Niner Times: May 3, 2016

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INSIDE THIS EDITION STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION INITIATES NINER NATION: DIFFERENT TOGETHER TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

CHARLOTTE SOFTBALL PITCHER LEXI BETANCOURT SETS A SCHOOL RECORD WITH 70 CAREER WINS PG. 3

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MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

PG. 8

STILL NEED SUMMER PLANS? ANGIE LISTS 10 DESTINATIONS TO TRAVEL TO OVER THE BREAK PG. 13

VOL. 28, ISSUE 29

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Jordan Snyder editor@ninertimes.com

Nick Cropper news@ninertimes.com

Hunter Heilman ae@ninertimes.com

Casey Aldridge opinion@ninertimes.com

Diane Gromelski copy@ninertimes.com

Alyssa Fronk

community@ninertimes.com

News

John Lineberger

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lifestyle@ninertimes.com

Ben Robson photo@ninertimes.com

video@ninertimes.com

Andrew Hocutt layout@ninertimes.com

6 Zach Jarrett feature 8 Lexi Betancourt breaks win record

MANAGING EDITOR

Sara Carson

managing@ninertimes.com

Different Together campaign Women Empowerment event Repealing HB2

Sports

VIDEO PRODUCER

Andrew James

Contents

Jared Allen

sports@ninertimes.com

Salina Dickie, Sydney Stephens, Trevor Wilt, Mia Shelton, Jasmine Taylor, Jeffrey Kopp, Vivian Westra

Opinion

ADDITIONAL STAFF

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Angie Baquedano, Stephanie Trefzger, Claire Dodd, Pooja Pasupula, Alex Sands

Misinterpreting religion

A&E

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Chamber orchestra

Lifestyle 13 14 Matt Lorenz

Summer travel A final word from the editors

Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF

Tia Warren, David Mendez, Kristen Bobeng, Madeline Lemieux

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

MEGAN VAN EMMERIK

www.ninertimes.com/app 2

Contents photo by Benjamin Robson

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NINER NATION: DIFFERENT TOGETHER Student-led initiative takes off with support from administration to better unite campus in diversity and inclusion

CLAIRE DODD STAFF WRITER

Niner Nation: Different Together, a student-led initiative, is being implemented by the Student Government Association (SGA) to create unity and promote diversity on campus.

This campaign aims to create opportunities for more conversations and celebration of differences within the community.

“Niner Nation: Different Together was developed to unite students of all backgrounds and create quality conversations within the student population and between students and administration,” according to Inside UNC Charlotte.

Jasmin Rivers, SGA secretary for Diversity Affairs, is helping run the campaign. She wanted to take action when she saw how many students felt their voice wasn’t heard in regard to diversity issues and inclusiveness.

“I knew that in my position as secretary for diversity affairs I had the opportunity to amplify students’ voices and celebrate Niners on campus, but I didn’t know how,” said Rivers. “I wanted everyone to … have the opportunity to speak out, learn, grow and leave college with a better understanding of themselves and others along with their degrees.”

Members of the cabinet are

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partnering with campus resources including the Multicultural Resource Center, Black Student Union, Senate and new student orientation sessions.

In addition, the dean of students, vice chancellor of student affairs, the chancellor and others are involved as well.

There will be an end-of-the-year exhibition May 3 that will include a panel discussion, art show and short film.

The event will take place in the Student Union Movie Theatre at 7 p.m. Administration will also be present at the event if students wish to speak with them.

Rivers hopes for everyone to learn, listen and grow from this initiative.

“Learn from one another and be willing to listen to the differences in opinions, cultures, religions, lifestyles, etc. … Grow out of the bubble [you] find comforting or develop better understanding and help grow the Charlotte community into something better,” said Rivers.

Students that are interested in joining the conversation can submit their pictures and videos either online or by posting them on social media and using the hashtag #differenttogether or tagging @ uncc_sga.

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POLICE BLOTTER APRIL 22-27 ACCIDENT APRIL 26

• CRI Deck No.1, officer took a report regarding a hit and run.

APRIL 27

• Lot 7, while backing, driver of vehicle one struck a moveable rental fence.

ARREST APRIL 27

• Cameron Boulevard, driver of vehicle one passed another vehicle in a no passing zone.

Officers stopped the vehicle and learned that the registration was expired, the driver’s license was expired and the driver had multiple active warrants.

The individual was arrested.

LARCENY APRIL 26

• UNC Charlotte Career Center, unknown person(s) removed a banner from the career center.

APRIL 27

• UNC Charlotte Barnes & Noble, officer responded to Barnes & Noble in reference to stolen textbooks.

VANDALISM APRIL 22

• Greek Village, officer took a report in the PPS lobby in reference to a vehicle that may have been keyed.

APRIL 27

• Smith Building, officer responded in reference to graffiti found on the roof door in stairwell No.4.

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

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Women Empowerment Series held in the Student Union Created to encourage, empower, teach women confidence JASMINE TAYLOR ASST. NEWS EDITOR

A Women Empowerment Series event was held upstairs in the Student Union, April 22 from noon p.m. to 1p.m. {WE} Women Empowerment began in January 2016. It ranges on topics including: self-image, women in the workforce, eating away at eating disorders, hookup culture and selfcare during finals.

During the event, students sat in a round table discussion base setting.

Everything they discussed was left confidential so that students could feel open to express their opinion.

Though the series talks about women empowerment, it is still open to all students if they would like to attend.

Rachel Forester is one of the assistant director at the Multicultural Resource Center at UNC Charlotte, who created the series.

Forester chose to create the series after research showed the loss of confidence in women from the time they start freshman year to the time they graduate, whereas the opposite has been the case for male students on campus.

“I started the {WE} Women Empowerment Series to open a dialogue around the areas that women feel insecure about. There’s a multitude of double standards that women face on campus, and I want to bring an end to those stereotypes by empowering women to advocate for each other, empower each other and to be confident in their decisions,” said Forester.

Forester said that, for her, women empowerment is important for

Students participating in the round-table discussion. Photo by Pooja Pasupula

all females to have individuality and to have a sense of confidence as they move through their daily lives. Gaining that support from fellow students, faculty and staff on campus and feeling prepared to accomplish their dreams and goals is also an important goal.

“I am hoping to change women encouraging other women to speak

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openly about the issues they face as college students and the issues they may face once their time at UNC Charlotte comes to and end,” said Forester.

To learn more about the {WE} Women Empowerment Series visit the Multicultural Resource Center or visit https://mrc.uncc.edu/

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Faculty Council of UNC Charlotte votes on resolution to repeal Bathroom Bill ALEX SANDS STAFF WRITER

A sign posted during on of several student protests on campus. Photo by Alex Sands

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After months of controversy over House Bill 2 and students calling for action from the university, faculty members have begun speaking out against the bathroom bill.

On April 21, the Faculty Council of UNC Charlotte voted on a resolution for the repeal of House Bill 2. In the resolution, it states that the Faculty Council “urges the North Carolina General Assembly to repeal House Bill 2.”

The resolution accuses North Carolina’s political leaders of diminishing civil rights and using laws to codify discrimination.

The School of Social Work also released a statement earlier in the week. In the statement, it is written that as social workers they believe House Bill 2 contradicts the values

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of their profession.

“Even if the law stands, HB2 will ultimately disappoint its supporters,” said Master of Social Work program director Bob HermanSmith. “There is already much more interest on campus, in the state and across the country about transgender issues. Conversation leads to more awareness which leads to myth-busting. That’s not what the General Assembly intended to do.”

Herman-Smith said the School of Social Work plans to add more LGBT-related content to their curriculum, post maps to genderneutral bathrooms on campus and “generally raise awareness about the impact of the law.”

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DRIVEN TOWARD

BASEBALL

The story behind how Zach Jarrett is defining his own legacy, away from perceptions, on the baseball diamond JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR

It’s a typical mild Tuesday evening on April 26, and the Charlotte 49ers take the field for their routine pregame warmup. Hundreds of Charlotte fans stroll through the gates, some wearing green caps with the home team’s insignia stitched on the front. The overhead speakers shake to the sound of popular country music, livening the atmosphere prior to first pitch.

The majority of the 49er fans are college students, supporting their fellow classmates, but in the mix enters one well-known father who sits five rows back behind home plate in a dark green folding chair.

Dale Jarrett marvels as his son, Zach Jarrett, displays the hard work that helped the left fielder reach a distinguished level in a sport, perhaps forgotten in the Jarrett family.

“His grandfather on his mother’s side was a professional baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers,” Dale smiled. “He never showed an interest in racing at all. He loved baseball from the time he started playing and his mom was much happier taking him to baseball practice than a garage or racetrack.”

Looking around the NASCAR community, there’s a “like father, like son” aura present with popular

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belief that distinguished drivers’ children will follow in their father’s footsteps. The Petty, Allison and Earnhardt families dominate the sports’ history; even the Jarrett family claimed success over two generations; however, Zach never sat behind the wheel of a race car and racing wasn’t a route that his family expected him to take.

“You see, so many people in the NASCAR world grow up in it and expect the kids of the drivers to grow into it and a lot of them do,” Zach said. “It was never expected in my family that I’d become a NASCAR driver.”

Instead, Zach followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Jasper Spears, who played baseball at the professional level decades before his grandson was born. Zach’s family exposed him to the game at a young age and the interest grew. He sat and watched games with Jasper and listened to his grandfather’s stories.

The 6-foot-4 left fielder picked up the sport quickly from watching games on television. Jasper told his family stories of America’s past time while Zach listened.

There were always bats and balls present around the house, and Dale remembers playing outside in the yard with his son.

“[Zach] was always a good athlete but I think sitting with his grandfather and watching games, he learned a lot that way,” Dale said.

It was only the beginning.

Zach rose through ranks and wore a number of caps through his career.

The Hickory, N.C. native played for David Craft and John Hamilton while representing the Hickory Red Tornadoes in high school. In four years, Zach earned plaudits for not only his renowned defensive ability, but also his offensive prowess.

Zach garnered “Best Defensive Player” as a sophomore and went on to earn “Best Offensive Player” as a junior. With his rising success and talent, he later acquired “Team MVP” in his senior season while leading the Red Tornadoes in extrabase hits.

The work Zach dedicated to the craft throughout his childhood, along with help of his father was finally paying off.

“I’m the person who’s been there and had seen his swing and even though he’s had people better than me to help him along the way, I understand what he needs to be doing,” Dale said. “A lot of times if he has questions or if he’s struggling, I’m the person he comes to.”

Before too long, Zach decided that

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collegiate baseball was the next step and that he didn’t want his career to end with high school graduation.

At the time, Zach showcased his skills playing during a tournament in Marietta, Ga. The outfielder enjoyed what his father described as a “good game,” which led to bystanders asking whether or not Zach had given collegiate baseball any serious thoughts.

“I remember at dinner that night, he said, ‘That’s what I want to do, I want to play college baseball,’” Dale remembered.

The opportunity rested in front of the teenager and Charlotte, 58 miles south of Hickory, N.C. became his next stop.

The decision to play for the 49ers wasn’t overly difficult for Zach.

According to his father, Zach never wanted to gallivant away from home and instead desired for his family to have the opportunity to see him compete whenever they’d like.

“It was probably one of the easiest decisions I’ve made, I fell in love with [Charlotte],” Zach said. “The coaches showed they really cared about you and how you were going to grow not only as a baseball player but also as a person.”

49ers head coach Loren Hibbs

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concurred.

“When you’re dealing with the grandson and son of someone like Ned Jarrett and Dale, you kind of hold your breath because you don’t really know what you’re going to get into,” Hibbs said. “From the first time we met, they were great people, a very grounded family with no sense of entitlement at all.

[The recruiting process] was very positive.”

The coaches granted Zach playing time in his freshman season and the outfielder returned the favor. Zach stepped into the lineup and posted a batting average hovering around the .250 mark. While he experienced a drop off in his sophomore season, Zach led his team in RBIs, nearly batting-in a runner with each recorded hit.

Now in his junior campaign, nearly three-quarters of the way through the season, Zach has tallied more hits than in each of his prior two seasons and increased his onbase percentage in addition to his slugging percentage.

His talents continue to grow while he displays a character which his

teammates and coaches describe as a “positive energy guy.”

Although, there’s the theme that 7-of-10 times, failure is ordinary.

Zach enjoyed his fair share of triumphs, but also experienced a few low points thus far as a 49er.

Mentally, the phenomenon is difficult to handle for some players, but the key for the left fielder is handling the adversity and channeling the positives.

Luckily, there’s a man in Zach’s corner who understands how to get over the metaphorical hurdles.

“He understands his game and we talk baseball, but the biggest thing is getting over the hurdle,” Dale said. “In racing, there’s only one winner and there were 42 people disappointed in some way. I don’t care if it was me, Dale Earnhardt or Jeff Gordon, staying mentally tough is the way you get through things and its the same way with hitting and [baseball]. I’m not a sports psychologist but I’ve been through it enough.”

Similar to the way he grasped the game, Zach is learning from the best.

Photo by Jared Allen

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NO. 70 Lexi Betancourt reached unprecedented heights within the Charlotte 49ers softball program, eclipsing 70 career wins JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR

As the Charlotte 49ers taked on another conference victory over Middle Tennessee, Lexi Betancourt took care of a personal milestone Saturday, April 30.

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Betancourt entered the contest on the back of near no-hitter performance at home and sat on 69 career wins, tied with former 49er Courtney Hankes.

The redshirt senior took the circle against the Blue Radiers and came out firing, however conceded three

runs in the first inning.

She then settled down and reclaimed the strike zone and took command of the following two innings.

Betancourt forced Middle Tennessee to expire six outs without causing a threat offensively.

Fittingly, Charlotte ignited the bats in the third and fourth, scoring four runs to give Betancourt the advantage.

Charlotte’s No. 21 returned to the circle in the fifth, sixth and seventh, retiring the Blue Radiers on the way to breaking a record that’s stood since 1991.

The early series victory sparked an offensive surge that carried throughout the weekend.

As Sunday, May 1, rolled around, Betancourt put her own record further into the rear view mirror as she increased her career win total to 71.

She tallied 11 strikeouts on the day, aiding the 49ers sweep of the Blue Raiders.

With a handful of games remaining in the season, Betancourt boasts 741 career strikeouts and trails Hankes’ program record by 41.

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Photo by Ben Robson

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MISINTERPRETATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY MIA SHELTON

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

I don’t know about you, but I am sick of people and their assumptions and misinterpretations of Christianity. Very often I hear that “Christianity is a ploy for the government and isn’t a real religion,” or that “Christianity is a religion made up by politicians and world leaders to justify their brutal actions of society.” The list is endless. Well I am here to set the record straight for all of the naysayers.

Christianity is not a ploy; it is a religion started nearly thousand years ago and was seen as a route to God. If you followed the rules of the Bible and lived the way the Lord wanted you to, you were expected to go to heaven after you died. The way people in today’s society use Christianity is not the way it was intended to be used. People like the Spanish, British and French colonizers - and even American government officials - use Christianity as a justification for barbaric actions.

Enslavement, neglect and discrimination is frowned upon in Christianity, so stop letting people make you believe that.

On Facebook, I see again and again posts that say something along the lines of: “The KKK were Christians, let that sink in.” Just because barbarians used the religion as a scapegoat for their horrific actions doesn’t mean that that is the meaning of the religion. As a Christian, it pisses me off to see things like that because it’s not true. We are not told by God to burn anyone on a cross because of their skin color, or their sexuality, or their different faith or religion. Those are the actions of people, not God. Recognize the difference.

Most recently, people are using Christianity to persecute the LGBTQ community in the United States. Yes, many (but not all) interpretations of Christianity frown upon relationships that are not between a man and a woman, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to discriminate. Different Christians have different personal beliefs of how to handle acts of “sin” and even different interpretations of what is considered a “sin.” That doesn’t mean their views are God’s views, or God’s

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Pope Francis entertains an audience at the Vatican. Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

way of handling a situation. According to John Milton, God gives us free will, and lets us do what we feel will make us happy, knowing that later on down the road things take a turning point to where he wants us to be to become our better selves. So, stop letting radical Christians convince you that their views are God’s views, because they aren’t. A little tip; if it’s not in the Bible it’s not true.

[Note from the opinion editor: The argument Mia laid out in this article applies not only to Christianity, but across religions. Often, sentiments of anti-Judaism come from a Christian theology that assumes the “God of the New Testament” is merciful while the “God of the Old Testament (or more appropriately Hebrew Bible)” is vengeful. Such an interpretation neglects that Christianity and Judaism supposedly share the same phenotypical God, the God of Abraham, even if interpreted very MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

differently in each tradition. It also neglects that there is wrath in the New Testament as well as mercy, and mercy in the Hebrew Bible as well as wrath. Islamophobia, meanwhile, thrives on the myth that Islam is a violent religion. Taken in the context of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam was and remains a religion of peace and justice at its core, even if certain out-of-context suras in the Qur’an might appear to advocate violence.

The Bible is filled with violent passages, but most theologians understands them in context, read as a whole, to be an incitement towards love and justice, like in Islam. Furthermore, there is no such thing as one interpretation of Christianity or one interpretation of Islam or Judaism or Hinduism or Buddhism, or any other religion for that matter. People hold vastly different theological beliefs based on their traditions, intellectual conclusions and material contexts. Casey]

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Photo by Daniel Coston

UNC CHARLOTTE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA The campus ensemble delivers a powerful and dramatic performance

STEPHANIE TREFZGER STAFF WRITER

In his book, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” Milan Kundera says, “Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it ... The beauty of New York rests on a completely different base. It’s unintentional.”

In this he references the mix of different architectural designs and how they all come together to accidentally create something beautiful. The context in which I most appreciate accidental beauty, however, has to be in the moments before an orchestra begins to play. It’s the moment before the conductor walks on stage and everything goes quite, the moment where the orchestra is already on stage, each member practicing the parts they are the most nervous about, the moment the individual sounds combine to create a beautiful chord and its respective players have no idea they created something beautiful. This happened several times before the start of Thursday’s concert, and it was a great indicator of the performance yet to come.

Together with the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra and the UNC Charlotte Chorale, the UNC Charlotte Chamber Orchestra put on a very memorable show.

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The first piece was Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor BWV 582.”

It was originally written for the organ, but was arranged beautifully by Leopold Stokowski for symphony orchestra. This piece was a great choice as the concert-opener as it starts off very soft and graceful, giving the concert as a whole a chance to bloom and grow into something more dramatic.

The orchestra pulled it off beautifully. They stayed together and were quiet and loud in all the right places. The call-and-response between the instruments created a great conversation that the audience could easily listen to and follow. This all contributed to the stellar climax of the piece during which the players had so much energy, which reflected onto the audience. But the best part of the “Passacaglia” was a moment when the cellos and the timpani really stood out among the other instruments. I swear my soul ascended during that very small portion of the piece. Both instruments are very powerful, and if you put them together you get something gorgeous, which is even more elevated if you have a large number of cellists like at the show on Thursday.

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Up next was Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1,” and while that name might not sound familiar, I am positive you have heard it before in some kind of commercial or in a movie or something. The piece, made up of four movements, was written as a commission for Henrik Ibsen and his play, “Peer Gynt,” and is the first of two suites written for the play. The movements transition between moods, first light and airy in “Morgonstemning” or “Morning Mood,” to somber in “Åses død” or “Åsa’s Death,” after which it goes back to light in the dancelike movement, “Anitras dans” or “Anitra’s Dance,” finally finishing with the very frantic and loud “I Dovregubbens hall (In the Hall of the Mountain King).” The orchestra nearly expertly moved between the songs, starting and stopping and starting together nearly perfectly. And on the topic of togetherness, the pizzicato, or string plucking, in “In the Hall of the Mountain King” was impressive. It is very hard to do, especially considering the size orchestra on that stage, but they managed to pull it off incredibly well. My favorite part of this piece was “Åsa’s Death,”

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Photo by Daniel Coston

purely because of the drama the orchestra brought in using volume.

By the end, which gets softer and softer until there is nothing, both I and the rest of the audiences were completely engulfed.

The penultimate piece, Richard Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung WWV 86D, Trauermusik” had an unexpected beginning. It started with an introduction to an instrument, the bass trumpet, by UNC Charlotte’s own Dr. Royce Lumpkin. He explained to the audience that Wagner invented the instrument himself after not finding any other instruments that would fit the piece he was working on and then played a few bars of music.

The history lesson ended up being more important than we thought.

The piece is part of Wagner’s opera, “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (“The Ring of the Nibelung”), in which the world ends and is cleansed. The protagonist is Siegfried, and this piece is the funeral march played after he dies. Backed up by the rest of the orchestra, the trumpet played an enormous part in conveying the somber tone of the piece and God, was it beautiful.

“Prince Igor: Polovetsian Dances”

by Alexander Borodin was the

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moment I waited this entire concert for, because it was when the UNC Charlotte Chorale was brought on stage. My excitement was very well placed considering how amazing this final piece was. It started off as a light and airy piece and turned very dramatic, which wonderfully echoed the Bach at the beginning of the concert and brought the show full circle. “Prince Igor,” as the full name suggests, is very dance-like and jumps between light and dramatic dances throughout. The Chorale added another layer of drama that made the final piece a very memorable one.

My last review of the UNC Charlotte Chamber Orchestra was not a great one. My biggest complaint was that they did not play together, making the whole thing sound sloppy, but I decided to give them another chance. And I’m so glad I did, because this performance was magical. The addition of the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra and the UNC Charlotte Chorale really helped the orchestra to regain their footing.

The orchestra’s performance was beautiful on purpose due to their excitement about what they do.

ACROSS 1 “Dragnet” star Jack 5 Campus military prog.

9 Die-hard 13 Gillette razor 14 Bridal path flower piece 15 Hindu princess 16 Apply crudely, as paint 17 Samuel on the Supreme Court 18 To be, to Tiberius 19 “Fiddler on the Roof ” song 22 “What a relief!”

24 Continental trade gp.

25 Ritzy residence 26 Corned beef-and-Swiss sandwich 28 Quantities: Abbr.

30 ‘60s hallucinogen 31 Like businesses specializing in international trade 34 Second in command: Abbr.

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35 Golfer’s concern 36 Convenience 40 Beatles hit that begins, “You say yes, I say no” 45 Sci-fi saucer 48 Bears or Cubs 49 At the back of the pack 50 Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue __” 52 ATM access code 53 __ Moines 54 Like some government partnerships 58 Hipbone parts 59 “__-ho!”

60 European capital west of Helsinki 63 No longer working: Abbr.

64 Forgetting to carry the one, say 65 In the sack 66 Scots Gaelic

67 Sheep fat 68 Unit of force DOWN 1 Fistful of bills 2 Approx. landing hour 3 Quick reviews, as before a test 4 Hindu title of respect 5 Archaeologist’s find 6 Big name in elevators 7 London gallery 8 In the vicinity of 9 “__ you clever!”

10 Feudal servant 11 Enlarged map segments 12 Cut down on calories 14 PepsiCo, to Quaker Oats, e.g.

20 __-do-well 21 SALT I participant 22 Opera solo 23 Garment edges 27 This and that 28 Geometric given 29 Video file format 32 Jazzy Fitzgerald 33 Kennedy and Turner 37 Obeys, as rules 38 “Auld Lang __” 39 Brain scans, briefly 41 Small needle case 42 Freeloaders 43 Twist who asked for some more 44 Chaplin of “Game of Thrones” 45 Judge at home 46 More unpleasant 47 Planetary paths 51 Air freshener brand 52 Turn on one foot 55 Ecuador neighbor 56 In very short supply 57 Creek croaker 61 “Dancing With the Stars” judge Goodman 62 Keats’ “To Autumn,” e.g.

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SUMMER TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

Summer is right around the corner everybody, and it’s time to start planning trips to make your summer an eventful and memorable one! So here’s your guide to visiting places in the United States for people who can’t shell out more than $700 for a flight to Europe.

1. Graceland, Tenn.: Who doesn’t love Elvis?

This is the King of Rock n’ Roll people! You get to go into his mansion, and you’re guided through the property by the method of an iPad tour that is narrated by none other than John Stamos. You get John Stamos’s voice and Elvis’s home in one sitting, it’s a win-win.

2. Santa Barbara, Calif.: It neighbors LA, but it’s a much calmer laidback town. There are a ton of places to go hiking, and there are beautiful beaches including Butterfly beach which are said to have some of the most beautiful sunsets. Santa Barbara is a charming and classy place, but it’s also a place that embraces the hipsters out in the world with eclectic little shops and eateries.

3. Knoxville, Tenn.: Okay, I swear I don’t have a weird obsession with Tennessee, there’s just a lot of things to do there. Knoxville is a beautiful little town located on the banks of the Tennessee River, so the weather is forever wonderful. This place is the ideal location to go for Labor Day where the town celebrates ‘Boomsday,” the self-

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proclaimed largest fireworks display in the nation.

4. Miami, Fla.: Visit the Falls Mall and Lincoln road! The weather is great, and there are a gazillion places to shop at. what more could you ask for? If you need to de-stress after summer session or from work, head on down to Miami where warm weather and beautiful beaches wait.

5. Farmville, Vt.: Okay the farm part makes it sound lame, but I swear if you are a person that likes to stay active and adventurous then this is the place for you. Head on over to The Adventure Park at Sandy River Retreat. You can go ziplining on one of 17 or even go on all 17. You can also go through the 61 high rope obstacle courses, or even go kayaking.

6. Outer Banks, N.C.: Don’t want to stray away from home too much? Just go the outer banks and have fun in the sun! Go swimming, windsurfing, or even paddle boarding! If water sports aren’t your thing, take in the beauty of the outer banks from the air and go hang gliding.

7. Greenwood, S.C.: Again if you don’t want to stray too far, but want to get out of NC and you don’t mind gaining a few pounds this summer, mark on your calendar the food festival that takes place in Greenwood July 10-12. It’s good southern food for three days at the Festival of Discovery!

8. Brooklyn, N.Y.: If you’re an art lover make MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

your way up to New York, skip the met and check out the Brooklyn Museum that has been dubbed the mini met, although the collection of art is anything but mini. Beware—it does get extremely hot in the summer in New York but if you can take the heat go for it!

9. Asheville, N.C.: Checkout the blue ridge parkway and get some tasty food from this eccentric little mountain town. You can also take a tour through the Biltmore Estate, which is just absolutely beautiful. Asheville is a very laid back town, so you are sure to meet a ton of cool people and hear great music.

10. San Diego, Calif.: Okay, this last one is just me being biased because I went to San Diego over spring break and I loved it! I went hiking on the Torrey Pines Trial, and the view was just breathtaking. On one side you had ridges and dips and on the other you overlooked the ocean.

Also, San Diego is home to La Jolla Seal Beach where tons of seals sunbathe right on the beach for everyone to see.

Well, there you go. Now you have ten places you can potentially visit and hopefully have a great time at. Remember to pack some sunscreen, a camera and a few good friends. Happy traveling!

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A FINAL WORD

The Niner Times editors share their favorite moments from the past academic year

ALYSSA FRONK

HUNTER HEILMAN

ANDREW JAMES

DIANE GROMELSKI

COMMUNITY EDITOR

A&E EDITOR

VIDEO PRODUCER

COPY EDITOR

Watching the Panthers make it to the Superbowl! It was amazing to see campus and all of Charlotte so electric and full of pride on a weekly basis.

Going to Los Angeles and being able to meet Jason Sudeikis for a press event for the Niner Times.

Fulfilling a life-long dream by accepting a position as a television news reporter.

Alabama here I come!

Competing in mock trial tournaments with my best friends.

SARA CARSON

NICK CROPPER

JOHN LINEBERGER

CASEY ALDRIDGE

MANAGING EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

OPINION EDITOR

Studying abroad in Brussels, Belgium and frolicking around Europe during the fall semester.

Earlier in the year when hundreds of students emails were hacked and some brave students took the opportunity to send Guy Fieri pictures during the madness. LOL

My biggest moment was finishing my short film project. It took all semester and had a lot of setbacks, but I did it. It is definitely the biggest project I’ve ever done.

Getting tickets with my roommates for the NFC Championship game, and being able to see the Panthers rout the Cardinals on the way to their second Super Bowl appearance in person.

BENJAMIN ROBSON

JARED ALLEN

ANDREW HOCUTT

JORDAN SNYDER

PHOTO COORDINATOR

SPORTS EDITOR

LAYOUT EDITOR

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In February Halton Arena hosted John Isner’s charity challenge. He was joined by Andy Roddick and the Bryan Brothers.

Having the entirety of American tennis under one roof was a freak out moment for sure. We even walked away with a souvenir.

Attending the C-USA men’s and women’s basketball championship in Birmingham, Al. While the 49ers didn’t leave victorious, the three days on the road were unforgettable.

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The marching band debut on the first regular season UNC Charlotte football game was a great moment.

Theres nothing like being at the first game with all your close college friends when the band hits the first note.

MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

In November, I left the country for the first time, spending 11 days walking around Rome, Madrid, the Canary Islands and Brussels.

Randomly happening upon the Grand Place sound and light show was amazing.

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MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

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MAY 3 - MAY 30, 2016

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