenager by his police department.

Senator Sanders is positioned as a natural civil rights guy who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. What else did you do besides walk down a street, Senator? He was never met with water hoses or attack dogs ... Most recently Senator Sanders filed several relevant and

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Tribune News Service

progressive bills aligned specifically with his campaign and a fundraising email, yet, he has been a progressive for his whole career. Why did it take an election strategy to file common sense legislation?

Governor O’Malley knows that he is primed for a cabinet position, so he is waltzing around Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders as gracefully as a white man without rhythm can but he also has a problem; prosecutions for petty crimes went up under his governorship, minority populations within the state prisons also increased drastically under his leadership and yet he states unequivocally, “Black Lives Matter!”

Democrats must also realize that the presidential election, controlled mainly by the Electoral College, is not what we should be focusing on. Democrats need to look at the bigger picture. Mecklenburg

County Democratic Party (MCDP) Chairman, Matt Newton, is attempting to recruit talent in our outlying townships and cities and it has proven difficult to find uniquely qualified talent.

Vice-Chair of MCDP Lula Dualeh has stated multiple times, “We must stop looking at our jobs in silos, elected terms and election cycles and start looking at the bigger picture - a ten year plan will do it.”

While this young activist insists that young Democrats are primed and ready to truly effect change in the communities in which we live, she also believes, “Young people must be given the resources and tools to succeed and that definitely includes the wisdom and guidance of our senior Democrats.”

The talent is currently here in Mecklenburg, Wake and Buncombe. But what about in all 50 counties, how can we mobilize

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without young people becoming the “establishment”? Democrats must understand that the best thing we can hope for while imagining that our popular vote is more important than the Electoral College is that we are sending a message that elections have consequences including internal politics, hatred and the constant war that is Clinton vs.

Sanders.

The next president of the United States, assuming they will win a second term, could potentially nominate two Supreme Court justices, three federal election commissioners, three securities and exchange commissioners, 35 judgeships designated as judicial emergencies, five appointments to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, three of which will occur in 2019 and the list goes on.

Elections have consequences and we must remain vigilant in recognizing that the war does not need to continue internally, which is why I canvass and phone bank for Senator Sanders and I do the same for Secretary Clinton because no matter who wins that March 15 primary, there is something greater happening and that is the art of politics and within that art is knowing when and how to do better.

Democrats, let’s do better by working smarter, not harder.

Identify young people and train them: invite them to events, teach them effective ways to canvass and phone bank, bring them to your auxiliary meetings and do it together as a unified and intelligently diverse team. Together, we can complete a Democratic sweep, if we stop being our own worst enemy.

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LIVING IN A CULTURE OF FEAR CASEY ALDRIDGE OPINION EDITOR

Umpqua Community College.

The Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. Most recently, Savannah, Ga. and San Bernadino, Calif. The list gets longer all the time, and by certain metrics, there have been more mass shootings in the United States so far in 2015 than there have been days.

Last week there were reports even of an armed person on the campus of our sister school in Chapel Hill.

Chapel Hill, where earlier this year an Islamophobic hate crime resulted in the death of Deah, Yusor and Razan.

And even closer to home, last Friday every student here at UNC Charlotte, you and I and everyone else, received an email from campus police. That email invited students to “view our Active Shooter Safety videos and download the LiveSafe mobile safety app.”

I read the email, but I didn’t watch the video, and I didn’t download the app.

Not that I blame you if you did.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the culture of fear that we’ve created for ourselves. It’s all too easy to want to know how you might keep yourself safe in the event of public sprees of violence. There’s a part of me that keeps going back to that email and thinking that I’d be safer if I watched it.

But the reason I stop short every time is because I know that video and that app ultimately won’t protect me. Just like how, in all the years of the Transportation Security Administration, the agency has not reported once that it successfully foiled any terror attack. Just like how the War on Drugs has been countereffective in fighting drug use; just like building a wall won’t stop immigration; just like stop-and-frisk policies in New York don’t make the

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A woman mourns the victims of last week’s San Bernadino shooting. Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

streets any safer; just like carrying a handgun of your own won’t make you any safer if someone is planning and executing a massacre.

This isn’t a piece about gun control. I myself am not convinced that gun control can work, even if I firmly disagree with the inane notion that more guns means less murder. I think certain reforms could cut down on violence, while other measures of “gun control” would almost certainly be ineffective or impossible to implement.

Mostly I find myself wishing I lived in a world that had never known the invention of the gun or the bomb, a world that hadn’t been colonized by Europe and controlled tightly by patriarchs.

Because the more my mind dwells on American violence these

days - whether perpetrated by right-wing fundamentalist white men or police officers - the more I come to the conclusion that it’s all a product of capitalism, racism, heterosexism, patriarchy, xenophobia. These systems, which rely on the subjugation of one class over another, are what drove Dylann Roof and Robert Dear and Elliot Rodger in their crusades of white supremacist and misogynistic violence. Because violence is the assertion of power, it is employed by the priviliged to maintain privilege, or by the marginalized to obtain privileges denied.

I understand if you’re afraid, but you never were under threat of a “lone wolf” monster. There never was a lone wolf, and the lone wolf is a myth. The lone wolf myth tries to

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convince us that violence comes out of nowhere, and for no reason at all.

Or, that if it did come from someone who is nominally “Muslim,” that it is the result of nothing more than “bad theology.” Nothing could be further from the truth, and the lone wolf myth perpetuates the idea we need to be constantly vigilant, constantly on edge, constantly profiling, constantly distrusting, constantly ready to draw our own weapon to counter the lone wolf. Constant fear culture. The lone wolf myth obscures the reality of the social factors for violence, and so long as we’re afraid of the lone wolf, we’ll fail to challenge war and capitalism and racism and colonialism and patriarchy, and continually find ourselves caught in this vicious culture of fear.

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TOP 5 WINTER MOVIES HUNTER HEILMAN ASST A&E EDITOR

“STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS” - DEC. 18

“THE WITCH” - FEB. 26

What kind of a “movie critic” would I be if the first thing that came into my head when I thought of winter movie releases wasn’t “Star Wars”? It’s bigger than me at this point. Our return to a galaxy far, far away isn’t just the most anticipated movie of the year; it’s arguably one of the biggest of the century so far. I haven’t seen any hype quite like it and I don’t think I’m gonna see any hype for a movie like this again for a long, long time. Let’s just hope the movie measures up and doesn’t pull a complete “Phantom Menace” on us, I just don’t think our hearts could take it.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

“THE REVENANT” - JAN. 8

Photo courtesy of LucasFilm

“THE HATEFUL EIGHT” - JAN. 8

Tarantino’s eighth film hit some tumultuous times during production with the screenplay being leaked online before production even began, causing Tarantino to consider not making the film at all. Being the first film shot in UltraPanavision 70 since 1966, “The Hateful Eight” already has a unique look to it, boasting an impressively wide 2.76:1 aspect ratio, simply begging to be seen in the 70mm film format (Charlotte’s own Regal Stonecrest is being outfitted with for the Roadshow presentation of the film). “The Hateful Eight” also features a unique difference in the general digital release ad the 70mm Roadshow release.

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Leonardo DiCaprio ... when are you going to get that Oscar? Perhaps “The Revenant” might solve this two-decade old problem. “The Revenant” is the follow-up movie to last year’s Best Picture winner “Birdman” from Best Director winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which holds a lot of pressure up front. Having already seen an early screening of the film, I can imply that perhaps it’s a worthy follow up ... maybe it isn’t ... but it probably is. I can’t say that it’s the best work that DiCaprio has ever done. I also can’t say that it might be the most gorgeous film of the year, but maybe I might say these things when this beautifully grueling film is released.

Hands down, my most anticipated film on this list, Robert Eggers’ slow-burn, period horror piece has already garnered absolutely rave reviews from the Sundance Film Festival last January and various other festivals where it’s since been shown. It’s a bit confusing why distributor A24 waited so long to release the film after snagging the rights to the film at Sundance, but who cares? It’s coming and it looks insane. Nailing its marketing campaign, I don’t actually know that much about what “The Witch” is about, other than a Puritan family moving to the wilderness after being ousted from their community and being subjected to an evil in the woods, which I’m assuming is a witch. The acting, directing, classicstyle cinematography and Old-English dialogue already set “The Witch” apart from the pack of studio produced horror films off the bat, let alone when we actually get to see what the film brings to the table. How high can expectations really be set for an A24 released horror film? Not high enough, in my opinion.

“PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES” - FEB. 5

“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a retelling of Jane Austen’s classic romance tale “Pride and Prejudice,” with an undead twist.

The trailer for the film seems to inject both the story of “Pride and Prejudice” with the visceral nature of “The Walking Dead.” The PG-13 rating is a bit disheartening, but at worst, this film will still be fun. I have confidence that the adapted screenplay from Seth Grahame-Smith’s book will inject enough ingenuity in itself that it won’t even need the graphic violence to make it great.

DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

Photo courtesy of A24

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Notable album releases this winter STEPHANIE TREFZGER STAFF WRITER

GRIMES: “ART ANGELS” DEC. 11 Grimes went back to the drawing board for the album in Los Angeles, a better headspace than the Canadian climate in which she wrote the original album . With all of the drama following her 2012 album,“Visions,” “Art Angels” might be different from previous Grimes music: a splatter board of alternative rock, metal, hip-hop and dark synth-pop.

SIA: “THIS IS ACTING” JAN. 29 PANIC! AT THE DISCO: “DEATH OF A BACHELOR” JAN. 15 This will be the first album without drummer Spencer Smith, who left the band in April after struggling with alcohol and drug addictions. Like their 2005 baroqueemo breakout and debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” lead singer and sole member Brendon Urie said, “’Death of a Bachelor’ is in honor of those times I spent alone as a kid, allowing music to consume me.

Playing everything myself just to get the idea right and out of my head.

It’s a beginning to a new era. And an homage to how it all began.”

THE 1975: “I LIKE IT WHEN YOU SLEEP, FOR YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL YET SO UNAWARE OF IT” FEB 26

CAGE THE ELEPHANT: “TELL ME I’M PRETTY” DEC. 18 Cage the Elephant is perhaps best known for their 2008 breakout hit, “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked.” They have stayed pretty consistent over the years, releasing music to a loyal fanbase. Now, produced by Dan Auerbach, who has also produced for artists such as The Black Keys and Lana Del Rey, Cage the Elephant’s fourth album is reminiscent of artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s with a rock and roll swagger but combined with a modern aesthetic. Matt Shultz, Cage the Elephant’s lead singer and occasional guitarist said, “With this record, we wanted to be more transparent. We wanted to capture the sentiment of each song, and whatever emotional response it provoked, to be really honest to that,” leading us to believe that this is their most adventurous album to date.

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After 2014’s success, Sia is due to release another album.

In anticipation of the album, the Australian singer-songwriter performed her song, “Alive,” a song she had originally written for Adele, as part of her stint on Saturday Night Live. In fact, all of the songs on “This is Acting” are songs Sia wrote for other performers. “I’m calling it ‘This Is Acting’ because they are songs I was writing for other people, so I didn’t go in thinking, ‘This is something I would say’. It’s more like play-acting. It’s fun.” This may also account for the pop sound that rules this album.

The 1975’s first release since its 2013 debut eases the minds of fans after a cryptic scare, “So we must leave, with a parting ‘we love you’-we are already gone” tweet. Based on their single, “Love Me,” the album will be very funky. “Its creation signifies the end of the most inspiring and challenging time that we’ve ever shared as friends and as artists,” frontman Matthew Healy wrote. “This is the beginning of a new chapter for The 1975. Our new record signifies the start of a new world for us, a more colourful world a less colourful world.”

DEC. 8 - JANUARY. 11, 2015

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BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR TUESDAY, JAN. 5

The Shannara Chronicles (MTV, 10 p.m.)

SUNDAY, JAN. 10 The 73rd Golden Globe Awards (NBC, 8 p.m.)

TUESDAY, JAN. 12 Shadowhunters (Freeform, 9 p.m.)

SUNDAY, JAN. 17 Angie Tribeca (TBS, 9 p.m.)

THURSDAY, JAN. 21 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW, 8 p.m.)

FRIDAY, JAN. 22 Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS) SUNDAY, JAN. 24 The X-Files (Fox, 7 p.m.) – Special Time Slot MONDAY, JAN. 25 The X-Files (Fox, 8 p.m.) – Regular Time Slot SUNDAY, JAN. 31 Grease: Live (Fox) SUNDAY, FEB. 7 Super Bowl 50 (CBS, TBD) TUESDAY, FEB .16 Street Fighter V (PC, PS4) TUESDAY, FEB. 23 Far Cry Primal (PS4, Xbox One) MONDAY FEB. 15 58th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 Schitt’s Creek (Pop, 8 p.m.)

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DOWN 1 Reactions to puppies and kittens 2 Falls asleep from exhaustion, in slang 3 Pit crew worker 4 Scandal-plagued energy company 5 Like EEE shoes 6 Needing no Rx 7 Carrots and turnips 8 Bridal estate 9 Obsolescent streetcorner communication device 10 Tinted 11 Give the cold shoulder to 12 Take a break from 13 Valentine symbols 18 Not odd 22 One in a human pyramid 23 Mud bath site 24 Ordinary 28 “That’s just wrong” 30 Takes shape 32 Tavern orders ACROSS 33 Sign offering freebies 34 Round Table VIP: Abbr.

1 Supplier of fake tunnels to 36 Day ender on Wall Street 35 “Snowy” bird Wile E. Coyote ... and, literally, what each 37 Poisonous ornamental 5 Dictionary entry answer to a starred clue has 38 Contract ambiguity to 9 Attempt to scam using 39 Hyundai sedan exploit email 40 Increase dramatically 41 More than cool 14 Small songbird 43 Bearded spring blooms 42 VIP carpet color 15 “Am __ early?”

46 List shortener, for short 43 Dog collar attachments 16 Saul Bellow’s “The 48 Carry a balance 44 Malign Adventures of __ March” 49 Lion’s lair 45 Wearing opposite-sex 17 *One held above criticism 50 Set one’s sights on clothing 19 Gossip spreader 53 Caught with a lasso 47 Gator cousin 20 What push may come to 55 *Swanson frozen meal 51 Cat calls 21 *Magician’s secret exit 57 Closet pests 52 “Over the Rainbow” 23 1953 Alan Ladd Western 58 Made public composer Harold 24 Subject in which Freud is 59 *Traditional 54 Significant __ studied, briefly 62 Blinding driving hazard 56 “Able was __ ...”: 25 Boring routine 63 Dam in a stream palindrome start 26 Ballpoint, for one 64 Giggly Muppet 57 Dealership sticker fig.

27 Goose egg 65 “Night Moves” singer Bob 60 Day, in Spain 29 Popular thesaurus 66 Ginger cookie 61 “u r 2 funny!”

31 Most populous continent 67 Rod companion

DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

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WORTH THE DISTANCE Long distance relationships can be hard and strenuous, but they’re worth it HAILEY TURPIN STAFF WRITER

When you think of long distance relationships, most people usually put up a red flag and are against of the idea, especially in college. Why would you want to waste your time on someone you can’t even see all the time? Always keeping in touch via text and Skype and constantly worrying about if they will remain faithful or not is a crazy idea to uphold. On top of schoolwork, campus involvement and social time, having to text

someone who is miles away can be overwhelming.

But for those of us who choose to keep in touch with the loves of our lives, we make the time.

Long distance relationships are a different kind of love. We love our significant other to a point where we are able to live our lives independently.

Without always being physically around them, we learn to grow in our own lives, and always have that support system that’s just a Skype call away.

Photo by Hailey Turpin

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DEC. 8 - JANUARY. 11, 2015

Sure, it’s tough at times because we need that physical contact. But the pain always subsides when we finally rejoin our significant other.

Sometimes we take the people around us for granted, and you realize that without that person you are truly never the same.

The key to a healthy long distance relationship is honesty and communication. Having these two be the main priorities is important because if you can honestly communicate how you are feeling and what your thoughts are, then there’s no room for secrets to arise.

You can still enjoy your time talking with this person with no worries about losing them or your relationship. When you’re not in a long distance relationship, it’s easier to relay your feelings to a person. If you are completely committed to your relationship, the distance should not be a factor.

In my time in a long distance relationship, we have thankfully been able to grow as a couple and as individuals. We are not affected by the distance because we both know that we have to be our own people with our own lives and careers. We await the future we want together, and know that all our hard work at our universities will pay off one day.

We will finally get to be together in the end, and the sheer hope of the future is enough for us to continue on together. Also, every time we do get to be together, we appreciate the love and comfort of a familiar hand to hold and heart to listen to.

So, if you believe that your time, love and significant other is worth it, nothing should stand in your way. All of the texts, calls, Snapchats and Skype dates are worth it because they make it worth it. It’s a chance worth taking, and if you love someone enough, you will be graced with the patience, kindness and loving heart that is needed for your relationship. The distance is worth it, because love is a basic human feeling and should never be ignored.

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SYDNEY STEPHENS ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“My Organic Chemistry II class might be the hardest class ever. I might go crazy studying for that final. I’m a chemistry and criminal justice double major. I have an organizer, and I just put everything in there. You have to be really structured, otherwise you will drown with all of the stuff. After college, it’s either grad school or the military to pay off all of these loans.”

Chauncey “Chill” McNeill

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DEC. 8 - JANUARY 11, 2015

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Surviving fall finals ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

Queue the ominous music, gray clouds and hyperventilating. Finals start this week! Now before you roll into a slow panic as the days pass by, take a moment to sit down. Breathe in, then out and tell yourself it will be okay. No more ominous music, pretend the sun is out (if it’s not) and breathe like a normal person. With these next few tips finals week will be a breeze.

Here are the golden rules of surviving finals week:

SLEEP

I cannot stress this enough. If you do not get enough sleep, you’re not going to remember what you’re studying. What’s the point of studying if you’re going to be falling asleep through it and come exam day, not remember a single thing?

Naps are always good if you’re one of those “I’m always busy” people.

Photo by Angie Baquedano

EAT

If you don’t eat then you won’t be able to concentrate, but also don’t eat something unhealthy that will end up making you fall into the dreaded food coma. I recommend that you go to Jamba Juice. It’ll get you off campus for a bit, and everything is super healthy. Get the Acai Primo Bowl. I guarantee studying for that exam will seem a little more bearable with an acai bowl

ATTEND TUTORING SESSIONS

at your side.

TAKE BREAKS

DRINK

No, I am not talking about impairing beverages.

I’m talking about good old healthy H20. Stay hydrated. You would be surprised just how sickly you will begin to feel if you don’t get enough water. Headaches, nausea, everything that you don’t need during finals.

MAKE FLASHCARDS

I promise you they work. They aren’t expensive, and you are more likely to remember what you’re studying if it’s put into a flash card format. Now you have gone through your notes, analyzed it, transferred it to a notecard and you are now repeatedly studying those cards. It will help, and it’s worth a shot if you’ve never tried it before.

GROUP STUDY

Study with other people, have them quiz you and you quiz them back. It’s helpful when you go over topics with other people. Also, if you don’t understand something, ask a reliable person within the group to explain it.

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Make time and go to one, especially if you have a TA and they are going over topics from class. Nine times out of ten, that TA knows what questions you will be asked on the exam. Get help and pay attention. You are more likely to do well on your test if you attend a tutoring session and it’s FREE. If you have hit that “3:30 p.m., but I’ve been here since 7 a.m.” slump, then it’s time to take a break. You won’t retain anything you’re studying if you’re in that slump. So know when to just stop, relax, center yourself and then get back to work. If stretching is all you need, then do it. I assure you no one in Atkins will even care. They will either be too busy taking a nap, studying or crying because they didn’t show up to any lectures.

DON’T STUDY BY CRAMMING

Speaking of showing up to class, if you made the dreaded mistake of not showing then you’re probably going to have to cram study before each exam. This final could be what either bumps you from a D to a C, B or an A or what causes you to fail the class. First, accept that not going to class was probably the dumbest thing you’ve done education wise this semester. Second, promise yourself you won’t ever do that again. Third, get to studying early. Don’t just sit there and cram DEC. 8 - JANUARY. 11, 2015

the day before. You won’t do well.

MAKE GOALS

If studying is hard for you because of a lack of concentration, then create a goals and rewards system. For example, if you study for six hours every day leading up to finals, then you can treat yourself to that bar you’ve wanted to check out or a piping cup of coffee. The key is to create a rewards system that works with you and will motivate you to get things done. I’ve been studying hard for my classes, so yesterday I went out and bought myself a dog. A little extreme?

Maybe, but guess who is going to do well on their finals? This new pet owner.

TAKE TIME OFF

Do not make your study week busier than it needs to be. If you can get finals week off of work, then do it. If you get too busy, you will find yourself stressing out over making enough time for studying and everything else. Plan stuff out. If you do not already have a planner, get a baby one that will last you until the end of the semester.

Write down everything that will be due to make sure none of your tests interfere with each other.

Well, there you have it—my tips that will get you through finals . Remember that if you put in the effort, study, try hard, prioritize and maintain yourself in good health through this time of stress, then you’ll great. Pain is temporary my friends, but your GPA is forever. Happy studying, Niners!

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