Niner Times: April 12, 2016

READ THE STORY AT NINERTIMES.COM INSIDE THIS EDITION SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS SPOKE IN MCKNIGHT HALL APRIL 5 TO RECOUNT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH ASSAULT. READ THE FULL REVIEW ON PAGE 3.

JORDI FERRER CONTINUES TO DOMINATE ON THE TENNIS COURT

ICE CUBE AND ANTHONY ANDERSON DISCUSSED THEIR UPCOMING MOVIE, “BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT.” READ HUNTER’S Q&A.

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P. 12 VOL. 28, ISSUE 26

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Jordan Snyder editor@ninertimes.com

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11 Pre-marital sex / Standardized tests

Salina Dickie, Sydney Stephens, Trevor Wilt, Mia Shelton, Jasmine Taylor

A&E

ADDITIONAL STAFF

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Vanessa Martinez, Angie Baquedano, John Patrick, Alex Sands, Claire Dodd, Pooja Pasupula, Chris Crews, Kathleen Cook

“Barbershop” Q&A

Lifestyle 14 16

Matt Lorenz

Jordi Ferrer’s dominant run Tennis senior day

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Take Back the Night Students protest HB2

Sports

John Lineberger

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TAKE BACK THE NIGHT Sexual assault survivors speak in McKnight Hall, recount their experiences with assault, how they overcame their struggle CLAIRE DODD STAFF WRITER

After being locked in his own bathroom after a surprise home invasion, Marcel Anderson quickly became the victim of sexual assault and physical abuse. From the time Kamilah Johnson was a child until she was in her 20s, she faced rape from family members and significant others.

Both speakers shared their stories at Take Back the Night April 5 in the Student Activity Center Salons. The event brought awareness to speak up about sexual assault of sexual assault awareness month.

The Center for Wellness Promotion and members of the Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Education Committee organized the annual event.

“You are here to reclaim the night…You’re ‘perfect as it is’ personhood,” said Dr. David Spano, the associate vice chancellor and director for health programs and services.

In addition to their stories, the two speakers shared their process of healing and important issues our society faces with understanding the reality of sexual assault.

Anderson is the founder and CEO of an organization that mentors young men, has a ministerial license, a degree in special education, records gospel music and was involved in a home invasion that changed his life from that day forward.

The tragic event left him in pieces, attending therapy sessions, seeking support groups and finding his relationship with God, who he says

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Sexual assault survivor Marcel Anderson speaking to students in McKnight Hall. Photo by Pooja Pasupula

is the reason he survived.

Anderson compared a victim of sexual assault to a driver in an automobile accident, emphasizing the importance of focusing the attention on the driver rather than the damage of the car.

“That’s what we have to focus on when we’re helping people who have the damage on the outside

of a sexual violent situation,” said Anderson. “But most of all, we have to recognize that their inner part is just as important. And that’s where the healing starts and takes place.”

He recalled a memory from 2009; a car hit him abruptly on the highway pushing him off the road. The car flipped, spun and eventually landed on all four wheels. Anderson was not

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injured, but the car was completely damaged.

“The outside of our bodies can be damaged and bruised, but it’s the driver in us that can win and move past,” said Anderson.

As he continues to travel to various communities, mentor different men and spread the story of his past, he reminds victims of

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sexual assault they are not alone by instilling a strong message. Recovery is difficult, but it is possible.

“It was prayer and friends and family that helped me to get through the situation,” said Anderson. “The support of a family was great because I talked to many survivors across the world, and every survivor doesn’t have the support of their families after experiencing something like I did.”

In closing his speech, Anderson sang a verse from one of his songs about survival that left people standing and clapping. Johnson, the second speaker, is the executive director and founder of the Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness (SASHA) Center in Detroit.

Without knowing how to say “no,” Johnson constantly faced rape.

She dropped out of high school, smoked weed, fought people in almost every disagreement even tried to land a career as a rapper.

“I was doing it all, y’all. All of it.

And I ran from myself for years.

I swallowed the trauma for years and sometimes I still am processing in real time the trauma,” said Johnson.

At the age of 5, four police officers they referred to as the Big Four dragged Johnson’s single mother with schizophrenia out of their house in N. Detroit.

Johnson watched her mother be stripped naked and thrown into the back of a cop car with all white men.

The next time Johnson saw her was in a supervised mental facility about six weeks later.

“She was a sight to see in behold for my 5-year-old eyes… I was flooded with feelings of despair and hope, feeling unable to control my own circumstances, but holding onto what I knew was possible for me and my sisters, and ultimately for my mother which was a healing,” said Johnson.

Johnson eventually started to see things look up after landing an internship with the Detroit Police Department. She wanted to integrate her traumatic experiences with the work she did with the police.

Eventually, she became the founder and executive director of the SASHA Center, an organization that reaches out to populations that have been silenced in many ways.

“We’ve been silenced because of racism, discrimination,

oppression and marginalization, and a lot of times, even in our own families, we’re taught to keep it quiet,” said Anderson.

Despite the trauma, the abuse and the memories, Johnson has the fight and the commitment to making a better life for herself and others.

“I’m a sexual assault survivor multiple times…And I know that healing is possible,” said Johnson.

Jarrell Anderson, assistant director for minority student support services, attended the event in hopes of bringing awareness and educating students on the power of a story. His job allows him to work directly with students every day.

“I think there are a lot of educational pieces that can come out of this and be used in other places,” said Jarrell.

He emphasized the power of mentoring and resilience as two strong abilities, especially for college students.

“The power of actually being a resilient person and being a person that can rise from their circumstance and move forward from that,” said Jarrell. “I think that can be used in a lot of different ways, especially with the education of college students around those topics.”

Although Jarrell is not a sexual assault victim, he believes it’s important to stay educated and aware so that those victims always have someone fighting for them.

“The question was asked ‘Where is the outrage?’ Hell if I know,” said Johnson. “But what I do know is some of the reasons we should be tired, disgusted, broken, exhausted and ready to take the issue of sexual assault, and unpack it for the mere fact that some survivors have not had the chance to take it or tell it anywhere.”

Toward the end of the night, the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity sang Lady Gaga’s new song “Til It Happens to You,” a piece written for a documentary on campus rape.

ROTC cadets then led the group on a candlelight walk to the Student Union where a speak out took place with poems, experiences and spoken word.

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, the Counseling Center and Center for Wellness Promotion are two confidential resources on campus.

You can receive various areas of support through http:// wellness.uncc.edu/interpersonal-violence/how-get-help.

“I WAS DOING IT ALL, Y’ALL. ALL OF IT. AND I RAN FROM MYSELF FOR YEARS. I SWALLOWED THE TRAUMA FOR YEARS AND SOMETIMES I STILL AM PROCESSING IN REAL TIME THE DRAMA” KAMILAH JOHNSON

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Students protest “bathroom bill”

POLICE BLOTTER

Concerns over House Bill 2 spark protests on campus, calling for action from UNC Charlotte chancellor

APRIL 5-8 ACCIDENT APRIL 5

ALEX SANDS STAFF WRITER

On April 7, aggravated students “upgraded” UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois’s office with signs in hopes that Dubois would agree to a set of demands regarding the House Bill 2 that was passed by the General Assembly on March 23.

House Bill 2 also referred to as the “bathroom bill,” put a statewide policy in place that requires people to use the bathroom they are biologically assigned to according to their birth certificate. The law was passed after the Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance in February, requiring business owners to allow people to enter the bathroom with the gender they identify as.

House Bill 2 also states that cities cannot pass laws regarding the minimum wage. Such as raising minimum wage, a possibility Charlotte as a city had been working towards.

Graduate student Noe Pliego Campos describes these laws as “transphobic” and “anti-worker.”

“We feel that [Dubois] should have

strongly spoken out against HB2, if you have that history,” said Campos.

The organizers of the protest collected around 50 signatures on their list of demands to Dubois in the Belk Plaza before they marched to his office where they taped their signs to his door.

The demands insisted that Dubois not only publically denounce House Bill 2, but that he must also participate in a public forum about House Bill 2 created by students and community members.

“Hopefully, he responds to it and whatever way he responds to it, either by silence or by saying yes or no to the demands, will further demonstrate his stance on this issue,” said Campos.

The Office of Public Relations released a letter from Dubois regarding House Bill 2 on March 29, in which Dubois admits to holding public comment as he awaits formal guidance regarding what the legislation means.

He wrote, “In the meantime, if you haven’t seen it, President Margaret Spellings issued the following

Sign at student protest for Housing Bill 2. Photo by Alex Sands

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statement last week shortly after passage of the legislation, a statement with which I concur.”

Spellings talks about the UNC System’s commitment to keeping campuses “welcoming and inclusive places.”

Spellings also states that they are carefully assessing the scope, reach and potential impact of the new law on the UNC system.

At the protest, Campos expressed concern that what Spellings was assessing was how House Bill 2 would affect funding for the UNC system. “We don’t think that’s what our leaders should be doing. They should be saying ‘No, this is wrong’,” said Campos.

On April 5, Spellings addressesed the chancellors of the UNC System, about how the universities institutions must follow the House Bill 2 law.

On March 8, Dubois issued a statement saying, “I affirm that the University will not tolerate discrimination or harassment in its educational and employment decisions.”

He also notes that in 2014, UNC Charlotte began providing single-sex, genderneutral restrooms across campus in an effort to make selecting a bathroom easier for transgender students.

“This statement for us means little when we consider the fact that trans people, in particular trans women of color, face high rates of violence for merely existing,” said Campos and protester Alexander Jutlia in a joint-message.

Many universities across the state are also protesting the new law, including multiple sit-ins at schools like Appalachian State University and Duke University.

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• Lot 13, while mowing grass, driver of the mower stated that the mower slide on the grass and struck a carwhich was parked and unoccupied. No injuries were reported.

• Robinson Hall, while driving through the Robinson Hall driveway, driver of vehicle one struck a pedestrian. The individual was taken to Carolina Medical Center University by the paramedic.

VANDALISM APRIL 6

• CATO Building, officer took a report in reference to two UNC Charlotte buses that were hit with eggs.

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• Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium, unknown subject removed framed jerseys from the wall and wrote on them. There was also a hole in the wall.

FRAUD APRIL 6

• Prospector, officers took a report from an individual who stated that they received a check from an unknown subject and after giving the unknown subject cash found out that the check was fraudulent.

INDECENT EXPOSURE APRIL 8

• Atkins Library, officers took a report in reference to an individual exposing himself. The individual was identified and arrested on several charges.

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

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KING

OF THE COURT Jordi Massallé Ferrer is on the most dominant run in Charlotte history JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR

Photo by Benjamin Robson

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With one crack of the forehand, Jordi Massallé Ferrer claimed immortality within Charlotte athletics.

The sizzling sun rays beat down on the darkened green playing surface at Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex.

Massallé Ferrer stood with two feet planted behind the white end line. He gripped his Babolat AeroPro Drive racquet in his right hand as his left palm caressed the vibrant yellow, felt tennis ball. Fairfield’s Ofir Soloman stood across the net, swaying back and forth as Massallé Ferrer tossed the ball above his head and served.

Fans looked on as the senior hailing from Sant Feliu de Guixols,

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Spain volleyed back and forth with his opponent. Massallé Ferrer danced and slid from left to right before claiming the match-point and his 85th career singles win, the most in Charlotte 49ers program history.

“It’s an honor,” Massallé Ferrer said. “I think it’s just hard work, dedication and the willingness to do the little things.”

Massallé Ferrer grew up with a racquet and ball. He remembers traveling with his mother to play games with friends, strictly for fun at three years old. He adapted to tennis naturally even though he cherished soccer as a child.

“I’m from Spain, I love soccer

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but my mom always wanted me to play tennis,” Massallé Ferrer said. “I was brought in that direction and I never complained. I love the sport and when I was smaller I was good at it. That just made it easier.”

The Spaniard accomplished noteworthy feats by the time he boarded a plane for the United States.

Massallé Ferrer claimed the singles title in Catalunya, Spain and reached the Spanish National Championship finals in doubles. He ranked 112th in the Open rankings in Spain and reached the International Tennis Federation finals in 2011. However, it took more than just a polished backhand to succeed across the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to his acclaimed tennis skill set, Massallé Ferrer excelled in the classroom and spoke proficient English by the age of 16. A close friend that experienced the intercontinental transition four times with his own children advised Messallé Ferrer to take the “great opportunity.”

Messallé Ferrer flourished in the United States and winning became routine. In his freshman season, Messallé Ferrer won 25 singles matches, seventh most in program history and fell one short of matching the mark in his sophomore campaign. Last season, the Spaniard claimed 29 singles victories and played an integral part in helping the 49ers reach 18 wins, second most in school history.

The trend continued this season, as the senior has tallied 15 victories in 21 matches thus far, but not because of his physical attributes.

“Right now, I don’t win the majority of my matches because of physical strength, “Massallé Ferrer said. “I win because of my experience.”

Massallé understands the game better than most and he’s become accustomed to various play styles and tactical approaches. In his three previous seasons at Charlotte, Massallé Ferrer played alongside Jack Williams and Kamil Khalil in doubles. Massallé Ferrer’s teammates’ approaches differed, but molded him into a versatile player.

“With Kamil and Jack, I used to return on the deuce side and now I return on the ad side which I like better,” Massallé Ferrer said. “Jack liked to finish points faster, therefore I knew I had to adapt, while Kamil liked to make the opposition miss.”

This season, Massallé Ferrer plays beside classmate Vikram Hundal and recently shattered the record for most career doubles wins in 49ers

history. Additionally, with a handful of matches remaining, including the Conference USA championships, Massallé Ferrer and Hundal are chasing the program record for most doubles wins in a single season.

“Jordi is the greatest player to come out of here [Charlotte]. It’s definitely comforting to have him on the court next to me,” Hundal said.

Those close to Massallé Ferrer boast about how hard he trains and the focus he dedicates to his craft.

According to Tarr, the hours his senior has committed to tennis over his career are uncountable.

“I don’t know if I could count,” Tarr said. “At least two or three hours a day for 17 straight years. I’m only the tennis coach, not a mathematician, but it’s not a little bit.”

Tarr isn’t the only witness.

“Other coaches say he doesn’t have a weakness,” Tarr said.

“Tennis-wise, he can do a little bit of everything on the court. The guy hates to lose.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a practice match, a match over the summer or the conference championship. He competes at the same pace simply because he hates to lose.”

Massallé Ferrer’s work ethic is evident in his

“IF YOU’RE LUCKY AS A COACH, YOU’LL COACH SOMEONE LIKE JORDI IN YOUR CAREER.” HEAD COACH JESSE TARR

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production on the court but his success expands beyond the four white boundary lines.

The senior shines in the classroom and in his sophomore year, the university recognized his efforts and presented him the Hugh McEniry Award - given to the 49er male student-athlete with the highest GPA. “Jordi is a very business-oriented guy. He’s on top of everything [school and tennis],” Hundal said. “You wouldn’t guess it because of all his success, but he’s a very humble guy.”

Despite Massallé Ferrer’s prestigious accomplishments, he still finds a way to fulfill what he feels is a leadership role this season.

“This year, I feel like a mentor trying to help the young kids,” Massallé Ferrer said. “Trying to give them a desire to become better and do the extra things that in my case helped me.”

Tarr recognizes Massallé Ferrer’s contributions as a leader within the 49ers men’s tennis program.

“He’s a good person. He’s reliable, he shows up on time and the guys respect him,” Tarr said.

“Even if he’s stressed in his own personal life, with his school or tennis, he’s always present in everyone’s lives. If someone’s having a bad day, he’s talking to them without me asking. He lives with some of the guys and they rely on him. We joke that he’s a father figure.”

It’s what Massallé Ferrer has become known known for. His smooth forehand and swift reaction time propelled him to unprecedented heights on the court, but becoming a household name and leaving a lasting impression within an athletics program requires the full package.

“If you’re lucky as a coach, you’ll coach someone like Jordi in your career.”

Jordi Massallé Ferrer (front) and Vikram Hundal (back) defeated Lenoir-Rhyne for victory No. 19. Photo by Benjamin Robson

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TENNIS ACES

SENIOR DAY KATHLEEN COOK STAFF WRITER

Both men’s and women’s tennis hit grand slams on senior day, both taking away wins.

Men’s tennis blanked Lenior Rhyne for their sixth straight win. The women followed suit and defeated the Bears 7-0 Sunday April 10, giving them a three-match winning streak.

The teams are headlined by four seniors.

On the men’s team is Jordi Massallé Ferrer and Vikram Hundal. Playing their last match in the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex for the women’s squad were Tyler Baker and Jessica Pérez.

With their win in the number one doubles, Massallé Ferrer and Hundal record their 19th win of the season. The two are on a five-match winning streak and have recorded a win against a nationally ranked opponent.

The two excel in singles too. Massallé Ferrer is 15-6 overall this season. He has 93 career singles wins - the most in Charlotte 49ers program history. Hundal is currently on a six-match win streak for singles, and is 15-7 in single matches this season.

His sophomore season, Massallé Ferrer, coupled with another player, reached the program’s highest doubles ranking when Intercollegiate Tennis Association placed them 31st on their poll. His junior season he was ranked 18th in the ITA rankings and was named first-team AllConference USA in singles.

Hundal transferred to Charlotte last year after playing two seasons at Georgia Tech. In Georgia, he was part of a double team that made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship during the 2013 season. In the Queen City he was named to first-team All-C-USA in doubles after his tandem with Jack Williams won 18 doubles matches. Though he was only in Charlotte for two seasons, Hundal still proved to be a critical part of the team.

“It’s a little bittersweet, it’s nice to end on a high note,” Hundal said.

Baker tallied her 11th win in doubles play Sunday, April 10 and now has 17 wins in the singles column. During her freshman and

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sophomore season Baker won many three-set decisions against opponents including East Carolina, Wofford, Gardner-Webb and Furman.

Baker finished her junior season with a combined 35 wins, tying for the team high. She had the fewest losses in singles with only three.

Her tennis career is not over yet, as Baker plans to continue practicing the sport by coaching. From her time spent in the Charlotte uniform, Baker will take away multiple life lessons including team work.

“I think working as a team is the main thing I learned and just taking the team aspect into life and knowing you have to work with other people,” Baker said.

Excelling both on and off the court is Pérez. She has won various accolades for both her athletic and academic achievements during her time at Charlotte. Being named to the Chancellor’s List or the Athletic Director’s List during all of her

semesters is just the beginning of her academic accomplishments. Pérez has six wins in singles this season and recorded her first win in a doubles match on senior day.

During her time in the Queen City, Pérez has made memories and friends that will last a lifetime.

“I was on this court and a deer landed on my court. It was so unexpected and I will never forget it,” Pérez said. “It’s nice having that built-in group of people that are there for me and care for me.”

Though the teams are done with home play, there are two more matches for the 49ers before the conference tournament. For all of the seniors, winning a conference tournament would be the cherry on top of a spectacular season.

“I’m excited to finish out the season and hopefully win conference. Winning conference, getting to wear a conference ring is my goal,” Hundal said.

Jessica Pérez (left) and Tyler Baker (right) stand with head coach Michaela Gorman. Photo by Benjamin Robson APRIL 12 - APRIL 18, 2016

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MORE THAN YOUR SEX GAME

MIA SHELTON

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

Sex sparks a lot of conversation: who you have sex with, what you do during sex, how long sex should last, etc. But the biggest subtopic of sex is whether or not you should have sex or wait until you are married. Abstinence is a big topic in sex. We first learned about it in health class, or the ‘birds and bees’ lecture we got from our parents.

In their view point, abstinence was a way of keeping you from, if you were a girl getting pregnant, or for both counterparts, getting a sexually transmitted disease.

In the religion aspect, you were expected to stay abstinent until you got married. For others who didn’t let health class, their parents or religion influence them, abstinence might be something you chose to do because you were selective about who you gave yourself to.

As a person who is abstinent, I commingle with all of these subjects. I am a Christian, so I want to wait until I get married to have sex. Health class made me paranoid about something happening if I did have sex so that contributed to the decision. However, there are times when I put aside meeting religious obligations and paranoia and think, ‘what if;’ that’s when the selectiveness come into play. I am a person that is very selective with who I choose as a relationship partner. If I do decide to have sex with this person I don’t want to be taken advantage of. I want my partner and I to be connected on a mental and spiritual level; that doesn’t mean you have to be a Christian for me to date you.

I’m not trying to convert anyone, but I wanted us to be connected intimately, mentally, spiritually. To me that would make sex better and more special.

In society today, people place so much emphasis on sex, friends with

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benefits, side chicks, people you just call if you want to have sex.

Even if you are in a relationship, if you don’t ‘put out’ as they say in a couple of months, guys move on.

I have had multiple relationships where we have broken up because I don’t have sex with the guy in a few months. I am sorry, but there is more to me than just my body.

I see all over Facebook, guys who say, ‘If your girl gives you head on a regular, wife her up,’ there is more to a female than just the ability to give a blow job. I feel like women today are belittled to just being a good sex partner. There is so much pressure put on sex and a person’s talents and abilities during sex, that if you aren’t ‘good’ there is no need for you. Women are smart, intelligent, hard-working, go-getting people, and to be limited to just our sexually abilities is ludicrous.

It’s not just men who limit women; we limit ourselves, I have seen some who spend all their time having sex with multiple guys and bragging about their ‘sex game.’ What is you career game looking like? What are you doing to better yourself academically and professionally? As a women I understand the pressure we are under to look good on a daily basis, dress well, have that ‘hour-glass’ shape, flat stomach and fat butt, but who cares what you look like if you are an unemployed idiot who 20 guys can say they have ‘run through.’ I am not here to say; ‘be abstinent,’ I am here to say be more just your body and sex drive.

Focus more on your education and future career goals. We have the rest of our lives to have a ‘sex life.’ So, forget the pressure and stereotypical expectations and focus on being a better, successful and more productive you.

A farewell to arbitrary Standardized tests don’t help students learn JOHN PATRICK STAFF WRITER

As students employed under the red tape of higher learning, we all know the hardships attributed to performing well. Tests, quizzes, homework and projects are all met accordingly in the library, as we strenuously work towards good grades. Deadlines are sought after, but sometimes the perplexities of life prohibit a planned paradigm and cramming wins out. Installed in every student though is a chance for success, an opportunity to work hard and see fit that the materialization of our efforts pays off in a quantifiable manner.

Sometimes we are faced with obstacles that, on the outside, appear conquerable but in reality are beleaguered to the institution they encompass. I cannot think of anything that embodies this belief in such a pertinent way as standardized, multiple-choice tests. Standardized tests are one of these mechanisms that does an excellent job at weeding out those who picked afoul. Their sole purpose is to test students knowledge of the curriculum, in that a student’s test grade somehow miraculously corresponds to their competence in that subject. I find this exemplar to be an insult to the very intelligence it claims to assess.

To be fair, standardized tests are the most convenient way to administer academic evaluations to the masses. They can be sent to the scantron machine for a quick check, assigning grades on the basis of correct percentage and correct percentage alone. It’s easy. Far be it for me to suggest that the best way to oversee education is not by mere ease. I will never see the utility in replacing quality with quantity, no matter how timely or user-friendly it may seem. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, but what can be said about a system that perpetuates the exile of true knowledge if doing so cozies up a better grade?

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Take a trip down memory lane and recall any standardized test you have taken throughout your tenure in education. Can you tell me anything about the subject matter?

Days, weeks, months, even years after taking that test, have you retained any of the information?

Are you confident enough in yourself to be tested again? The answer to all these questions is D. Oh wait, I forgot that assigning a letter from the alphabet to a set of answers is just a valiant effort to test the fallacy of mankind. But congratulations, you passed the test with a B! Forget that you can’t remember limits or the Constitution or the periodic tables, but damned if you didn’t earn that B on your test.

I believe in Mark Twain’s take that schooling should not interfere with your education. Similarly, why let the administration of a malignant standardized score reflect your worth when we should be focused on actually learning the material as a whole? Conversely, what’s to say you have no idea of the material at hand and by sheer guesses, aided with dumb luck, get an attractive grade? Clothed with nothing more than artificial intellect and fake acumen, the gleaning opportunity to learn will be missed, but the reward of passing granted.

There is nothing more detrimental to academic health then arbitrarily bubbling ‘all of the above.’

Standardized tests kill brain cells who are under the impression they have an incentive to prove the grasp contained in their inhabitancy. Their prey fall victim to an apathetic foundation eternalized by an abyss of blank bubbles and petty eraser marks. The only redeeming factor is to throw out bemused notions of test scores for the sake of test scores and replace them with a yearning for knowledge. Once you can separate fact from fiction, prioritize learning over passing, the grades will come.

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Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM

TIMES MAY CHANGE, BUT THE BARBERSHOP WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME

Ice Cube and Anthony Anderson discuss their new film “Barbershop: The Next Cut” HUNTER HEILMAN A&E EDITOR

It’s been over 12 years since our last visit to the Barbershop, but time doesn’t matter when the story is so universal. In anticipation for the upcoming sequel “Barbershop: The Next Cut,” out April 15, stars Ice Cube and Anthony Anderson sat down with college journalists to discuss the film and the relevance the series holds with communities.

The aspect of the community banding together seems to be a major theme for all the films, but was this installment inspired by any recent political movements like Black Lives Matter?

Ice Cube: Well, it was actually inspired by an article that I read before we did the movie about a guy who had a barbershop – and he was dealing with violence in the community and he offered free cuts for people who would help stop the violence and start a ceasefire type of thing. I just thought it was a good idea to have the movie wrapped around things that are really going on in Chicago. So that’s how that worked out.

So being that it’s been 12 years since the

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last “Barbershop” film, obviously so many things have changed in our world, but what do you think it is about the “Barbershop” series that makes it so timeless that it can pick up more than a decade later and still work so well on screen?

Anthony Anderson: It’s been interesting. It’s been 12 years since the last installment and the world has changed so differently, but the Barbershop never changes. The Barbershop is the cornerstone of the community; that’s exactly what it is.

It’s part therapy session, part marriage counselor, part right of passage for young men; we’ve all gone through that as going through a shop. Going through it now with my 16-year-old son. I take him to the shop and I let him sit in there and hear what’s being talked about and have him get in on the discussion just to help shape him outside of what I’m doing at home with him.

But the Barbershop is something that never changes.

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How is it different working with musicians and comedians than working with people who are trained actors?

Ice Cube: Well, I think either you have it or you don’t when it comes to acting. I feel like if somebody’s doing their thing, then it’s no difference between acting with somebody like Common or acting with somebody like J.B. Smoove, or Laurence Fishburne. I just think either you’re on or you’re off, you either have it or you don’t. Of course, there’s degrees of talent and degrees of range that you’ll probably get more of with an actor, but as far as performance, I think you can get a great performance from anybody who has it on that day and that time, that place.

The “Barbershop” series has grown and changed from movie to movie; do you think the current change is going to appeal to the same audience as before or do you think it’ll bring in a new generation of younger people who are really interested in seeing how it plays out?

Ice Cube: I think both. I think it’s going to

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Nicki Minaj as Draya in “Barbershop: The Next Cut.” Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM

definitely bring in a audience that’s curious about what the Barbershop is about. I think we got a movie that satisfies our core audience. The first people who saw “Barbershop” back in 2002, they’re still going to love this movie and be behind it, and interested where the characters have evolved to.

So I think we’ve got a movie that hopefully will appeal to a lot of different demographics.

You all are making a third film of a pretty dominantly African American series, so what are your thoughts on Hollywood and the film industry today as opposed to the time when the first two were made, especially in light of the Oscars?

Ice Cube: I mean Hollywood – it is what it is. I think you got a few gatekeepers, but for the most part Hollywood is all about green and what we’re fighting for is the opportunities to show that we can make money with these movies, that people enjoy them and our audience is big enough to invest into. As far as the Oscars, to me that’s a different kind of club, it’s not really representing Hollywood at its starting point; it’s kind of representing Hollywood at the end point. So whether we make strides in the Oscars to me is not as important as we make strides in these studios and these meetings to get movies made, because until you get one made you can’t think about an Oscar.

It’s been a long time since the last movie, what made you guys want to come back and revisit the series?

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Ice Cube: We had a good reason to make this movie. This movie is dealing with the situation that’s happening in Chicago right now with the gun violence. Calvin’s son is 14 at this point so he’s at that crossroads; is he going to stay a good kid or is he going to start hanging out in the streets?

So we felt like this is a great reason to do “Barbershop” and as far as 12 years, we knew we had 12 years of celebrities to clown and have fun with.

The world is ready for another “Barbershop,” the world needs another “Barbershop.”

Earlier you discussed the story about the man you heard that actually owned a barbershop.

What was it like researching safe zones in these neighborhoods and then implementing that into a comedic film?

Ice Cube: I think Malcolm Lee is just a master at being able to have real situations but that you’re still entertained by and you feel good about it even though it may be a tragedy. He has an instinct on how to get that across. So I think we were lucky to have Malcolm Lee direct the film because I felt like with someone else, the laughs might be there, but the story won’t be as deep and in depth.

It was great to have him to be able to make the story in depth and real, but also made it where you felt good and you’re laughing. It’s a feel good movie. It takes a special person to be able to put that together.

Read full interview at ninertimes. com

ACROSS 1 Spaghetti or ziti 6 In different places 11 What a steamroller steamrolls 14 Moral standard 15 Capital of Yemen 16 Thrilla in Manila winner 17 Understand, finally 19 Caboodle go-with 20 Bill at the bar 21 Tehran native 22 German auto engineer Karl 23 Zone out 27 Mined rock 28 Ticklish Muppet 29 Boom’s opposite 32 ID card feature 35 Point de __: opinion, in Paris 38 Revival leader’s query ... and hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 49- and 60-Across

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42 Corp. ladder leader 43 En __: as a group 44 Spoken 45 WWII female enlistee 47 Org. with a “100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time” list 49 Photographer’s instruction 56 Had a bawl 57 Track jockey, e.g.

58 Building wing 59 Swiss peak 60 “Didn’t think I could do it, did ya?!”

63 Under the weather 64 Speck in the ocean 65 Beethoven’s “Für __” 66 Lao-__: Taoism founder 67 Heart rate 68 Thin coins DOWN 1 Ones who won’t leave you alone 2 Really bugged

3 Biblical queen’s land 4 Little songbird 5 More sore 6 Lion of Narnia 7 Sherwin-Williams product 8 Cardio procedure 9 Word of support 10 Skin art, briefly 11 Seek shelter 12 Flared skirt 13 Big name in hotels and crackers 18 Buffalo’s lake 22 Emeril catchword 24 __ de boeuf: French roast 25 Alien-seeking org.

26 Underhanded plan 29 Secretly keep in the email loop, briefly 30 Abu Dhabi’s fed.

31 Suspected McIntosh relative with pure white flesh 32 TD’s six 33 Gives birth to 34 What borrowers do 36 __ Today 37 Subj. for some greencard holders 39 Former auto financing co.

40 A pop 41 Roulette color 46 Verizon rival 47 Aid in a felony 48 Solidified, as plans, with “up” 49 H.G. who wrote “The War of the Worlds” 50 Internet forum troublemaker 51 Backpacking outings 52 Online social appointment 53 Jeans material 54 Admission of defeat 55 Cary of “Glory” 56 Cool one’s heels 60 One of a kissing pair 61 Buckeyes’ sch.

62 Yale Blue wearer

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Choose your own

HAPPINESS ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

I’ve made it almost two years here at UNC Charlotte and nearly twenty years here on earth. Oh, how time flies and how the world changes.

My world changed. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a doctor—more specifically, a pediatric oncology doctor.

My parents and extended family couldn’t be prouder. They think they will soon have a doctor in the family. Boy, are they going to be disappointed this summer when I tell them I’ve decided not to follow a pre-medical track.

Instead, I will be fully pursuing a major in English with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in journalism. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, I’ll tell you exactly why: I realized this is my life, and I only get one of them. What is the point of pursuing a career I

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deep down know I don’t want? For the honor? For the praise? It’s not worth it, and trust me, coming to a conclusion like that is never easy. So today I’ll hopefully be able to help you out on picking the major that will make you happy.

First, you need to face the reality of your situation. What I mean by that is if you are choosing to go down a particular career path, are you certain you will you be well off years from now? I was following a pre-med track at the beginning of my freshman year. By the end of it, I switched down to a pre-physician assistant (PA) track because I didn’t think I’d make it into medical school, and mostly because I didn’t want to go to medical school. Just thinking about how many years I would have to go through schooling made me want to roll over into the nearest

hole.

So I switched to PA because it’s essentially the same thing as being a doctor, and it takes fewer years of schooling. I thought this was good for me up until the moment I had to face my parents about it. My dad handled it somewhat reasonably, or maybe he didn’t think I was serious—I’m honestly not sure.

My mother, on the other hand, lost her mind. I felt horrible that I was letting her down, and I even thought about just switching back to pre-med, but deep down, I knew I wouldn’t succeed.

I’m glad I didn’t because I sincerely don’t think I will be well off in years to come if I follow a premed track. If anything, I’ll be in debt and hating everything. Meanwhile, while all of this is happening in my freshman year, I came to the

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realization that I love writing; I always have.

So this is my second piece of advice: When picking a major that’ll lead you to the career path you want, choose something that you are interested in and will be more than happy to learn about. As a little girl, my father used to read to me every night, and we used to bond over poems and fairy tales. I suppose it caught up with me. I was taking my first-year writing course at the same time as my chemistry course and, as you can probably guess, I was excelling in my writing course and slowly but surely dying from chemistry.

At the end of the spring semester of my freshman year, I decided to declare a major in English with a concentration in creative writing while still following a PA track. I

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can’t express how happy I felt when I made that decision. I mean, sure, going through all those years of PA school was going to suck, but at least my undergraduate years weren’t going to be that bad. I would have to take all my science-based courses, but I would also get to take writing courses or literature courses, and that made me very happy.

That leads me to my third piece of advice: Have a plan B. My English major soon became my plan B as the weeks went on and I wasn’t getting any better at chemistry. I figured if all else failed with PA school, I could work for a publishing company or be a writer or something along those lines.

Soon after I decided this, I began to write for this lovely student newspaper. I started as an intern and soon, after throwing myself out there and asking to write an article on a campus event, I was promoted to staff writer. My plan B began to gain traction in my life.

My forth piece of advice is to, “Follow what you love, and you’ll love what you do.” OK, so it’s a line from one of my favorite songs called “Ready” by Kodaline, but it’s so true.

This year (my sophomore year) I’ve taken a mixture of English courses and science-based courses, and while I’m doing OK in my science courses, I am soaring in my English ones.

I suppose the thing that did it for me­—that made me decide to drop my whole healthcare career goal—is that I wasn’t happy anymore. Going to chemistry made me want to put my head into the nearest wall, but when I went to my Intro to Fiction Writing class, I was basically flying

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up the steps of Fretwell so I wouldn’t miss a thing in class. I would get As on every fiction writing assignment, but chemistry had me running for the hills.

I always knew it took extra effort for me to understand science courses, especially chemistry, and honestly, if I had put more effort into chemistry this semester, I could probably have gotten myself a low B. But I stopped putting forth the effort at one point because I didn’t want it anymore.

So here I am almost at the end of my sophomore year choosing to follow what I love even though I know it will cause a world of trouble for me back at home. Sure, I feel bad letting them down, and at one point, I felt like I was letting myself down, but I sincerely wasn’t happy with the way my life was going. The moment I decided PA school wasn’t for me, it was like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I felt the happiness that I haven’t felt in a long time. When I got to sign up for next fall’s courses, and it was filled to the brim with English and journalism courses, I thought I would die of excitement.

This is how school should be.

You should wake up every morning excited to learn something new. Yes, making your family proud is nice, but at the end of the day, your life is none other than yours.

You will be the one that has to live with the choices you make—not your parents or your friends or anybody else. It’s all you, so do what makes you happy now, and I promise you’ll be happy later.

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VANESSA MARTINEZ INTERN

“You can never doubt yourself. There’s a part of you that knows if something is not right, if you are unhappy and if you put that to the side for too long it will eventually come to the surface. My last relationship taught me a lot of things. My ex and I grew to be very different people. I was still growing and he was done growing. He was completely content with a basic lifestyle, and that’s okay, but there are people who have more drive and are reaching for something different, something other than just survival. I think I always knew I wanted more. He was okay with everything being the way things were and I wasn’t. Every time I tried to encourage him, I was nagging, and you can only hope that your partner will grow with you, not apart from you. I am very okay with who I am now, and I used to think I was not happy for all these different reasons. I was unhappy because I had to commute to Charlotte everyday, or I was unhappy because I was still in school and finally I realized I wasn’t happy because I was not being myself. So now I feel like I am finally beginning again.

Even though I lost a good friend, I gained myself back, and I am really excited to have me again.”

Maddie Fox Photo by Vanessa Martinez

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