INSIDE THIS EDITION: UNC CHARLOTTE REPLACES THE CLICKER SYSTEM WITH APP-BASED ‘POLL EVERYWHERE’ PROGRAM
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VOL. 29, ISSUE 23
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ALL HANDS IN
New student organization 3D prints prosthetics for kids in need
Raising money at Pie-A-Professor. Photo courtesty of Henry Weaver
VAISHU JAWAHAR INTERN
One of UNC Charlotte’s organizations, The Helping Hands Project, combines the newest technology campus has to offer with an interdisciplinary group of students with the goal of changing the lives of kids with disabilities. They utilize 3D printers in the Makerspace in Woodward Hall to create basic prosthetics that enable the kids to play sports or go fishing. Since starting unofficial operations in January, a team of students from a variety of backgrounds such as engineering, biology, exercise science and computer science, successfully collaborated to make a prosthesis for a 9-year-old girl named Amy. They used a high-end 3D printer available for UNC Charlotte students free of cost and spent $30 on plastic filament, rubber tips, bands and straps. The result was a bright blue plastic forearm customized for
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Prosthetics created in 3D printer. Photo by Vaishnavi Jawahar
Amy’s specific measurements with mechanicallypowered fingers capable of grip. “3D printing is something that anyone can do,” said Co-Design Will Lenon. Creating one prosthesis can take weeks. The Helping Hands Project uses designs available online and modeling software to tailor them to the specifications of each child. “There are a lot of hand designs out there, but there are a lot of cases that are different than others and a lot of modifications that can be made,” Club President Henry Weaver said. Once the design is ready, the parts are printed piece by piece. The Taz6 3D printer ejects melted PLA plastic in thin layers until the model is formed, which can be time-consuming since it isn’t always without error. “The biggest dedication we make is definitely time because, one, it takes time to print and, two, you have to
troubleshoot,” said Weaver. On this particular Friday afternoon, biology major Weaver, mechanical engineering major Will Lenon and exercise science major Brandon Glover are overseeing the print of a forearm piece pictured above, a process that can take up to seven hours. But for the nine students who rotate into the Makerspace throughout the week, working on the project is well-worth it. The organization is a branch of a nonprofit founded in Chapel Hill, where it originally began as a student organization at UNC Chapel Hill. The first child to receive a hand through the non-profit was Holden Mora, a 7-year-old boy with a condition that prevented his hand from fully developing during the fetal stages. Now there are chapters throughout the research triangle park area, including at NC State University, providing hands to children who have had amputations
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or were born with conditions like Holden’s. These hands are made at extremely low cost compared to those made by prosthetic companies and are provided at no cost to the children. Though they are not meant to replace prosthetic limbs, they serve a clear purpose. “We can make them more tailored to the kid and specific tasks. Say the kid wants to play the piano, fish, or play the Xbox, we can make them multiple cheap hands [to suit those purposes],” said Weaver. “Obviously kids are growing quickly, so instead of paying $1000 for a new one every time, we can make these at no cost to them,” said Glover. When the club isn’t at work in Woodward, they’re busy raising money for the cause. They raised close to $200 collaborating with the Chemistry Club at a Pie-AProfessor event and look forward to throwing a fundraiser at Chipotle. Mention “Helping Hands” at the register between 5 - 9 p.m. on April 19, and half of your purchase will go towards helping children in need receive a hand. Helping Hands is also hosting a Rent-A-Puppy event in the courtyard by Woodward from 1-4 p.m. on April 14. When asked about the future of the club and goals for the semester, Weaver focused on finishing the group’s two current projects: the second hand for Amy and a hand for a boy named Landon, and also added that the club looks forward to “establishing themselves as a club and doing more for the kids receiving the hands such as creating a family day for the Helping Hands families to enjoy or organizing opportunities for the kids to meet athletes on campus.”
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MEET THE Voting begins March 28 for
Candidates Lauren Bullock and Kevin Hines. Photo by Chris Crews
ISA KNAPP STAFF WRITER
Lauren Bullock, a senior sociology major is running for student body president. Her desire to run for the position has been fueled by her passion for education as well as her desire to help other students succeed. Bullock wants to either work for Teach for America in Hawaii or the Peace Corps in South America as a health specialist after she graduates. Bullock began working for the student government when she was
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sworn in as secretary for diversity affairs in May 2016. During her time in the position, Bullock has worked on several projects to promote diversity in regard to race, religion and gender. Bullock has also been working on improving the inclusiveness at UNC Charlotte. She said that while the school is already so diverse, that is completely different than being inclusive and she sees a great need in improving that aspect of UNC Charlotte. “Our university’s administration is predominantly white, so giving not only students views but also a
person of color’s views on inclusive matters is really important and I would really like to see more ethnicities and identities represented in SGA so that it’s not just one side of the spectrum,” Bullock said. Outside of SGA, Bullock is the vice president of the Black Student Union, which is the first organization she joined as a freshman at UNC Charlotte. Bullock is the reigning Miss Mu Tau for 2016/2017 which is a pageant that is put on by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. When she ran for the title, her platform was to engage people of color to join in outdoor activities for the benefit of their physical and mental health and through that she became heavily involved with Venture on campus. Running alongside Bullock is Kevin Hines, a sophomore political science major. Hines serves as a voting member on the hearing panel for the Judicial Branch. This position includes reviewing student conduct cases and determining educational sanctions and learning opportunities for the student involved in the case. Outside of SGA, Hines is a Niner Guide, a mentor for the Leadership Fellows Program, of which he is a graduate, the treasurer of the Mock Trial team and the office coordinator for the New Student and Family Services office on campus. Bullock and Hines were introduced through mutual friends when Bullock was an orientation counselor. Bullock believes that she and Hines are a good pair because while he has a fiery personality, she, a self-described calm spirit, balances him out. The pair is running on the platform “Cultivate the Community.” “We feel that community is what
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Charlotte embodies whether it be the UNC Charlotte community, whether it be the greater Charlotte community, or different locals who give to our community,” said Bullock. Their platform is based on three pillars. The first, “ensuring safety and quality life,” emphasizes the safety of students, whether it’s walking from the library to their car, making students who fear the possibility of deportation feel safe holding students who use derogatory terms or post threatening messages accountable, ensuring the safety of students of color on campus. The second pillar, “strengthening our social network,” is focused on improving the communication between the administration and students as well as communication between student government and students. Bullock believes that the communication needs to grow exponentially and become timelier. The third and last pillar is “upholding noble Niner values.” This pillar focuses on accountability and giving students avenues to hold the student body president and vice president accountable and accessible. Upholding the values includes upholding “Niner pride.” According to Hines, Bullock will “make an excellent student body president due to her outstanding professionalism, ability to remain calm and collected in high-stress situations and her unwavering determination to improve this university for all of our students.” “For me, the university is home and I know for Kevin, it’s home and we want everyone to feel that way and to never feel like they don’t have ownership here,” said Bullock. Voting opens at vote.uncc.edu on March 28 at 8 a.m. and closes March 29 at 5 p.m.
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CANDIDATES Student Body President and Vice President ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR
Tracey Allsbrook, a junior communication and political science double major, is running for student body president. Allsbrook currently holds the position of senator for Liberal Arts and Sciences and Academic Affairs chairwoman. She also works as a Niner Guide, an office assistant for Intramural Sports and is a member of The Iota Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. After coming to UNC Charlotte from a small town as a freshman, Allsbrook said she was in culture shock but decided to stay on campus and take advantage of the opportunities available in order to cope. “I guess it was one of those things where I had to decide ‘am I gonna sink or swim?’” Allsbrook said. “To come to a university where there’s just endless amount of opportunity, I just decided to seize everything I can do.” Running alongside Allsbrook for student body vice president is Bryan McCollom, a junior political science and history major. McCollom is a former senator for Liberal Arts and Sciences and has been a resident advisor in Hunt and Sanford Hall. Currently, McCollom is the president of College Democrats at UNC Charlotte, which he said he thinks will benefit his administration if elected. “There are a lot of students on our campus who maybe feel marginalized, by government policy, but then also by maybe the effect that has on the educational environment,” McCollom said. The two met their freshman year while both living in the History, Political Science and International Affairs Learning Community and
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worked together their sophomore year when McCollom was a resident advisor and Allsbrook was a housing ambassador in the same hall. The team believes they balance each other out. Allsbrook and McCollom said they believe that this upcoming year, it will be more important than ever for the president and vice president to be a team, since the vice president may no longer be running Senate. The two are running on the platform “Advocacy, Accountability and Action.” If elected, Allsbrook and McCollom intend to advocate on behalf of the students, especially when it comes to student organizations recieving funding and ensuring that commuter students feel included by the University. “If you’re just a commuter coming to the school, why is it that you just go to class and then go to your car? What do we have to do to make you feel like you have a sense of ownership in the University,” Allsbrook said. If elected, Allsbrook and McCollom plan to table every Tuesday in the Student Union as a way of enouraging students to talk to them and voice any concerns they may have. They also plan to hold initial meetings with members of administration during their first 49 days in office and want to try to meet with the chancellor monthly. One of their main goals, if elected, is to make sure students are aware of what the Student Government Association (SGA) is, by not only tabeling on Tuesdays but also having themselves or representatives from SGA visit classes during Week of Welcome. The team said they added accountability to their platform as a way of saying that they plan to
Photo by Chris Crews
Candidates Tracey Allsbrook and Bryan McCollom. Photo by Chris Crews
do everything they promise during their campaign and that they intend to hold administration accountable. “We’re here to actually do things for the student body and if that means having to have an adversarial relationship at times with the administration, always constructive, always productive, but if we have to be that thorn in the side of constantly putting students in the forefront in everything that we do, making sure every administrative decision that’s made is made with the students that are here right now in mind ... that’s what we really
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want to focus on,” McCollom said. Allsbrook said she doesn’t think it’s acceptable that the chancellor only hosts one Chancellor Lunchtime Talk per year and that it’s held during the daytime when students are attending classes. Lastly, their platform talks about action. The two say they want to make sure students get the information they need from SGA. Voting opens at vote.uncc.edu on March 28 at 8 a.m. and closes March 29 at 5 p.m.
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Clickers replaced with “Poll Everywhere” app Students use smart devices rather than clickers, starting summer Clicker next to iPhone with Poll Everywhere app loading. Photo by Alexandria Sands
ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR
Starting this summer, students will be swapping their clickers for their smartphones, laptops and tablets as the University makes the transition from student response system Turning Technologies to Poll Everywhere, which can be used as an app. The Clicker Evaluation committee, a group of 40 faculty, staff and student representatives, announced the decision on Feb. 17. UNC Charlotte used Turning Technologies for six years until the company decided to change their pricing model, which forced students to purchase a license along with their clicker. Students who already had paid for a clicker would have to pay $30 a year and students who didn’t have a clicker would have to pay $59 for the clicker and license bundle. After this change, a lot of faculty chose to use free technology, such as Kahoot, but it’s not secure, according to Senior Instructional Technologist Bruce Richards. The Clicker Evaluation Committee
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began investigating different vendors in October. Richards said they chose Poll Everywhere because students wouldn’t have to pay for a license or be dependent on a “dumb device,” such as a clicker. “If I buy an Amazon Fire, that’s $50 and that Amazon Fire I can use not only on campus for every class, but I can use at home, I can read a book, I can surf the web, what have you. Now I have a device that is so much all reaching as against a “dumb device” that serves one purpose: to answer a question for a particular software,” Richards said. Periodically, the University will reflect on they’re current technology to ensure their using optimal, costeffective technology. Richards recommends students sell the clickers on sites like eBay or Amazon. Eight percent of the 1,550 faculty use clickers and approximately 30 percent of students utilize clickers in their classes.
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Photo by Chris Crews
MID-SEASON REPORT Almost at the halfway point in the season, take a look at what we’ve seen so far from the 49ers baseball team
TREVOR WILT SPORTS EDITOR
In high school, taking AP classes were used to test your knowledge, build your work ethic, boost your GPA and separate yourself from other students to make it to a prestigious college. That’s exactly what the Charlotte 49ers are doing on the diamond this year but their AP classes have come in the form of nationally ranked teams, such as No.6 NC State, No.4 South Carolina and No.8 East Carolina to reach their goal of making it into postseason play. And in the midst of the hardest schedule in program history, Charlotte’s passed the test of being a serious contender in Conference USA with their 15-9 (4-2 C-USA) start to the season. Here are the grades for the two main aspects of the game:
Pitching (B)
Under the direction of first-year pitching coach Shohn Doty, the Niners are sixth in the conference with a 4.31 ERA. The pitching staff has bought in to the new coach’s tactics, issuing only 62 walks, which is good for second in C-USA. Colton Laws has been a straight-A student for Charlotte through six starts, compiling a 1.31 ERA, which
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is good for second in the conference and first among starters. Through 41.1 innings the redshirt sophomore has struck out 38 batters while allowing just six runs all season long. Sunday starter Zach Flanagan is being overlooked by many but has grinded through his six starts with a 2.37 ERA. The redshirt junior from Tyler, Texas has had two games with eight strikeouts, with one of those games coming against Rider where he only gave up one run on three hits through six innings. Josh Maciejewski has been solid every Saturday for the Niners, as he is 3-1 in six starts with a 4.38 ERA, working around a team-high 14 walks through 37.0 innings. Maciejewski’s season is highlighted by his 11-strikeout performance through 8.0 innings against Xavier, only giving up one run on four hits. Having to preserve the outings from the three weekend starters, the bullpen is a tough job and Jonah Patten, Jacob Craver and Matt Brooks have been making it look rather easy. Patten is a hard throwing right-handed pitcher who is currently tied for third in the conference in saves with four. The junior college transfer has recorded
12 strikeouts in nine appearances, with a lot of those punch outs coming via slider. Jacob Craver has been a reliable arm out of the bullpen for Charlotte, riding a 1.46 ERA through 12.1 innings. The left-handed pitcher has only allowed two runs and eight hits, as opposing hitters are batting five points below the “Mendoza Line” against him. Freshman Matt Brooks has been a big piece to the Charlotte pitching staff, striking out 19 batters while only issuing three walks with a 2.89 ERA. He is tied for first on the team in appearances with 10.
Hitting (A)
The 49ers have compiled 16 double-digit hit games, leading to their .305 team batting average, which is good enough for second in the conference. Under the direction of Bo Robinson and head coach Loren Hibbs, the 49ers have the least amount of strikeouts in C-USA with 121. Charlotte is currently being led by six players who are batting over .300, with Jackson Mims leading the way with a .413 average. The ECU transfer is first in conference with
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43 hits, second in runs scored with 28 and fourth in slugging percentage with .654. He also has added in four home runs and nine doubles, which leads us to Nichting. The senior from Hamilton, Ohio is second in the conference in batting average .410, third in runs scored with 27 and second in RBI with 25. Nichting has also added in four home runs, eight doubles and a team-high five stolen bases. Brett Netzer continues to impress in his junior season, batting .327 with nine doubles and two triples. Netzer’s vision at the plate and ability to hit the ball to every piece of the field makes him a dangerous hitter at all times. Freshman Zack Smith has come on to the scene and made an immediate impact for the Niners in the middle of the lineup, showing patience at the plate with a team-high 16 walks. The freshman is currently batting .320 with a team-high .485 on base percentage. Zach Jarrett is hitting .314 with four home runs and 16 RBI, getting off to a hot start in his senior campaign. The Hickory, North Carolina native has provided big hits midway through the lineup for the Charlotte offense.
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TRAINING FOR THEIR FUTURE Student trainers gain real-life experience while helping out the 49er baseball team
KATHLEEN COOK SPORTS EDITOR
Athletes constantly the knee and hurting need the attention their knee.” of a trainer in order Smith, on the other to remain healthy hand, has always had a and competitive. Cue love for baseball. students such as Aldo “I love watching Rodriguez and Allie baseball, baseball is my Smith. sport,” Smith said. Rodriguez and Smith Seeing a are a part of the athletic player through a training program at rehabilitation process Charlotte and for the and having them past two years they return to play is what have been assigned to a makes what they do Allie Smith and Aldo Rodriguez move around coolers. Photo by Trevor Wilt different team or school important. each semester. The two “It’s going through local high schools and colleges, students are both working with the an entire rehab program with including Charlotte athletics. baseball team this season. someone and watching them finally Combined, the duo of Smith and After an injury during his soccer return to whatever sport it is. I got Rodriguez have done it all. career at Pfeiffer University, a really good experience doing that While the circumstances of their Rodriguez became interested in with women’s soccer. I worked with job might be unfortunate, it allows athletic training. one of the athletes for eight weeks the two a chance to shine. “When I was doing my rehab with and I got to watch her return to “Our jobs aren’t necessarily the athletic trainer, they made it a play. It happened to be one of the exciting unless someone gets hurt, lot easier to get back on the field. tournament games and it was just which is very unfortunate. I don’t At first I hated the injury, it was fantastic to watch her comeback,” want my athletes to get hurt, but terrible. He just made the process Smith said. occasionally they do. That’s when easier,” Rodriguez said. After athletic training helped get our adrenaline gets going,” Smith Smith drew inspiration from her him back on track, Rodriguez is said. love for sports and from her big in trying to do that for others. Being placed in baseball was a her sorority when it came time to “I want to do what that trainer new experience for Rodriguez who choose a concentration. did with me and work with athletes never paid attention to the sport “We got to the point where our when they’re hurt, when they’re prior to his clinical. advisors were telling us to decide down and they feel terrible and get “I had never really watched which path we wanted to take. I them back on the field and watch baseball before this, but it’s looked into both options and sports them perform the way they can,” definitely growing on me,” Rodriguez are more involved with athletic Rodriguez said. said. “It’s different with baseball. training than exercise science, so I Both Smith and Rodriguez will With all of the other sports, like applied,” Smith said. be graduating in a few weeks. football and lacrosse, it’s more acute The program is very competitive, Rodriguez will head out for the injuries like if someone gets hit or as only 21 students were accepted in west coast and complete a two-year tackled. Here it’s more overuse stuff, their class – which is high compared internship for the Seattle Seahawks. it’s more maintenance on their arms to other years. The clinicals the Smith is still unsure of what she will as opposed to someone getting hit on students are placed in consist of do after her time in Charlotte.
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MAR. 28, 2017 - APR. 3, 2017
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SUPERSTITION,
POSITIVITY, & POWER
CASEY ALDRIDGE OPINION EDITOR
I attended a retreat with my scholarship program this weekend, which concluded on Sunday with a speaker who came to talk to us about “positive psychology.” The speaker was exceedingly friendly and energetic and cared deeply about the “good news” that he carried with him, but I’m afraid he will not be able to count on me as among his converts. Positive psychology emphasizes the ability of individuals to reframe the world around them and more or less recreate their reality. The lecturer noted that positive psychology doesn’t pretend to give the individual absolute power over the universe; rather, it suggests that we can overcome the problems that exist within our control, so that we can turn to address those problems outside of our control. But reality is that things simply don’t exist within our control. At best, positive psychology might entail a reconsideration of the hand we are dealt. It sometimes gets bound up with “mindfulness,” which isn’t harmful in itself. But positive psychology, at its worst, puts the responsibility for one’s well-being on the individual in a radically broken society. It victim blames, and it lacks any analysis of power. During that session, a “wish bracelet” that I’ve been wearing on my right wrist since November finally snapped. Mere superstition, the bracelet had promised to make a wish come true when it finally came off. Its talk was bigger than its walk, however, and the wish I made at the time never occurred. After a couple of hard weeks, that wasn’t ideal, but it
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A group of women engaged in mindfulness techniques, such as meditation. Photo via Tribune News Service
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was alright. The wish bracelet lets me move on--I tried to employ the resources available to me, but my shortcoming is not a testament to my inadequacy. This time of year I also struggle a bit with seasonal affective disorder, a depression related to the changing of seasons that affects me particularly in the early spring and early fall. My depression does not occur because I don’t have the right things in my life--biologically speaking, it occurs because of changes in natural light patterns. I’m able to handle my seasonal depression rather well, because I’m able to keep exacerbatory factors to a minimum, and because I know that it will pass in a few weeks. But no amount of “positive thinking” can take away pain when it is present. People struggle with depression that doesn’t have such a limited scope as mine. People also struggle with hunger, homelessness, police harassment, sexism, racism, ableism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia. Each of these social marginalizations entail material as well as psychological costs. Asking the people who are systematically marginalized and excluded to change their mentality wrongly suggests that they can “opt out” of the oppressions they face. Reframing doesn’t put food on the table or a roof overhead, and it doesn’t heal the heart. If we genuinely want a psychology that empowers us to create the world we want, then we’ll need a psychology that rejects the systems of power that impose unbearable conditions upon the people, and then blames them for their oppression.
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A SHARED OBJECTIVE The Intercept and the observation no one else will make
CASEY ALDRIDGE OPINION EDITOR
On March 19, Peter Maass wrote in The Intercept that “for Donald Trump, a terror attack will be an opportunity not a curse.” Maass is right on the most basic level, and it’s quite extraordinary that the point is not being made by more voices in the media. It speaks to the fact that--even though President Trump and the mainstream media are not on good terms with one another, the mainstream media is not a source of critical or independent journalism. Rather, the mainstream media remains the press corps of the state and its perpetual war on terror, and is merely going through a rough patch with the executive branch that it ultimately remains loyal to. Maass suggests that “a terror attack on U.S. soil will be used by the White House as an excuse for implementing an extra-legal agenda that could only be pushed through in a time of crisis.” Maass then shows precedence for the way the United States used Sept. 11 to justify the unrelated invasion of Iraq. Maass also mentions the Reichstag--which
featured prominently in my op-ed from two weeks ago--and how the fire at the Reichstag was used as a pretext for the escalation of the Nazi agenda in Germany. On Feb. 11, Murtaza Hussain made a similar point, also writing for The Intercept. According to Hussain, Steve Bannon and ISIS share a “common goal: civilizational war.” As Hussain demonstrates, the fact that ISIS has celebrated Trump’s immigration order reveals that escalating threats of ISIS actually help the Trump Administration, and anti-Muslim actions by the Trump Administration encourage and provide ammunition to ISIS itself. I’m not going to merely regurgitate their theses. Rather, I want to put forth the idea that the media, despite its public disputes with Trump’s brashness, is poised to back him almost unilaterally in the event that a terrorist attack on U.S. soil were exploited by the Trump Administration’s war machine. The Intercept, which openly expresses its commitment to “fearless, adversarial
jorunalism,” seems almost uniquely poised as a voice against media equivocation. Just days after Maass’s article, Khalid Masood was shot and killed at Westminster in London, after killing four and injuring another fifty in an attack that lasted 82 seconds, according to the BBC. Immediately the speculative frenzy mobilized. Though no direct link between Masood and ISIS, that didn’t stop the media from jumping to whatever conclusion could make a headline. Ironically enough, the very kind of media speculation that Sean Spicer makes a point to ridicule when it serves his interests or Trump’s is closely related to Trump and Bannon’s objectives. They’ll note media speculation when it serves their aims, but also media speculation when politically convenient. The same thing happened last June when Omar Mateen killed 49 and wounded over 50 in a shooting spree at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. The following day, then-candidate
Trump tweeted: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance.” At the time, Trump was called out by celebrities and the media for being tactless and exploiting tragedy. He was not, however, refuted. The media fed fears of Mateen’s radicalization, and drew upon the disingenous and colonialist binary between “Islam and LGBT rights.” In doing so, the media didn’t necessarily like Trump, but they fed his political vision anyway, affirming his warped view of civilizational war and providing him with the ammunition of espousing gay rights to advance a war on Muslims. If we are to oppose Trump, it will require that we don’t pretend to have a friend in the mainstream media that doesn’t exist. Ten times out of 10, the big news sources are going to bat for empire, even if they don’t care for Trump’s tone.
Right: Big Ben at Westminster in London; Left: outside Buckingham Palace. Photos by Casey Aldridge Center: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Photo via Tribune News Service
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Photos by Chris Crews
A DANGEROUS SERENITY:THE ART OF SANSKRIT The annual art gallery shares art in many mediums STEPHANIE TREFZGER ASST. A&E EDITOR
There is always a sense of serenity when walking towards the Student Union art gallery. The sound of someone playing the piano carries down the hall joined by people chatting, and this time, the distinctive smell of barbecue sauce. It’s a calming atmosphere, and it gives those who go a little distraction from life’s worries. This theme continued with the art featured in the Sanskrit exhibition, which ran from March 6-24. There was an immediately obvious color scheme: blues, yellows, browns, which made its way around the room. There were flecks of green scattered on various pieces of art, but they worked together to create a cohesive entity. These colors worked together to take the viewer to all types of places, from the mountains to the ocean, to people’s homes while showcasing the life found there. The gallery begins with the ocean: two realistic watercolor paintings of waves called “Air” and “Breeze” respectively by their creator, Elena Belova. It then moves past several paintings of people with mugs and then of one of a cat called “Whyme” by Sarah Kinney, all of which bring the feelings of morning. These bring us to two acrylic paintings by Thomasson Burgess, one of a mountain called “Majesty,” the other of what viewers collectively decided was a
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bear, called “399.” Both used yellow and blues à la Vincent van Gogh. One of the fan favorites, however, was not a painting, but rather a series of wood sculptures by Madison Dunaway called “Frame of Reference #1,” ”Frame of Reference #2” and “Potentially Utilizable.” These sculptures changed with your angle. From one they looked like coral, from another a whale’s fluke, and because of their honeycomb-like shapes, they threw the fading sunlight around the room. “Potentially Utilizable” was, in this case, utilized as a wall decoration and a home to succulents. There also seemed to be a childlike innocence to much of the art, particularly that of Caroline Kerrigan, who used everything from coffee to digital art to create pictures that could fit into any childrens’ book. “Evening Tea,” for example, shows a kindly witch reading her book in front of the fire, while “The Captain” depicts a pirate with a parrot on their shoulder, “Ella” looks like a princess from a Disney movie and “Persephone” is the visual storytelling of the Greek queen of the underworld. “The Fates” is another depiction of characters from Greek mythology. However, the generally dark colors and creepy imagery usually surrounding them have been replaced by pastel MAR. 28, 2017 - APR. 3, 2017
pinks and greens. Despite the peace that appears on the surface level of the art, there is also the feeling of something dangerous lurking around the corner. Whether intentional or not, Belova’s “Air” appears to have a hand reaching out of the waves as if it wants to pull you down with it, and while looking at the bear in Burgess’ “399” there is a lingering realization that despite the warmness in its eyes, it’s still a wild animal easily capable of violence. And even the beautiful and fun images by Kerrigan remind that not every story has a happy ending. These are, by far, not the only pieces of art featured in the gallery, nor were these necessarily the best; they were simply the ones that seemed to carry the general theme throughout. While the gallery may have closed, it was just the introduction for this year’s edition of UNC Charlotte’s annual Sanskrit literaryarts magazine, which features over 70 works submitted by students, teachers, community members and people from all over the world. The magazine is available for free on campus from now until next year when the journey begins again.
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‘MARVEL’S IRON FIST’ IS A MARTIAL ARTS MISFIRE Season 1 of the mystical new Netflix-Marvel collaboration fails to leave its mark TYLER TRUDEAU STAFF WRITER
As the road towards this summer’s highlyanticipated “Defenders” series continues, the latest collaboration of Netflix and Marvel Studios was set to be the defining chapter of the gritty super-powered street heroes on the small screen. With “Marvel’s Iron Fist” introducing us to a character said to be just as powerful as Doctor Strange, the possibilities of just how mystical this series could be seemed almost endless. Then again, when it comes to small screen efforts such as this, the amounts of visual splendor and grandiose storytelling of course have their limits. While “Iron Fist” may work as a dynamic new counterpart to the other Marvel-Netflix series on some levels, the show never manages to elevate itself to something more than simply cookie-cutter storytelling and stale character development. Fifteen years after 10-year-old Danny Rand experiences a tragic plane crash that claims the lives of both his mother and father, he returns to his home in New York City only to find the life he knew completely washed away. With his family now gone, and his parents’ multimillion-dollar company under new management, Rand (Finn Jones) is met with a rather rude homecoming as he struggles to reclaim the life he left behind. Spending the last 15 years of his life raised by the monks of an ancient civilization known as K’un-Lun, Danny must now tackle not only the dangerous terrain of New York, but also the mystical new power within him, known as the Iron Fist. With powerful forces against him, from his childhood friends and coworkers to deadly assassins, Danny Rand must discover the line between being a hero of his city and an uncontrollable living weapon. As the penultimate chapter in the MarvelNetflix line-up, leading up to this summer’s teamup series, “Marvel’s The Defenders,” Marvel’s Iron Fist introduced audiences to yet another troubled character with a spectacular amount of potential just waiting to be uncovered. With the character of Iron Fist and his story shaping up to be the perfect way to transition fans of previous grounded Marvel-Netflix collaborations like “Daredevil” and “Luke Cage,” into a whole new world of super-powered excitement, there were a number of places I expected this show to go. In
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Photo courtesy of Netflix/Marvel Television
the end, while the character of millionaire orphan Danny Rand might harbor some spectacular abilities and storylines in his comic-book origins, the fourth layer in the Marvel-Netflix fold felt almost lazy when it came to delivering anything truly ground-breaking. While the series felt almost like an odd mix of the CW’s “Arrow” and one slice out of a decent kung-fu movie, the show still managed to draw me in with a number of intriguing elements. Apart from its mystical martial-arts-focused action, the lead character of orphan Danny Rand was a major factor in my decision to check out the series. With the first Netflix-Marvel collaboration introducing us to Charlie Cox’s suave yet haunted lawyer Matt Murdock back in 2015, I saw a similar likeness in Danny Rand, played by “Game of Thrones” actor Finn Jones. With a charming, boyish exterior mixed with a hardened past of tragedy within, my thoughts automatically sprung to one question: How will they make these street-level heroes all distinctive in their own way? And more
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importantly, how will Rand differ from Murdock? While I’ll touch on the tone of each of the four series soon, the question of how Jones’ orphaned kung-fu fighter would establish himself in this series spun in my mind constantly throughout the series. Looking at the series as a whole now that I have watched it and gave it some thought, the fourth tier in the “Defenders” build-up felt almost like a bad season of a great show. With the previous Netflix series establishing their dark, broken characters each in their own way, it was unclear just how well “Iron Fist” would build off of that. With each series before it having its own fascinating tone and characters that worked to fuel the story — “Daredevil” being a legal drama mixed with crime thriller, “Jessica Jones” turning into a sort-off psychological thriller about PTSD, and “Luke Cage” working as a very stylized story of redemption — “Iron Fist” was left almost scarce of any true tone. Yes, while its theme of advanced martial arts and reclaiming one’s past might have been compelling on some level, the show was majorly derailed by its lack of focus. Wanting to be one thing, while also being another, the show’s numerous storylines failed to merge into anything significantly coherent. The show’s cast, while still massively flawed, was a redeeming quality for me. While I might have lost interest in Jones’s portrayal of Danny Rand many times in the series, the show did manage to make him somewhat likable. Still, while we might get a brief glimpse of the horrors he faced as a child, and the subsequent disciplined lifestyle he was raised into, Danny’s return to his home in New York never felt compelling enough to follow closely. Once Jones’s character transformed from a disciplined monk to a whiny teenager, the show never really attempted to reel him back in. While the character surely wasn’t a completely wasted effort by the show’s creators, hopefully the showrunners of “The Defenders” will be able to whip Danny into the more sophisticated warrior he’s meant to become. As for the rest of the cast, there were only a handful of performances that really stood out to me. While the childhood friends of Danny, Ward and Joy Meachum (played by Tom Pelphrey
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and Jessica Stroup respectively), might have been some of the weaker characters of the show, Pelphrey’s semi-cynical, semi-psychopathic performance did deserve a mention. Stroup, while fantastic in Fox’s “The Following,” offered little to no emotion to make her character at all compelling. Working as a unique companion to Finn Jones’ whiny performance as Rand, however, was Jessica Henwick’s charismatic fighter Colleen Wing, whose hardedged demeanor lent itself to become one of the show’s most memorable performances. Moving along, the series also had a very evident villain problem. Much like its sporadic take on establishing a clear tone, the show feverishly scrambled to find an antagonist that actually worked in the story they were trying to tell. While “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” managed to mature their individual antagonists beyond simple stereotypes — and “Luke Cage” establishing a great one only to waste him — “Iron Fist” sprawled constantly between villains for the majority of the season. While I expected Danny’s sort-of uncleturned-backstabbing-corporate-dog
Harold Meachum (David Wenham) to be the season’s central baddie, the show turned the tables more than once, delivering a number of scheming, mustache-twerling villains. From the accomplished drug kingpin Madame Gao of “Daredevil” to Ramon Rodriquez’s corrupted sensei Bakuto, the show felt like it was always gambling to see what villain could outsmart the hero quicker. Predictable and somewhat cliche, the only ones outsmarted here were the show’s writers. Overall, while Marvel’s latest Netflix endeavor might not have fared well in comparison to its previous entries, there are still a number of redeeming qualities to be found in “Iron Fist.” Unfortunately, if you’re seeking a masterful, characterdriven tale of ground-breaking martial arts, you’ll have to settle for a bit more corporate espionage than kung-fu. While “Iron Fist’s” poor reception may not have made this season anything to cheer about, I do believe there is a lot of untapped potential left for the character as he begins to interact with some of Marvel’s most compelling and gritty characters.
ACROSS 1 Ponzi scheme, e.g. 5 Impersonated 9 Your __ Highness 14 Drilled bowling ball feature 15 Artist Magritte 16 Shah of Iran, in 1979’80 17 Bahrain big shot 18 Writer’s chief work (Latin) 20 Sphere of influence 22 Drinking glass edges 23 Ambulance initials 24 Done deal (French) 28 Farm country skyline highlights 29 Nissan model 33 “Take me for a walk!” 36 Expel from office 38 Amazon’s business 39 With 42-Across, cars like BMWs and Audis ... or 18-, 24-, 53- and 63-Across 42 See 39-Across
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44 Rhett’s last words 45 Siamese, now 47 __ dye: food-coloring compound 48 Live (in) 50 Lover of Euridice, in a Gluck opera 53 English, in many non-English speaking countries (Italian) 58 Word with health or day 61 Oboist’s need 62 Lagoon-enclosing isle 63 Young sensation (German) 67 Sinister 68 Cortés subject 69 Wrinkle, as a brow 70 San __, Italy 71 Suppose for argument’s sake 72 Many van Goghs 73 Killed, as a dragon DOWN 1 Harvest bundle
2 Grammar class subject 3 Legal defense mechanism? 4 Advantages 5 Shortstop’s asset 6 Green soup veggie 7 Thoroughly absorb 8 Jeans fabric 9 Dreaming phase 10 Kitchenware brand 11 Frightened exclamation 12 University fundraising target 13 A smaller amount of 19 Quartet assigned to bases 21 Mai __ 25 Plumber’s challenge 26 Dracula’s title 27 Avid about 30 Skater Lipinski 31 Nabisco cracker 32 “Wait, there’s more ... “ 33 Miles away 34 Traveled by bike 35 Abbey titles 37 Princess’ headpiece 40 Oscar winner Jannings 41 Roundabout, as a route 43 Offend slightly 46 Entertainer who often got tied up in his work? 49 Part of DOE: Abbr. 51 Historic period 52 Many top-rated TV shows of the late ‘50s/ early ‘60s 54 Gordon __, “Wall Street” antagonist 55 James Joyce work 56 Weather, in poems 57 Permit 58 Tit for tat, e.g. 59 “The Godfather” novelist Mario 60 Teeny colonizers 64 Agnus __ 65 Zip, in soccer 66 Wino’s woe
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Photo by Chris Crews
5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN A STUDENT ORGANIZATION Find that student organization that fits you
BRIANNA SUMPTER STAFF WRITER
When I was in the seventh grade, my social studies teacher had a conversation with my class about college. I remember him telling us that college was the best time of his entire life, and that we should all go to college. In my head I was very confused because I was thinking, why would anyone think school is the best time of their life? My teacher continued to talk about his college experience and how much he loved it and I noticed that his experience was not just going to school and doing homework. My teacher was in a fraternity and he was involved in a couple of organizations on his campus. Listening to my teacher in the seventh grade, I could not understand or even imagine why this was such a great time for him. Now, eight years later, I can finally understand what he meant when he said college was the greatest time of his life. If your college experience only includes you coming to class and doing homework, you are certainly going about your college experience the wrong way. Joining a student organization can be one of the most positive impacts on your college career, and I strongly influence everyone to join one that fits them for many reasons:
helpful information about your major at the same time. The student showcase for all of the clubs and organizations on campus is a great way to find what you are interested in, as there are clubs for almost everything on campus.
1. You meet so many people. Coming into college as a freshman can be extremely overwhelming. You are entering a new environment, a new scenery and a new life. Not all of us are as fortunate as to go to the same school as all of our lifelong friends, so for most of us starting over and making new friends is something that we have all had to do. It is much easier to make friends when you are around people that have the same interests as you. One of the best kinds of organizations to join on campus would be one that is also tied into your major, because not only are you meeting people with the same interests as you, but you are also seeking
3. It looks great on your resume. When building your resume, it can be very stressful trying to figure out exactly what goes in there. You do not want to sound cliche or over stretch the truth at all, but you also want to make it sound like you have accomplished a lot and have a lot of experience. Being in different student organizations gives you something to fill your resume out with and also gives you something to talk about in potential interviews.
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2. You can work on your networking skills. What people do not tell you about college prior to entering is that networking is essential. Having good grades and a good grade point average is still very much necessary, but knowing who to network with and how to network efficiently has become one of the very most important things in college, because as we all know in many situations in life, it is not what you know it is who you know. There are many clubs and organizations on campus that have advisors who were once students and know exactly what we are going through and are willing to help as much as they can. Also, many clubs and organizations hold events throughout the year that have guest speakers that used to be students talk about how they have become successful. You can also find some great internship opportunities when you are involved with organizations on campus.
4. You can work on your professionalism. Referring back to the networking topic, a problem I see often with college students is they MAR. 28, 2017 - APR. 3, 2017
do not know how to network because they come short with a lot of the professional skills that they should know. There have been times where students have had the people they needed to talk to right in front of them but did not know how to talk to them or what to say. Being in different clubs helps because you meet so many different kind of people, and in these clubs they have workshops and dinners about proper etiquette. Organizations such as the American Marketing Association even go as far as having fashion shows demonstrating what to wear and what not to wear at business events. 5. You make incredible memories. This is my first year at UNC Charlotte and I am currently active in four student organizations. Being in these organizations has taught me so much about myself and so much about the people around me. I have met some incredible friends and have attended some great events due to being in these clubs, such as fashion shows, etiquette dinners, fundraisers outside of school and trips to private companies. I can not count on my 10 fingers how much I have gained through these organizations, and I definitely can not tell you how many fun and beneficial moments I have had this year. I strongly encourage you to go out and find an organization that fits you, join and see how much you love it! If you check out the student Orgsync page for UNC Charlotte, you can find all of the clubs and organizations we offer and how to get in contact with them. Also, if there is something you are interested in but we do not have a club for it you can contact the student org center and start it here on campus!
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RESTAURANT REVIEW: APP COOKIE CO. MORGAN FLITT INTERN
App Cookie Co. is a strong, local competitor for Insomnia Cookies. Boone born and bred, the new Charlotte location still has the feel of what one might expect to find in Boone--unique, weird flavors (and classics as well) and a focus on local ingredients and freshness. Hidden beside the Payless Shoes in the Target parking lot less than five minutes away from UNC Charlotte, you’ll find some of the kindest staff and pretty incredible flavors of cookies. I spoke with the owner while I picked out the one cookie I wanted to try (How could I choose only one?). He was candid with the difficulties that the company has been facing getting support from the community coming in late and in a small location that many didn’t know about. After the conversation, I was convinced the company really cares about what they brought to the table for our area, but I still hadn’t tried one of their actual products, so I had to reserve judgment before becoming too convinced they were better than the other options near campus. Picking the cookie you want to try is really the hard part. They are all displayed for you to view and salivate over while you try to control yourself and attempt to only buy one (use the Yelp check in and you get that one cookie for free). The flavors should cover all your bases: classics: chocolate chip, mint chocolate, s’mores, white chocolate, to innovative: Ron Swanson (bacon) and interesting seasonal flavors like red wine and dark chocolate and irish creme. They also have gluten free and vegan options. For anyone who has tried to find a treat around Charlotte and the university area with those limitations, you know this is a big deal. They will give you a cookie straight out of the case, already baked. But if you’re willing to walk around Target for 15 minutes or chat with the staff, you’ll be enjoying a warm, freshly baked cookie that is worth the $1.69. They
also offer little cups of frosting and milk (non dairy options too) so you have some refreshments to enjoy alongside the cookies. They’ve got this thought out. I ended up trying a few samples of several cookies, but went with the Yosef, which was a nutty, oat-based cookie that seemed almost like a cross between peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal. The spices were noticeable but not overwhelming, the cookie was deliciously soft and the chocolate chips were warm. I was shocked when I saw that the cookie was vegan, especially considering I chose it over some strong non-vegan options. The cookie was the perfect size to feel decadent but not over indulgent, and waiting for it to be warm was worth the stroll around Target to say the least. Also, if you are a student, they offer some great deals and promotions. If you follow them on Facebook, you may snag a few free cookies and you always get the student discount. This is a company that wants the UNC Charlotte community’s support and is willing to go out of their way to do it! There is no seating in the store, so if you are waiting for your cookie, pop a squat on the windowsill or definitely go grab something from Target. Other than that, I can’t think of any complaints. The store is clean, they have an easy to use rewards system and the vibe is fun and definitely college-student friendly. Also, if you’re not willing to make the trek, they deliver. Yes, I have been known to eat their delicious snickerdoodle cookies in my bed late at night. Yes, there was no shame. I would give App Cookie a solid five stars out of five for the quality, energy, and inventive flavors. Support local businesses and check out App Cookie Co to see what you think. You’ll honestly probably see me there.
HAILEY TURPIN LIFESTYLE EDITOR
“I’m in the women’s and gender studies learning community and we do a lot of activism projects, we work for equality in charlotte and globally. We just finished a project this past weekend. We are doing this thing where we partner up with this program called Girls Rock, and we work with young girls and try to instill empowerment in them at a young age so that they aren’t torn down throughout their teenage years. I have always liked activism, because my sister has autism, so at a young age I was drawn into the activism because I would work with kids with autism a lot and assist them as often as I could.”
- Kam Fitzgibbons
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