2017 04 11

INSIDE THIS EDITION: THE COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INTRODUCES NEW BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN HEALTH SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

CHECK OUT THE INTERNATIONAL 49ERS THAT MAKE UP OUR WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM

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APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

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MENTAL ILLNESS IN COLLEGE IS HARD, BUT THERE ARE LEGITIMATE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO SOFTEN THE BLOW OF THIS SETBACK PG. 15 VOL. 29, ISSUE 25

Hunter Heilman editor@ninertimes.com

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TAKE BACK THE NIGHT UNC Charlotte joins over 600 campuses for a night to end sexual violence; honors, empowers and supports survivors

Juliette Grimmett shares story with UNC Charlotte students. Photo by Kristopher Harris

ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR

It’s every college student’s worst fear and the statistics are heard daily. It happens to one in six males.

It happens to one in four females.

It happened to Juliette Grimmett, the keynote speaker at the Center for Wellness’s annual Take Back the Night event.

Take Back the Night is an international event that began in the United States in the late 1970s as a response to sexual violence against women. Originally organized as all-women events, Take Back the Night demonstrates that women don’t need men to be safe. Over 600 college campuses host an event per year during sexual assault awareness month, including UNC Charlotte, which held the event

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April 4 in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center Salons.

Juliette Grimmett shared her story of overcoming emotional trauma. After being raped by another student during her freshman year of college.

Juliette Grimmett explained how she decided to have an on-campus hearing in an attempt to get her rapist suspended. During the two months between the time of the sexual assault and the hearing, Juliette Grimmett said she found four other women assaulted by her rapist, who all notified the Dean of Students. While the school found him responsible, he was only given one year of probation, which allowed her rapist to remain on campus and in an athletic program, until a year passed and the sexual assault was taken off his record.

Today, her rapist has almost 10,000 followers on Twitter and is employed by George W. Bush.

Juliette Grimmett talked about her attempts to prevent sexual violence from happening to other students, including writing a letter to the paper where she talked about how the school had treated her during her hearing. Afterwards, she decided to take a semester off and later transferred to the University of South Carolina.

While working toward her master’s at UNC Chapel Hill, Juliette Grimmett created proposals and petitions and convinced the University to establish an office dedicated to sexual violence response.

“I was committed to no person ever not having an advocate,” Grimmett said.

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Juilette Grimmett has worked in the field of sexual violence advocacy, education and prevention for over 18 years, and specifically on college campuses for the past 10 years.

She has worked at University of South Carolina, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University and is the founder of the Chrysalis Network, an organization that works to prevent sexual violence through programs and training.

Juliette Grimmet was joined by the organization’s lead consultant and her partner Marc Grimmett, who specializes in mental health.

Marc Grimmett reflected on an experience he had while working as a resident assistant in his college hall. He was asked to help with a crisis involving a student who had just been raped. He said when he entered the victim’s room, she was blocked in by two police officers.

“This is a very intimidating position to have just been raped by a man and to have two men standing over you and blocking you from leaving your room. Without any formal training, I knew to ask the police officers to please leave and let me talk to my friend and ask her for her permission if she wanted to talk to me,” Marc Grimmett said.

After hearing from the speakers, those in attendance marched from the Student Activity Center to the Student Union with signs and candles. Once at the Union, students shared their own stories.

UNC Charlotte provided information about resources for those who have been a victim of sexual assault. Resources include the Title IX office and Police and Public Safety. Confidential resources include the Center for Wellness Promotion, The Counseling Center and Student Health Center.

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Over 120 trees planted on campus at Tree Campus USA Urban forestry, university sustainability are topics of conversation during Earth Month

POLICE BLOTTER APRIL 4 - APRIL 7 ARREST APRIL 6

• Belk Hall, officer arrested subject on outstanding warrants.

ASSAULT APRIL 6

• Levine Hall, subject stated that while working at a construction site on campus, he was assaulted.

CALLS FOR SERVICE APRIL 7

• Friday building, officers responded in reference to an individual who was stopping people and asking for money. Subject was trespassed and transported off campus.

INFORMATION ONLY APRIL 7 Ceremonial hickory tree planted at front entrance of UNC Charlotte campus. Photo courtesy of Tyler Sytsma

ALEXANDRIA SANDS NEWS EDITOR

UNC Charlotte students made an eco-friendly impact Wednesday as they planted over 120 trees outside of Laurel Hall at the inaugural Tree Campus USA Day. Tree Campus USA Day is the campus version of Arbor Day, which falls on the last Friday of April.

The national program Tree Campus USA honors colleges that effectively manage trees and engage students in the process.

UNC Charlotte received their third Tree Campus USA recognition in February, which is earned by reaching five standards: a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree care plan, a campus tree, an observance of Arbor Day and a service learning project.

“We have a growing sustainability priority on campus so instead of it just being the Earth Day festival that we did for one day during the month, we’ve spread it into more

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events so students and organizations can get involved accordingly,” University Sustainability Coordinator Tyler Systma said.

A ceremonial hickory tree was planted at the front entrance of the University, in front of Levine Hall, and is expected to grow up to 90 feet high and live for 80-90 years.

There were around 20 students volunteers, many of whom were encouraged to attend by professors.

The tree planting was followed by a lecture on urban forestry

by Director of Philanthropy and Special Projects Dave Cable from TreesCharlotte, an organization that works to plant and preserve trees.

Sytsma said next year he wants to see increased student involvement.

To be more eco-friendly, Systma suggests students explore their transit options, especially the upcoming light rail and bike rental system. He also suggests students

join organizations such as UNC Charlotte Earth Club or UNC Charlotte Garden Club.

The tree planting kicked off a series of events that will occur during Earth Month, including Campus Cleanup on April 12 and the Earth Day Festival on April 19.

UNC Charlotte Earth Club will be screening Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Before the Flood” on April 17.

The University is also currently rewriting the sustainability plan that will address environmental issues that the campus faces as it continues to grow.

“There is that fine balance between having a campus that meets all of our academic needs as well as being one that values the environment and biodiversity,” Systma said.

To learn more about sustainability events and workshops, visit facilities.uncc.edu/sustainability.

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• Prospector, officers responded to a subject who was talking to himself.

It was determined that the subject was off his medication. Subject was transported by MEDIC to CMC University for evaluation.

LARCENY APRIL 7

• University Career Center, unknown person removed five 12-foot feather flags from the front of the Career Center.

SEX OFFENSE APRIL 4

• Moore Hall, officer responded and took a report in reference to a possible sexual assault that is being referred to Title IX at the victim’s request.

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

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Photo by Austin Chaney

College of Health and Human Services introduces new major

Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management will prepare students for careers in health field ISA KNAPP STAFF WRITER

The College of Health and Human Services is introducing a new major, a Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management in the Department of Public Health Sciences, that will begin classes in the fall. This is the first new major that the university has introduced in several years.

Department Chair Melinda (“Lyndie”) Forthofer said that a need for the major was discovered after an independent research group commissioned by the Office of the Provost as well as a college faculty committee researched regional and national trends and both arrived at the same conclusion. The need for the major was identified as a university priority.

The entry level major is designed to train students in several areas of healthcare including health management and health systems.

It will also train students in

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leadership, health care accounting and finance, organizational development and behavior among other things, according to the UNC Charlotte Public Health website.

Forthofer said that the broad range in training will prepare students when it comes to choosing a career path in the health field.

“It’s a way to give people access to the health care workforce and get a feel for what they’re interested in and then dig deeper as they identify those interest areas,” said Forthofer.

The first two classes that students can take after completing their general education requirements, which will be at the 2000 level, will be offered in the fall. Students must take both courses before declaring the major. The remaining 24 credit hours of courses in the major will be available in sub-sequence semesters.

While a minor is not required to go along with the major, it is

encouraged. According to the Public Health Department’s website, adding a minor will “enrich student readiness for workplace settings that demand effective communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills, digital literacy and effective teamwork.”

While several of the majors in the College of Health and Human Services are restricted and only admit a certain number of students like nursing, exercise science and social work, the health systems management major will be open to all students who complete the prerequisites and are in good academic standing.

With the copious amount of steps that the department had to go through in order to introduce the new major, Forthofer said that the new curriculum is extremely well vetted and is expected to reach up to 500 students in a couple years.

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Victoria Pahlett. Photo provided by Charlotte Athletics

Immie Cowper. Photo provided by Charlotte Athletics

Pierina Imparato. Photo provided by Charlotte Athletics

DISTANCE MAKES THE BONDS GROW STRONGER Coming from different countries proves to be a common tie for three players

DENZEL DAVIS STAFF WRITER

There is a love-hate relationship between students and the college experience. There’s love for the freedom, the people you meet, the opportunities that open up. There is hate for the busy schedules, the constant homework and missing family.

After moving out of the house as a freshman, some students choose to only see their families once or twice a year, but for international tennis players, seeing family is a rare occasion since their families tend to live on the other side of the world.

The Charlotte women’s tennis roster features players from England, Venezuela and Sweden.

The distance from their home towns isn’t the only obstacle that international student athletes face.

Athletes get no special treatment from professors when it comes to class performance. For freshman

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Immie Cowper from Shrewsbury, England, balancing classes, homework and playing on the tennis team is a challenge that she is not afraid of.

“It’s intense, especially keeping my grades up, but it’s good. I like being busy though, I like having something to do. It feels weird now having a day off. I know everything will get better so on the hard days I just think about next week and how this day won’t matter and just push through,” Cowper said.

Playing sports at the college level requires major sacrifice to excel at the sport. There are very few days off and little time for leisure activity. For Venezuela native Pierina Imparato those sacrifices started early in life.

“I was playing soccer and dancing flamenco, but tennis was what I enjoyed the most and what I APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

was best at,” Imparato said. “My parents and I decided to just go all in with tennis. I was only doing tennis twice a week, but I decided drop everything else and focus on tennis.”

Like any challenge its easier to take them on with a team. Everyone on the team is in a day to day struggle to stay ahead of the competition from competing for a strong GPA to competing on the tennis court.

“When you have another person on the court with you its more fun, it’s good to know that there are people on the team that have my back and are there for me,” Imparato said.

Tennis is a difficult sport to go pro in – only the top 100 players are normally able to make a career out of it. Senior Victoria Pahlett from SEE TENNIS, PG. 8

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YOUTHFULLNESS PAYS OFF FOR NINERS A young softball team is learning on the fly

ZACH TIMMONS STAFF WRITER

The landscape of college sports is changing. In basketball and football, for example, it is rare to see seniors playing in prominent roles in the new era of declaring early for the draft. Many baseball players declare early as well. However, it’s a known fact that senior leadership and experience is invaluable and can’t be taught. Despite that, the Charlotte 49ers softball unit is learning on the fly, and their youngsters are leading them to wins.

Charlotte is an anomaly, as they have one of the younger teams in Conference USA. The Niners feature four juniors, to go along with six sophomores and two redshirt sophomores. The team has no seniors on the roster. Carson Pace, Spenser Gray and Alison Green are the lone freshmen on the squad.

So far this season, the juniors have been leading the way, but the underclassmen aren’t far behind.

Haley Pace, an infielder from Winston-Salem, leads the team in batting. She’s hitting .443 and has 12 home runs on the year to go with

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Players cheer from the dugout. Photo by Katelynn Pennington

34 RBI. Second in line is Grace Beatty, an infielder from nearby Olympic High School. Beatty is batting .369 and has 30 RBI to go with three homers this season.

Third in line is sophomore Meredith Harris, who bats .325 and has 25 RBI. Meanwhile, Emma Ocker (sophomore outfielder, .301,

16 RBIs) and Spenser Gray (.308, nine RBI) give Charlotte two more underclassmen in the top five for batting percentages.

On the pitching side of things, junior Haley Wiseman leads the way for Charlotte with a 16-10 record and an earned run average of 5.43.

Sophomore Lauren Riley follows

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with a 2-3 record and 5.21 ERA. Freshman Alison Green follows her with a 3-4 record on the season and a 5.43 ERA. Altogether, the three have helped Charlotte to a 22-17 record with 15 of those wins coming on the road. The Niners are 5-7 on the road and 5-6 in neutral site games, but winning on the road is a skill that comes with experience.

“That’s the great thing, when people ask me how we’re going to do this year,” Charlotte coach Aimee Devos said before the season.

“Obviously, the newest part of the team is the pitching – every other part of the lineup has been there and played 50-plus games in those spots. You can’t beat experience, and we truly get that, even with a young group,” Devos said.

Wiseman and Beatty have been doing their best to set an example for the young Niners. Wiseman learned the ropes while playing behind last year’s decorated senior Lexi Betancourt. Wiseman ended SEE YOUTH, PG. 8

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TENNIS, cnt.

Vaxjo, Sweden was lucky enough to have a top ranked college athlete as a father and have a good idea of what it would take to make it at this level.

“My dad went to the University of Minnesota and was ranked number one in the country. I would love to play after college in some professional tournament and I will try to play in the fall and make a decision after that,” said Pahlett.

Pahlett has had a little more experience with the grind of balancing school and sport and is now throwing an internship into the equation.

“I have an internship now and

one lined up for the summer. I stay motivated knowing that one day there will be success, that one day I will have a job that I can enjoy and not a job that is boring,” said Pahlett.

Though they all will eventually go their separate ways, the team is determined to stay together and make the most of the grueling season. People bond over different things: some bond over similar tastes in food or movies, others over family traditions and some bond over their love for the game. Tennis has brought these athletes closer and is brought a little taste of the world to Charlotte.

YOUTH, cnt. the year with 12 wins and 154 strikeouts, which was the fourth most in the conference. This year, she has won the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week award twice and earned 16 wins.

“We’re feeling really good and we’ve been working really hard as a team,” Wiseman said before the season began. “Last year we were young, but this year we’ve all played with each other besides two people.

I feel like we can build on that and have a really good season because we know each other. We’ve played so many innings together. I feel like everyone has that trust in each other.”

Meanwhile, Beatty has been performing well for the defense. The infielder has a 97 percent fielding average and also won Conference Player of the Week on April 3.

Charlotte’s team defense has

allowed them to get out of jams and finish close innings in a number of games this year.

“We don’t have any seniors, but when you go through that junior class, you still have people who have been well-tested and have been out there ... we’re relying on their leadership,” Devos said. “We have two newcomers, but they’re going to get thrown in the fire and be a part of the success of this team.”

All in all, a majority of last year’s returners played big time minutes behind last year’s senior class. Now, with that class gone, the youngsters have an opportunity to prove themselves on the diamond and continue to build on what’s been a successful year so far. They have the pieces and the fuel to make a run late in the year, and the competition will only serve as better preparation for these young players.

Players huddle up before taking the field. Photo by Katelynn Pennington

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THE PROBLEMS OF

PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE IN MILITARY INTERVENTION EDDIE ANGELBELLO STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday, April 4, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad carried out a chemical attack that killed 80 people in the Idlib Province of Syria. After about 72 hours of deliberation and examination of options moving forward, President Donald Trump ordered a strike on the Assad regime’s Al Shayrat airfield, the site of the warplanes that carried out the chemical attack two days earlier. Around 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, Navy destroyers launched 60 Tomahawk missiles into Syria, 59 of which reached their targets, according to United States military officials. The missiles, targeted at Syrian aircraft, aircraft shelters, radars, air defense systems, ammunition bunkers, and fuel storage sites, killed six soldiers and nine civilians, according to news outlets and Syrian officials.

Trump received overwhelming international praise from his friends in Britain, Germany, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and other nations.

He also managed to get the two sides of Capitol Hill to agree (for the most part) for a few hours and stand behind his strike, although some critics rebuked his actions as illegal, saying he should have run his plan through Congress before making any moves. I’m sure you remember someone who did exactly that in 2013 when Assad carried out a chemical attack that killed and

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injured far more people than did the attack on Tuesday. President Barack Obama, in what is now widely considered one of his weakest moments throughout mainstream

politics, was presented with an option to attack and destroy a large portion of Syria’s air force following the attack in 2013. He had, after all, drawn a red line right in front of

chemical weapons, telling Assad that if he crossed that line, the United States would resort to force. After the British Parliament and the U.S. Congress both voted the plan of

President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria has become the target of U.S. airstrikes after accusations he used chemical weapons on Syrians.

Photo via Tribune News Service

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action down, Obama decided not to attack without the assurance of international support. He instead opted to strike a deal with Russia stipulating that Assad eliminate his stockpile of chemical weapons.

Trump, who urged Obama (via Twitter of course) not to retaliate against Syria in 2013, was presented with similar circumstances following the attack this week.

Apparently swayed by pictures of the attacks and the civilians affected, Trump went ahead without the express approval of Congress or the international community. He enforced the red line that Obama drew during his tenure, while also stating, in his elusive signature style, that Syria had crossed not only that line but “many, many lines.”

Some have said that the attacks and Trump’s actions put Putin in a tough spot, a spot in which he must decide whether or not to condemn his ally’s egregious actions. But Putin seems pretty comfortable to me. The Kremlin has denied any

Russian involvement in the chemical attacks, and has even denied that chemical weapons were involved in the attacks at all, instead holding that the attack was “a conventional strike that hit a chemical weapons warehouse controlled by insurgents,” as was recorded in an article in the New York Times written by Peter Baker, Neil MacFarquhar and Michael R. Gordon.

In Fred Kaplan’s article published Thursday on The Slate, he contends that Trump, not Putin, is the one who is now in a tough spot. If Putin steps up Russia’s military presence in Syria, and if there are more chemical attacks, Trump must now make another important decision: does he surrender the red line and allow it to be crossed, or does he enter a civil war and jump headlong into a spiraling collision course with Russia?

Kaplan’s claim, however is not the one that I want to make here. The idea I want to leave you with is that this attack should not only make

Trump feel like he is in a tough position, but it should make you, me and every American and global citizen uncomfortable as well. Here is why.

The latest chemical attack and Trump’s subsequent response should make us question our own personal ethics as well as the ethics of our nation. As has been stated

by Sean Spicer and echoed by international leaders in the wake of this week’s events, the actions taken by Trump were “decisive, justified and proportional.” That word “proportional” stuck out to me and set off a few alarms in my head. Firstly, if we simply respond proportionally each time there is a human rights violation carried out by a nation (not one of our allies of course) that is egregious enough to warrant a response, are we truly acting in an ethically sound manner?

Or are we simply perpetuating a global war machine in which an unending series of “proportional” responses would almost certainly

lead to a world entirely ravaged by conflict?

Second, if we are to draw a red line or “many, many lines” in the sand to detail exactly what a nation can and cannot do, then we must define those lines. Do we decide to allow violations of human rights up to a certain point? Do we only draw red lines when a nation is not a direct ally of ours?

If we are to draw red lines, then we need to ensure that they are not simply in place to make us feel as though we are on the side of justice, as though we are ethically sound even while we fall deeper and deeper into the pile of quicksand that is modern perpetual warfare. We have killed thousands and thousands of citizens throughout the Middle East, and if each side of every conflict in the Middle East continues to act “proportionally” in response to the other, the fighting will never end.

President Donald Trump with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (right). Photo via Tribune News Service

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Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

‘LAND OF MINE’ IS BRUTALLY TENSE AND SURPRISINGLY MOVING

Bolstered by a lack of pretense, this Danish WWII thriller is uniquely nerve-wracking HUNTER HEILMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

WWII movies are a bit of a cliché now in Hollywood, with each studio putting in a stake of their own in this massive sub-genre of films that have fallen on both spectrums of quality.

On one end, you have films like “Saving Private Ryan” that redefine the genre in an epic, brutal, heartbreaking adventure with one of the most memorable opening sequences in film ever made. On the other hand, you have films like “Valkyrie” and “Unbroken,” which use massive scales to illustrate the scope of the war at hand, but lose much of the human element in the process of trying to make a large-scale war film.

When it comes to foreign war films, it’s much more narrowly focused than American war films, focusing much more on the human element of war, with an audience expectation of knowledge of the war at hand, rather than painting a big scale to make it a bit easier to understand. This is where “Land of Mine (Under sandet)” comes in, a Danish WWII film with an almost surprisingly narrow focus, but uses filmmaking techniques to make the film feel larger than life.

After the surrender of Germany, Sgt. Carl Rasmussen (Roland Møller) is a no-nonsense sergeant for the Danish Army tasked with the task of overseeing a group of young German

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soldiers forced to defuse the over 2 million landmines placed upon the Danish shoreline over the course of the war. When the soldiers show up, Rasmussen is shocked to find that the group of soldiers being held as prisoners are mere teenagers, and while his sympathy for the soldiers is slim at first, the child-like qualities of these boys being maimed and killed defusing these landmines soon begins to blur the lines of war-torn borders.

Møller, unlike another foreign performance last year with Isabelle Huppert in “Elle,” should’ve been under consideration for awards beyond just the Danish wards he won. It’s rare that you find a performance so intense and nuanced in a film of any language, but the best part of Møller lies in his backstory as a former street criminal who turned his life around to become an actor. I would hope the intensity of his past is what drives such an intense and subtle performance in him.

The beauty of “Land of Mine” lies in its ability to present a story to the audience free of any pretense or agenda. “Land of Mine” doesn’t try to paint any side of the war in any particular light, but rather takes a more humanistic approach to the entire ordeal, and the importance of forgiveness in those who might not have truly APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

known what they were doing out of fear. The dynamics played upon in the film are powerful ones, especially as the film progresses and as the sergeant slowly begins to take sympathy to these boys, as tensions begin to rise with his superiors.

And we haven’t even touched upon the minesweeping sequences, which might be one of the more intense scenes I’ve seen in a film in the past year. With an almost unbearable sense of unpredictability that makes the viewing experience unique to the film, which is a rarity in modern cinema, foreign or otherwise.

“Land of Mine” might not be as showstopping as some other WWII films, but its quiet, restrained nature and unique approach to wartime morality set it apart by being one of the original war films in recent memory. With a beautiful aesthetic and a killer performance from Møller, this is a beautifully minimalist film that finds beauty in everything from the attractive to the gruesome. The tension in the film runs high, and the effect runs even higher, but this sense of nail-biting suspense is only a portion of what makes “Land of Mine” so great, and if you give some time to the message at hand here, I can only hope you see that as well.

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HOLLYWOOD AND THE ART OF WAR

Netflix’s latest docuseries gives masterful insight into the power of propaganda TYLER TRUDEAU STAFF WRITER

I’m always fascinated with stories of the unbelievable, and even more, the unpredictable.

When I stumbled upon the captivating tale of five Hollywood directors who left their decadent lives in favor of pointing a camera at one of the deadliest wars ever, you could say my interest was more than piqued. An avid fan of not only film, but also the immense weight of world history, Netflix’s latest documentary series offered something of an unpredictable adventure, an adventure just waiting to be uncovered. What could possibly occur when an acclaimed director aimed his lens at the horrors of a violent and unruly war? Nothing good, but not something entirely evil either. An elegant mixture of the two, which in turn would blur the line between fact and fiction.

As the devastation of World War I began to subside, and the business of Hollywood continued to soar further into the stars, one drastic event would ignite an era of not only great violence and turmoil, but also great truth and discovery. As the Second World War boomed into prominence and Adolf Hitler’s reign began, the realms of war across the seas and the silver screens of Los Angeles quickly merged. The horror, beauty, elegance and destruction of World War II found itself the subject of one of the world’s most essential pastimes. All of this, in great detail, was observed through the eyes of five Hollywood directors, five men who gave up their lives to join the war, and subsequently expose it. Filming the war was only the first step, however, as each of the directors painted an individual portrait of humanity, pain, victory and most importantly, bittersweet truth.

John Ford. William Wyler. Frank Capra. John Huston. George Stevens. They were icons of the silver screen before the second World War even hit the shores of the United States.

Before Hitler, before the Holocaust, before numerous decades of pain and turmoil, these men brought everything from happiness and romance to comedy and drama to the Hollywood movie screens. Fun westerns starring icons like John Wayne, romantic comedies and silent films, noir thrillers, all unfazed by the conflicts of

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war and politics. That all changed when World War II began, and the swell of war propaganda in Hollywood became the industry’s greatest commodity. That starts the basis of the three-part docuseries known as “Five Came Back,” a portrait of history and art at a time when the world was at its most critical breaking point.

At its very core, “Five Came Back” was a story of humanity and truth. As its history was relayed alongside archive footage by the words of not only guest narrator Meryl Streep, but also a group of esteemed directors of the modern era, from Francis Ford Coppola to Steven Spielberg, the docuseries snatched you right from the start.

Merging world history with captivating interviews with Hollywood filmmakers of past and present, the series worked to first set the grounds for its story, and then shake things up. Allowing the intermingling of the perspectives of both the five directors who experienced the war first-hand and the

modern directors who know of the war’s lasting impacts on the world, the series began to paint an image of how society in America and across the globe were affected by the war.

While the careers of each of these five directors might be extensive, their purpose behind the camera might not have been entirely realized until the moment they entered the war. Turning their cameras from the glossy set pieces of sound stages and the false facades of popular actors, to the grim reality of World War II across Europe, the filmmakers uncovered a truth made to be put on the screen. An uncompromising, grisly and at the same time, hopeful truth that needed to be shown to the world. What began as a slew of propaganda advertisements used to draw young men and women into the war to fight for their country, ignited a highly-experimental and dangerous adventure into the unknown.

Divided into three consecutive chunks, each detailing an essential moment in each of the five directors’ journey into and out of the war, the story of ‘Five Came Back’ managed to keep the chronological order of a novel, while also packing in intense pockets of emotional significance in its storytelling. The series, working as both a history lesson on Hollywood, propaganda and the war, as well as an exploration of humanity and pain, allowed for moments that slowed down the intense narrative, and in turn let the viewer feel the emotion of the time period. One point that really stood out to me was when images of Hitler’s concentration camps populated the screen. Horrific images of death and despair, seen through the eyes of not just a Hollywood director, but thousands of other soldiers and civilians after the war; moments such as that made the series feel revealing and unbiased, but in a way that worked to connect the viewer emotionally to the victims.

Photo courtesy of Netflix/ Amblin Television

APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

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Across 1 “__ Noon”: Gary Cooper classic 5 Tippy watercraft 10 “Make it snappy,” in memos 14 Length-times-width calculation 15 Take place 16 Pleasant 17 *Niña and Pinta’s sister ship 19 Camper’s quarters 20 Like some rye bread 21 Number of little pigs, in a fable 22 Decorative theme 24 Crystal ball reader 25 Up to now 28 *Leader of the pack 32 Surfing at one’s desk, say 34 Places for studs 35 Fellow 36 Rod’s fishing partner 37 “__ you go again!”

39 Like Solomon

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APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

40 Aunt, in Argentina 41 Fashionably smart 42 Crusty roll 44 *Yale, for five U.S. presidents 47 “SNL” host’s monologue, e.g.

48 Door-to-door cosmetics seller 49 Cavalry sword, in Sussex 51 Kitchen cover-up?

53 Granola alternative 56 Luau torch type 57 Coffee break time ... and a hint to an abbreviation aptly placed in each answer to a starred clue 61 Opinion column, for short 62 Unfamiliar (to) 63 Director Preminger 64 Baseball’s “Amazins” 65 Bamboo lover 66 Karate award

Down 1 “__ it been that long?”

2 Tax-sheltered plans: Abbr.

3 Heredity unit 4 Venomous letters 5 Cleaner sold in green canisters 6 National park in Maine 7 ATM maker 8 Avignon assent 9 Division of history 10 “O Canada,” e.g.

11 *Renamed lemon-lime soft drink 12 Clearasil target 13 Rose of baseball 18 Festoon 21 Lipton products 23 Takes for a sucker 24 Princess Fiona’s beloved ogre 25 Somewhat, informally 26 NBC newsman Roger 27 *Spot for bargain hunters 29 Golfer’s goal 30 Surgical beam 31 January, in Mexico 33 Hawke of “Boyhood” 38 Triple or homer 39 One who scoffs at boxed Merlot, say 41 “Hurry up, will ya?”

43 TV network, e.g.

45 Sidesteps 46 Smashed into 50 “__ sera”: Italian “Good evening” 51 Proton’s place 52 Plumbing unit 54 Calorie-friendly 55 Not domestic, flight-wise: Abbr.

57 Travel guide 58 Dockworker’s gp.

59 Clamorous noise 60 Understood

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SELF HELP: HAILEY TURPIN

Dealing with mental illnesses in college

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

We all know that college is hard. From the grades to the social time AND trying to keep your mental and physical health up to par, it can get really difficult to maintain.

There are the highs, lows, the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. But no matter what we do in our environment, we still deal with the problems inside our own head.

When I came to college, I began to deal heavily with stress, my anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I had always had them, I just didn’t know what to call them. After a point in my first semester sophomore year, I decided that I needed to get help so that I could function with all of my commitments. Trying to be apart of three major organizations, spend time with my friends, continue with a longterm relationship, deal with anxiety/panic attacks, and just be okay with myself got too hard to handle. I had to have a serious conversation with myself (which is totally normal) and decide that I wasn’t going to let this beat me. It was then I decided to start my journey in self help.

At first, my anxiety controlled me.

It dictated what I did or didn’t do, and prevented me from doing the things I enjoyed. I started counseling through the UNC Charlotte Counseling Center, and with the help of the counselors, medication, time and mental breakthroughs I am able to say that I have gotten to a place I am happy with.

If you are struggling with a mental illness in college, please don’t hesitate to get help. Feeling like a burden to others, not having time or thinking you’re too far gone to be helped are not excuses to why you haven’t seeked help. Generally, anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses are chemical imbalances in the brain, and are very much treatable and are very common. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 41.6 percent of students in college deal with anxiety related problems, and 36.4 percent of students

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deal with depression. These issues are more prominent than you think, and takes lots of will and fight to work through, but it is possible.

The road to self help is hard, there is no doubt to it. But here are some tips if you choose to get some help.

1. Counseling.

Speaking with someone who is a licensed psychologist can help you move forward on your road to recovery. UNC Charlotte’s counseling team knows how to work through every issue, give valuable feedback and just listen when you need to talk.

2. Medication.

This word scared me too, but if you are considering medication for your mental illness, please do not hesitate to do your research and talk to your doctor.

3. Meditation and relaxation.

Like most people, I love down time. I use my free time meditating, or if I can’t, I just take the time to do a facemask or paint my nails. Helping your body relax is a gateway to keeping your anxiety or depression at lower levels.

4. Take a break.

Take whatever is bothering you, and put it to the side. Collect your thoughts and make yourself your favorite tea, go for a run, take a nap or do your favorite activities. It really does help to get your mind off what is making you nervous or depressed.

These tips are here to help you, but will in no way cure you. Explore your options when it comes to treatment so you can get the best results for your situation. Remember you are not put into a life you couldn’t handle, so take each moment and use it to your advantages. Take the time to learn about what you’re dealing with and how to get the right help for you. For more information, contact the University Counseling Center at 704‑687‑0311.

APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

NINERTIMES

WILD: FROM LOST TO FOUND ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL

EMMA WEST INTERN

You may know Cheryl Strayed’s memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” from the movie starring Reese Witherspoon. Let me start off by saying that once again the book is better than the movie.

The book gives an in-depth perception of Strayed’s solo hike over the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,663-mile wilderness route stretching from the Mexican border to the Canadian and traversing nine mountain ranges and three states. This journey started when Cheryl thought her life could not get any worse because of the tragic death of her mother, her failing marriage and her addiction to heroin. With nowhere else to turn to, Cheryl headed for the trail to find herself.

This book is raw, bitter and reverent all at once. There were moments in the book when you believe that Cheryl will not make it to the end.

From dried up water sources, wild animal encounters, and brush-ups with perverted men, “Wild” keeps you entertained and inspired. Reading this book, I became attached to Cheryl because of her character development.

At the beginning she was hiking with boots that were too small for her feet and a backpack too heavy for her body. The backpack was appropriately named Monster because of the sheer heaviness of the pack, leaving her with blistered hips. Throughout the book you see her transition from a grief stricken addict to the empowered “Queen of the PCT.” Parts of the book make you feel as if you are hiking with her, and I would sometimes feel mentally exhausted reading about her 16-mile a day hikes through snow.

As beautiful and awe-inspiring as Wild is, I would strongly recommend that one should not hike long distances, such as the entirety of the PCT,

without proper experience or training. Cheryl was driven by a blind will to fix her broken life by the healing effects of nature; but, she had no clue what she was doing. There are many ways to hike or travel safely, excursions that are well thought-out and planned. International Studies Abroad has great programs where you can hike and explore the wilderness in a distant land. If you took the structured route to “finding yourself” might I suggest hiking through fossil beds in Morocco, or canoeing through the mangroves of Colombia Isla de Salamanca. I believe if Cheryl Strayed knew the excursion options of ISA, she would be on board and hopefully carrying a lighter backpack.

Overall, Cheryl describes what it is like in the wild, “with what it was like to walk for miles with no other reason than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets.” Strayed drags you through the ugly parts of her flawed life and that’s what makes her undeniably human. I winced at the pain of her blisters, her inexperience, and her grief. I cheered her on for her courage and her will to go on. I actually cried at the end of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir because I felt that it was a genuine story about a woman’s struggle with grief and growing up. This being said, reading this book gave me a strong urge to go buy hiking boots, to fix my own life. “Wild” is redemptive, passionate and brilliantly written. Her epic journey is a page turner, which is incredibly beautiful as it is tragic.

Rate: 4/5 stars

BRIANNA SUMPTER STAFF WRITER

¨With finals right around the corner, the best advice I can give is to relax. Do something calming such as take a bath or a nap, and then start to study for your finals.

There are different ways to study of course, and there are things online such as rewarding yourself with a treat whenever you have studied for a certain amount of time. I know for me I like to study for 20 minutes, then take a five minute break, and repeat that. It is important to breath and to take things slow as well.

You should be able to succeed if you review and go over notes that have been taken prior to the test. Do all of these things and you should be good to go with your finals!¨

- Kyra Durham

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APR. 11 - APR. 17, 2017

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