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INSIDE THIS EDITION: STUDENTS SHARE CONCERNS ABOUT CAMPUS SAFETY AND COMMUNICATION AFTER MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OVER THE PAST WEEK

CHARLOTTE BASEBALL OPENS WITH A SOLD OUT VICTORY OVER WEST VIRGINIA

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FEBRUARY ISN’T JUST FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, CHECK OUT WHAT OTHER HOLIDAYS AWAIT THE REST OF THE MONTH PG. 12 VOL. 29, ISSUE 19

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Chancellor Philip L. Dubois discusses construction, diversity and possibility of law or medical school Lunchtime Talk gives students opportunity to address concerns and ask questions to Dubois, student body president gives State of the University Address ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois held his annual Chancellor’s Lunchtime Talk Feb. 14 where students were given the opportunity to ask questions and address concerns with Dubois directly.

The event, which in the past has taken place in the rotunda, was moved to Room 200 of the Student Union for a more intimate vibe, Student Body President Fahn Darkor said.

The event commenced with Darkor giving his State of the University Address in which he announced that the University is moving from black to green commencement robes in the spring.

He also talked about the inaugural NinerPalooza event, an idea he ran on during his campaign, that will give students the opportunity to talk to administrators about their concerns. The event will have food trucks and will take place in front of the College of Health and Human Services on March 16.

Darkor mentioned that he met with Little Bird Marketing firm to discuss the branding and identity of the Popp and Martin Student Union.

After the State of the University Address, Dubois gave updates on construction, specifically the three largest projects the University is working on right now. The Counseling Center, which will be relocated by the Health Center, will be completed in August.

In June, the Health and Wellness will begin being built on top of the parking lot next to the Student Union. Dubois said he plans to give the building a different name and that he is open to suggestions from students.

The science building, which was

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approved a year ago by the Connect N.C. Bond vote, is predicted to begin construction in August 2018.

Dubois said that after these projects complete, most construction will consist of renovations only.

The light rail, which will extend from the University to South Charlotte, will open in August.

The University is negotiating with Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) to get students an allaccess pass, which will include rail, buses and trolley. Dubois said the predicted fee is $50.

UNC Charlotte Center City will be a 20-minute ride on the train and 107 trains will be arriving to campus each day. Changes to shuttle services will be made to accommodate to the needs of the train and ensure that there is always a shuttle when the train arrives.

Student representatives will be going to Raleigh to advocate for UNC Charlotte’s budget increase in front of the General Assembly. The UNC System is requesting around $46 million. UNC Charlotte alone is requesting roughly a third of that request with $15 million.

Dubois also talked about diversity plans.

“I think I’ve been persuaded that we can do some different things relative to our activities related to diversity inclusion,” Dubois said.

Dubois said that the Council on University Community already implemented a first diversity plan and that they’re now working on a second, more action-oriented plan.

“I think one of the things that the events of last fall taught us was that we needed to make people more aware of all the things we had done even though we had some things

Chancellor Dubois gives updates before answering questions. Photo by Alexandria Sands

yet to accomplish,” Dubois said. “We need to improve the mechanisms by which student, faculty and staff concerns related to diversity inclusion get filtered up so that if I have to be part of a decision making process I’m aware of it.”

Dubois spent a large amount of time defending himself from representatives of activist student organization Customer49 that were upset at Dubois’s lack of response to House Bill 2 and Trump’s travel ban.

Dubois said that the UNC System is doing nothing in regard to HB2 but he thinks UNC Charlotte “led the way” in creating the number of gender neutral restrooms on campus.

When asked about traffic on campus, Dubois said the Campus Congestion Task Force was created to address these problems. One solution they found for relieving

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congestion, which was accomplished over winter break, was to make two exit lanes near the front entrance of campus. The report also mentioned modifying class schedules and closing Craver Road to regular traffic during prime hours so that the shuttles can move faster.

With the Charlotte School of Law predicted to close by 2019, Dubois was asked about whether UNC Charlotte considering a law school.

Dubois said that they’re going to do some due diligence on the legal market but he thinks it would be a “heavy lift.”

Dubois mentioned that a medical school was a more likely longterm possibility and that he had discussed starting a 25 size class of medical students with UNC School of Medicine Dean Roper and UNC System President Margaret Spelling.

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AXO runs to end relationship violence Alpha Chi Omega hosts Cupid Shuffle 5K to raise money for Safe Alliance

GRADUATION GOES GREEN Students vote for green robes to show their “Niner Pride”

ISA KNAPP STAFF WRITER

UNC Charlotte commencement robes have officially been changed from black to green, which will take effect for the spring commencement ceremonies. Student Body Vice President Carrie Nowell has worked over the past two semesters on making the change happen.

She said the idea originally came from Secretary for State and National Affairs Vincent Cahill Racers get ready for Cupid Shuffle 5k at starting line. Photo by Daniel Head this past summer.

Cahill noted to Nowell that several STAFF WRITER schools in the North Carolina UNC Charlotte’s Alpha Chi Omega Ale’s University, Mabe Trucking, system had robes (AXO) hosted the Cupid Shuffle 5K Discount Tire, Brickhouse Grill, that matched their on Feb. 11. The race is held during Westminster American Insurance school colors. These AXO’s Healthy Relationships Week Company, Badger Color and Rodgers schools include to raise money and fight against Building showed their support for UNC Chapel Hill, domestic violence. healthy relationships by helping East Carolina Four hundred and sixteen raise money for the cause.

University and participants raced to fight against UNC Charlotte fraternities Sigma several others. Cahill relational abuse and raise Chi, Zeta Beta Tau, Phi Delta Theta, thought it would be awareness about the ever growing Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Sigma Phi a good project for the problem. Statistics show that one in and Alpha Sigma Phi sponsored the student government to three women experience domestic race as well. help build Niner pride. violence during their college years.

First, second, and third place There was a concern “One in three, that means that in participants received medals in that the change in color just our chapter alone, around 48 the women’s, men’s and couple’s would change the price of the robes, girls have been in, are in, or will be categories. but the company that the University in an abusive relationship before “Because of the statistics, because has already been using had the they graduate,” race coordinator Tori of the long term effects of abuse, green robes and offered them at the Clymore said. we won’t stop until every man and same price as the black. The idea Eighty-five percent of the proceeds woman on our campus is aware of was presented to the executive and go to Charlotte’s Safe Alliance the signs and the resources available legislative branches in the fall and domestic violence shelter while the for people in abusive relationships. they supported the idea. remaining 15 percent go towards the Abuse knows no gender, ethnicity, The student government sent out AXO’s foundation. religion, sexual orientation... it can a survey about the idea to change Sponsors like Stifle, A&R Painting, affect anyone and that’s why we colors and about 4,000 students American Campus, Honey Baked work so hard to raise awareness on responded, roughly 17 percent of the Ham, Graphic Cow, Trader Joes, our campus,” Clymore said. undergraduate student body. They

also held publicity tables in the Student Union and had a model of the green robe to display. Sixty-four percent of the students voted for the green robes. Many students stated in the survey that they were under the impression that the robes were already green.

Anonymous comments in the survey included, “I really love how wearing the green kind of screams how proud we are to graduate from UNC Charlotte.”

Nowell brought the results from the survey along with a sample of the robe to Chancellor Dubois and he gave his support to change the color.

While Nowell says that most of the feedback was positive, there was some backlash to the idea. Some students said that they wanted to stick with black robes because it was more traditional while others were concerned that it would clash with their outfit or they would not look good in green.

Students can pick up their green commencement robes at the Commencement Fair that will be held in March.

“WEARING THE GREEN KIND OF SCREAMS HOW PROUD WE ARE.”

ANNIE YOUNG

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PLAY BALL

Baseball opens season with series victory over West Virginia TREVOR WILT SPORTS EDITOR

The Charlotte 49ers kicked off their hardest schedule in program history with a series win over Big 12’s West Virginia, winning the first two games of the series 6-3 and 13-2, before falling to the Mountaineers 3-6 on Sunday. All three games at the Hayes were sold-out, totaling over 4,100 fans that made their way to watch the Niners and head coach Loren Hibbs in his 25th season with the program.

Game 1

The 49ers handed Colton Laws the key to the ship Friday night on Opening Day, throwing 6.0 innings, giving up two runs on six hits and striking out four batters on 83 pitches. The 6-foot-8 right-handed pitcher for the Niners received some support at the plate during his outing, started by the hot-hitting Jackson Mims and T.J. Nichting.

Nichting, one of the 10 seniors on the team, singled in the second and fourth innings, followed by a double in both innings from the ECU transfer Mims, scoring Nichting for

both of Charlotte’s early runs.

With Brandon Vogler on the mound for Charlotte in the seventh, WVU scored one run on four hits, regaining the 3-2 lead. So down by one in the seventh, the 49ers leaned on Nichting who led off the inning with a double to rightcenter, followed by a single from Mims, his third hit of the day. After a single from senior Zach Jarrett, Hunter Jones scored Nichting from third. Later in the inning, Brett Netzer lined a ball over the second baseman’s head to score two more Charlotte runs, leading 6-3 over WVU. Hard throwing Jonah Patton closed the game for Charlotte with a near-perfect ninth inning, securing the Opening Day win in front of 1,135 fans.

Game 2

Charlotte went with junior Josh Maciejewski in game two, as he showed his maturity on the mound through 5.2 innings, working around five walks, while giving up just three

Zach Jarrett and Logan Sherer help a baserunner. Photo by Chris Crews

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hits. But the highlight of the night came on the offensive end for the Niners, stringing together 15 hits for 13 runs.

Mims continued to impress all 1,584 fans inside Hayes Stadium on Saturday, scoring in the second inning off of a sacrifice-fly from Jarrett and hitting his first home run as a Niner while leading off the fourth inning. Charlotte scored two more runs in the fourth, leading 4-2 after four.

After taking an inning off, the 49ers made up for it, scoring four runs in the sixth inning, sending all nine guys in the lineup to the plate in the inning. The inning was highlighted by singles from Nichting and Drew Ober, and capped off with a two-run bomb from senior Logan Sherer to deep left field, giving the home team an 8-1 lead.

The Mountaineers tagged on another run in the top of the seventh but Charlotte responded with a five-run inning. Over reached on a walk and Jones reached on a single, followed by a two-run double from Netzer. Sheer singled in

Netzer just a couple pitches later.

Nichting capped off the fireworks in the seventh with a solo-shot that bounced off the foul pole down the right field line.

Game 3

West Virginia’s Connor Dotson and Charlotte’s Zach Flanagan battled on the mound through four innings in the series finale, as Flanagan worked around seven hits to only give up one run. Totaling 12 hits on the day, the 49ers were unable to get the big hit they needed to bring runners in, leaving 11 runners on base.

Charlotte got on the board in the seventh after Reece Hampton singled to score Ober, but not before WVU put up four runs. The Mountaineers scored two insurance runs in the eighth, helping them seal the deal over the Niners.

Although Charlotte scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth off of a single from Sherer and a sacrifice fly from Nichting, the 49ers comeback fell short, losing 3-6.

Zach Jarrett makes an athletic play on a foul ball. Photo by Chris Crews

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Haley Wiseman mid-release from the circle. Photo by Chris Crews

Spenser Gray safely slides into second. Photo by Chris Crews

SOFTBALL STARTS STRONG

After beginning 1-3, the team has gone on a 7-0 win streak

KATHLEEN COOK SPORTS EDITOR

Charlotte softball has overcome a dismal 1-3 start with a seven-game win streak, capped off with a clean 5-0 sweep in the First Pitch Classic.

The team has bounced back after opening their 2017 campaign down at the Carolina Classic in South Carolina by going 1-3. The 49ers came back to the Queen City and took two games in a double header against Gardner-Webb.

To round off the first 11 games of the season, Charlotte went on a 5-0 to become the champions of the First Pitch Classic.

Young but experienced

One of the headlines from the softball team this season are the seniors, or lack thereof, on the team. Last year Charlotte lost two players from graduation, pitcher Lexi Betancourt and outfielder Courtney Carroll.

This season the 49ers welcomed pitchers Alison Green and Carson Pace as well as utility player Spenser Gray. The roster breaks down to five juniors, eight sophomores and three freshmen.

While the team is young, there is maturity on the roster.

Haley Pace, Emma Ocker and Bailey Rhoney held the top three batting averages at the conclusion of the 2016 season and all three are returning this season. Defensively, Becca Shipper,

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Meredith Harris and Taylar Byrne lead the way with fielding percentages above .975 last season.

In the circle

Last season, Betancourt was the team’s no. 1 pitcher. She has been replaced this season by Haley Wiseman, a junior out of Winter Haven, Florida.

After starting seven of the team’s 11 games, Wiseman has an earned run average of 1.43.

Through her 49 innings pitched she has allowed only 10 earned runs off of 29 hits and 21 walks.

She leads Conference USA in strikeouts, recording 63 K’s so far.

Sophomore Lauren Riley is able to perform when it’s her time in the circle. The stamina of the High Springs, Florida native is one of her main strengths. Against Ohio Riley was delivering pitches through six innings and lasting seven innings in the 49ers contest against St. Bonaventure.

Stepping up to the plate

A huge threat from the 49ers is a strong batting lineup from top to bottom. After Sunday’s matchup against Bowling Green six players are hitting at or above .294. The team as a whole holds a .305 average.

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Pace is leading the way with a .424 average.

The junior has tallied three home runs, two triples and one double through her first 33 at-bats while only registering five strikeouts. Coming in behind Pace is Ocker with a .389 batting average.

Ocker is tied with Pace by having two triples.

Rounding out the top three in the batting average category is Grace Beatty, who possesses a .375 average. Beatty is responsible for two of the 49ers’ six home runs in their first 11 games. The other homer came from redshirt sophomore Erin Powers.

Another area the Charlotte squad excels in is on-base percentage. The team averages a .371 onbase percentage, collecting 126 total bases. Four Niners hold an on-base percentage at or above .400.

Once on base, watch for aggressive base running from the Niners. So far the team has registered 22 stolen bases, led by Pace with seven stolen bases off of eight attempts. Freshman Spenser Gray with six stolen bases from seven attempts.

The 49ers return back in action this weekend when they play host to the Green and White Tournament that begins Friday and lasts until Sunday with the championship game at 12:15 p.m.

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Tom Brady and LaGarrette Blount embrace after their Super Bowl LI victory. Photo via Tribune News Service

DOUBLE STANDARDS AND PATRIOTS-ISM MIA SHELTON

ASST OPINION EDITOR

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Super Bowl LI champions, the New England Patriots. A lot of people seem to have an issue with the fact that several African-American players do not want to go to the White House because they don’t feel welcomed.

Tight End Martellus Bennet tweeted before the Super Bowl game that “America was built on inclusiveness not exclusiveness.” Defensive back Devin McCourty stated, “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices, I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.” Running back LaGarrette Blount stated in an interview on the “Rich Eisen Show” last Thursday “I don’t feel welcome

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in that house. I’ll leave it at that.”

Some people feel that out of respect and tradition the Patriot players need to go to the White House. However, I think these same people forget that quarterback Tom Brady skipped out on going to the White House during the Obama presidency and no one made a fuss about that. On his show “Undisputed,” sports commentator Skip Bayless spoke with Rapper Nelly on the topic. Bayless felt that the team should have taken a vote on whether or not the players should go to the White House or not. Nelly quickly chimed in stating “You didn’t make the vote when Tom Brady — when the head of your team decided that he wasn’t going to come…if he’s not going, he’s the captain,” Nelly said. “He’s the head. He already

decided. He opened this box up. Tom Brady started this. He started it.

Let’s just get it out of the bag, and I’m not faulting him because I love Tom Brady, but he started it.”

Nelly also talked about how it wasn’t a part of the players’ job description to go to the White House.

Speaking from the perspective of a player, Nelly said that “Going to the White House, I don’t get paid for. Going to the White House is not in my contract. I’m done. I did my job. How you look after the football season, that’s on you because you chose to go that way. As an owner, you chose to come out and say — you didn’t ask me. We didn’t make a team vote when you said, ‘I support this man.’ Tom Brady didn’t — we didn’t have a team vote when you were blatantly showing that you

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were supporting Trump.”

I agree with Nelly. Why is it only now we have to make a vote on whether or not players have to go to the White House when they didn’t take one last year when Brady decided he wasn’t going to the White House? I have always noticed that reactions are a lot different when one a person of color does something that a non-Hispanic white person does. And when people disrespected Obama during his terms it was fine, but now that these players are doing with Trump now it’s an issue. Trump is big on freedom of speech, as we see in all of his responses about anything, so he shouldn’t have a problem with these men exercising the same right and neither should anyone else. Like Nelly said, Tom Brady started this.

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A REPUBLICAN’S OLIVE BRANCH

How work can be done on both sides, if both parties are willing to make sacrirfices.

JOHN PATRICK STAFF WRITER

If the Democratic party honestly wants to see the office of the presidency again, including the congressional and senatorial seats open in 2018, I would suggest they stop taking everything for granted.

Trump won 2,622 counties out of the 3,112 counties for which there was collectible data in the United States; Hillary won 490. Trump poached 220 counties that voted for President Obama — I dare liberals call such counties ‘racist’ — to Clinton’s 17 counties that voted for Romney in 2012.

Hillary beat Trump in the popular vote by about 3 million. That means, within those same 490 counties mentioned above (only 15.7% of the available counties), Hillary managed to gather millions more than Trump by the popular vote. Such counties are undeniably more densely populated, therefore watering down the potential pool of votes as Democratic. More preposterously disproportionable, however, is that 1.5 million of Clinton’s popular vote came from the five counties that make up New York City.

Goodness.

I am not a Democrat, but I do not wish to live in a world where I must passionately despise the party I do not belong to, which I’m afraid is beginning to happen — or has already begun. The founders wanted

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a two-party system, and damned if we don’t give them one. If we are going to be stuck between a rock and a hard place anyway, its best, I think, to get along.

This is not to say I am a moderate.

I’m far from a centrist. But even the late Antonin Scalia said you can hate ideas, but not people.

Unfortunately, now we have petty partisanship and contesting factions of Americans that absolutely abhor their opposites.

So, for the sake of making American politics more genteel and humanely pragmatic, I must start with the party that has quite possibly fumbled in the most blundering, elephantine kind of way imaginable. I say this because the Republican party currently holds the executive and its administration, the Senate and the House, and an overwhelming majority of the state governorships as well as the state general assemblies.

Forget the name-calling. Don’t get caught up with the insistent labeling of those you do not agree with as ‘racist, sexist, bigoted,’ and so on (that’s just to save time, the list is much, much longer). Seriously. The more hysterical you get compounds the effect of name-calling like the boy who cried wolf did when he, well, cried wolf. Even if they truly are those bad words, undermine them

with knowledge and not simple words or phrases that do nothing.

Ignore elitism. The Democratic party, after eight years of strongarming the executive, has gotten extremely lethargic and complacent.

They have, by virtue, become the vaunted and often disliked “establishment” if you will. America has an interesting, though quite active, history of retaliating against its authority; even when that authority becomes herself. No matter how much it may irritate the academic cultural Marxists centered around an urban periphery, it is best not to act snobbish and entitled to the votes of middle America, or to belittle their background or way of life.

Fight political radicalization.

Obviously states like Massachusetts and California will have their farleft progressives, but the Democratic party must understand that such views are not necessarily compatible in every state. A rural miner in Pennsylvania will not appreciate the delirium of being a cis-gender white male who hates the environment if it means he cannot provide food for his family (in reference to Clinton’s declaration of war against coal).

Shifts along the political spectrum are mostly stagnant, and if they do occur, are likely small. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Take nothing

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away from Bernie Sanders and the movement of young, passionate progressives, however, but don’t splinter the party.

Grow thicker skin. I am not advocating for an anarchic, wild-west sling fest of offensive and derogatory verbiage, only a proponent of not getting so worked up about things that do not matter.

When people as a whole keep getting chastised for saying something not up to par for your feelings, that will translate come election. Simply put, people will have differences of opinions regardless of if you want them to or not; free speech is the bee’s knees, even if you dislike what is being said. Diversity [of thought] is the spice of life.

Look, I’m a fairly self-aware person — I understand that I am a political gadfly when it comes to anything revolving, you guessed it, politics. I know this. I know which side of the aisle I stand on. Even so, I truly want a stronger, more united Democratic party. The better the Democratic party becomes the more it will challenge the views of the Republicans, which, naturally, will bolster our party’s strength and acumen. Rivals play at the level of their competition.

We’re all under one flag anyway, best to get along.

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Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

‘THE GREAT WALL’ IS ALL SPECTACLE, SOME SATISFACTION

This Chinese-American blockbuster is given pad to its weak characters

HUNTER HEILMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Controversy is something that is becoming more and more normalized in today’s society and we tend to forget about a scandal right when another one comes along. Whether these scandals be political, social, etc., we’re exposed in a way unlike ever before. Right when the trailer for “The Great Wall” dropped, Universal Pictures found themselves surrounded by a heap of controversy. Despite being a Chinese-American co-production, the lead actor in “The Great Wall” is none other than Matt Damon, someone who is very much so not Chinese. It’s difficult to criticize the context of a character in a film until you see it, but controversy still arose. The real question now is not only whether box-office receipts will be hurt by the controversy, but also whether or not Damon’s presence even helps the film thematically?

For the plot, we follow William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal), who are European exmercenaries who have traveled to China to search for black powder, aka gunpowder. After being captured by Chinese troops, they are taken as prisoners to the Great Wall of China, where they witness a massive attack of reptilian beasts upon the troops situated on the wall. After the initial attack, William begins work on helping the troops in any way he can to defeat these creatures with

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the help of Commander Jin (Jing Tian) and the various other factions of this massive army.

Damon’s performance from the start is really weird. He dons a strange accent that was inconsistent as hell and hard to place. Yet, the biggest downfall with Damon in this film is that he’s boring; without any backstory, it’s hard to really get a sense as to why we’re supposed to care about this character with no relevance to the story at hand. Not only is he boring, he is completely unnecessary, with no real relevance to the rest of the story. While on one hand, this saves the film from solely being a white savior piece, it also renders the character we’re supposed to identify with most useless.

From this big blow, everything in “The Great Wall” is uphill for the most part. While the film touts this massive battle on the Great Wall as the ultimate battle for humanity, this battle actually occurs in the first act of the film, setting the bar high for action early on. These are the sequences that fans of Zhang want to see most, and they aren’t disappointing here. Having seen the film in full IMAX 3D, this film has some of the bestshot action sequences in the past year, even if the characters involved with them are a bit weak.

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finds new and inventive ways to show off this spectacle. Being the darkest action film Zhang has ever taken on, he still maintains his typical Zhang-ness even without flashy, amazing colors, which do make an appearance in the third act.

Had “The Great Wall” removed the storyline about the European traders and focused on Jing’s Commander Jin and her journey to defeat the creatures, this film would’ve been so much better than it is. Granted, it’s hard to complain about these things, knowing that without a bankable Hollywood star like Damon, this film would’ve never been able to pull $150 million from a secondary American production company.

“The Great Wall” is a strange film to write about, given how it does so many things so very well, but also haphazardly forces a storyline into the film that very obviously did not ask to be a part of it. Even less developed, I found myself drawn to Jing more than anyone, and sorely wish for a movie focusing on her instead.

You don’t even have to bring in an argument of whitewashing to see how poorly cast Damon is here, and how sorely irrelevant his storyline his.

Still, major thematic issues aside, Zhang has still crafted a gorgeous, exciting film that could use with 30 more minutes, and the removal of a movie star.

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BIG STARS BRING BIG PERFORMANCES TO “BIG LITTLE LIES” The role of TV anti-hero is no longer a boys club.

JESSE NUSSMAN STAFF WRITER

There is little doubting the sizzle and spark on screen when watching “Big Little Lies.” The HBO miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Liane Moriarty, is the latest television production to wheel in a helping dose of star power. Perhaps, as with shows like “House of Cards” or “True Detective,” that star power will be enough to peak the interest of many curious television viewers eager to find something new to glue their eyes on.

However, it’s very likely the web of mystery, lies, deception and immaculately drawn characters that will keep them eager for the next episode.

The series is set in the wealthy beach-side community of Monterey, California. Many of the characters live in lavish houses overlooking the roaring waves of the Pacific Ocean. However, lives for these people may not be a dreamlike as they appear on the surface. There are secrets, grudges and even murder underneath the pristine community. As the miniseries opens, we learn that a murder has taken place. However, the identity of who was killed, let alone the culprit, are kept secret from the audience. What we do see are community members being questioned by police and providing insight into a particular group of characters who might, in some way, be involved with this whole debacle.

The characters in question are, in large part, a group of mothers who in the area, each with their own dark little secret. There’s Madeline Mackenzie, a career peak played

by Reese Witherspoon, the mother who seems to constantly be in other people’s business along with micro-managing the world around her. She’s in her second marriage to Ed (Adam Scott) and has two daughters, a feisty first grader and a rebellious teen from a previous marriage.

Still present are tensions between Madeline and her ex-husband, who still resides in the same town but is now married to a much younger woman (Zoë Kravitz).

Next up is Celeste Wright, played by Nicole Kidman, who left her career as a lawyer to be a stay-at-home mom for her twin boys. She has a fiery marriage to Perry, a chiseled younger man played

by Alexander Skarsgård, and they are constantly referred to as the couple with a little

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too much personal display of affection. Yet, under the surface, the seemingly perfect marriage might be more abusive than loving.

Finally, there is Jane Chapman, a single mom, played by Shailene Woodley, who’s recently moved to town with her son. However, it soon becomes clear that Jane has her own dark secrets and past traumas that she is more than likely running from. However, when a possible bullying accusation against her son arises, she becomes the enemy of one of the community’s most powerful woman, Renata Klein (a fiery Laura Dern), making the assimilation process that much harder.

It’s really an ensemble effort with everyone in the cast at the top of their game.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that the entire

Photo courtesy of HBO

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miniseries has Jean-Marc Vallée behind the camera. Vallée,, of course, directed Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto to Oscars in “Dallas Buyers Club,” as well as both Witherspoon and Dern to nominations in “Wild,” putting him on trajectory as a filmmaker with the skill to grab great performances out of actors.

Witherspoon is the likely choice for which performance will grab people first, as she grabs the reigns and takes over from her very first introduction. The ending result is not too far off from her character of Tracy Flick in “Election,” but with slightly more subtlety and dramatic depth. However, Woodley and Kidman deserve an almost equal amount of praise for some of the darker places they take their characters toward the later episodes, when the curtain is becoming more pulled back on their personal trauma.

While the show may become slightly more serious in its later episodes, it always retains a sense of chaotic fun. The story weaves together so many characters each with their own personal grudges and conflicts with other people that there seems to be an almost infinite number of possibilities in terms of who is involved in the central crime. As soon as you think you have it pinned down who’s been murdered and who their killer is, the show throws you another possibility.

Yet, for a majority of the series, the fun lies in watching these women clash and scheme against one another. The more soapy aspects of the show are not played too seriously and there is a surprising bit of wit to the way people gossip about each other. The situations within the show might be flared up for dramatic effect but the characters at the center feel real, almost like people we’ve met before or heard about. They’re similar to the anti-heroes of golden age TV, even the simple act of hanging around the local coffee shop feels like a call-back to the way Tony Soprano and his mob buddies would make smalltalk outside the pork shop.

All the women involved are great actresses, but they usually don’t get this kind of meaty, scenery chewing roles to work with. It’s a shame really.

The TV anti-hero world is full of men but rarely have we gotten one centered around a woman, let alone three women. However, “Big Little Lies” brings the girls to the boys club and the results are pretty entertaining.

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ACROSS 1 Soothsayer 5 Quick fix for an elbow hole 10 Underwater vessel 13 Cuba libre fruit 14 Lorena of LPGA fame 15 Phony 16 Votes in favor 17 “My mistake” 18 Rice field draft animals 19 Panama Canal nickname 22 Robotic maid on “The Jetsons” 23 Inherently 27 Where to find Lima and llamas 30 Like farm country 31 Thanksgiving tuber 34 When baseball closers usually shine 38 They’re often big in showbiz 40 Sparkle

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41 “I’m hungry enough to __ horse!”

42 NYC thoroughfare that becomes Amsterdam at 59th Street 45 Vert. counterpart 46 Gandhi’s land 47 Garbage email 49 “Get moving!”

53 Wash or spin 57 When time is running out 60 Computer image 63 TV signal part 64 “Giant” author Ferber 65 Four-sided campus area 66 Extended families 67 Cincinnati ballplayers 68 Tennis match segment 69 Saintly rings 70 “Garfield” pooch DOWN

1 Not as forthright 2 “Old MacDonald” letters 3 Webzines 4 Mail again, as a package 5 Fancy-schmancy 6 Have __: freak out 7 Pulsate 8 Like grandpa’s jokes, probably 9 Contemporary of Mozart 10 Jazz combo horn 11 Don Ho’s instrument 12 “Gone Girl” co-star Affleck 15 Mint of money 20 High school junior, usually 21 Merit 24 Dickens villain Heep 25 Totaled, as a bill 26 “Pomp and Circumstance” composer 28 Capital of Latvia 29 Sch. near the Strip 31 “Abominable” critters 32 Insurance rep 33 Paris newspaper Le __ 35 Golfer’s starting point 36 __ Christian Andersen 37 “Still sleeping?” response 39 Regular payment 43 Precipitation stones 44 A pop 48 Rescued damsel’s cry 50 Enlighten 51 Throat dangler 52 Bicycle feature 54 Encrypted 55 Monday, in Le Mans 56 Use the delete key, e.g.

58 El __: weather phenomenon 59 Throw away 60 Mensa nos.

61 Billiards stick 62 Breakfast grain

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Photo by Wikimedia Commons

FEBRUARY ISN’T JUST FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

Check out these national and global holidays in the month of February EMILY HICKEY STAFF WRITER

There are some holidays that dominate, there’s no denying them. What is an American calendar without Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day and all the rest that define each month? Somehow they overshadow the smaller holidays, but that doesn’t make those smaller any less important.

That being said, February isn’t only Valentine’s Day, but there are only three holidays left of the month. Here’s what’s coming up in America.

On Monday, February 20, America will be observing President’s Day. This holiday is called different names all over the nation, some states referring to it as George Washington’s Birthday or Washington and Lincoln’s Birthday, but regardless of name all Americans celebrate this pretty awesome day.

This holiday, held on every third Monday of February, was created to honor George Washington and his presidency.

Washington, whose birthday is Feb.22, 1732, also shares this honor with Lincoln, whose birthday was February 12. Both Presidents ons mm were Co

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extremely important to American history, so what better way to honor them than by giving them an entire day?

Up until the late 1980s, most corporate businesses were closed to give respect to those persons who serve as president, but today most stores hold sales to boost their finances, a tribute to the capitalist society our government runs.

Adam Smith would certainly be proud. Certain schools throughout the country close for the day or even for the week, but like the name of the holiday, it depends on the state. There are only two cities who host celebrations, though.

Alexandria, Virginia hosts a month-long tribute for the holiday and even has the longest running “George Washington Birthday” parade. In Eustis, Florida, a “George Fest” has been hosted every year since 1902. Even though they’re the only big parties, every American still celebrates this holiday in their own way.

Four days after President’s Day, the Hindu festival, Mahashivaratri, will be celebrated. This holiday is in honor of the god Shiva with the date differing each year, determined by the Hindu calendar and when the Shivaratri in every luni-solar month falls. In late winter before spring (February or March), the “Great Night of Shiva” occurs and is called Mahashivaratri. This year, it falls on Friday, Feb. 24. The holiday FEB. 21, 2017 - FEB. 27, 2017

is celebrated for three to 10 days, the length of celebration determined by the luni-solar calendar.

While most Hindu festivals are celebrated during the day, Mahashivaratri is celebrated at night for it symbolizes overcoming darkness and ignorance in the world. In order to overcome this, Hindus maintain a jaagaran, or all-night vigil and prayers. Other practices include chanting prayers, fasting, doing yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues. This introspective focus allows people to reflect on self-restraint, honesty, non-injury to others, forgiveness and the discovery of Shiva.

The importance of this holiday is significant in the fact that it is believed to absolve past sins, a good thing to cleanse the soul and hope for future prosperity.

The last day of February is hosting the infamous Mardi Gras. This French celebration is celebrated heavily in New Orleans, Louisiana and literally translates to “Fat Tuesday” in English.

Observed by Orthodox Christians, this is a day to indulge in rich, fatty foods before the monthlong fasting season called Lenten. Most people who celebrate Mardi Gras no longer do it for religious purposes but rather for the party and widely-anticipated parade. Orthodox Christians still recognize it as the celebration before Ash Wednesday, but most attendees come for the colorful beads, great food and shirtless women.

Regardless of your reasons for being there, this is one celebration everyone is able to enjoy, just like every holiday in February. Next time you think of February as the month of love, just remind yourself that it’s also the month of presidents, riddance of sins and colorful, elaborate food parties.

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FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND A MUSIC FESTIVAL These are the times we will never forget

NICOLE BUCKENHAM STAFF WRITER

If you are a music lover like I am and you have not been to a music festival yet… you are seriously missing out. It may seem like a scary or exhausting use of time but it will be something you will remember forever. If you are a fan of concerts, just imagine all your favorite artists in one area playing back to back. Music festivals can be a serious commitment but one of the most life changing things you will ever experience. This is the best time to go to one, when we are young and can take the time out to do so.

1. Getting there Have you ever heard getting there is half the fun?

Well, if you are going to a music festival chances are you are taking a road trip there. Just getting to your destination is even part of the fun. There aren’t any big music festivals in North Carolina, which needs to change, so most likely you are going to be traveling out of state to attend one. Flying can get expensive, so carpooling with all your friends and pitching in for gas money is the best idea. If you have never taken a road trip before, you are in for a serious treat. Some people do not like them, but when you are surrounded by friends, listening to your favorite songs and in the state of mind you are going to a music festival, it can be a lot of fun just driving in the car. Make sure to pack snacks and have a great in-car DJ. Time will fly by when you’re having fun getting there, so enjoy the little things like time spent with friends in the car.

2. Friends Speaking of spending time with friends, this is such a fun and unique way to be together. Music festivals are meant to be spent with people that are close to you and share common interests. Go with your pals that like all the same music you do. This is such a fun outing that is different from the typical bar scene with friends or even just a concert for a night. You are spending about two-four days with these people with non-stop things to do. It can be tiring, but such a memorable time everyone can share for years. My only advice would be to go with people that can handle such a long event. Your friends need to be able to handle hot weather, lots of standing and of course love the music.

3. Music This then brings me to my next point of simply, the

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music. This is why you are going to a music festival in the first place! Like I mentioned before, imagine concerts back to back from each other. Also, usually festivals have all types of music and not just one genre. This is great because at one point you could be dancing and the next to relax, listen to something more acoustic. There are headliners and smaller acts as well. This can be fun to see smaller acts you’ve never heard of to listen to some new tunes and sometimes even meet the bands. At big festivals there are no “assigned seats” you pay for so if there is an artist you really want to see, you can stand there for hours till you make your way to the front row.

Lastly, music festivals are a lot more relaxed than seeing an act in a venue. The bands/artists are a lot more loose than they would be within an inside venue. They can move around more and say whatever they want to get the crowd going. Music is just a lot better with a music festival than the strict limitations from your average concert and is so worth the money.

4. Festivities Other than the music being there, there are other things that make up the “festival” part of a music festival. A lot of times there will be rides there you can ride. There’s of course great food and drink options to keep you going. Often times there will be sporting events you can participate in. There may be skateboarders and opportunities to do yoga. There are a ton of picture ops to be taken with the surroundings as well. And whatever city you are in, there is always tons of stuff going on outside of the concerts. Once it hits night-time, there are tons of bars in the area to check out to keep the fun going.

5. Memories Lastly, the memory of having the privilege to attend such a fun event will be carried in your memories forever. Going to a music festival, I know is something I will never forget. I often reminisce on previous ones I have been to and can’t stop thinking of the next one I will attend. It’s so much fun to look back at old pictures of friends and videos of the live music. Being in a new city for days with nothing but listening to music nonstop is an experience that you need to have at least once in your lifetime. It truly is something you will always remember.

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LOCAL WONDERS: MARSHALL PARK BRIANNA SUMPTER STAFF WRITER

Last February, before I moved to Charlotte, I took a trip here to check out the area. I was so curious to know what my future home looked like. A group of friends that I was with really wanted to go to the mall, but I wanted to go somewhere that was a little less crowded. Driving through Uptown Charlotte I came across Marshall Park. After I spent a couple of hours in the park, I left with the intent on coming back to this beautiful park at some point when I move to Charlotte. Exactly a year later and I reunited with my favorite place to relax.

Marshall Park is located in East Uptown Charlotte, across from the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. Surrounded by a bunch of buildings, this park is a great place to take a quick break from your day and your troubles. There are benches in the center of the park, which makes it very convenient to sit and have lunch or sit and read a book. Also in the center of the park is a waterfall that adds an extra calming vibe to the place. If you are into exercising, you will really love the loop that surrounds the park, which is normally used for walking or jogging. One of my favorite things about this park is that it is animal friendly, meaning that you are more than welcome to bring your dog and enjoy the day with them. Also, animal

friendly means that the park has a very special animal of their own…

Geese! It is very common that when you go to Marshall Park you will see geese everywhere. Although extremely friendly, it is a mandatory park rule that you are not allowed to feed the geese.

Some of the other rules of the park are no cruising, no hunting no littering and no swimming in the lake. Also, the park opens at sunrise and it closes at dusk everyday. If you are looking for somewhere to park when coming to this park, the only options you have are to find one of the parking spots along the road and pay for the meter to run for two hours or park in one of the uptown parking decks. I would recommend this park to people of all ages, but if you are below the age of 16 you can not ride a bike or skateboard through here without a helmet. This is my favorite place to hang out and relax because this was the first place I saw in Charlotte. Also, this park is my favorite because I love how calm it is and how there are always geese there. Your view of East Uptown is great from the park, as you can see the Bank of America Stadium from the side of the park. There is also a little play area if you decide to bring your children along. I love Marshall Park so much I encourage you all to go check it out!

ANGIE BAQUEDANO ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“Physical fitness is my escape. The overwhelming feeling of hard work and the sense of individuality that comes from sticking to a daily routine of fitness is priceless.

Fitness improves my mental health through several different ways. Long runs through nature acts as a form or meditation, while the gym puts me in an environment of inspiration and socialization. This is currently my fourth year at UNCC, I started lifting in my eighth grade year.

I can definitely say, each year you will learn something new or different about your body. Joining the Charlotte Lifters Club here at Charlotte was a great investment.

It makes a huge difference being surrounded by similar thinking individuals who encourage you to do better. All in all, fitness has changed my life for the better. I encourage everyone to pursue it, so that they can be the best version of themselves, both mentally and physically!”

- Reilly Becker

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