Niner Times: January 15, 2019

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Jeffrey Kopp

editor@ninertimes.com EDITORIAL

Alexandria Sands COMMUNITY EDITOR Megan Bird NEWS EDITOR Sam Palian SPORTS EDITOR Elissa Miller A&E EDITOR Hailey Turpin LIFESTYLE EDITOR Madison Dobrzenski OPINION EDITOR Emily Hickey COPY EDITOR Leysha Caraballo PHOTO COORDINATOR Pooja Pasupula PHOTO COORDINATOR Kathleen Cook VIDEO PRODUCER Natasha Morehouse LAYOUT EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITORS

Nikolai Mather, Noah Howell, Haseena Evans, Jonathan Limehouse, Jacob Baum CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Taylor Koziarz, Hiral Patel, Cecilia Whalen

NEWS •

Most-read Niner Times stories of 2018

A&E •

The Top Ten Games of 2018

Best Songs of 2018 as Selected by A&E Writers

The Best Performances on Television in 2018

TV REVIEW: ʻStar Wars Resistanceʼ – ʻSecrets and Hologramsʼ & ʻStation Theta Blackʼ

SPORTS • •

Defense prevails in Niners dominant win against Florida Atlantic Charlotte defeats FAU to earn first conference victory

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49ersʼ rally in second half falls short against FIU

Charlotte drops to 8-6 with loss to Marshall

49ers struck by Thundering Herd

49ers drop the ball vs. Hilltoppers

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U NIVERSITY HOUSING NEARS CAPACITY vAlong with rapid growth comes the challenge to house students, on campus and off By Jacob Baum Assistant News Editor

As the spring semester begins, hundreds of new freshmen and transfer students are joining UNC Charlotte. These new students are challenged to find housing, both on and off campus. UNC Charlotte has 22 active oncampus residence halls ranging from traditional towers, suite-style and apartment-style rooms scattered across campus. In addition to the 22 residence halls, UNC Charlotte also is home to “Greek Village” on the edge of its main campus. Combined, the 22 residence halls and Greek Village are at 99 percent capacity, according to Dr. Aaron Hart, associate vice-chancellor for student affairs. On Dec. 6, the Office of Housing and Residence life issued a statement, Photo courtesy of Atapaco Apartments prompting students to worry if they would have a place to live come the start of the new semester. “Due to overwhelming demand, we have a limited number of housing vacancies for spring 2019. New incoming students that have not applied for on campus housing yet or applied late in November should have back up housing plans in case we are unable to assign them a space.” Hart explained that Housing and Residence Life was able to house every student who applied before the regular deadline for housing for the spring semester. At 99 percent capacity, there are still some rooms left; more available for females than for males. “If you apply for housing, you might not always get your first or second option, but we will always work to find a place for you,” Hart said. As the University approaches full capacity, Moore Hall is nearing demolition and its residents have been moved into new housing on-campus, occupying nearly 500 of the scarce on-campus bed spaces. Moore Hall opened in 1970 but is now being torn down along with Sanford Hall. The University is replacing the two older towers with a newer model designed by the same company who completed the Levine Hall Project. The new residence hall that will take its place is currently named Residence Hall XVI and is to be completed May 28, 2021. Off-campus apartments are near capacity as well, even with the recent addition of private off-campus apartment community Haven49, which can house up to 887 residents. Haven49 and University Crossings both have limited spaces available for the current academic year and have already begun leasing for next year. The demand for housing in the area has led to the construction of three new apartment complexes in the University City area. All three of the new

NEWS

developments have been approved by the Charlotte City Council, and two have already moved into the construction phase. The 2018 University City Partners Annual end of year report highlights each of the new apartment complexes coming to University City area, as well as the immediate impact they will have. The largest development is the Atapco Apartments, which will contain 280 units and be complete by fall 2019. The Atapco Apartments are being built at an estimated cost of $50 Million dollars across from the McCullough light rail station on North Tryon Street just off campus. These Apartments will feature a built in parking deck, as well as commercial retail shops on the ground floor. Two other Apartment Complexes are also being built off-campus. The first named University City Apartments at Tom Hunter, which is a $32 Million dollar project and is proposed to be built in a vacant lot just across the street from Arcadia Student Living. As well as another project named “Oxford Gateway Apartments”, which began construction in late 2017, and is almost complete. according to public records. The scarcity of housing in University City is a symptom of the rapid growth of UNC Charlotte and the greater Charlotte area. This fall, UNC Charlotte set an enrollment record of 29,710 students. In the past decade, UNC Charlotte has accounted for over 50% of the growth of the UNC System, and is also the fastest growing institution in the UNC system. The growth of the area, has sparked concern from some of the Charlotte City Council Members. Claire Fallon, a council member at the time said “I feel like everything we’re building up there is just massive buildings,” Fallon added “I’m struggling with the density of this, the visibility of it, and kind of the lack of character when we continue to build these massive buildings.” Other Council Members, have argued that the area is designed for high density developments, and want to see future developments in the area. Fallon went on and lost her re-election bid this past election cycle. UNC Charlotte is not the only UNC-System Institution with a demand for more housing; North Carolina Central was recently approved by the States Board of Governors for three new residence halls and UNC Asheville struggled to find housing for 294 students after one of its major residence halls was deemed uninhabitable by state authorities. Expansion is a goal of universities across the country but it brings about major challenges.

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UNC CHARLOTTE STUDENTS CREATE NEW APP Students Alec Stevanovski and Chris Human designed Thrive to connect students

Photo Courtesy of Alec Stevanovski By Taylor Koziarz News Intern

On Nov. 5, Alec Stevanovski and Chris Human released Thrive, an app to connect and network with students on campus. Stevanovski and Human are juniors with plans of majoring in management. The app is free; no subscriptions are required and there are no advertisements. Thrive is an app made by UNC Charlotte students for UNC Charlotte students. How is this app different than other social media? Stevanovski, app developer, came up with the idea for Thrive two years ago. He was trying to sell Koozies, the foam sleeve that holds cups and cans, but didn’t know how to put a logo on them. He reached out to his friends on Facebook but couldn’t find anyone to help. He knew there were a lot of people at UNC Charlotte who could help him, but he didn’t know how to get in touch with them. Stevanovski realized that social media only connects you with people you are already friends with. Thrive is different because it automatically connects you with everyone in the UNC Charlotte community. Human, app developer, says his favorite part of the app is “there is no need to add friends, just other students helping out other students.” What does the app do? Thrive can be utilized to ask for recommendations on classes and professors, safely buy and sell items such as textbook or furniture from other students, promote

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student organizations, seek academic help, or find a lastminute tutor or someone to sublease your apartment. The app is simple and easy to use. It works similarly to Facebook; you post and people can like and comment. Stevanovski says his favorite part of the app is the different categories that organize the posts, including general, recommendations, job related, academic and housing. Students have already posted about recommendations for restaurants in Charlotte, job inquiries and fundraiser promotions. The posts received comments on them from other students. You can also direct message a person if you want to get in touch with them about a post. Thrive is similar to the app Nextdoor; however, it is solely for college students. You might have seen Human and Stevanovski outside Prospector last week giving out free Chick-fil-A to promote Thrive. Students lined up on the sidewalk to get some food and learn more about the app. Thrive already has over 1,000 UNC Charlotte students connected. While the app is currently only available to UNC Charlotte students, the developers’ dream is to take it to all universities. Whether you are looking for a roommate for next semester, selling a textbook, or promoting an event, Thrive provides a way to be heard. The app is the realization of the unaddressed demand for the untapped supply of knowledge and experience that fellow students can offer.


THE RIGHT CHOICE Student reflects on the firing of Brad Lambert and the future for the UNC Charlotte football team

OPINION

by Hiral Patel Staff Writer

According to the WCNC, former UNC Charlotte football head coach Brad Lambert was fired on Nov. 18, 2018. The 49ers Athletics Director, Mike Hill, states, “It is a decision I made after an opportunity to assess my first football season here… It’s about the trajectory of the program and putting us in the best position for the future. We elected to make this decision now so that we could begin the search immediately.” Lambert has been in the program for six years, and he is pretty much the only coach the university has known. Throughout his six years, Lambert’s record Photo by Chris Crews was 21-48, and his job was at stake since 2017, when UNC Charlotte had a 1-11 record. However, Lambert was given another chance by former athletics director, Judy Rose. In hopes of remaining coach, he named a new team captain, hired new coordinators and changed meeting and practice schedules to improve the statistics for 2018. Even though his record has improved this year, 4-7, it wasn’t enough for him to keep his job. After being let go, The Charlotte Observer reported that Lambert thanked the University stating, “I would also like to thank our staff and studentathletes who poured themselves into this program for us… I could not be prouder of all the young men and all that they have accomplished on and off the field.” He was let go with a buy out of about $515,000, which is almost twice his salary of $256,795. The athletics director, Mike Hill was only in the UNC Charlotte system since March 2018. Part of me believes that Lambert was let go too early. If he was able to make such a great and progressive shift in statistics from 2017 to 2018, maybe Hill should have let Lambert keep his job for another year or so for a true evaluation on his impact on the football team. On the other hand, UNC Charlotte was not the only school to let go of their football coach in 2018. UNC Chapel Hill let go of their coach, Larry Fedora, in late November; And East Carolina University let go of their coach, Ruffin McNeill, in early December. Keeping in mind that our football team is relatively new, when we look to the trends of other teams that have been around for a lot longer and

have been hiring and firing football coaches, it’s because it strengthens their name through successful records and sells their brand. I must say that I know this only as a student at UNC Charlotte, but that’s the motive for almost all competitive fields; to obtain recognition. The chancellor of UNC Charlotte, Phil Dubois, read in his statement, “Mike has a deep background in a highly successful athletic program from a ‘Power Five’ conference, so he has played lead roles in hiring and working with highly successful head coaches, negotiating multi-million-dollar media agreements and facilities naming rights, and being on point in external relations for the Gators.” In fact, early December, Mike Hill was able to find a new head coach for our football team. His name is Will Healy. His hiring grade was an A according to SB Nation, later stating that “he had a winning season at Austin Peay. That’s basically impossible.” Although I think Lambert was worthy of being given another season, overall it looks like this is the right decision for our school. It seems to be a new turning point for UNC Charlotte’s history in football. Our new athletics director has found a head coach with a promising future for the 49ers, where we are all certain to be satisfied with the 2019 football season and hopefully the seasons thereafter.

CALL FOR OPINIONS At the Niner Times, we have consistent staff writers and editors that write opinion columns each week. However, these people do not have to be the only students sharing their opinions about things happening on our campus. Youʼre able to submit OP-ED pieces, which are written by people who donʼt typically write for us. These articles must be written in AP Style and well researched, but youʼre able to submit them whenever youʼd like and theyʼll likely go online. If youʼre interested in getting your opinion published, contact the Niner Times Opinion Editor at opinion@ninertimes.com.

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Assistant Professor of Dance Organizes Festival in India

A&E By Cecilia Whalen Staff Writer

Photos Courtesy of Roopachitram Debojyoti Dhar Photography

Whoever is first to arrive in the Srjan dance studio in Odisha, East India has to sweep the floor. After waking up, eating breakfast and tying her sari, Assistant Professor of Dance Kaustavi Sarkar was often the one to do it. She would head to the studio, pick up the broom that rested by the door, and clear the space before the first class of the day began.

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Kaustavi Sarkar returns to her roots to host “Antardrishti” in honor of dance legend Guru Mohapatra

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“That ritual of sweeping the floor in the morning is so grounding,” Sarkar said. “It’s a meditative exercise. It’s also gratifying in the sense that you are making space for yourself as well as welcoming others.” Sarkar would sweep to pay homage to herself, to the space, to the other dancers and to the ancestors of the East Indian classical dance form

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she practices, Odissi. She would remember, in particular, that where she was sweeping happened to be one of the same studios used by dance legend Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, the man who revived and popularized Odissi and founded Srjan. On Jan. 2, Sarkar helped produce a festival in celebration of what would have been Mohapatra’s 93rd birthday

(he died in 2004). The festival, entitled “Antardrishti,” loosely translated as “Soul Vision,” was held in Calcutta, West Bengal, India at the Uttam Mancha (auditorium) and was a collaboration between Sarkar, Srjan and Odissi dancers throughout India. It featured Srjan’s professional ensemble, duets and soloists, including Sarkar herself. “It’s a way of commemorating the history and artistry of the Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and the histories of the development of Odissi over time,” Sarkar said. “I’m more of a collaborator/producer of the event; I’m playing multiple roles.” Before working at UNC Charlotte, Sarkar was a student and later a teacher at Srjan, as well as a dancer in their traveling professional ensemble. There she found an institution that would captivate her for the rest of her life. “Srjan integrated my life into a way that everything was connected.” Sarkar said. Srjan is unique in the fact that students studying at the school, as well as professionals working in the ensemble, not only dance at the institution but live there as well. “My work was upstairs in the studio, and my life was downstairs,” Sarkar said. Sarkar slept in the room of Laxmipriya Mohapatra, one of the first female Odissi dancers who was Mohapatra’s artistic partner, wife and mother of his children. “They were so kind to open up their home and their kitchen and their lives to an outsider, a stranger like me who has no familial ties with them. But that is the practice of this


apprenticeship, where you really embed yourself in a day to day, all the time learning exercise.” Sarkar said. Dancing at Srjan was much like an apprenticeship, an up-close shadowing of teachers and mentors. “Learning is not restricted to the studio. Learning happens when you’re driving with your teacher; learning happens when you’re cleaning the dishes in the morning; learning happens when you’re cleaning the studio right before everybody enters.” Of course, dancing at Srjan wasn’t always a fairy tale. The intensive and immersive environment sometimes lent to a strict hand in training. “There are horror stories, where if you make a mistake the stick comes flying at you,” Sarkar said. “But conservatory training was never meant to be coddling.” Now her life has changed. She earned a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University and is a full time academic at UNC Charlotte, teaching courses in Foundations in Dance and Dance Appreciation. She also teaches technique courses in Odissi, making UNC Charlotte’s dance program the only one in the state to offer the classical Indian art form as part of its curriculum. But much like how her cleaning and sweeping taught her about dancing then, her current work in academia has continued to influence her ideas about dancing. Through the festival, “Antardrishti,” Sarkar attempted to both celebrate historical and contemporary Odissi dance, presenting some of Mohapatra’s classic works as well as original works by current choreographers, and bring in some of her current research, which focuses on digital humanities, cultural studies, queer studies and religious studies. “Sometimes the conversation gets limited between scholars or just between artists.” Sarkar said. She wanted to merge the two. Before and after the festival, Sarkar helped sponsor “queer cafes,” spaces in which artists and

scholars could come together to discuss gender, sexuality, politics and whatever else they wanted. Sarkar used the dances presented to spark some of these conversations. For example, one piece, a duet choreographed by Mohapatra’s son, Ratikant Mohapatra, the current artistic director of Srjan, featured him and another dancer, Rajiv Bhattacharya. The piece, entitled “Bali Badh” (The Slaying of the Evil), was danced by two men; Sarkar used these kinds of instances to ask: What are the relationships between two male bodies? How has it changed through time? Along with social and political questions, Sarkar is also interested in architecture and its relationship with dance. Odissi originated in the 12th century and was shaped by Hindu temples. Now in the 21st century, how might Odissi

be changing with current uses of architecture and space? “Temple sculpture has such a deep conversation with Indian classical dance,” Sarkar said. “[In their aesthetics and shape] they keep borrowing from each other.” Sarkar’s own solo addressed these topics as well. She is interested in deconstructing Odissi, investigating its origins, its connotations and its aesthetics by closely examining the details in movement in relation to their historical context. What parts of Odissi technique reflect a patriarchal society? How does Odissi treat different genders? What are the influences of the old temple dancers and their lives? “Deconstruction is way of undoing but not ripping it apart,” Sarkar said. “The values are embedded.” She hopes to further connect her current work at UNC Charlotte to

her former work at Srjan, continuing and even extending the reach of Mohapatra’s lineage. Sarkar hopes to involve her students, as well with a plan to create some sort of study abroad program between Srjan and UNC Charlotte in the future. “What is really special in that institution is the effects of years of nurturing towards dance. Dance is sort of a worshiping mechanism. Every class there is always a reminiscing of lineage, of past. My hope is to open up this experience to the students where it’s more of an exchange across culture.” Sarkar said. Sarkar will be conducting an event on campus discussing some of these topics with a visiting professor from Kingston University, Dr. Elena Catalano, on May 3 and 4 in Robinson Hall.

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ACROSS 1 Parks who wouldn’t give up her bus seat 5 Jewel box item 10 Colored eye part 14 Cartel acronym 15 Prizefight venue 16 Brit’s “Later!” 17 Version to debug 18 Recall ability 20 Blew like Etna 22 Black as night, e.g. 23 Well-groomed guy 26 __ XING: crosswalk sign 27 Noteworthy period 28 Removes, as a cork 30 Nowhere close 33 Places to swim 36 Geek’s cousin 37 Fodder storage site 38 Hauls with effort 40 Japanese warrior 42 “Right back __!”: “Me, too!”

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43 Flashy promotion 45 Turn topsy-turvy 46 Water-testing digit 47 “__ With the Wind” 48 Map app path: Abbr. 49 Cantina condiment 51 One making a living in government, briefly 56 Small piano 59 Motivate 60 Knockout drink, in old gangster movies 63 Puma rival 64 Australian gem 65 So last year 66 Cafeteria staffer 67 Heredity carrier 68 “Some __ time”: “Not now” 69 RR stops: Abbr. DOWN 1 Dressed like a judge 2 Mozart work

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3 Arrange in advance 4 Like singing sans instruments 5 GoPro product 6 “Judge __”: Stallone film 7 Sleep acronym 8 Lennon’s love 9 Red planet 10 “Who’s there?” reply 11 In quick succession 12 Emphatic type: Abbr. 13 Fit to be tried 19 Puppy’s barks 21 Succinct 24 Orangutan, e.g. 25 Swedes’ neighbors 29 Kissing at the mall, for short 31 Actor Cumming 32 __ rage: bodybuilder’s concern 33 H.S. junior’s exam 34 Numerical prefix with -pus 35 Self-affirming retort 36 “Bye Bye Bye” band 37 Large political spending gps. 39 Rice noodle soup 41 Trumpet mufflers 44 Veggie in a pod 47 Sheer joy 48 Jeremy of “The Avengers” 50 Often-twisted joint 52 Washer cycle 53 Whirl on one foot 54 Hunter constellation 55 Plumbers’ problems 56 Air quality concern 57 Frosty’s corncob accessory 58 Autocorrect target 61 Budgetary excess 62 “Give or take” suffix ... that can be added to the end of 18-, 23-, 51- and 60-Across to form a sort of set


WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE? Charlotte’s a goldmine and there’s no doubt about it By Sam Palian Sports Editor

Of the many things that Charlotte has to offer, both the city and the University, some might say that Will Healy, Charlotte’s newest head football coach is now one of them. After more than seven years with the Charlotte 49ers and accepting the challenge of beginning a division one football program, Brad Lambert coached his final game as 49ers head coach, and was sent out with a deserved win and a gatorade bath. Of course, whenever a big change such as this is made it effects a lot of people, including the players. Many of the Niners showed up to Healy’s first Charlotte Football press conference to shake hands with their new coach, but in the week and a half prior, were celebrating a big win and celebrating Lambert and the man and coach that he was Several of the 49ers took to to them. social media to say thank you to Lambert after the win over FAU. “Both of them are great coaches. Coach Lambert definitely knew what he was doing, but I feel like Coach Healy might have a recruiting edge and I’m just excited to see what he brings to the table,” said running back Benny LeMay. Less than two weeks later, Healy was introduced at a press conference, which essentially lasted about an hour and not by any means because he was boring those in attendance. Healy had a lot of good things to say, as did Athletic Director Mike Hill about him. “Clearly a rising star, a proven recruiter, a proven developer of talent, a man of high character and integrity and someone who values culture. I think what we got in Will Healy is this: Will Healy reflects our program and our institution. He is a young, hungry up-and-comer and a force to be reckoned with. He is gonna kill it in recruiting, I’m just telling ya, mark my words, he is going to kill it in recruiting. And

he is going to make our football program a major factor in this city, in this state and in our conference,” said Hill. With someone new in the head coaching position, it’s common that the rest of the coaching staff sees changes as well and sure enough, come fall 2019 Charlotte fans will see an entirely new coaching lineup on the sidelines including some of Healy’s former staff at Austin Peay. “I feel really good about it, I feel like Coach Healy brings a lot of energy and I feel like he’s excited to get here and you want someone who’s gonna be here, like we have in the past and like we’ll have now,” said defensive back Ben DeLuca. But, what’s so great about Charlotte? Why should we intrigued by this program, why are we bothering to write about it? Less than 48 hours after accepting the job, Healy already knew, and was convinced of why well before

even potential of this

being offered the job. As mentioned before, the press conference introducing Healy to Niner Nation was far from boring, but was actually captivating. “This place is a goldmine. What you have in front of you, I don’t know if you understand the place. I promise

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you when we have opportunities to bring recruits on this campus... people will fall in love when they drive through the gates. The vision, the excitement, the opportunities that this campus and this football program have are through the roof,” said Healy. “And I am so fortunate and lucky... to have a chance to be the head football coach here because this place is going to be really special.” Healy told Hill he would’ve walked all the way to Charlotte from Chattanooga just to have an opportunity to talk about this job. That kind of passion about a program is what he hopes to help build. As far as this program and looking ahead, Charlotte may still have a lot of work to do and although they have always had heart for the game, fans got to really see more of that this past season. “I think you look at the character of a team through the adversity that they went through,” said Healy. “Defensively, it’s one of the best turnarounds in college football this year, but I think you went from an opportunity where you hoped you could win to now they expect to win. So, I think the foundation has been laid to take the next step and do it in a hurry.” 2018 saw a football season of record-breaking, lightning delays and a season full of examples as to why this team and Charlotte, overall, is such a special place and program. Much like Healy, the football program is young and growing and has so much passion within.

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From left: Emily Healy, Eli Healy, Will Healy and Norm the Niner

Photo by Chris Crews

“What a home run hire. This guy is as sharp as they come. He’s a bout all the right things. He’s going to be awesome. Those players will love him, and I really believe that he will build something special there in Charlotte. He’s one of the bright young coaches in the business, but more importantly, he’s a great person with a great family. Charlotte knocked it out of the park.” - Dabo Swinney, Clemson head football coach

“I have a lot of respect for coach Healy and the job he’s done. He’s done a tremendous job everywhere he’s been, especially offensively. He’s got a lot of energy and has shown impressive leadership at a young age to go out and do what he’s done. Will has also done a really good job recruiting, coming into the state of Georgia, too.” - Kirby Smart, Georgia head football coach

“Will Healy is a great fit for Charlotte! First of all he’s a young man of integrity and character so the players will benefit from his influence in their lives. Will is a great teacher of quarterbacks and an innovative offensive coach that will bring an exciting brand of football to Charlotte. Great hire!” - David Cutcliffe, Duke head football coach

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Photo courtesy of Keriann3 via goodfreephotos.com

LIFESTYLE

How to start your new year off right 2019 is knocking, are you gonna answer the door?

By Hailey Turpin Lifestyle Editor

If anyone knows me, I used to be afraid of change for a long time. That’s why I’ve declared 2019 the year of change, which includes major life changes like graduating college and crawling my way into the adult world as well as physical and mental changes that include lightening my hair to bright blonde. There are many ways that I can change myself for this new year, so here I am to share them with you. (Opinions are my own and do not reflect the views of the Niner Times staff).

the first tip, mindfulness allows the brain to be present in the moment while not focusing on the past or future. A mindfulness meditation technique that helps you focus on the moment is the body scan exercise. The point of doing this is so the participant gets to be in their body in that particular moment and really refocus their mind on the self. UC Berkeley gives a full description of the process and even some audio so you can try it out. (https://ggia. berkeley.edu/practice/body_scan_meditation)

1. Get out of your own mind. I wanted to name this first tip “Get out of your comfort zone” but the cliché connotation of that phrase doesn’t do the actual meaning justice. More importantly, the only person that typically keeps you from doing scary things is yourself. When you keep to yourself and don’t do physical or mental activities that may be uncomfortable, it’s usually the fear of what might happen in that situation. Allowing that fear to dictate what you do in your life is a bully. The great Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”

3. Do something you’re afraid of. Also known as “YOLO.” This doesn’t mean to do illegal, stupid or dangerous things but rather things that you’ve been on the fence about doing. For example, I’ve been on the fence about dying my virgin hair for about a year now, and finally 2019 said, “I’m here and you need a change.” I scheduled an appointment and within 48 hours I was a blonde balayage babe. Cut to 12 hours later at six in the morning and I’m lying in bed basically regretting the decision, but no, I told myself, “You are a beautiful woman with a new blonde hair-do and no one can stop you.” Not only did this change my physical appearance but my mental processes as well.

2. Work mindfully, not harder. To break down the word “mindfulness,” it basically means to be aware of the body, mind and world around you. Not to be confused with

4. Work towards a yearly goal. If you want to work at your dream job by the end of 2019, set that goal and plan how to get there. If you want to become really good at

one of your hobbies, set a goal and plan how to get there. In 2019, there will be 365 (more like 350 by the time this is published) new days and new chances to get to where you want to be. Even if that means you have to start fresh every damn day, you still get a new day to start again. 5. Make the changes you know you can. I get it, everyone has their things they wish they had time to change. However, we all can acknowledge that there is the problem, the difficult part is actually changing. Ask yourself what is the one thing you wish you could change, then ask if you can change it. If you can’t, let it go. If you can, devise the game plan for success. This may need help from a licensed therapist, but thinking that you are crazy for asking for help is so 2018. Therapists are trained on the mechanics of the brain and human interaction; let them help you. 2019 has already started but it’s not too late to have a game-plan to make your life easier. You can also add in some life hack Instagram videos for your entertainment. Life is too short and moving by too fast to not life your best life. For advice on this topic or any topic, email your questions to askaniner@ninertimes.com

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Looking for advice? Questions about things around campus? New to UNC Charlotte? Ask your questions at askaniner@ninertimes.com

12 JAN. 15, 2019

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