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INSIDE THIS EDITION: TIAA CEO ROGER W. FERGUSON SHARES SECRETS TO SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY RECRUITS THEIR THIRD LARGEST CLASS OF ATHLETES FOR THE 2017-2018 YEAR

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NETFLIX’S ‘SANTA CLARITA DIET’ OFFERS UP SUBSTANTIAL GORE, LAUGHS AND A WHOLE LOT OF HEART PG. 12 VOL. 29, ISSUE 17

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RACING TO GOLD Recreational services raises money for scholarships and philanthropy “Girl on the Run” during 16th annual Gold Rush 5k ANNIE YOUNG STAFF WRITER

Racer poses with Norm the Niner on the Irwin Belk Track. Photos by Kristopher Harris

UNC Charlotte Recreational Services hosted its 16th annual Gold Rush 5K in which the Charlotte community showed their support for the 500 racers on Feb. 4.

Businesses and vendors set up tents with games, food and warm beverages for the participants on the chilly morning.

Racer Kaiti Stewart commented on the community support, “(The race) is way more than I thought it would be. I like how many sponsors there are and coming out to support us in the cold.”

The race is held to raise money for Recreational Services student scholarships and to bring together the Charlotte community.

LaVella Hall, event coordinator, said “The net proceeds go towards Recreational Services Student Development Scholarships, but the race is also a way to bring together UNC Charlotte students, alumni and community members.”

Participants also had the opportunity to donate to Girls on the Run, the philanthropy partner for the Gold Rush 5K. Last year

donations reached $400 and Hall hoped to exceed that this year.

Over 94 awards were given to participants after the race. Each winner received a medal, DICK’s Sporting Goods gift certificate, free smoothie card and a ticket to the UNC Charlotte men’s basketball game that evening.

Overall male and female winner also received a Norm statue.

The race began at 9 a.m. at the Irwin Belk Track.

The 3.1 mile race looped around the football stadium, back down to Craver Road and Mary Alexander Road, which led them to Alumni Way and Toby Creek and finished them back at Irwin Belk Track.

Stewart and her friends Matt Bulen and Hollyann Walker all agreed that “the second mile was the hardest. It was all uphill.”

Even though they were exhausted, their faces gleamed with joy, which was mirrored by all the participants who had completed the race.

“THE RACE IS A WAY TO BRING TOGETHER UNC CHARLOTTE.” EVENT COORDINATOR LAVELLA HALL

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Elizabeth Hardin honored with 2016 Loy Witherspoon Distinguished Service Award Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Elizabeth Hardin impacts students’ lives INDIRA ESKIEVA STAFF WRITER

Elizabeth Hardin serves as vice chancellor of Buisness Affairs. Photo by Indira Eskieva

Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs at UNC Charlotte Elizabeth Hardin is a busy woman.

And yet she took an hour out of her time on a Friday afternoon to talk with the Niner Times, which might sound surprising at first, given her prestigious title and backto-back booked schedule, but not so much after you spend an hour in her office talking, getting to know the woman who, after all, is the recipient of the 2016 Loy Witherspoon Distinguished Service Award.

Besides being the Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs, Hardin is also an advisor and board member of the on-campus ministry, Cooperative Christian Ministry. Through Niner United, she has impacted the lives of many students who have come through the campus ministry, a fact she humbly shrugs off.

“I’m very committed to the mission of higher education and to the

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development of students, a portion of which is a spiritual form of development,” Hardin said.

One former member of Niner United, Rev. Jacob Pierce, recalls how Hardin loaned him her car so that he and a group of students could drive to the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. to witness the installation of a new bishop.

“It was just a car,” laughs Hardin now.

But Rev. Pierce, who at the time thought he was going to be a lawyer, has since gone on to become a pastor at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter in Charlotte, and it’s difficult to imagine that the experience of watching the installation of a new bishop at the National Cathedral did not influence the change of course in his life.

Hardin works in higher education because of students like Rev.

Pierce, and her devotion to public institutions stems from the fact that she is also a product of public education.

“My parents made a very intentional choice for me to remain in public school through high school,” Hardin said, while the rest of her family studied at private or boarding schools.

Hardin’s grandmother, who was born in 1904, attended Vassar College, went to law school and was admitted to the bar. Her father was, in her words, “very much a feminist.”

“My dad always said, although he was one of three boys, that you really didn’t have a choice in his family about being a feminist.”

Hardin made her family proud, first by attending the University of Georgia, and then by earning her MBA from Harvard University in 1985.

“There were not a lot of Southerners there at the time, and very few Southern women. Very few,” Hardin said. Pondering it for a few minutes, she could not think of even one, although she insisted that there must have been at least a couple more besides herself.

After graduating from Harvard, Hardin spent some time working at the university before joining the private sector. In 1995, she returned to working in higher education when she joined UNC Charlotte as a business planning analyst.

In 2003, Hardin moved to the University of Wyoming, only to return back to UNC Charlotte in 2006 for the position she still holds today: vice chancellor of Business Affairs.

Today, Hardin recognizes the profound effects of higher education, and the opportunities that public schooling provides.

“It’s really a profoundly formative experience, and it changes the

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direction of [students’] lives. That’s particularly true, I think, of public higher education, or any higher education that is inclusive of people who may not have the resources to go to the most expensive schools in the country.”

She says that her own role models include Loy Witherspoon and UNC Charlotte’s founder, Bonnie Cone.

“When I saw Bonnie Cone in action, I said that I would love to be like her. She’s just absolutely remarkable, and again, pretty fearless to do what she did at the time that she did. It would be hard to start a university now, but for this petite single woman to do that at a time she did is truly, truly remarkable,” Hardin said.

Elizabeth Hardin has her own advice to offer young women entering the workforce.

“Passivity, assertiveness and aggression. Having passivity honors other but not self, and aggression honors self but not other. Being assertive honors self and other.

Assertive is the healthy place to be,” Hardin said.

But, perhaps, more importantly, Hardin wants students to figure out what their purpose in life is, and use it to serve the world around them.

“Frederick Buechner said that ‘vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.’ You hear a lot about gladness, but what you don’t hear a lot about is the world’s great need,” Hardin said.

“There is a level of pain and challenge that surrounds us but we don’t see. And we don’t see it because we largely choose not to. That’s a big deal. You have to recognize what vocation looks like, and you have to recognize what the world needs.”

Much like she has, serving the students at UNC Charlotte.

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CEO and President of TIAA Roger W. Fergson, Jr. serves as role model for buisness students

CEO Speaker Series allows students opportunity to hear from leaders in buisness

Dean of Belk College Steven Ott asks Roger W. Ferguson questions submitted by students. Photo by Alexandria Sands

After the event, students got the opportunity to talk to Roger W. Ferguson one-on-one. Photo by Alexandria Sands

ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR

President and Chief Executive Officer of Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association Roger W. Ferguson sat down with Dean of Belk College Steven Ott to discuss how to be successful, financial advice and his life story at the CEO Speaker series in the Popp Martin Student Union on Feb. 1.

The CEO Speaker Series was created for students to provide them an opportunity to hear from business leaders such as Ferguson.

Ferguson joined TIAA in 2008. TIAA is a

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leading provider of retirement services and a Fortune 100 financial services organization that has major offices in Charlotte, including University City. TIAA is an employer of 80 UNC Charlotte alumni, a provider of scholarships, advocate for the school and donor to the Jamil Niner Student Pantry.

Ferguson talked about growing up in a household with a father who was always talking about financial literacy and was interested in how banks functioned after experiencing the Great Depression. His mother worked as a teacher.

“When other dads would talk to their sons about the scores at the most recent baseball FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

game, my father would be talking about interest rates,” Ferguson said. “One of the things that really shaped me was this upbringing that combined the value of education with this sort of real world dynamic role of literacy.”

In 1966, Ferguson was inspired by Andrew Brimmer when he was nominated as the first black governor to the Federal Reserve Board.

“It wasn’t so much the racial angle, while obviously that was there. What really got me excited was this discovery of this big institution called the Federal Reserve,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson is a former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System.

Ferguson also gave advice to students interested in investing and preparing for retirement at a young age. He told students to start saving now in order to reap the benefits of compound interest, be wise about how they budget money and also to continue to invest in human capital.

He also explained how to acquire knowledge of financial literacy, saying that students should be sure to pay attention in class, find books- one he suggests is “The Millionaire Next Door”- and read the newspaper, specifically the business section.

Ferguson talked about important qualities a CEO must have.

“You have to be able to combine expertise with empathy,” Ferguson said. “Folks want to work for someone who feels authentic. I think folks want to work for somebody who really understand that we’re all human beings together. That’s where I drive this thing about empathy. No employee wants to feel like he or she is some cog in a machine.”

He also talked about leadership and fortitude and noted that these are skills you can develop and practice in team activities as a leader of group member while attending college.

“These are life skills. They’re not skills you develop at the age of 50,” Ferguson said.

At the end of Ferguson and Ott’s discussion, Business Honors Students got the opportunity to ask Ferguson questions.

Ferguson gave advice on being successful in business, noting that students should value being a continuous learner.

“I’ve learned this in my own life … The jobs that you are aware of today versus the jobs you will be aware of when you’re 40, 50, 60 years old are probably night and day different,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson also spent time answering questions about being successful as a minority, networking and choosing a major.

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Senate Update: Initial step in replacing vice president as official who oversees Senate ISA KNAPP STAFF WRITER

The UNC Charlotte Student Government Association (SGA) held their weekly student senate legislative meeting Feb. 2.

Guest speakers Secretary for State and National Affairs Vincent Cahill spoke to the Senate about the importance of the program Kognito, which educates students on recognizing mental illness in others. Cahill encouraged senators to share the program with various organizations that they are involved with. He also spoke about the possibility of the university incorporating voter registration within the enrollment process for new students.

Secretary for Academic Affairs Robert Russell addressed the Senate and spoke about reevaluating the use of midterm feedback forms. He said there were concerns that the midterm form may be taking away from the end-of-term course evaluations and that many students may not fill out the form. Other possibilities are being looked into to either improve the form or to replace it.

He also talked about the library advisory board that was created for students and library staff to work together to make improvement to the library. The board meets on the last Tuesday of every month and meetings are open to anyone.

New student organizations The Senate approved the following new student organizations: Art Poetica - This club will study the crafting of poetry, forms and accomplished poets in order for members to grow as writers.

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Field Hockey - The goal of Field Hockey is to develop a tight knit community that will lead players to the National Field Hockey League.

Pre-Occupational Therapy Club This club will encourage interest in the field of Occupational Therapy.

Makerspace - This organization will provide the opportunity for student’s interested in experimenting with computer aided design, collaboration and prototyping objects to work with 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC milling machines.

Approved bills Student Bill 53.2-14 with the short title “Food and Beverage Line Item Act” was approved by the Senate. This bill allows student organizations to apply for five food grants per semester. Organizations could originally only apply for two food grants.

Student Bill 53.2-15 with the short title “Senate Leadership Comprehensive Remodeling Act” was also approved by the Senate.

This bill, if approved financially and passed by a student body vote, would alter the current constitution of the student body. The current constitution gives administrative responsibility to the student body vice president to preside over the Senate. The changes to the bill would give that responsibility to a speaker and a speaker pro tempore who will work out of The Office of the Speaker. This bill was created to lighten the workload of the vice president and to have a senator who is familiar with procedures to preside over the Senate.

POLICE BLOTTER JAN. 30 - FEB. 3 DRUG VIOLATION FEB. 3

• North Deck, officers issued three State Citations in reference to possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and one Campus Apperance Ticket in reference to drug possession.

LARCENY JAN. 30

• Belk Hall, unknown person(s) removed items from the victim’s residence hall. The victim stated that she left the room secured prior to leaving for the weekend.

LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION JAN. 30

• Levin Hall, officers issued three State Citations and one Campus Apperance Ticket in reference to underage drinking.

VANDALISM JAN. 30

• Housing and residence life, unknown person(s) spray painted words on a wall and carved words into a television set.

WEAPON VIOLATION FEB. 2

• Lynch Hall, officers responded in reference to a possible student being in possession of a weapon.

After conversations with several subjects, officers took airsoft rifles, airsoft pistols and additional items associated with the use of these weapons including ammo into custody. Officers issued two State Citations.

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

FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

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JADA MARTIN: TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

TREVOR WILT

SPORTS EDITOR

Being a walk-on is not easy. It is not for the feeble minded. It is not for players who crave attention. But it is for players who want others to succeed. That’s why Jada Martin, a junior from Winnsboro, South Carolina, was rewarded the first ever walk-on spot under coach Cara Consuegra in her six years at the helm for the Charlotte 49ers women’s basketball team.

“We needed players that were going to come in and be unselfish and be committed to making us better,” Consuegra said on Martin. And boy did she strike gold.

Not only is Martin a walk-on basketball player who shows up for every practice and basketball game without receiving a dime from the university, she is also a double-major at Charlotte, juggling computer science and mathematics in the classroom.

“UNC Charlotte had always been on my list of schools to go to, mostly because of my major, engineering,” Martin said.

For most of you that don’t know, Martin had not been watching from the stands at Charlotte games and just thought it would be fun to tryout one day. Instead, the Winnsboro native had been playing basketball for Spartanburg Methodist College, a junior college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, working on her craft for two years while getting her associates degree as well.

Martin ended up at Spartanburg Methodist after an impressive high school campaign, playing five years at the varsity level. Yes, you read that right. Five years. Martin was so skilled as an eighth grader, she would go to class at her middle school then get a ride to Fairfield Central High School to play the game she loved.

In high school, Martin played at a high level, averaging 13.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game during her five-year career for the Griffins. While at Fairfield Central, Martin was nominated to the 2014 McDonald’s All-American game, picked to play in the Carolinas All-Star Basketball Classic and tabbed as an American Family Insurance All-USA South Carolina First selection.

With all of these accolades under her belt, Martin did not receive a high volume of offers in her final two seasons in high school, which could

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Jada Martin looks for the play call.

Photo provided by Charlotte Athletics

have been due to the fact that she tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in her last game of her senior season.

So with her dreams dented because of the major surgery, Martin had a limited hat to pick out of when it came to where she would play college ball.

“Spartenburg-Methodist was one of the only colleges that stayed in contact with me after I tore my ACL so I thought I might as well take it,” Martin said. “The trainers were awesome there and I bounced back in no time.”

Martin was able to bounce back seven months after the surgery, making her healthy for the start of her freshman season. In two years at Spartanburg Methodist, Martin started 21 of the 28 games that she appeared in, posting nine double-digit scoring games.

But after her two years were up at FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

Spartanburg, she wanted to take her academic talents to Charlotte, North Carolina. When she arrived on campus, Martin still felt like she had more to give to the game of basketball, which helped incite her to try and talk to the Charlotte coaches about a possible tryout.

“I had been contacting the coaches but they had already set their mind that there were no tryouts,” Martin said. “I kept coming to the coaches and one day when I went and talked to coach Nicole (Woods), she was like, ”Guess what? We are having tryouts!,” and I was like ‘Thank you God’ and it went on from there.”

So as September came around, Martin tried out for the team as a walk-on and made it. She was now a Division I basketball player for the Charlotte 49ers in Conference USA. As a walk-on, your role is limited and is mostly used to help fill a spot on the scout team during practice and to help prepare the team for their next game. With also being a walk-on, the player does not receive financial assistance from the university, but is surrounded with other players that may be on a full-ride or partial scholarships. With some walk-ons not seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Martin did not take the same approach.

“Staying strong and knowing that things will work out in your favor has kept me playing ball,” Martin said. “It can be tough at times because I’m out here busting my butt with these girls but hopefully I’ll be able to work hard enough to better this team and maybe get a scholarship one day.”

With all of her hard work showcased at practice every day and her resiliency to make the Charlotte team, coach Consuegra had some high praise for the junior walk-on.

“It was pretty special that this is a walk-on that knows nothing about our program and culture and she had so many of the characteristics that we build in our players,” Consuegra said. “She brings great effort and heart everyday. She is unbelievable in communicating. She celebrates her teammates. Everything we talk about having in a player, she already has. That was the difference between her and the other young ladies.”

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NATIONAL SIGNING DAY The 49ers welcomed their third largest recruiting class to Niner Nation on Wednesday

Photo by Leysha Caraballlo

KATHLEEN COOK SPORTS EDITOR

The first Wednesday in February is a date marked on the calendars of football programs nationwide.

On this date recruits send in their national letters of intent informing schools of their commitment to play football there in the fall.

Charlotte welcomed 18 new members to Niner Nation Wednesday in addition to the four mid-December signees. In total, the 22 member signing class marks the third largest in the program’s six years of recruiting.

“We set a goal four years ago. We didn’t want to get to today and have to replace the biggest class leaving our program with the biggest class again. This was the third largest class we’ve signed since we’ve been here, so I think we accomplished that goal. We didn’t want to sign the first class, let them play it out, and then be back to square one in 2017,” head coach Brad Lambert said.

With the excitement surrounding Larry Ogunjobi and his stellar Senior Bowl performance, Lambert and his coaching staff used that as a springboard for recruiting purposes.

“That’s what we talk to recruits about – you can come to Charlotte and attain all of the goals you have set for yourself individually and

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as a team. Larry is proving that,” Lambert said.

The 49ers expanded their footprint during their recruiting, signing six players out of Florida. They also kept close ties with 11 players coming from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

Charlotte also added experience to their roster with the addition of seven junior college transfers.

The first fax of the day into the Charlotte offices was from D’Mitri Emmanuel. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman from Waxhaw, North Carolina was picked to participate in the 2016 Shrine Bowl.

As a senior, Emmanuel recorded a 93 percent blocking grade including 41 pancake blocks.

In addition to Emmanuel, the 49ers added five more offensive linemen to the roster with this class.

“The one thing we had to do with this class was take care of our offensive line and I think we did that. We signed six offensive linemen and three are junior college guys. We lost a lot of guys off of our offensive line, so we wanted to add some age back to it,” Lambert said.

Joining him on the o-line is Jean Eason, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound Oakland, California native. At the

City College of San Fransisco, Eason centered an offensive line that finished with 484.5 yards of total offense.

Coming in at 6-foot-4 and 296 pounds is junior college transfer Jalen Allen. Allen was named to the first team all-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference team as the offensive guard.

Also joining the offensive line are two-star recruits, Mark Shekletski out of Ijamsville, Maryland and Jacob Webb from Canton, Georgia.

Rounding out the offensive linemen is David Foust. The 6-foot6 lineman hails from Washington D.C. and spent two seasons at Los Angeles Valley College. This past season he helped lead the Monarchs to an 11-0 season and the Southern California Football Association’s American Division Pacific Championship Bowl.

The tight end position added three new options in Chris Phillips, Antoine Shaw and Ryan Eachus.

Phillips also comes from Los Angeles Valley College. The 6-foot-3, Woodbridge, Virginia native took a two-year break from the game after tearing his ACL in his last game at Hylton High School in 2012. As a sophomore he had 25 catches for 358

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yards and five touchdowns.

Shaw comes to Charlotte from Rockingham, North Carolina.

The first-team all-Southeastern Conference offensive lineman comes in a 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds.

Transferring to the Queen City is Eachus from Mission Viejo, California. Eachus had an impressive season at Orange Coast College, tallying 28 catches for 285 yards.

Adding depth to the wide receivers are Cameron Dollar, Cameron Bent and Victor Tucker.

Dollar, who is from Denver, North Carolina, set a national and state record when he caught seven touchdown passes in the first half of a game his senior season. The seven touchdowns rank second nationally, first in the state. After recording over 2,900 career yards, Dollar was picked for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolina’s.

Also seen in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolina’s was Bent after he helped his high school team reach the AAA state quarterfinals.

Tucker led his high school team to the 6A Florida High School State Championship title after catching 41 passes for 569 yards and eight touchdowns his senior season.

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The sole running back in this recruiting class is three-star recruit Kameron Duncan out of Ocala, Florida. In his junior and senior season at West Port High School, Duncan rushed for over 2,500 yards.

He averaged 148 yards a game as a senior and totaled 12 games with 100 or more yards over the last two years.

Also on the offensive side of the ball is pro-style quarterback Mic Roof. Roof, from Duluth, Georgia, is a two-star recruit and the son of former Duke head coach Ted Roof.

Five linebackers will now be calling the Queen City home.

“I wanted to solidify the inside of our defense with our linebacker position. Losing Nick Cook is a tough loss for us. We took a junior college linebacker and added some pieces there to make sure we’re stronger there,” Lambert said.

Two-star recruits Jonathan Francois and De’Anthony O’Neill both come to Charlotte from the Sunshine State. O’Neill is a dual player and can play both linebacker and defensive end.

Staying close to his roots is Sherard Sutton, who calls Kannapolis, North Carolina home.

The three-year varsity player was exposed to both linebacker and receiver positions at A.L. Brown. He was named honorable mention alldefense in the Independent Tribune’s 2016 Midseason Awards.

A front runner to fill the void of Cook at inside linebacker is Sean Bernard. Bernard comes to Charlotte from the same school as Cook – Butler Community College.

At Butler, Bernard held a team-high 119 tackles, averaging 10.8 tackles a game. He was also responsible for 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced

fumbles, an interception and two blocked kicks.

Two-star recruit Henry Segura rounds out the linebackers in the 2017 signing class. Segura, out of Tallahassee, Florida, totaled 105 tackles including 20 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and two interceptions as a junior.

Picking Charlotte over 20 collegiate offers is defensive tackle Michael Adams out of Summerville, Georgia.

The FCA Athlete of the Year averaged 3.3 tackles a game as a senior.

Chrishawn Wilson, a three-star recruit out of Florence, South Carolina, comes to Niner Nation as a defensive linemen. His senior season Wilson recorded 33 tackles including 12 sacks.

Rounding out the 2017 signees is Marquavis Gibbs. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound defensive back transferred to Charlotte from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

There he tallied 83 tackles with 33 solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

As for redshirting players, that is a decision the coaching staff will wait and make in August.

“Really you don’t know that until you get into August. A guy like Ben DeLuca last year, we weren’t sure he would play. But then we get into practice and we think ‘Okay, we need to play this guy, he’s making too many plays,’” Lambert said. “That’s really the indicator, when guys in practice do things and you just walk off the practice field thinking ‘Did you see what Ben did?’ or ‘Did you see what Trent did?’”

The football team can be seen in action for the first time in 2017 April 22 in the annual Spring Game.

By The

NUMBERS 6 offesnive linemen 3 tight ends 5 linebackers 2 defensive linemen 3 wide receivers 1 running back 1 quarterback Photo by Chris Crews

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NO BAN, NO WALL, NO ALTFACTS On ego and strength in the new administration

Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to President Trump, has come under fire on several occasions for “alternative facts,” most recently the “Bowling Green Massacre.” Photo via Tribune News Service

EDDIE ANGELBELLO

STAFF WRITER

It’s no secret that Donald Trump takes pride in size. Size feeds his insecurities like lies do his fans. The enormity of his buildings, the immensity of his bank account, the “yuge”ness of his little munchkin hands and (as he made clear in a nationally televised debate) even his size “down there.”

Trump has demonstrated to the American people time and time again that he believes he is bigger and better than all of his competition. He is that kid in your kindergarten class that would knock everyone else’s Lego towers down and then claim to be the greatest Lego architect in all the world. Usually that obnoxious kid realizes this kind of behavior doesn’t fly in the real world when he makes it to the first grade and a child-genius proves him wrong and builds a Lego skyscraper all the way to the ceiling. But for some reason the president of the United States of America has not learned this lesson yet. Instead, he

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continues to sit in the corner with his tiny tower, convincing himself that his Lego building (read: inauguration) is bigger, so that he doesn’t have to feel like less of a man.

Why? Well if you’ll allow me to extend this cheesy and slightly annoying analogy for just a few sentences more, I will explain my point of view. You see, if Donald Trump is this elementary school bully described above, and if the United States is his classroom, then the reason that his alternative facts are not admonished and laughed at is that half of the students in the classroom seem to be convinced that this bully is on their side, that he will take the power back from their well-intentioned teacher and give it back to them, that he will make kindergarten great again.

Now, at this point those of you who are on the other side of the political spectrum from me may have all moved on to the next article or the latest Tomi Lahren video, and if you are still here FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

it is probably only because your day has been relatively good so far and you need something infuriating to keep you going. But, before I lose any more of you let me say that I do not believe that Donald Trump is intentionally trying to cause any harm to our country. Although I am skeptical that he never wanted the job in the first place, and although I do take issue with his conflicts of interest, I am not someone who believes that Trump is using the highest office in our nation for personal gain.

What I do believe is that Donald Trump is greatly misled in terms of his idea of what it means to be a bigger and better country, and that trusting a government that is misleading, and overly controlling of a media that is at most overtly biased, is ignorant and extremely dangerous. A country that gets all of its information and its facts

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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer used his first opportunity at the podium to lie about Inauguration size. Photo via Tribune News Service

(alternative or real) from the government looks more like North Korea or Cuba than the America that we should envision. Our president needs to understand that strength is not about strong-arming the media into portraying the world the way you see it. Strength is not about building the biggest border wall you possibly can, or banning an entire group of refugees based on a religion when you are afraid of the small amount of people who have turned that religion into a perverted ideology. To do so would be to fuel the fire of a new ideology sweeping the world (of which ISIS is just one small part) that perpetuates the idea of “us versus them.” Strength is not about being the bully who destroys everyone else’s towers. True strength is instead about breaking down barriers. It is about helping those in need, befriending those you fear. It is about upholding the ideal imprinted on the Statue of Liberty.

So, President Trump, since I know you care oh so much about size, please be the bigger man here and grow out of your bullying stage. Open your mind to what being strong truly means. This country will be better for it.

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FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

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Photo courtesy of Saeed Adyani/Netflix

HUMOR IS FATAL IN ‘SANTA CLARITA DIET’ The first season of the newest Netflix Original is gory and violent, but has a lot of heart.

JEFFREY KOPP A&E EDITOR

When I first heard about the new Netflix Original Series, titled “Santa Clarita Diet,” my first thought was that the streaming service was adding a trendy cooking show to its impressive roster. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Never could I have imagined that this series would be about Drew Barrymore turning into a zombie and eating people. This odd premise makes for a surprisingly entertaining and hilarious, yet disgustingly gruesome series that leaves me hungry for more.

The intensity is similar to that of “Breaking Bad” and “The Americans,” where the protagonists must balance their family life while trying to keep their illegal activities a secret.

It definitely isn’t for the faint of heart with its graphic violence; this is one of the most graphic television shows that I have ever seen.

Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star as Sheila and Joel Hammond, married real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California. They live in an upper middle class neighborhood with

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their teenage daughter Abby (Liv Hewson), who is essentially at a crossroads with her life; she isn’t completely sure what she wants to do with her future and the events of this season only complicate her dilemma more. The Hammond family is turned upside down one day when Sheila suddenly begins experiencing a handful of strange symptoms, including excessive vomiting and an absent pulse. Eric Bemis (Skyler Gisondo), a neighbor of the family and a friend of Abby, steps in to help the family diagnose Sheila with a rare virus that has caused her to die and reanimate as a zombie. The rest of the season follows the family as they struggle to come to terms with what they must do to satiate Sheila’s cravings for meat.

“Santa Clarita Diet” isn’t a perfect comedy series, but it sure is an entertaining one. The entire premise is intentionally cheesy, allowing the story to have a larger-than-life feel to it.

Some of the writing, specifically the dialogue is incredibly inconsistent, especially in the later FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

episodes. However, the series really shines with its cast. Barrymore and Olyphant have perfect chemistry, accurately portraying a long-lasting marriage with all of its flaws and stressors.

Hewson and Gisondo also work well together on-screen, developing a friendship that is quirky, awkward and relatable. The series also boasts an impressive list of guest stars, including Nathan Fillion, Andy Richter, Patton Oswalt and Portia de Rossi, all of whom add to the hilariousness of the main cast. To put it plainly, “Santa Clarita Diet” surprised me completely. What I thought would be a lame and unfunny disappointment turned out to be a genuinely hysterical and ridiculous series that mixes shocking violence with heartwarming characters. If you’re still on edge about this series, give the first episode a shot and you’ll immediately be hooked, wondering what will happen next. The 10-episode first season is streaming now on Netflix.

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BUILD AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT ...and a stuffed animal

CHEYENNE BOOZER INTERN

Are you lonely? Desperate? Tired of swiping right and just ready to find your perfect match? Your one and only? Or are you happily committed to another? Fatefully in love, passionate and only see Tinder in dog commercials and cringey memes?

Well luckily for you CAB was there. CAB was there for you with Build-a-Bae and The Dating Game Show. However, I’m sure people attending the latter had a much better time than the former. Arriving two minutes past two, I entered the rotunda astonished. There was a line wrapping around the Union, from the stairs to elevators, all to make a stuffed animal and presumably find true love. Within the first hour of the event, approximately 200 people stood in line for the magical creation of their animal affinity (I chose a penguin).

The turnout was especially surprising due to the lack of advertisement I personally saw.

There was the CAB events calendar, a singular poster in the Student Union and most effectively, word of mouth. The event wasn’t clearly laid out, and I really had to rely on my common sense to understand what was going on. There was a severe lack of structure and labels.

So who was there? From the advertisements you would assume all the single lads and ladies came out to find their “bae.” Unfortunately for all of us, it was couples town. Ah yes, all of us single, hopeful participants had to aggressively stuff our animals of choice while watching cute couple after cute couple play with their matching set of plush toys.

While many participants chose to leave after creating their newfangled friend, around 40-70 people chose to stay around for The Dating Game Show. The first game was, of course, for couples. Due to the overwhelming amount of volunteers, the host did the one thing he could do to fairly pick out four couples to compete

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against each other, a dance battle.

After being thoroughly entertained, the four pairs settled into their seats with a divider between them and their partners. After being asked an array of questions about each other and several tie breakers, two couples came out victorious, and most importantly, with a $40 prize. Finally, after pandering to the beloved, we got to the true purpose of the event, the singles. With another dance battle, the game show continued on for a few rounds, so that everyone was aware that they would still be single by the time it ended.

Overall, this event was a cute idea, and I understand how it went well last year and why it will most likely do well again next year. I do advise that if you are to participate, like most CAB events, bring a friend (or five). Or if you’ve found love in a hopeless place, bring them along so everyone else can be sickened by your presence (somewhat joking). The CAB staff was very friendly, helpful and easily identifiable for questions.

Towards the end of the event there was even unadvertised food. You really never know what you will get ACROSS from CAB, so make sure to give it a 1 Most musicals have two shot whenever possible.

5 Start to faceted or purpose 10 Modern organizers, for short 14 Countenance 15 In front 16 Wine prefix 17 First chip in the poker pot 18 Football with scrums 19 Songwriter Kristofferson 20 Player who shoots par regularly 23 Malted relative 24 Magnolia State school, familiarly 27 Baseball misplays 31 Calendar page 32 Floppy disk backup device 35 Forest official 36 Angsty rock genre 37 Michelangelo statue

39 R&B’s __ Hill 40 Changes gears 43 Ballad for a valentine 46 Start of a Poitier film title 47 Seek ambitiously 48 O. Henry works 50 Mexican dip 54 Virtually zero, and where the ends of 20-, 32- and 43-Across are literally situated 58 Slick-talking 60 Jokes and such 61 Cupid 62 Save for binge-watching, say 63 ‘50s nuclear trial 64 Dressed in 65 River of Hades 66 Barcelona babies 67 Joint commonly replaced DOWN 1 Accumulate, as a fortune 2 Easy-peasy task

3 Aquarium fish 4 Moved stealthily 5 Artist Chagall 6 “Nah” 7 __ Mason: investment giant 8 No-nos 9 Poem of rustic life 10 Critters hunted with a hugely popular 2016 mobile app 11 Heroic exploits 12 Young Darth’s nickname 13 Distress signal at sea 21 La. or Dak., once 22 Disaster relief org.

25 Titanic rear end 26 “So what” shoulder gesture 28 Fabric flaws 29 Egg: Pref.

30 Fishing line holders 32 Thin citrus peels 33 Words spoken by a sweater?

34 Plant responsible for much itching 35 Sitarist Shankar 38 High side 41 Locomotive furnace 42 Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit 44 Former “formerly” 45 Seattle football pro 47 Sharp as a tack 49 Wharton’s Frome 51 Chihuahua citrus fruit 52 Boring lecture, for example 53 Share the same opinion 55 Dark clouds, perhaps 56 Aroma detector 57 Leftover bits 58 Classic sports cars 59 Set fire to

Photo by Kristopher Harris

FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

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THE KEY TO DELIVERING GREAT PRESENTATIONS DELFINA EROCHENKO

The words that we choose are very important

STAFF WRITER

Delivering presentations is a part of being a college student. We’ve all had to do at some point, and we’ll likely continue to do so in our future classes. Most of us see presentations as unnecessary or as extra work in an already demanding class, but presenting in front of an audience is a good way for students to lose the fear of public speaking and to learn how to project their thoughts in an organized, concise manner. Below are a few suggestions that might help you improve the quality of your presentations.

The words that we choose are very important. One problem that many people struggle with during presentations is with “filler words.”

What are filler words? Words such as “uh,” “like” and “um” are most common. They add nothing to the message we are trying to convey and make us sound unprepared when we say them. All of us are guilty of using this words, we use them every day! They have become so integrated into our vocabulary that we no longer realize when we are using them. In an everyday setting, it doesn’t matter too much, but in a professional one we should avoid them as much as possible!

Preparation is also a big factor in presentations. If you are working alone, it can be easier to organize yourself and begin preparing for a presentation before it is due, but working with groups always makes the situation more complex. Make sure that you and your group exchange

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contact information and figure out meeting times that don’t interfere with each other’s schedules. This can be tricky, but not meeting with your group members can affect the presentation. If you need to use visual aids, it’s a good idea to open a Google Slide where each team member can add their part of the presentation. It’s more effective than a PowerPoint because you don’t have to constantly resend the Google Slide when you make new edits. It’s also quite easy to use.

Don’t read your entire presentation to your audience. It’s tempting, but ultimately a bad idea because you don’t make eye contact, and reading it could suggest to your professor that you haven’t taken the time to practice what you will say. Most professors will allow you to have some type of outline or notecard with you just in case you forget key information, but try to have most of your presentation memorized beforehand so you don’t have to read too much information

from your outline.

Make sure that your visual aids are not just ready for the presentation, but that they look great. If you use a visual aid during your presentation, always make sure that it looks organized, and that your points don’t end up all over the place. Try to include pictures relevant to what you are talking about, and if it is a group presentation, make sure everyone is using the same color scheme and format. Also, ALWAYS double check for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Do your research! If you have a good visual aid and you know exactly what you are going to say, all of that can get overshadowed if you don’t do proper research on the topic of your presentation. For example, if you are giving a presentation about World War II, you need to read what your textbook says about it, visit credible websites and make sure you have a solid grasp on the content. Make sure you cover all

FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

the important points. What good would it be if you covered WWII but completely avoided talking about the Holocaust? You would be missing a huge part of your presentation!

Remember to always prepare yourself with research.

Practice, practice, practice. Don’t just run through your presentation once or twice. Practice it out loud, just to make sure that it all sounds good and that you can run through it smoothly. Lack of practice is what sometimes lowers your score. If you have trouble pronouncing words, are constantly stuttering or speaking at a very fast pace, this means that you need more practice. Speaking to an audience can be intimidating, but by going through everything you will say, word by word, you can make sure that the mistakes you make are at a minimum.

Lastly, keep your main points simple. The best way to make people lose interest in your presentation is by stuffing too much information in at once. Don’t use long, overly complicated words unless you are completely sure that your audience will understand them and remember to try to connect the topic you are presenting to your audience; try to add an interesting fact related to your topic. Keep your audience engaged!

Try to apply some of these suggestions to your next presentation. Even if you aren’t the best public speaker, these suggestions can help you give a strong presentation and get a good grade!

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BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT L’Oréal Paris Féria: Midnight Collection Hair Color Review

EMILY HICKEY INTERN

Identity is what makes people who they are, but experimenting with identity is what makes people more fun. Take hair for example, everyone knows you based off your hair color and style. It’s how to identify people with similar names and a way to explain someone if your friend can’t seem to remember who exactly you’re talking about. If someone were to describe me to someone, they would say “Emily with the dark hair,” but as of last night, I am now Emily with the purple-black hair.

I love to dye my hair; it allows me to express myself in a visible way. Usually I go darker to match my eyebrows and attitude, but this time I decided to add a splash of color with my usual black. My go-to hair dye is L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème due to the constant success I’ve had with this brand. Every time I use it, the color is rich and it lasts fairly long for a box-dye (a little over a month). Not to mention it’s cheap and I’m a broke college student. However, this time around I decided to try L’Oréal Paris Féria: Midnight Collection Hair Color in Violet Soft Black. After reading the reviews online, I was convinced this would give me the results I hoped for.

At around 11 p.m., I started the process of dyeing my hair. I managed to lather the dye into most of my hair with only occasional help from my friend. I was also able to keep the floors, walls and sink area clean.

Not so much the sink mat, but washing machines were created for a reason.

The actual process was easy and the kit contained an easy to read, stepby-step guide for use of the product. It took approximately an hour to soak my hair, let it sit, then wash it out and then another 30 minutes to dry and straighten my hair for the final results.

Maybe my hair didn’t take well to the color or the dye wasn’t strong enough, but there’s only a hint of purple and a tint of black. My hair is already naturally dark so for the color to only be one shade darker isn’t a problem, it’s with the lack of purple that I’m bummed. A couple of people throughout the next day commented on it by asking if I had changed my hair. One friend asked if I had and after I told her yes, she replied, “I couldn’t figure it out so I had to ask, but I like it.” If that is indication of anything it’s that the color is not at all vibrant and my hair is not different enough.

I would not recommend this product. I love L’Oréal and use a variety of their hair products, but this one I was disappointed with. Despite its alluring box design and excellent reviews, it personally did not make a

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lasting impression on me. One upside is its price at $8.97, but if you want a good box-dye, go with L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème. It’s cheaper being only $7.97 and the product is fantastic. Next time I dye my hair, I won’t be using this collection, but my loyalty to L’Oréal will never falter.

FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

Photo by Emily Hickey

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BRIANNA SUMPTER INTERN

“I like to start my day off with exercise.

I wake up and go to the gym before class and it gives me the energy to start my day.

Even when i’m not feeling good I still push myself to go to the gym because I know in the end it will all be worth it and I’m working towards a better me and a better life.”

- Xavia Carthen

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FEB, 7 2017 - FEB. 13, 2017

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