APRIL 16, 2019 NINERTIMES.COM
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FREE SPEECH ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Vice Chancellor and Student Body President among others discuss the state of free speech on college campuses
by Yesika Sorto Andino Staff Writer
Photo by Patrick Magoon
In 2018, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bipartisan bill aiming to protect free speech on public college campuses. House Bill 527 highlights the importance of public colleges and universities remaining neutral on controversial issues. The legislation also requires colleges and universities to create different forms of sanctions for anyone who disrupts the free speech of others in the institution.
“the power of a symbolic speech lies in its ability to mean deeply different things to different people.” To address the topic of free speech on college campuses, Niayai Lavien, the Student Body President of UNC Charlotte, and Jesh Humphrey, the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel of UNC Charlotte, participated in a discussion with other free speech experts. After the law was put into place, institutions were required to establish a point person to oversee responsible free speech. In this case, Humphrey is known as the Responsible Free Speech Officer for UNC Charlotte. The discussion was also joined by Robert Shipley, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
(FIRE). Shipley mentioned the shift that has occurred in college campuses, specifically among the students, describing that they have become more adamant and demanding of speech regulation on their campuses. The question remains, though, as to which groups are demanding this shift in regulation. Michael Behrent, the Vice President of North Carolina State Conference of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and Associate Professor of History at Appalachian State University, believes that there is “increasing anxiety among political constituencies about certain agendas being pursued on college campuses.” There is also the preconception that the free speech debate is a debacle between inclusion and intolerance. Humphrey also mentioned the different forms that symbolic speech can take, specifically stating that “the power of a symbolic speech lies
in its ability to mean deeply different things to different people.” This was in reference to the Silent Sam statue at UNC Chapel Hill. FIRE rates North Carolina institutions as some of the best in the country in protecting free speech. Eight campuses in North Carolina have attained a green light status appropriated by FIRE. A green light status signifies that “a college or university’s policies do not seriously imperil speech.” A yellow light campus is one whose “policies restrict a more limited amount of protected expression or, by virtue of their vague wording, could too easily be used to restrict protected expression.” A red light campus is “an institution that has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.” Other North Carolina institutions that hold the green light rating are Duke, East Carolina, Appalachian State, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington and NC Central.
NEWS Mike Collins, the host of Charlotte Talks on WFAE radio, asked Lavien if anything has ever troubled her regarding her own or others’ free speech on UNC Charlotte’s campus. Lavien stated that she has witnessed the diversity of thought at UNC Charlotte and the ability to participate in protests or social movements while also witnessing the way the administration handled such student acts.
“increasing anxiety among political constituencies about certain agendas being pursued on college campuses.” Collins also asked if she thought that free speech was in danger on college campuses. She said that she did not believe it was in danger, but the important thing to acknowledge is how one’s college campus handles such acts of free speech and works with students to provide and not stifle freedom of speech. One UNC Charlotte student said that he does not believe that free speech on campus is in crisis. He noted the different types of protests, speakers or student organizations that aim to promote various ways of thinking and said the administration does not appear to suppress their messages.
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UNC CHARLOTTE PROFESSOR HOPES TO START HER OWN PODCAST Special Education Professor Donna Sacco talks raising a child with disabilities
by Taylor Koziarz Photo by Tumisu Intern via Pixabay
Donna Sacco is one of three UNC Charlotte professors taking part in the Queen City PodQuest competition sponsored by National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate WFAE. According to WFAE, five podcasts will receive one-on-one mentorship and compete for a cash prize and a podcast series at the station. Sacco is a professor in the Special Education Department of UNC Charlotte. She started teaching here two years ago and is teaching Introduction to Special Education, Methods for Diverse Learning and a special education math class. Sacco has not always been a teacher; she started her career as a professional actor. She did voice-overs, commercials and a little film work. She was also in a 90s television show called “Homicide Life on the Street.” After having two kids, she went back to school for her Master’s degree and later got her Ph.D. from George Mason University. Her interest in education began after she started substitute teaching for special education classes. As a way to connect her passion for helping those with disabilities and her thespian talents, Sacco started a theater program in a psychiatric facility. When she
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observed the impact she made, she grew even more passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and teens with disabilities. Sacco is a faculty advisor for two clubs on campus: Best Buddies and the Student Council for Exceptional Children. Best Buddies is a college organization for students to pair up with a child with disabilities. Best Buddies is participating in a walk on April 6 as a way to connect, dance and laugh with those who have intellectual or developmental issues. Professor Sacco has been involved with this organization for over 10 years and is excited about what the club is doing. Sacco has always had a heart for the parents of kids with intellectual or developmental issues as well. She says, “Often parents are not expecting to be put into that situation and do not know how to take care of a child with special
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needs.” Professor Sacco remembers when she was a parent; there were often situations when she had no idea what to do. This is what gave her the idea for her podcast. Her hopes for her podcast are to connect families and to help them with questions they might have. Each episode centers around a theme related to special education. There are two guests: a parent to share a personal story and an expert to share solutions and strategies for managing the issue at hand. For example, one week the podcast might feature a parent whose child has ADHD accompanied by an expert from the National Center on Learning Disabilities. Sacco hopes to title the podcast “Our Exceptional Children.” The first round of the competition runs until Feb. 20 and NPR will release the top five at a later date.
ON-CAMPUS HOUSING by Ronak Vora Intern
On-campus housing is practically at capacity -should they keep advertising it to us?
OPINION
Continuing to advertise a service increasing enrollment rates, it may be when you can no longer provide in coming years. it to your customers can never be In an article on WSOC-TV, freshman good. UNC Charlotte’s Housing Stephen Zargo reported the difficulties and Residence Life’s website has of getting the room he wanted. “The continued to advertise their onhousing I applied for, I wasn’t able campus housing despite campus to get it. It was really disappointing housing being nearly at capacity, because I didn’t like living in a highwhich some people may find fault rise.” We don’t know Zargo’s complete with. But the situation isn’t as bad situation, but the housing department as it may seem; UNC Charlotte has guarantees that students who apply hit a new enrollment record of 29,710 early enough will get the housing students. With all the growth, onthey want. Dr. Aaron Hart, the Vice campus housing is in high demand. Chancellor of Student Affairs, oversees The department of Housing and housing and residence life at UNCC. Residence Life has done everything to In an interview, he spoke of the issues keep up with the high rate of demand with students twisting the tale of for on-campus housing and isn’t at blaming housing for not getting the fault here because housing capacity room they want. “Every student, if Photo by Patrick Magoon isn’t and has never been 100% full. they apply early enough, is guaranteed Can you blame them for trying to to get what they want, but they don’t fill up spaces so their fixed costs won’t be wasted? Advertising of on-campus apply early enough,” said Hart. “One of the things that I’m going to be honest housing shouldn’t stop until there is absolutely no more space. about is a lot of our students...wait ‘til the last minute, then they get upset The pressure from students and the media should shift to state funders to about not getting their first choice. They say we don’t have housing.” He invest more into expanding on-campus housing. The Housing department also compared it to going to a restaurant by saying, “It’s kind of like going to a preaches to students to apply early to get the spots they want, but according restaurant and they don’t have your dish and you say that they’re out of food. to members of the housing department, students who don’t apply in a timely Well, that’s not true. They’re not out of food; they just don’t have what you manner blame the University for not getting what they want. Housing want.” Ultimately, housing isn’t at fault here. has never been at a 100% occupancy, but if every student were to apply, Critics of the housing department have said that on-campus housing will there would be no way everyone could stay on campus with only 6,200 beds be even more scarce when UNC Charlotte tears down Moore and Sanford, available. The housing department knows this and has built relationships two of the oldest residential buildings in South Campus. Hart countered that with off-campus housing through various programs that enable a student to by referencing the past when the housing department easily accommodated have the same experience they’d have on-campus. every student that applied while Greek Village and Levine Hall were According to an article by the Charlotte Observer, UNC Charlotte has simultaneously under construction. Jacopo Vismara, a student who made the spent $1.2 billion on construction since 2005. While it’s admirable how much decision to live on-campus, had an issue with housing continuing to promise the University has developed on-campus housing since that time, the need students any space they want when they know that everyone can’t get the for more development is greater than before. UNC Charlotte has the fourth spaces they want. “They told me I would get a single room in Moore, but I highest enrollment ranking among 17 schools in the UNC system, a rate ended up sharing with someone else even after I confirmed with them many comparable to UNC Chapel Hill and NC State. UNC Charlotte currently has times.” said Vismara. 17 residence halls. UNC Chapel Hill has 31 residence halls and NC State UNC Charlotte has continued to advertise housing because there is still has 22 residence halls. More residence halls allow these universities who space left. The University has set out certain guidelines to get the students have similar enrollment numbers as UNCC to allow more students to stay the housing they want. It’s our job as students to play by the rules, be more on campus. Reports from the University’s home page also shows that UNC attentive and trust that the housing department won’t let us down. The Charlotte is spending $250 million on campus development. This money University will keep growing and the pressure should be brought down is going towards the construction of a new recreation center, a new science upon the shoulders of funders to build more, but for now, the Department of building and a new hotel. Some of this money could also be spent on building Housing and Residency Life can’t be blamed for trying to advertise something more residence halls. On-campus housing isn’t full this year, but given the they’re actually still capable of giving students.
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A SPANISH DUO: ACADEMICS AND ATHLETICS
SPORTS By Kennedy Hehr Satff Writer
Photos by Sudeep Agalgaonkar
When you’re far away from home, it is hard to adapt to everything going on around you, let alone having to handle academics and athletics at the same time. Just ask Rocio Safont who is over 4,000 miles away from home. “I came to America with no English so it was really hard for me. I was homesick so I missed my family and friends, but I am doing better now,” said Safont. Safont is a 5-foot-7-inch freshman on the Charlotte Women’s Tennis team. She was born on Jan. 15, 1999 in Borriana, Spain to José Safont Muñoz and Inmaculada Branchadell Renau. She has an older brother who played basketball, but stopped so he could go to college. Safont started playing tennis at just four years old. She is full of athleticism and loved all sports so she participated in basketball and soccer, until she realized her true talent lied in tennis. At Safont’s prep school, Salesianos San Juan Batista, she was amongst the top tennis players. Safont earned a No. 61 overall ranking for the Women’s Open Spanish. While in her early teenage years, and even before, Safont reached goals and standards that most athletes do not otherwise achieve, let alone at such a young age. She was a Valenciana Member of regional team finalists in U12 and U14. She claimed titles at many large Open tournaments such as: Vall d’Uxo, Nules, Borriana, and Vinaroz. Safont was crowned the U14 and U16 Privincial Circuit of Castello Champion while also winning the U14 Babolat Cup in Valencia. After winning titles at the U15 and U16 OUATT Doubles World Final Tournaments in
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Rocio Safont traveled over 4,000 miles from home to excel in her studies and on the tennis court as a Charlotte 49er
France, Safont made a semifinal appearance at the Spanish Championships by regions with Comunidad. Before she knew it, she was being looked at by colleges in the states which is what she wanted. “In Spain, it is very difficult to play a sport and be in college, you either go pro or start your degree and have to quit tennis,” said Safont. “Coming here [Charlotte] was an opportunity for me to play tennis and study.” Charlotte reached out to Safont and she received her first collegiate offer from the previous coaching staff, Michaela Gorman and Caroline Price. “The coaches had confidence in me and I really liked the campus, it is beautiful. The weather is beautiful here as well,” said Safont. Safont is just as happy with the new coaching staff,
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Anthony Davison and Brooke Buckner, and her experience at Charlotte has been great so far. Coming in with an undecided major, Safont
ended up choosing to declare International Business as her major. Safont had an outstanding freshman season, as she added plenty of accomplishments to her list, athletically and academically. In the fall of 2018, Safont was named to the Athletic Director’s List and to the Chancellor’s List in spring 2019 while being added to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll. After leading the ten nis squad with nine single victories in the fall, Safont contributed to the doubles wins as well. She paired with Megan Smith and won their they bracket at doubles Carolina the North versity Central UniInvitational by beating UNCW and Campbell. pairs Mixing up the landed Safont with Tai Martin. The duo defeated Appalachian State and Elon at the Wake Forest Invitational for back-
to-back victories. In spring of 2018, Safont found herself leading the team with 12 single triumphs which gave her 21 on the year. That number made for another award under her name. She became the first 49er to break 20 single wins since Natsuko Takayanagi in 201415. Safont was the first freshman to achieve that milestone since Ana Spivakovsky in 2006-07. “I enjoy playing tennis even though it is really hard and the days are long,” said Safont. It’s clear that Safont adapted to the American ways and has excelled in athletics and academics here at Charlotte. While being so far from home, she isn’t able to go back to Spain often. Safont went home for Christmas last year for just two weeks, but she knows that’s how it goes while being a student athlete. Safont has earned her way here at Charlotte and enjoyed her experience while doing it. She looks forward to the future as a 49er. “I really like Charlotte a lot. I like the coaches and my teammates, they are amazing. I have a family here” said Safont. Catch Safont in a tennis match next spring at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex!
“I really like Charlotte a lot. I like the coaches and my teammates, they are amazing. I have a family here.” Rocio Safont
• Height: 5-7 • Class: Sophomore • Highschool: Salesianos San Juan Batista • Hometown: Borriana, Spain • Major: International Business
• Became first 49er to top 20 wins as a freshman since Ana Spivakovsky in 2006-07 • Named to Fall 2018 Athletic Director’s List • Named to Spring 2019 Chancellor’s List • Tied school record for single-season singles victories this season • On 10-match win streak, the second longest in program history • Currently 26-4 over the course of both the fall and spring seasons
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A&E by Aaron Febre Staff Writer
Image by manotang at rawpixel.com
Inside UNC Charlotte’s Costume Shop Professors Aly Amidei and Hali Hutchinson discuss the design process, teaching students and “Blues for an Alabama Sky”
When watching a performance presented by the College of Arts and Architecture, you immediately notice the costumes that the performers wear. You might be wondering how they managed to get their hands on these costumes. While it would be easy to say that the departments bought these costumes pre-made, some of them are actually made from scratch by students. Where exactly can students make the costumes? There is a costume shop inside Robinson Hall where students can learn to make costumes that will be used for the upcoming performances. It is managed by Professor Hali Hutchinson who is currently working on an upcoming play called “Blues for an Alabama Sky.” When working at the costume shop, it has to be noted that learning to sew is a skill. Hutchinson is aware that students can get easily frustrated by the difficulty of learning to sew for the first time. “It’s something that you get better and better at with repetition.” she said. She also takes into account how students learn, whether they learn by watching the instructor or from spoken instructions. According to the Head of Costume Design of the Department of Theatre, Professor Aly Amidei, the costume shop can also be a place where students learn the skills of modifying, such as sewing or altering a suit. “That room is a learning space, classroom space and a production space.” she said. When picking a a play, faculty meeting is held where they propose and vote on a production. They also factor in
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personal interests, student interest and impact on the campus. “We pick them by the impact they will have on in terms of campus culture [sic], or [if they are] something that can be good for the world a[t] certain given time. Or sometimes we pick them for fun.” Amidei said. An ultimate decision is made by the chair of the department, Dr. Lynne Conner. Afterward, the department will see if they can get the rights for the proposed play. Timeline wise, productions are chosen a year before they are performed. The process of planning costumes starts a semester before the showcase. The choice of play can have an effect on the production and preparations of the costumes. Depending on the semester and the season, the department will determine how to prepare for the upcoming events. The department also takes into account the students’ skill set to determine what they would design for the play. If they have less experience working on certain aspects of the costumes, employees of the
costume shop will help assist the class. According to Amidei, there are two parts when it comes to teaching students in the shop. The first part is building the ideas for the costumes. Students start doing research, analyzing the script and understanding the characters. “You [are] kind of creating an image; an idea of what that character/dancer will look like.” she said. The second part is when you bring these ideas to life. This is where students actually find the materials that will be required to make the costumes. There, students make the costume from scratch or look for clothing/materials from storage or shopping areas. Sometimes the shop may need to rent costumes from other schools or other costume shops. “All of those things are determined by the budget and the time we have for a show,” Amidei said. “We might have tons of budget, but if we have only two weeks to make it happen, that’s not enough time to build something.” This process is very evident in preparing the costumes for “Blues” as the setting of the play takes place in the 1930s during the Harlem Renaissance. Students spent much of this semester researching and replicating the clothing to fit the setting. From this, students learn to serve the story for what it needs, since some would find it out of place if a style of clothing from
another time period appeared in the play. An example in “Blues for an Alabama Sky” would be the character Delia. She contains a liberal mindset but dresses in a conservative manner. This is done in order for other people to take her seriously about her views. It is these characteristics that will be in a student’s mind when it comes to designing what Delia will look like on stage. However, some plays aren’t very specific in their costume design. Depending on the play and how open the director is to ideas, designing can go in various directions. Amidei points out that Shakespeare plays can be very open-ended because people have different ways of interpreting those stories. As the costume designer for “Blues,” Hutchinson is using more practical and fewer builds to fit the students’ time. This means students will be more focused on things such as sewing, suit modifications and hemming. An example from “Blues” is the dresses. Instead of using polyester, students are using silk or cotton, which is what was used during the 1930s to make dresses. They also have to look at the cotton patterns of a dress to make sure they are very accurate for the time. The shop features two courses, a practicum and costume tech class. The practicum class is where the costumes are made for the performances; the costume tech class is where students modify clothes that they can wear for themselves. Students who are not majoring in theatre or dance can register for a
class in the costume shop. In fact, you can take many theatre classes without being a theatre major. There will be costume crafts class next semester that will be taught by Amidei. According to her, there are at least three non-major students who are registered for that class. The costume tech class is another common class for non-majors to register for. However, the practicum class is more difficult as it is more major-specific. Non-major students have also done wardrobe and backstage work. You can go and audition for the department if you desire to do so. “Some of our best student workers have been from other majors,” Amidei said. “If you have the skills, the interest, the time and want money, they often post that job in the fall and spring.” The costume shop here at UNC Charlotte is a place where students can learn the ropes of designing clothes and costumes for all skill levels. The experience a student can gain here can be a building block for those who wish to pursue a career in costume design. Amidei advises that a student should take as many costume and art history classes as they can. She also believes that you have to be a well-rounded artist. “You have to go out and get it. Most of your jobs will come from word of mouth. You might have to hustle to get that first job. If you’re doing a good job, it usually starts to cascade.” “Blues for an Alabama Sky” will play from April 24 - April 28 in the Black Box Theater in Robinson Hall. Tickets are $8 for students.
ACROSS 1 Cuts off 5 Member of a strict Jewish sect 10 Artistic Chinese dynasty 14 Ohio’s Great Lake 15 Justice Kagan 16 Egg-shaped 17 Ancient mariner’s fear 19 Flexible mineral sheet 20 Persuade with flattery 21 Fossil resins 23 “Beowulf,” poem-wise 24 Rubs the wrong way? 25 Chain reaction requirement 29 Stagecoach puller 30 Allied gp. since 1948 31 Dangerous snakes 35 Antipollution org. 36 Hit, as a fly 40 Alphabetically first of two Hawaiian maunas
41 Like some coll. courses 43 Gp. getting many returns in April 44 Regular’s bar order, with “the” 46 Nation that promotes its people’s economic and social prosperity 50 Malicious rumors 53 “Do __ others ... “ 54 Judge, e.g. 55 Like faces at a fireworks display 59 “Dream on!” 60 Meditation goal hinted at by this puzzle’s circles 62 Wander 63 Close-knit group 64 Fairway club 65 Didn’t dillydally 66 Act with excessive passion 67 The Big Apple, in addresses
DOWN 1 Make-do amount? 2 Two-tone cookie 3 Chanteuse Edith 4 Six-line stanzas 5 Brave 6 Llama relative 7 Ooze 8 Quaint stopover 9 Sortable information source 10 Kenya’s major port 11 Like Wrigley Field’s walls 12 Mother-of-pearl 13 Water or wine vessel 18 Catches sight of 22 Dash in a spice rack? 24 Amo, amas, __ 25 “Moonstruck” star 26 Weapon in Clue 27 Baghdad’s land 28 Gobs of 32 Arctic seabird 33 __ moss 34 Markdown event 37 Whole-grain food 38 Pound sounds 39 Quarrel 42 Towered over 45 Preserve using barrels, as wine 47 Bard’s “before” 48 Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Watcher” __ Giles 49 Main course 50 Burns a bit 51 Legendary fabulist 52 Easily deceived 55 “Go back” PC command 56 __ a one: none 57 Supply-and-demand subj. 58 Reject as false 61 “The Deer Hunter” war zone, for short
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LIFESTYLE
PODCAST REVIEW: Those Conspiracy Guys By Hailey Turpin Lifestyle Editor
Ever wondered what could have really went down on the day of September 11, 2001? Or what was the real reason for the Sandy Hook Shooting? Find out on this next episode of Those Conspiracy Guys. (Opinions and theories mentioned are speculations and are not confirmed truths). Those Conspiracy Guys is a podcast of Irish comedians that discuss the weird and quirky sides of different historical or theoretical events. Out of 120 episodes, the guys talk about everything from MK Ultra, the Sandy Hook shooting, the Columbine shooting, Jim Jones and the People’s Temple (including the premeditated mass suicide), life on Mars and many more. The guys also recently started shorter true crime episodes, featuring the Titanic sinking, the missing Sodder children, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Amanda Knox and just about anything you can think of. The main episodes range anywhere from two to seven hours. As much as I want to go into several details about some of their theories, it would be impossible to do because of the amount of information given in each episode (I commend them; they put a lot of work into each episode and I also commend myself for being able to listen to them in one sitting most of the time). The main episodes consist of the first half usually giving as much background as possible on the event that may have happened (along with lots of crude and dark humor) and the second half plays into some of the theories
behind the event, for example the idea that the twin towers may have been rigged with explosives at the bottom (again, just a theory) because the towers were originally built to withstand plane crashes. The true crime episodes are shorter running, anywhere from an hour to two and a half, and feature less conspiracies and more general knowledge and rumors around a specific event. They also feature some well known Irish men and women to come on the show and talk about either their thoughts or experiences with the event. I will warn you, there is quite a bit of fowl language as well as some jokes that could be taken offensively, but they are comedians and they are all in good humor. They genuinely want to understand each part of the event and the theories around them, but do so in a way that’s not monotone and is actually enjoyable to listen to. If you’re looking for a grand listening experience or want to get into more conspiracy theories, take a little bit of your time (or five to seven hours) to have a listen to the guys. They do weeks of research to get every angle of each event that could possibly help to understand a theory, and to the true lover of conspiracies, like myself, you’re in for a real treat. I’ve noticed with other conspiracy podcasts I’ve ran into they are either monotone or add dark music to add an extra listening element that makes it much harder to listen to. So good on y’all, Those Conspiracy Guys. You can find the guys on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Music, iHeart Radio and just about everywhere podcasts can be found. Check out their website https://thoseconspiracyguys.com/. Review: 4.5/5 stars.
Artwork courtesy of thoseconspiracyguys.com
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Looking for advice? Questions about things around campus? New to UNC Charlotte? Ask your questions at askaniner@ninertimes.com
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