Niner Times: January 12, 2016

NINERTIMES.COM

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

VOL. 28, ISSUE 14

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Jordan Snyder editor@ninertimes.com

Nick Cropper news@ninertimes.com

Hunter Heilman ae@ninertimes.com

Casey Aldridge opinion@ninertimes.com

Diane Gromelski copy@ninertimes.com

Salina Dickie, Sydney Stephens, Andrew James

Alyssa Fronk

community@ninertimes.com

Jared Allen

sports@ninertimes.com

John Lineberger lifestyle@ninertimes.com

Ben Robson photo@ninertimes.com

Andrew Hocutt layout@ninertimes.com

ADDITIONAL STAFF Leysha Caraballo, Trevor Wilt, Sean Grier, Stephanie Trefzger, Angie Baquedano

Matt Lorenz

Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF

Tia Warren, Ashley Lyons, David Mendez, Darrell Hayden Jr., Tyler Delk

NINER TIMES • RADIO FREE CHARLOTTE SANSKRIT LITERARY-ARTS MAGAZINE MEDIA MARKETING • TECHNICAL

MEGAN VAN EMMERIK

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JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

NINERTIMES

UNC CHARLOTTE ALUM AUTHORS BOOK ON AMERICAN WORKLIFE Austin Halbert’s ‘The American Workday’ focuses on the social and economic divisiveness in the United States

LEYSHA CARABALLO INTERN

UNC Charlotte alum Austin Halbert’s book “The American Workday” will cover important social and economic issues that affect workers across America today.

The inspiration for the book sprouted from his “frustration with the continuing divides in the United States,” said Halbert.

The disparities in income between different races, nationalities and genders are highlighted in his work to show that this issue must be addressed.

“The idea behind The American Workday is to use storytelling to foster empathy, to foster unity,” said Halbert.

The book will showcase the personal stories of workers in 38 different occupations, from a custodian to a CEO. By sharing these firsthand accounts, Halbert hopes to defeat the misconceptions surrounding certain jobs and groups of people.

Halbert began writing the book as a student at UNC Charlotte, but he had a lot of help from his peers while attending school.

“Dozens of people in the university system came together to help bring these stories to life, helping connect me with interviews and so many other resources,” said Halbert.

Halbert found many of these connections through the Levine Scholars Program, through which he was able to intern with Carolinas Healthcare Foundation and Unilever, a consumer goods company in New York.

“Both organizations taught me how to execute strong business strategies with the goal of achieving a broader social impact,” said Halbert.

“That fueled me to learn about how all businesses can leverage their resources for good.”

Halbert was also a member of the Business Honors Program and president of Enactus.

After his graduation, Halbert continued his

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studies with the help of a Fulbright Fellowship.

He chose to conduct research in Sweden that will help him write his second book.

In Stockholm, he interviews executives about their companies’ social impact.

“The aim is to find out what U.S. businesses can learn from the way companies operate in Scandinavia,” said Halbert.

Halbert is thankful for the organizations at UNC Charlotte that invested in him during his time here and for the connections it has brought him.

“When I started university a few years ago, I could have never imagined that these experiences laid ahead of me,” said Halbert. “Becoming a 49er was a good move.”

Photo courtesy of Austin Halbert JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

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UNC Charlotte offering students new scholarships Students will have a chance to attend Republican, Democratic National Conventions NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois is sponsoring full scholarships for students to attend the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

UNC Charlotte is partnering with The Washington Center (TWC) to give four UNC Charlotte students a chance to attend the 2016 conventions.

There will be two scholarships awarded to students for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland July 10-22 and two scholarships for the Democratic National Debate in Philadelphia July 17-29.

The scholarship covers costs of the seminars and lodging. Students must pay for transportation and other incidentals.

The program covers two weeks of activities.

For the first week, students will

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attend academic seminars, which will include speeches from those responsible for organizing the conventions. The conventions are held the second week.

Applications for the scholarship are due Jan. 27.

Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for the scholarship and must have a GPA of at least 2.5.

Also, applications must include a letter of interest, a resume, an unofficial transcript showing current GPA and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

When being considered for the scholarship, non graduating students will take priority.

UNC Charlotte partnered with TWC before during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Applications must be submitted through Hire-a-Niner.

GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson shaking hands at the CNN Republican Presidential Debate. Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

NINERTIMES

BELK PLAZA PLANNING COMMITTEE TO HOLD FORUMS NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

With the demolition of the Belk Tower complete, UNC Charlotte moves to its first stage of reconstructing the area into the future Belk Plaza.

The Belk Plaza Planning Committee, a group of 14 faculty, staff, students or alumni, will begin holding meetings to discuss elements of the new plaza. The committee’s first meeting will be held Jan. 19.

Headed by Campus Landscape Architect Peter Franz, the committee includes members such as Student Body President Mitch Daratony and Director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Jeff Gillman.

“I feel honored that I am able to be part something that will have a long term effect for the campus,” said Franz. “From my time here ... this will be one of the most important projects to be associated with since

it is so central to the campus fabric.”

These 14 individuals will represent the campus in transforming the Belk Plaza. They will hold several meetings over the course of the semester until a final design must be submitted.

An important part of the redesign process is having community involvement and feedback during the planning phase.

In order to receive this feedback, the committee will hold forums where UNC Charlotte students, staff, faculty and Charlotte community members can give their imput on the design.

“The Belk Plaza Public Forum is important in order to obtain input from the campus community to understand how the space could be used,” said Franz.

The committee just recently finalized the dates for these forums.

Currently, there are three planned

dates for forums.

The dates are Feb. 1, Feb. 22 and April 4. The time and location for the forums are the same for all three dates, but this is subject to change.

They will be held in the J.P Lucas Room in the Cone Building and will last from 4-6 p.m.

“By obtaining a broad perspective from students, faculty and staff, a synthesized conceptual plan can be developed,” said Franz.

A website is being made now that will have these date, times and locations on it. It will go live within the next week.

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois appointed the committee to work with the Charlotte architectural firm of LandDesign to create the new Belk Plaza.

The firm will submit a final design for the area in May and it will be approved by Dubois and the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees.

POLICE BLOTTER DEC. 20- JAN. 8 ACCIDENT DEC. 20

• West Deck, Driver of vehicle 1 struck vehicle 2 while backing out of a parking space causing damage to both vehicles.

No injuries were reported.

JAN. 2

• Cone Loading Dock, While backing out of a parking spot, driver of vehicle 1 struck a pole.

JAN. 8

• CRI Deck, While backing, driver of vehicle 1 struck a parking deck structure causing damage to the structure and the vehicle.

No injuries were reported.

CALLS FOR SERVICE DEC. 29

• Online, officer responded to the UNC Charlotte lobby and took a report of harassment.

FRAUD JAN. 8

• Internet, officer responded to a call for service in reference to a credit card fraud.

LARCENY DEC. 25

• Venture Ground, unknown person(s) pried open the door to the utility shed and removed a chain saw.

VANDALISM DEC. 22

• South Village Deck Stairwell, officer found a vehicle battery on the ground floor of the South Village Deck stairwell that appeared to have been dropped from the top floor of the deck.

Rubble and dirt where the Belk Tower used to be located. Photo by Ben Robson

NINERTIMES.COM

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

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

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NEWCOMERS LEAD THE CHARGE

The Charlotte 49ers enter a new era under the leadership of Mark Price and his nine newcomers

TREVOR WILT STAFF WRITER

Hiring coach Mark Price was just the beginning to rebuilding the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team, which lost seven players from its 2014-2015 roster. The new coaching staff had their work cut out for them trying to bring in highly talented high schoolers to a refurbished program, signing skilled transfers from junior colleges and Division I programs around the nation.

Team chemistry was without a doubt at the top of the list for Price and his staff to attack as soon as they got the team together for summer practices. Bringing in a bundle of new players to a new team that was trying to re-identify itself was not going to be an easy task, but the 49ers were up for the challenge.

To start off the year, Charlotte played an exhibition game against Methodist, which they cruised to a 98-73 victory. This game left fans with the impression that the newcomers on the team had already gelled well with the coaches and with the handful of teammates who were left from last year’s roster. Unfortunately, those positive reactions from the fans were found to be wrong over the next 10 games, with the 49ers only winning two of those contests.

Looking at the schedule prior to the start of the seaon, the Charlotte coaching staff and players knew they were dealt a tough hand, matched up with a few of the country’s best,

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such as Georgetown, Michigan, Miami and Syracuse.

The 49ers were handed their worst lost in program history during that stretch, losing 102-47 to Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas. Within the first ten games of the year, Price struggled finding five guys with chemistry who he could throw out on the court together and expect them to compete at a high level for 40 minutes.

After suffering a loss to Campbell inside Halton Arena on Dec. 9, in which freshman point guard Jon Davis scored 19 points on 7-11 from the field, the 49ers team had 10 days to prepare for a strong Georgetown team inside Time Warner Cable Arena.

This is believed to be the turning point for the 49ers basketball team.

Redshirt junior Braxton Ogbueze continued to impress with 18 points on the night, but it was the play by Davis and the senior transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, Joseph Uchebo, who had fans in the stands turning their heads. Niner Nation had not seen a complete game from the 49ers against a legit team all season long, but in a game in which they took the Hoyas down to the last seconds, the faithful fans of Charlotte saw some light that night from their 49ers team.

Price’s team continued to build off of that hard played game against Georgetown, where they shared the ball and passed up on open shots, for

an even more open look. Something that the fans did not see for the first 10 games of the year.

The 49ers then welcomed the Citadel to Halton Arena, showing everyone in attendance that they might have found the right recipe for scoring. Sophomore transfer from Cloud County Community College Ridell Camidge tallied 11 points and six rebounds to help out his case to get more playing time, being able to shoot anywhere on the court and letting the crowd and the opposing team know whenever he hits a big 3-pointer.

Freshman guard Curran Scott also had a big game with 20 points and five rebounds, his second 20-point game of the year. Another true freshman for the 49ers, Andrien White, continued his great play, looking to be the complete package for Price, netting 20 points, four rebounds and five steals. Davis added 17 of his own to go along with seven assists and his big friend down in the paint, Uchebo, finished the game with 19 points and 15 rebounds. This game seemed to be the newcomers’ coming out party that let Conference-USA know that they are not going to be a side note in the conference.

Coming off of a big win over the Bulldogs, Charlotte traveled to Old Dominion where White led the 49ers in scoring with 27 points, earning himself the C-USA Freshman of the Week. Uchebo continued to find his

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

form over the last couple of weeks, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the 74-65 loss to the 8-6 Old Dominion team.

Heading out on their two game road trip, the 49ers were led by five players in double digits, including junior transfer from Cape Fear Community College Anthony Vanhook, who added 16 to their 8276 rout over Southern Mississippi.

After seeing five 49ers score in double digits, the fans back home in Charlotte are finally seeing hope for this 49ers team.

After coming off one of their best performances of the year, Charlotte was going to be tested against a very good 12-3 Louisiana Tech team, which had already defeated Ohio State earlier in the year. The 49ers battled the entire game, having five players score in double digits for the second straight game, led by Davis, who had 24 points, six assists and four rebounds. Freshman White added in a double-double, scoring 10 points with 11 boards, along with Uchebo, who brought down a season high 20 rebounds, also scoring 18 points on the night. In this closefought game against another tough opponent, the 49ers came up short in overtime, 93-90.

Although the record may not show it for the 49ers, the entire team is starting to click and starting to show that there may be light at the end of the tunnel for this year’s Charlotte men’s basketball team.

NINERTIMES

JAI FORNEY:

A LEGACY LIKE NO OTHER JARED ALLEN SPORTS EDITOR

On March 27, 2013 a buzzer sounded.

It put an end to not only a close fought WNIT Sweet 16 match between the Charlotte 49ers and Florida Gators, but it also brought an end to Jai Forney’s unforgettable playing career. Now, almost three years later, Forney’s days as an energetic guard may be behind her, but the legacy she left behind will live on for an eternity.

“Jai was one of my favorite players to coach. I wish would’ve had more time with her,” 49ers head coach Cara Consuegra said. “She gave you her heart every time she was on the court. Sometimes I’ll look at her and be like ‘I wish we had more eligibility for you.’”

Forney was just a hometown kid when she committed to Charlotte, joining the 49ers in 2009. But in four years, the Butler High School graduate would go on to accomplish unprecedented feats, both personally and with her beloved team.

In her freshman year, Forney was named A-10 Rookie of the Week, only the third 49er to achieve the honor.

As her strong performances off the bench continued, Forney earned a starting role in four games and played double-figure minutes on 21 occasions.

As a sophomore, she played in a school-record tying 37 games and played an integral part in Charlotte’s winningest season.

Their record 27 wins included four postseason victories encompassing a trip to the WNIT Final Four. Forney cemented herself within the starting lineup in her junior season, which included yet another postseason run.

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In her final season with the 49ers, Forney helped lead the team on another deep run into the WNIT, playing all three games inside Halton Arena. Additionally, Forney solidified her spot as an extraordinary 49er appearing on Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays for her half-court, buzzer-beating bank-shot on senior night.

However, out of all the accolades Forney collected in her four years at Charlotte, one stands out more than the rest: a school-record 130 games played.

“That’s a credit to her,” Consuegra said. “One hundred and thirty games. She never took a practice off, she never took a day off, she worked her tail off, she wasn’t a kid we ever sat out because she needed a day-today to rest. She’s a competitor. She wanted to play and wanted to get better and you see that in her even today.”

It is rare. Not often does a player enter a program at such a young age and provide unparalleled contributions night in and night out.

Forney competed in all but one game in her four years. She eluded injury while leaving everything on the floor in both practices and games. She presented the 49ers with a unique style of play. Both head coaches she played under had no choice but to give her the nod for more than a few minutes a night during her years of eligibility.

But what was Forney’s secret?

“You know, eating right, being smart, listening to your trainer and getting into that cold Whirlpool even though you don’t want to,” Forney joked when realizing she held the

Jai Forney during her playing days. Photo courtesy Charlotte Media Relations

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

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school-record for most games played.

Now, Forney looks back on her time wearing the white 49er jersey with the No. 23, tributed to Michael Jordan, stitched on the chest with smiles. She happily smirks when reminiscing on all the memories of when her peers addressed her as a teammate instead of what she is now: a coach.

Prior to the current season, Consuegra offered one of her favorite players an opportunity to rejoin the team in a coaching role.

Forney was ready and prepared.

She completed the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s ‘So You Want To Be A Coach,’ a prestigious program providing future coaches with unrivaled opportunities.

“I already had the feeling that I wanted to be a coach,” Forney said.

“Getting the opportunity to come back here, I had to jump on it. Cara offered me it and I couldn’t resist it.”

Forney’s response to the offer was music to Consuegra’s ears.

“We were thrilled to bring her back to the program,” Consuegra said. “She’s part of the winningest class in the history of Charlotte women’s basketball and any time you can bring somebody that has that experience and that success and

have her around our young ladies and being a role model is really fun.”

The situation is perfect for Consuegra and the 49ers. Forney is fresh out of the game as a player, admired by her former teammates and new recruits. While some may find it difficult to adjust from playing under a former coach and alongside friends to coaching beside and mentoring them, Forney’s transition has been seamless.

“I think her transition from being a player to a coach has been seamless because her and I have always had a great relationship,” Consuegra said.

But Forney’s role as a coach isn’t a typical one. While serving as coach on Consuegra’s staff, Forney is also working toward achieving a master’s degree in special education.

While she has four years of experience performing the role of a student-athlete, acting as a graduate assistant coach has its similarities but it also poses its own unexpected hardships.

“It almost feels like the same since I’m doing the same exact thing as I was before,” Forney joked. “Minusing the playing. The playing part would be the icing on the cake but it feels the same, just doing my part and helping these ladies increase

their game.”

Many coaches never played the game, but it’s said that the best coaches are the ones that have experience on the court. They know the player’s mentality.

To Forney’s dismay, her eligibility expired years ago but that doesn’t stop her from envisioning herself within the ladies on the current roster. In fact, Forney believes that true-freshman Grace Hunter possesses many of the qualities she showcased back in the day, sprinting from end-to-end and cutting to the basket with urgency.

“Freshman Grace Hunter. That’s my mini-me right there,” Forney said. “I want to sharpen her game and make her an even better player than I was when I was here. I definitely see me in her, in everything she does.”

Much like Hunter’s impactful start to Charlotte’s season, Forney’s mentoring and inclusion is paying off for the 49ers. Tabbed preseason favorites to contend for the Conference-USA title, the 49ers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to making the most out of their season. And if there’s one player that the 49ers want by their side come playoff time, even if she’s holding the clipboard, it’s Forney.

Jai Forney (right) and current senior Kira Gordon (left) in 2012. NT file photo

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JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

NINERTIMES

THE RESOLUTIONS WE

BREAK

My New Year’s resolution is to stop making New Year’s resolutions and start making myself a project

CASEY ALDRIDGE OPINION EDITOR

Every year at New Year’s, people make resolutions. It’s a tradition that makes sense, if you think about it. If you want to turn a leaf and start anew, when better to begin than Jan. 1, the start of a new calendar year? There’s something about the new year that carries hope, if only because it hasn’t been tainted yet with the disappointment of the previous year.

Let’s face it: 2015 was an awful year for the world, as far as years go. It wasn’t without its advantages for me, as I was able to effectively address my depression and had the privilege of traveling to Cyprus, Scotland and South Africa. In individual terms, perhaps your year was better than years past, but in larger terms, 2015 was not a good year. Police officers and grand juries demonstrated again and again that black lives don’t matter unless people take the streets and demand them. Mass shootings once again captured headlines. For our immigrant and Muslim brothers and sisters, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign rhetoric made 2015 a dangerous year. The surge of Islamophobic violence, which killed Chapel Hill’s Deah, Yusor and Razan last year, peaked again late in the year at home and abroad.

At the beginning of 2015, I held so much hope for the year, and it turned out that much of my hope was misplaced. Jan. 1, 2015 did not

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mark a new era of compassion or justice, it was a mere continuation of the broken world it inherited from Dec. 31, 2014.

So I’ve stopped making New Year’s resolutions, and invite you to join me. Admittedly, I’ve publicized my hope to return to Glasgow, Scotland this year, and my aspiration to read all three volumes -- and two thousand pages -- of Karl Marx’s “Capital.”

But I am also aware that unless I get accepted to a particular conference in Glasgow to which I am applying, the former is unlikely, and unless I have significantly more free time than last year, the latter -- reading “Capital” -- is near-impossible.

Going to Glasgow and reading “Capital” aren’t exactly resolutions, in that sense. They are things I’d like to see this year, but also things I’m well aware might be outside of my capacity. I hope to run another

marathon or two in 2016, I hope to get healthier, and to break bad habits, and to blog and write more and to spend more time with friends.

But I’m done with resolutions, which assume that 2015 was one thing and that 2016 is another. Our calendar is a man-made invention, nothing more, and holds no real promise apart from what we give it. There is nothing essential to the year we’ve just entered, just as 2015 was not inherently bad. Year 2015 of the Common Era became bad because we did not change, because we did not act.

Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci once wrote: “That’s why I hate these New Year’s that fall like fixed maturities, which turn life and human spirit into a commercial concern with its neat final balance, its outstanding amounts, its budget for the new management. They make us lose the continuity of life

“YOU MAKE RESOLUTIONS, AND YOU REGRET YOUR IRRESOLUTION, AND SO ON, AND SO FORTH. THIS IS GENERALLY WHAT’S WRONG WITH DATES.”

ANTONIO GRAMSCI

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

and spirit. You end up seriously thinking that between one year and the next there is a break, that a new history is beginning; you make resolutions, and you regret your irresolution, and so on, and so forth.

This is generally what’s wrong with dates.”

Gramsci continues that: “I want every morning to be a new year’s for me. Every day I want to reckon with myself, and every day I want to renew myself. No day set aside for rest. I choose my pauses myself, when I feel drunk with the intensity of life and I want to plunge into animality to draw from it new vigor.”

If you’re looking to quit an addiction or lose weight or reconnect with family and friends or spend more time making art, don’t do it because of the New Year. Do it because it means something to you, and because it will make you more satisfied and the world a better place for it. Set a New Year’s resolution and you’ll break it, it’s just how we humans are. Don’t make a resolution, then, which if not adhered to becomes a failure; make yourself a project. Put the effort into yourself to change as you’d wish, not because of some silly and artificial date like New Year’s, but on any day that you can and want to better yourself. That’s the only way the future holds any promise.

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The other race in 2016 Voters should not overlook the danger of a Pat McCrory reelection

SEAN GRIER STAFF WRITER

The North Carolina Gubernatorial race is one of the most important races in the Southeast. The impact of this election will be felt for generations to come and yet both of our candidates seem to be lacking in very important areas.

I support Attorney General Roy Cooper for governor, but I do not do so without acknowledging that he has a somewhat credible opponent.

Former Representative Kenneth Spaulding comes from a long line of shakers who effected the change they wished to see, and it comes to him naturally to see that he is in a state that no longer values education, state employees, private workforce, our transportation needs, access to voting and healthcare. Yet, after all of these issues, you will only find him in predominantly AfricanAmerican populations, or attacking Cooper for doing his job as mandated by the North Carolina Constitution; mind you Spaulding is a lawyer.

That is not to say that Cooper is my savior of the state party. No, he made grave mistakes and missteps in his judgement regarding the Kerrick trial in Charlotte. Attorneys in the region have stated that a decision like this usually receives scrutiny for months; Cooper’s decision was out within weeks.

His most recent barrage against Syrian refugees is what reduced enthusiasm in young democrats seeking to unseat Gov. McCrory.

Whoever wrote those lines should be fired but it is also up to us, the people to realize no one made Cooper say it. Cooper needs to apologize, meet with our regional activists and young democrats in Charlotte, regroup and focus on the issues that he can actually control; the refugee

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program is Federal and should remain so.

African, Latino and AsianAmericans feel as though we are put in a stranglehold by established white democrats who run statewide.

They know that historically we will fall in line and do what’s best for our party over our interests when the whole point of joining a party was to protect and promote our interests … weird right?

Usually this includes them getting the votes but not the financial support. What “the establishment” has not realized or felt yet is that we are no longer going to sit by and watch folks within our party spew hatred and misinformation and then continue to vote for them. It is important to realize that in my support of Cooper over Spaulding, I am picking the one candidate that I believe can beat Gov. McCrory; I am not picking the candidate that I believe aligns most with my issues. To do so after acknowledging potential failure means I have moved to idealism, and I am not an idealist. I know that I can follow my heart in my support for the rest of Council of State but when it comes to the gubernatorial election, we cannot afford four more years of McCrory.

In this election education, economy, energy, infrastructure and race have everything to do with the outcome, and the social construct of race is unfortunately the most powerful. Surely it would be a shame if minority democrats realized that their own brothers and sisters within their party are no different than the racist Republicans they challenge.

There is a swelling of anger within

Governor Pat McCrory. Photo courtesy of nc.gov

the Democratic Party. Essentially minorities are saying enough is enough and without us, you cannot win either. So to those Democrats that do not understand the power and danger of saying too much or remaining silent too long, I say to you, “We are watching you, we are listening and we will vote.” To the Democrats at the top of the ticket, on the SEC, in Goodwin House who are unmoved by this message, know that most elections are won without

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the dysfunction known as the party anyway so all of you can regroup or go home. Minorities, college students, the elderly, undocumented students and their families, prisoners and the true stakeholders of North Carolina have too much to lose by blindly falling in line behind racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and intolerable rhetoric. Do better, sit down or go home.

NINERTIMES

‘The Forest’ has too much potential for its own good HUNTER HEILMAN A&E EDITOR

What is it about Japan that keeps American horror films returning there again and again?

It first started with Japanese horror films, then their American remakes and now we’ve gotten to original American horror films set in Japan. That, my friends, is where “The Forest” starts; with a primarily American cast, American filmmakers and English financiers, you would never know that 95 percent of “The Forest” takes place in Japan. With one of “The Dark Knight” writers David S. Goyer producing and a fairly effective trailer, “The Forest” had me pretty interested.

“The Forest” has already come under fire prerelease for its inclusion of an almost all-white cast in a film that focuses heavily on Japanese folklore, as well as being seemingly disrespectful to those who have actually died in the forest detailed in the film, and while I see the issue with this, for the purposes of this review, I am looking only at whether it’s an effective horror film.

Sarah (Natalie Dormer) is an American woman who receives a phone call informing her that her twin sister, Jess (also played by Dormer), has gone missing while teaching in Japan, last seen entering Aokigahara Forest beneath Mount Fuji, a place infamous for suicides. Sarah jets across the Pacific to find her sister and decides that she must enter the forest to save her before it’s too late. Despite her desperation, hardly anyone will help her as Japanese folklore states that vicious spirits roam the forest, waiting to take those who

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are sad. Eventually, a journalist, Aiden (Taylor Kinney), and park guide, Michi (Yukioyoshi Ozawa), agree to take Sarah into the forest during a normal suicide watch, in which Aiden gets to join for a story. But when Jess’s tent is found empty near nightfall, Sarah decides to stay to wait for her, against the wishes of her party and once night falls, the true nature of the forest rises.

From the start, “The Forest” has a wonderful atmosphere. With an eerie vibe, even in the nonhorror scenes, the film has something that feels off with it. The sickly saturated colors and slow cinematography make the first act of this movie feel like some sort of Japanese fever dream, one mixed with desperation and despair in its words. Dormer puts forth a very sympathetic performance as Sarah, one that even carried through when the moments of “dumb white girl in a horror film” hit, Dormer shined. Kinney and Ozawa gave serviceable performances as well, which in a low-budget horror film, is often a blessing, as most performances are that of middle school level drama class. The build up in “The Forest” is a very tense, interestingly beautiful and well-rounded beginning. Even the daytime scenes leading to the discovery of Jess’s tent are atmospheric and eerie.

But once night falls, you’ll want to grab your passport, because things go south really fast.

I don’t know what really happened to the subtle, tense horror film that was built up from JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

before, but “The Forest” seems to transform into something of a standard PG-13 horror film, one that focuses far too much on cheap scares than real tension and beyond that, has some pretty cheap make-up used as scares too. Dormer still works well in these scenes, elevating these sequences above “typical horror film” levels, but it doesn’t excuse the almost shocking fall from grace this film experiences.

In the end, though, “The Forest” simply takes notes from a lot of other, far better horror films, like “Oculus,” “The Ruins,” “Ju-on,” and even some of the eerier moments of “The Hunger Games” in a strange sense. Had director Jason Zada continued the slow-burn story of the first act, “The Forest” would’ve been a fantastically crafted horror film, with Dormer rising as a true upcoming star, and while I still do believe that Dormer is meant for success, “The Forest” isn’t a movie that’s going to help her too much, as I see it like how “Hunger Games” co-star Jennifer Lawrence was in “House at the End of the Street,” it’s simply a misstep in a greater process. I wanted “The Forest” to be better than it was and I was led to believe it would’ve been for 45 minutes, but the sharp turn into cliché horror film territory brought it down for me, and when a film holds all this potential (potential that was reached in its fantastic marketing campaign), coming short is even more disappointing.

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ALBUMS THAT MADE 2015 UNFORGETTABLE STEPHANIE TREFZGER STAFF WRITER

Among other things, 2015 has been a wild ride for music. We experienced several breakout artists, a surprising number of comebacks and music that broke, or rather obliterated records around the world. While some artists and their music left us questioning the state of music (and society) today, we here at the Niner Times like to focus more on the positive. Here, in order of release date (not ranking), are the top 10 albums that have made 2015 an unforgettable year.

however, and the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, marking Drake’s fourth time at the top of the chart. “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” also broke Spotify’s first week streaming record with 17.3 million streams in the first three days alone, a record previously held by Drake himself with 15.146 million streams for “Nothing Was The Same” in 2013.

Kendrick Lamar -- “To Pimp a Butterfly”

Fall Out Boy -- “American Beauty/American Psycho”

“American Beauty/American Psycho,” is Fall Out Boy’s sixth studio album and is a followup to the band’s 2013 comeback album, “Save Rock and Roll.”

The album was preceded by its lead single, “Centuries,” which is a certified 4x Platinum Top 10 single. Another single, “Immortals,” was featured in Disney’s “Big Hero 6.” “AB/AP” is Fall Out Boy’s third No. 1 album and has been certified gold in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

Drake -- “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”

Following in Beyoncé’s footsteps, Drake released his fourth mixtape without any prior announcement. This did not hinder the project’s success,

Inspired by the sounds of funk, jazz and spoken word, Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 after a mix-up at Interscope Records released the album a week before it was meant to. Since its release, “To Pimp a Butterfly” has been critically acclaimed and is said to be the number one album of 2015 by several notable publications such as “Billboard,” “NME” and “Rolling Stone.” Kendrick Lamar and “To Pimp a Butterfly” also lead in Grammy nominations, 11, beating Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

Fetty Wap -- “Fetty Wap”

Fetty Wap is one of the most notable newcomers this year, and “Fetty Wap” is his debut album.

Upon its release, “Fetty Wap” peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 with his debut single, “Trap Queen” being the first entry on the U.S. Billboard Top 100, and it went on to become a top 10 single, peaking at number two. The album’s second single, “679” featuring Remy Boyz, became Wap’s third top 10 single in the United States, where it has reached number four. The album version of the song omits P-Dice’s verse, only featuring Monty. The album’s third single, “My Way” featuring Monty, peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 after a jump from 87 to the top 10. Fetty Wap, while snubbed at the Grammys, snagged two nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, both for “Trap Queen.”

Adele -- “25”

Adele was probably the biggest comeback story of the year. In the United States, “25” sold 1.9 million copies after two days of availability, and 2.3 million after three, becoming the fastest-selling album of the 21st century and the best-selling album of 2015. The album reached sales of 2.433 million early on its fourth day, surpassing the single-week record for an album since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking sales in 1991, set by NSYNC’s “No Strings Attached,” which debuted with 2.416 million copies.

By its fifth day, “25” had sold over 2.8 million copies, breaking the first-week record for a digital set. In total, it sold 3.38 million copies in the United States in its first week, becoming the first album to sell over 3 million copies in a week and only the second to sell over 2 million in a single week.

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NINERTIMES

JANUARY PREVIEW FOR ON-CAMPUS ARTS EVENTS MUSIC DEPARTMENT “THE TRAIN” - JAN. 15 CHARLOTTE COMPOSERS FORUM - JAN. 26 FACULTY & FRIENDS: JESSICA LINDSEY, CLARINET - JAN. 31

THEATRE DEPARTMENT “IT’S A BIRD ... IT’S A PLANE ... IT’S SUPERMAN” - JAN. 15/16

DANCE DEPARTMENT “THE OPULENCE OF INTEGRITY” - JAN. 29

FILM DEPARTMENT PETER HUTTON FILM SCREENING - JAN. 16

ART DEPARTMENT OPENING RECEPTION “NEW YORK PORTRAITS” - JAN. 15 OPENING RECEPTION: JULIANNE SWARTZ & LAURA McCARTHY - JAN. 22

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ACROSS 1 Hockey disk 5 Blows, as one’s lines 10 Belmont Stakes, e.g.

14 Workplace protection org.

15 Parts in a play 16 British prep school 17 Arab League prince 18 Deed holder 19 Weaponry 20 Canadian flag symbol 22 “Farewell, mon ami!”

23 “Put a __ on it!”

24 Prevailing weather 26 After-dinner brandy 30 Every 24 hours 31 “Hold Me” Grammy winner K.T. 32 Rap sheet abbr.

33 Speech therapy subject 37 Actor Baldwin 38 Advertising handout 40 Wedding vows 41 Honky-__

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42 Rowboat need 43 High-80s grade 44 Like mountain roads 46 Mojave or Gobi 47 Two-deck rummy variety 50 Dylan or Dole 51 Hotelier Helmsley 52 Final details to take care of ... and, literally, what the last words of 20-Across and 10- and 29Down can be 58 The Emerald Isle 59 Heavenly food 60 Injured, as a muscle 61 Wealthy, in Juárez 62 In the midst of 63 Unexpected problem 64 Sharp-edged 65 Shopping binge 66 Tranquil discipline DOWN 1 Sonnet or haiku

2 West Point initials 3 Poker player’s token 4 Hoopster Malone 5 Play friskily 6 Mooed 7 Elbow-to-wrist bone 8 Sexy photos in women’s mags 9 Ukr. or Estonia, during the Cold War 10 Preface to Bush Sr.’s “no new taxes” promise 11 Open-air courts 12 Halley’s __ 13 Occur as a result 21 Stylish vigor 22 Have a bug 25 Unreliable witness 26 Winter wear 27 Capital on a fjord 28 Secluded valley 29 “America’s Got Talent” host since 2009 30 Eggs and butter market section 34 Sit at a four-way stop, say 35 Sweet’s opposite 36 Furtive “Hey!” 38 __ Knox 39 Psychedelic light source 43 Emmy winner Neuwirth 45 Land between Can. and Mex. 46 Prescription amount 47 Supermarket staffer 48 Eagle’s nest 49 Straight up, cocktailwise 50 Good, in France 53 “Want the light __ off?”

54 Crafts website 55 Taboo 56 Really dull time 57 Arcade giant 59 Pas’ mates

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NEW YEAR, NEW ME (FOR REAL THIS TIME) ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

“New year, new me.” Isn’t that what everyone is saying? It’s refreshing to have a new year, so we make these fitness resolutions and stick to them for as long as we can, maybe even three weeks. Then life ultimately catches up with us when the new semester arrives, and we are once again too busy. So much for eating healthy and exercising, that summer body will just have to wait. So 2016 will roll by, as just another year that you almost got in shape.

Oh wait, except unlike last year or the years before that I wasn’t here to give you advice. Well, I’m here now, and you are sticking to that New Year’s resolution. I’ll guide you through it, summer body here we come!

DRINK MORE WATER, LESS SODA

OK, so I know this is a hard one for a lot of people, but water is vital for your body. Also, you can’t exercise drinking a Dr. Pepper. I promise you that won’t go well. Water is necessary; choose it as your drink at meals, when doing activities and even keep one by your bed at night. If you are someone that just doesn’t enjoy water because of a lack of taste, then try infusing your water with fruit. I am just fine with ordinary water, but out of curiosity I made a blueberry orange infused water, and it was incredible!

DO MORE MOVING, LESS NETFLIX AND CHILLING

There are various ways to get more physical activity into your daily life.

Our campus is on a hill for Pete’s sake; you don’t even need a gym—just make that uphill climb to class rather than finding a flat path. Walk up the stairs rather than using the elevators within the buildings. Go window shopping or real shopping at Concord Mills mall. The mall is set up in a loop formation, and one lap around is equal to one mile. You wouldn’t even know it if I didn’t point it out, but there are so many ways to sneak in exercise into your day.

Let your body get back into the routine without straining itself. As the weeks go by, you can add more exercise time and days because your body can now handle it. You know how everyone says push yourself? Yeah, don’t.

Do not wait until you’re on the verge of throwing up to stop. Your body gives you signals for a reason, understand and accept those messages. You have reached your limit for this exercise session.

BECOME A YOGI

STAY MOTIVATED

How about yoga? Yes, you too boys. Yoga has so many health benefits; it helps with stress, bodily pains and it’s a heck of a workout. If you want to sweat off those winter break pounds then here is your answer, do hot yoga. Hot yoga is when you are put into a standard yoga room with all the intentions to do normal yoga except it’s 99 degrees in there. Our campus offers free yoga classes, but if you’re curious as to what exactly hot yoga entails then you can head over to Yoga One on Highway 49 and join a class for just five bucks, or get your first month for $30 with an unlimited amount of sessions within that 30 day period. My roommate and I are doing it. See you there.

GET BACK INTO A ROUTINE

If you haven’t exercised in a while, then you need to start off slow or I promise you something will be hurting intensely in the morning. If you’re a runner, begin by walking long distances. Unless you live in the high-rises and your car is parked in Lot 25, or what I like to call Siberia, walking to your car doesn’t count. So begin by taking longer walks and then ease into a speed walk, then a jog and eventually a run. Do a type of exercise twothree times a week to start, and don’t exercise for longer than 45 minutes.

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Photo by Angie Baquedano

This is probably the hardest of them all, staying motivated. Sure you’re okay for the first two weeks or so, but then you get bored. Suddenly working out isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. “Who actually enjoys running until their lungs feel like they will collapse?” You wonder to yourself. You start to think that perhaps you need a break, don’t! Do not take a break from the routine you almost have. You will just have to start all over again, and it will not be pleasant. Instead, find ways to motivate yourself. For example when I feel like I am beginning to lose motivation I go out and buy myself new workout shorts or a shirt. Suddenly I can’t wait until the next day so I can wear my new attire. You can also make deals with yourself to walk an extra mile after your regular workout routine; you don’t even have to run it just walk and if you do then you can treat yourself to a smoothie when you get home. You can even workout with a friend who will make it much more enjoyable since you’ll have someone to talk to. There are plenty of ways to stay motivated you just have to find what works for you.

Changing is hard, but it’s necessary; without change there is no progress.

So go out there and join a sports club, go out there and buy mason jars to store your infused water, go out there and work your way up to a body you are comfortable with. Good luck, and I’ll see you on the beach.

JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

NINERTIMES

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Girl on the Train’

JOHN LINEBERGER LIFESTYLE EDITOR

“The Girl on the Train” is a psychological thriller novel by Paula Hawkins. It was published on Jan. 13, 2015 by Riverhead Books.

Paula Hawkins has sort of erupted onto the scene as of late. “The Girl on the Train” is her debut work of fiction. It received wide critical acclaim, selling more than three million copies in the United States alone. It was a GoodRead’s Choice 2015 winner. It has been often compared to “Gone Girl,” a novel of the same genre that received similar recognition back in 2012. “The Girl on the Train” will be releasing as a film on Oct. 7, 2016.

So what is it about?

The novel follows Rachel, 32, an alcoholic British woman still severely damaged by the dissolution of her marriage to Tom. Tom left her for another woman, to which she partly attributes to her inability to have a child. Rachel has lost her job, but still takes the same train into London every day to keep her flatmate from finding out.

Every morning, she sees a couple atop their balcony over the railroad and she fantasizes about the perfect life they must lead. She has even developed nicknames for them, “Jess and Jason.”

The novel introduces you to Rachel’s world, but then throws a wrench into it when Rachel witnesses something terribly strange happen one morning atop the balcony. Later, after a night of heavy drinking, Rachel awakens to find herself injured and covered in blood that she is not sure is her own.

The rest of the story switches points of view frequently, telling the greater truths about Rachel, Tom, his mistress Anna, Jess and Jason.

It reveals a much more complex and interweaved plot that leads Rachel down the path of no return.

So how good is it?

Overall, “The Girl on the Train” has as many strong points as it does weak. I do not think that it performs on the same level as “Gone Girl,” and for good reason.

First off, the novel is really complex, which is good. It is extremely hard to predict what comes next and almost every curve in the plot will

NINERTIMES.COM

surprise you and yet remain fairly reasonable.

Having so many points of view helps develop the plot in a way that would be otherwise impossible.

Hawkins primarily uses Rachel’s chapters to progress the plot forward, while using all of the other characters to fill the holes in what has happened. The novel reads at a fast pace and can definitely be hard to put down, especially once you have become immersed into the mystery.

That said, most of the plot’s complexity is only because Rachel is always drunk. She never knows what’s going on or why because she is always, always on the verge of blacking out. I found this to get annoying after a while. She is so unreliable that her chapters feel almost irrelevant. She only gains a footing for herself towards the end and it’s just too late.

The setup is also very convenient. I can’t go too far into this without spoiling major points of the mystery, but all of these characters are interweaved so tightly that it feels like a miracle/nightmare situation. I see this in a lot of novels, but it still doesn’t look good.

The biggest downfall of “The Girl on the Train” is, for me, the ending. It has so much build up, as most mystery-thrillers do, but the ending felt totally unsatisfying. The final 50-70 pages of the novel devolves into something that you JAN. 12 - JAN. 18, 2016

would normally see in a Lifetime channel movie.

It reaches a surreal level of dramatic, and the “villain” of the novel goes into a painfully slow monologue, tying up all of the novel’s loose ends so that the reader knows, step by step, exactly what happened. The final outcome and resolution became lackluster and predictable because of this.

The ending is so played up, so uncharacteristic of human behavior, that it totally shattered my suspension of disbelief up to that point. I am very curious, albeit worried, about how the director will approach the ending for the film adaption of “The Girl on the Train.” I am hoping for some significant revisions, especially to dialogue.

It’s not a bad novel, probably one you should read if you’re big into mystery and thrillers, but I don’t Photo by John Lineberger think it lives up to the height of the critical praise it received. I’ve seen many of my opinions shared in the consumer reviews on Amazon and GoodReads.

If you want to read “The Girl on the Train,” you can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookDepository and at most other major booksellers.

3/5 15

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NINERTIMES