Niner Times: April 26, 2016

INSIDE THIS EDITION MANY ORGANIZATIONS HELPED RAISE AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AT THE 24TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY FESTIVAL

CHARLOTTE HIGH JUMPER TREY MCRAE TALKS ABOUT HIS TRANSITION FROM THE BASKETBALL COURT TO THE TRACK

PG. 3

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APRIL 26 - MAY 2, 2016

PG. 6

BEYONCÉ’S NEW SURPRISE ALBUM IS JUST AS AMAZING AS YOU WOULD EXPECT

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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

Alyssa Fronk

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Jared Allen

sports@ninertimes.com

News

John Lineberger

3 Earth Day festival 4 First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal 5 First-year writing awards

lifestyle@ninertimes.com

Ben Robson photo@ninertimes.com

Sports

VIDEO PRODUCER

Andrew James video@ninertimes.com

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MANAGING EDITOR

Sara Carson

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Contents

Salina Dickie, Sydney Stephens, Trevor Wilt, Mia Shelton, Jasmine Taylor, Jeffrey Kopp, Vivian Westra

Trey McRae feature Matt Tifft feature

Opinion

ADDITIONAL STAFF

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Angie Baquedano, Chris Crews, Leysha Caraballo, Stephanie Trefzger, John Patrick, Christian Espinoza, Kathleen Cook, Annie Young

A&E

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NERF gun control Beyoncé “Lemonade” Review

Lifestyle 14 15 Matt Lorenz

La Unica Mexican Restaurant Humans of UNC Charlotte

Andrew Hocutt MARKETING STAFF

Tia Warren, David Mendez, Kristen Bobeng, Madeline Lemieux

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

MEGAN VAN EMMERIK

Cover photo by Chris Crews Contents photo by Leysha Caraballo

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UNC CHARLOTTE CELEBRATES ANNUAL EARTH DAY FESTIVAL Organizations promote environmental sustainability during 24th annual Earth Day Festival NICK CROPPER NEWS EDITOR

In honor of Earth Month and Earth Day, UNC Charlotte held it’s 24th annual Earth Day Festival April 20 to raise awareness for environmental issues.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., 30 minutes before the festival was officially set to begin, students were passing through, looking at the different surrounding booths.

“There are actually a lot of students who have been walking through going to and from classes,” said Recycling Coordinator Shannon Caveny-Cox. The Earth Day Festival had roughly a dozen different on-campus and off-campus organizations volunteer their time that day to inform students about different environmental sustainability programs.

There were organizations like the Catawba Riverkeepers, Zero Waste at UNC Charlotte, UNC Charlotte Recycling, Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, Charlotte Water, Wipe-Out Waste, the UNC Charlotte Community Garden and more.

“We had some that called and asked if they could be a part of it. There are other organizations that we work with that might have some relevance for people so we wanted to get them involved too,” said Caveny-Cox. The different booths are set up to raise awareness for environmental sustainability, educate students on different sustainability programs and educate students about environmental issues.

“If one person learned one new thing, then I would call it a success,” said Kelly Freshcorn, office administrator for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.

Freshcorn organized the festival this year. It’s been a few years since she last planned an Earth Day Festival.

This is also the first year in a while that the Earth Day Festival has been held at the Belk Plaza. When the Student Union opened, the festival was moved down to the College of Health and Human Services Plaza.

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Students work in the UNC Charlotte Community Garden. Photo by Leysha Caraballo

Caveny-Cox and Freshcorn moved the festival back to the Belk Plaza to see if foot traffic and participation would increase.

“This year we decided to come back up [to the Belk Plaza] and see how it went. I really like it up here better,” said Caveny-Cox. “I don’t know what the plans are as far as it being under construction ... hopefully we can keep it up here.”

According to Caveny-Cox, this year’s Earth Day Festival is a condensed version of what has been held in previous years due to the department being short-staffed.

“It wasn’t quite as how we would have liked it this year, but that goes back to us being short staffed and trying to cram everything together,” said Caveny-Cox. The Office of Waste Reduction and Recyling APRIL 26 - MAY 2, 2016

is also trying to work more with the Office of Sustainability for future events.

“We’re trying to work with the Sustainability Office more so hopefully that’s going to help and we can all work together and do some great things,” said Caveny-Cox. The Earth Day Festival is one of several events that the Office of Waste Reduction and Recyling has organized in honor of Earth Month. Earlier in the month, they held a tree-planting event April 6 and a campus cleanup April 13.

Roughly 150 trees were planted around campus by students and faculty who volunteered their time April 6.

During the campus cleanup, students and faculty once again volunteered their time to go around campus and help cleanup trash.

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POLICE BLOTTER APRIL 19-22 ACCIDENT APRIL 20

• Cameron Road, driver of vehicle one struck the rear of vehicle two. Both cars were in the turn lane and driver of vehicle one stated they thought that vehicle twohad started to turn while vehicle two was still stopped. No injuries were reported.

American History Professor John David Smith wins First Citizen Bank Scholars Medal The medal recongizes faculty who have made significant contributions to the community with their research JASMINE TAYLOR ASST. NEWS EDITOR

APRIL 22

• JW Clay Boulevard, driver of vehicle one struck vehicle two in the rear while checking her phone for directions.

BREAKING & ENTERING APRIL 21

• Lynch Hall, unknown person removed items from victim’s room which was left unsecured in a private area.

LARCENY APRIL 21

• Barnes & Noble Bookstore, unknown person removed a keychain USB from the store without paying for it.

MEDIC ASSIST APRIL 19

• Levine Hall construction site, Officer responded in reference to a construction worker who was injured.

The individual was transported by Medic to the Carolinas Medical Center-University.

VANDALISM APRIL 20

• Laurel Hall, unknown person removed a secured bulletin board from a wall and wrote on the wall with a black marker and ink pen.

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

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American History professor John David Smith. Photo courtesy of John David Smith

On April 12, John David Smith, the Charles H. Stone Professor of American History, received the 2016 First Citizen Bank Scholars Medal.

This award is one of the most prestigious faculty awards of excellence in research that was created to recognize the important contributions made from UNC Charlotte’s faculty to the community and the world.

Smith came to UNC Charlotte to occupy the Charles H. Stone

Distinguished Professorship in American History.

The professorship is a prestigiousendowed chair that enables him to teach courses about the Civil War and Reconstruction, slavery and other topics based on his years of research and writing.

“I spent 22 years teaching at NC State University, and I’m afforded more opportunities to teach the classes that I wish and to conduct research at UNC Charlotte than at

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NC State,” said Smith.

Smith enjoys teaching and conveying the information gleaned from his research and writing to those who are unfamiliar with the topics and their bigger meaning. He has been teaching this way since 1971 and states how he continually learns from his students.

“Teaching is a process of learning and improving, and I value the opportunity to share that with students. I can’t imagine doing anything else other than teaching and writing,” said Smith History always came easy for Smith and has always been his favorite scholarly topic.

Growing up in the early 1960s, during the Civil War Centennial and Civil Rights Movement sparked his interest in those subjects.

Smith states that historians do three things: ask questions, mobilize sources and construct arguments.

He also feels that his work matters because the subject of his research and writing—the meaning of freedom and opression over time in American History—remains perilously alive today.

Smith has been a part UNC Charlotte faculty since 2004 and is the sixth member of the Department of History to receive the award.

“I am especially proud to have received the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal because it serves as a significant recognition of my years of publishing books and articles,” said Smith.

All members of the Stone Professorship, including Smith, have received this recognition.

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FIRST YEAR WRITING PROGRAM HOSTS AWARD CEREMONY ANNIE YOUNG INTERN

On April 22 the University Writing Program (UWRT) held an award ceremony for students who demonstrated excellence in their writing.

The student writing was nominated by their UWRT professors and included students from UWRT 1101, 1102 and 1103.

The writings were entered into one of three categories: Best Essay, Best Multimodal Project and Best E-Portfolio. First place winners were awarded a $100 gift card and certificate of award and honorable mentions were given a certificate.

The first category announced was Best Essay Award. Joshua Crespi took home the first place award with his essay “Born to Hunt: A Battle of Apex Predators”, nominated by Professor Suzanne Ingram’s UWRT 1102 course.

The essay category was judged on several different aspects including application of rhetorical knowledge and creating a deeply personal piece while still engaging with the audience.

Crespi’s essay discussed the importance of wolves in our environment and their clash with humans. He found inspiration in

his passion of apex predators and the freedom that Ingram gave her students to choose what topic they could write about.

The Honorable Mentions were “Figuring Out Francis Ferri” by Mia Piacentino, nominated by Professor Barbra Presnell’s UWRT 1103 course and “Being Blind to People’s Suffering: The Unfortunate Reality”

by Fizah Mahmood, nominated by Dr. Meaghan Rnad’s UWRT 1103 course.

The next category in line was Best Multimodal Project Award. Dyllon Thomas took home first place with his project, “Jose Cruz News Story” was nominated by Professor Linda Hofmann’s UWRT 1102 course.

“Jose Cruz News Story” mimicked the set of 60 Minutes. Hofmann said she was impressed by Thomas’s creativity with the project and how much time and effort he put into his work.

Thomas created a short film where he interviewed his friend Jose Cruz.

In the film, they discussed the differences between American and Latino cultures.

Thomas was humbled by the vast opportunities in the United States that many countries do not have

while talking with Cruz.

The Honorable Mentions were “Estanislao Fernandez O’Halloran”

by Erin Thompson, nominated by Professor Linda Hofmann’s UWRT 1103 course and “I am From” by Jeri Colbert, nominated from Dr. Jan Rieman’s UWRT 1102 course.

Best E-Portfolio Award was the final category. Sebin Yang, nominated by Dr. Meaghan Rand’s UWRT 1101 course won this category because of her creativity in website design and writing skills.

Yang’s E-portfolio is titled “Evolution in Writing” where she tells of her writing journey as a foreign exchange student from South Korea. Yang is a chemistry major and has lived in the United States for 4 years now. She is proud of her progress with the English language and excited to receive an award for her work.

Honorable Mentions were “Portfolio.” By Nathan Moore, nominated from Dr. Meaghan Rand’s UWRT 1102 course and “Meredith Pearman” by Meredith Pearman, nominated from Professor Julie Cook’s UWRT 1102 course.

Corrections: In the April 19 publication of the Niner Times, a quote was incorrectly attributed to the wrong person in the New student senators sworn into office article.

The quote: “I have all the confidence in the world that they [Darkor and Nowell] will do great things,” was said

by Student Body President Mitch Daratony, not the Student Body Vice President Jared Dobbertin.

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SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS

After a late start, Trey McRae has jumped to the top of the national polls KATHLEEN COOK STAFF WRITER

Many athletes harvest an early passion for their sport, beginning at a young age and refining their practice until they reach a collegiate level.

This was not the case for Trey McRae, who preferred jump balls to high jumps until March of his senior year in high school.

McRae, a redshirt senior on the track team, played basketball throughout his high school career. It wasn’t until the spring semester of his senior year that the track coach approached him about joining the team as a jumper.

“I had a weight lifting coach who was the track coach. He used to come to the basketball games and I used to do a lot of dunks. The coach thought it would be a good idea to put me at high jump just to score some points for them for conference,” McRae said.

The track coach asked McRae to come out to the track for about a month. McRae promised he would come out, but never capitalized on the deal, saying he “didn’t see myself doing it.”

With basketball season over, McRae had nothing else to keep himself occupied. Boredom persisted and triggered McRae to pay a visit to the track on a Wednesday where he was taught how to high jump. After one day of practice with his new sport, McRae entered his first track meet.

“I went to the meet expecting everybody to be better than me, but they were jumping like 5’2’’, 5’4’’, and 5’6’’. I was jumping what they were jumping, then I just kept going. They were done at like 5’8’’ and then I ended up jumping 6’2’’ that day,” McRae said.

The sport that he had grown up with translated into his jumps. When going to do a jump, McRae channeled his inner Kobe and act “like I was dunking the ball.”

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With his 6’2’’ performance, McRae won first place in the high jump less than 24 hours after learning the event.

“I didn’t really think anything of it, I just thought that everyone at the meet was kind of bad,” McRae said.

After his victory McRae didn’t have much downtime, competing in another track meet the following week. Hoping for a repeat of his performance his last time out, McRae entered the competition “with a mindset to win.”

With the right mentality, McRae competed to his best ability. He soared over his competitors, jumping a 6’8 while the other jumpers reached 5’8. Achieving those heights drew attention from all in attendance.

“By the time I was jumping 6’8’’ the whole track was looking at me. I thought it was weird because I didn’t think I was that good,” McRae said.

His performance in that meet landed McRae the top high jump ranking in the state of North Carolina. This came just one week after learning how to jump. Even though his name was sitting atop the state rankings, McRae still attributed his success to others’ shortcomings instead of his own talent.

“I was like ‘Whoa, this is weird.’ I still didn’t think I was good, I just felt like everyone in the state was doing badly,” McRae said.

Jumping to the top of the state rankings caused McRae and his coach to talk about his thoughts on competing in college. It just so happened that McRae had already applied to Charlotte to just be a student. His high school coach knew the track coach at Charlotte and made a phone call.

After the Charlotte coach spoke with McRae, they scheduled a visit and the rest is history.

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Making the jump from high school to college was a challenge for McRae. He had to make a lot of adjustments from his old regimen to compete at the same caliber of those he was competing against.

“My first few months I was coming out here in basketball shoes and basketball gear,” McRae said. “I had to get used to actually practicing because I didn’t practice in high school. I had to learn that outside of jumping, you had to condition.”

Because of his late start, McRae felt almost like an outcast his first few months in Charlotte, especially when a torn meniscus took him out for the first three months of training.

“At first I felt like I didn’t fit in because everybody else had been doing track all their life.

They were talking about it all the time, they knew all the big track guys and I didn’t know any of those things,” McRae said.

Pushing through his uncertainties and injury, McRae still had a phenomenal freshman year, earning second team all-conference in the Atlantic 10 Indoor championship. He also qualified for the World Junior Championships for outdoor high jump, taking McRae to Barcelona. This sport that McRae had been participating in for a little over a year was already opening doors for him, including sending him out of the country for the first time.

“For me to only have been running for 12 months, then next thing you know I’m in the top two in the country in 19 and under and I’m jumping in Spain, it was an unbelievable feeling.

It was a humbling experience,” McRae said.

His success didn’t end after his freshman year.

After his sophomore year he recorded the team’s best high jump at 6’11’’.75 during the

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indoor season and took home an Atlantic 10 Championship for high jump in the outdoor season.

McRae jumped all the way to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for high jump in 2014. At the championship he finished 13th and grabbed a spot on the second team AllAmerican.

During the 2015 indoor season, McRae became a two-time AllAmerican in the long and high jump at the NCAA championships. He also came out on top at the Conference USA Championships in the high jump.

He isn’t slowing down during his final outdoor season. McRae is currently second in the nation in the high jump and has had seven first place finishes this season in either the long or high jump.

McRae’s accomplishments as a 49er live on long after he turns his tassel and finishes his collegiate career.

His name sits beside first place in Charlotte’s All Time High Jump performance with a jump of 7’4’’.5 and he is second in the long jump list.

With the titles like ‘All-American’ that coincide with McRae’s name, it would be easy for him to slow down, but those accomplishments propel him to work harder. McRae always sees room for

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improvement, though he’s still proud of what he has accomplished.

He plans on keeping his competitive mindset throughout the remainder of his collegiate career, which hopefully ends at the NCAA Championships and then take his talent to the

“I DIDN’T REALLY THINK ANYTHING OF IT. I JUST THOUGHT THAT EVERYONE AT THE MEET WAS KIND OF BAD.” TREY MCRAE global scale.

“I want to be the first national champion from Charlotte. To say I’m the best in the country and

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to win a championship would be the best feeling ever,” McRae said. “I want to continue to pursue track, on a national level and Olympic trial level.

If not, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve enjoyed the journey. These will be memories that I’ll have forever.”

While his time jumping has been short, McRae has still learned valuable lessons from the sport.

“With my event in high jumping, there’s always a bar that is set and it keeps going up. The best lesson is never put limits on yourself. I’m always going to fail in some way – there’s a height there that I tried to get but I missed. I just learned to never limit yourself and to work hard,” McRae said.

When McRae decided to give something new a chance even though it was something he wasn’t familiar with, he discovered something that he excelled in. Giving everything a shot has carried with McRae throughout his entire career and will follow him wherever life takes him.

“If I never went out to the track that day I would never be where I am now,” McRae said.

“Take every opportunity, no matter what it is. It might be foreign to me, but if it’s an opportunity to present yourself you should try it because you never know.

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MAN ON THE MOVE Matt Tifft is far from your conventional college student

CHRISTIAN ESPINOZA STAFF WRITER

For most college students, April is the busiest time of the year. The long semester is beginning to come to an end. Professors are assigning projects and presentations left and right. Finals are on the horizon.

Stress levels are about to crash through the roof.

It’s difficult for most anyone to balance everyday life with so much going on in the classrooms.

But for one UNC Charlotte student, the balancing act has always been a whole lot bigger.

Matt Tifft is currently finishing up his sophomore year at UNC Charlotte. The Cleveland native is studying business management, a major that requires a lot of time and effort. But he isn’t your typical everyday college student. Tifft has the need for speed.

A student at college and a driver on the track.

Tifft was bit by the “racing bug” when he was little. He grew up watching short track races at local dirt tracks in Michigan. At the age of 11, Tifft got behind the wheel of go-karts in Norton, Ohio, and throughout the next few years of his life gradually began working his way up the ranks.

In 2013, the then 16-year-old raced for Win-Tron Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, along with some select events in the ARCA Racing Series. In 2014, Tifft signed with Ken Schrader Racing to again drive in the ARCA and K&N East series. He acquired six top-10 finishes throughout the two racing seasons in ARCA. He received his NASCAR national tour break in the Camping World Truck Series later that year at Martinsville Speedway. At arguably one of the most difficult race tracks on the schedule, the young racer scored a head-turning eighth place

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finish.

The finish caught many people’s attention, and gave Tifft confidence and momentum headed into what would be a promising 2015. The young-gun signed on with Kyle Busch Motorsports for a select number of Truck races that season.

Being behind the wheel of KBM equipment gave Tifft the chance to run up front and earn more seat time.

The more time and effort you put in, the more opportunities will come knocking. And they did for Tifft.

It was announced that the Ohio native was going to be behind the wheel of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine in the XFINITY Series Race at Kentucky Speedway.

Another step up the ladder for Tifft, it was his first start in the “college football” level series of NASCAR. But the fun didn’t stop there.

Not only was he going to race for arguably one of the best organizations in the business, but he was also going to boast one of the most unique sponsors on the hood of his race car.

UNC Charlotte.

In a once in a lifetime turn of events, the school that Tifft was paying to attend, actually paid him to sponsor his car.

“It was cool to have them as a partner on there,” said Tifft, who isn’t sure if the school will be making another appearance on his car in the future. “I’m actually not sure of anything in the future, but it would be cool. We are still in contact with them as they are very supportive of what we are doing.”

Tifft brought home a 10th place finish, quite the feat for his first ever start in the series.

Flash forward to 2016. Tifft has already made three starts in the XFINITY Series, but none yet for

Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s raced behind the wheel of the No. 24 JGL Racing Toyota Camry.

But for Tifft, the ball still hasn’t stopped rolling.

On Wednesday, Camping World Truck Series team, Red Horse Racing, announced that Tifft will get behind the wheel of their No. 11 Toyota Tundra at three upcoming races: Kansas, Dover and Charlotte, along with more potentially down the road.

“I’m looking forward to working with Timothy Peters (teammate) and Scott Zipadelli (crew chief) on our No. 11 Toyota Tundra team,” said Tift. “We’re going to some tracks I really enjoy and I’m confident we’re going to have some speed and we’ll go and try to get some really good runs.”

As Tifft’s credibility grows on the track, so does his popularity in the classroom as fellow students are beginning to recognize the young race car driver.

“A little bit. It’s not all too often,” said Tifft. “Definitely been a lot more of that since the Kentucky race.

In some classes I have had people recognize me and it is actually pretty cool.”

When most people look back on their glory days in college, they think about the parties and all the fun they had.

Later on in life when Tifft is looking back on his glory days at UNC Charlotte, he will probably remember all the fun he had, but not the conventional type of college “fun.”

Tifft is right now on the path to accomplishing a dream of his. He gets to be behind the wheel of a race car on the weekends, while most college students are out partying their wallets away. wwGranted, it may not be what most would consider the true college experience, but for Tifft, he is enjoying every minute of it. For fellow UNC Charlotte students, they may watch a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race a few years on down the road, and say to whoever we are with, “Hey I went to college with that kid.”

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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NERF CONTROL A satirical look at gun control through the lens of campus NERF wars JOHN PATRICK STAFF WRITER

The phenomenon occurs at the convenience of Murphy’s Law, always unexpected, but mostly when the daily bustling crowds of students subside and dusk caresses the campus with its gentle curtains. Teams of students, literally armed with NERF guns and colored flags delineating loyalty, go at it like the armies of old.

Hoards, clans, cults of rag-tag militia vying to vanquish their Hasbro and Co. sworn enemy.

I’ve been caught up in a hail storm of foam bullets and plastic toy blasters- territorial skirmishes - many a time, and it has got to stop.

We need NERF Gun Control, and we need it now.

I cannot begin to fathom how the University has continuously turned a blind eye to the utter violence and bestiality that mars this campus with its unconditional relaying of softie projectiles.

How many people have to be bothered before the administration wakes up and realizes how harmful and destructive an artificial apparatus is? Regardless of whether or not it can be used for the defense of oneself in situations of selfpreservation, or the fact that it cannot be powered or shot by its own free will but by the actions of people, these weapons are mildly dangerous, deadly (eh, sort of) and must be confiscated and banned on university property.

Because those NERF guns are scary. They’re warlike, forged with the oversight and foresight of the destructiveness to come. I have absolutely zero knowledge regarding these tools; only that they are scary. I cannot speak in verity of their intent and disposition. But I nonetheless feel obliged to make an opinion of the matter and see fit that I push my convictions onto others; be it damned if actually applicable or not. Even if you are a safe and responsible practitioner of NERF guns, the void of security and comfort I feel should certainly allow me to dictate what’s best for you. Because those NERF guns are scary.

I should forget, though, that I have actually never been maimed by these NERF guns, or any NERF guns really. I should neglect numerous cases in which no one succumbed to an injury

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Intern Cullen Walsh looks for battle with his NERF gun at Facebook’s office in Seattle. Photo via Tribune News Service

by their usage, or much less became affected whatsoever by their discharge. I should also fail to place weight to the absurdity that these NERF guns are not my interest and therefore none of my concern, but yet I am compelled enough to make it apparent of their regulated absence. It is after all for the sympathy of the ‘greater good’ I am safeguarding, minus naturally, the few who take part in this societal realm, as they do not count and whose deprivation bolsters safety.

If nothing gets done at this level of civic engagement, I have little choice but to take it to the courts and zealously sue the Hasbro Corporation for manufacturing a privatized product solely commercialized for personal use. Because those NERF guns are scary, and my deficiency of their nature, mixed with fearmongering tendencies, warrants legal action.

Some vague, faint stance of the general welfare substantiates this claim, of course.

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So throw out those warnings brought to you by those tired and dated men responsible for the very system of government that has remained standing for hundreds of years, the stern message about forgoing both liberty and security when the former is infringed. Because those NERF guns are scary. In times where I intimately feel threatened it must be okay to use security as a ploy in order to trample personal freedom, because any defense of such freedoms and rights stem from a dusty, outdated composition that is anything but in vogue and contemporary. Obsolete was totally last year; seriously ew, like gross.

And rather than become fully acquainted with the situation or look into the facts so as to make a conscious, educated decision, those NERF guns are scary and it is the government’s duty to coddle me.

Or is it?

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BEYONCÉ “Lemonade” is unapologetically feminine,unapologetically black and unapologetically Beyoncé

STEPHANIE TREFZGER STAFF WRITER

Beyoncé proved her power in 2013 with the surprise release of her fifth studio album, “Beyoncé.” In a world where everything is documented by one camera or another, it is hard to imagine how she managed to pull off both the song-recording and video filming processes in secret. However, this time around, she was a bit more translucent in her plans. Although February’s “Formation” release was again an ambush, it hinted at the possibility of new music from the acclaimed singer. And earlier this month, Beyoncé teased something called “Lemonade” on her Instagram page and further stirring people up with a short trailer on HBO, which included noise, lights and an even more vague voiceover: “The past and the present merge to meet us here.”

No one knew what to expect, but everyone knew to expect something. Today we got it: Beyoncé’s new album, “Lemonade.”

1. “Pray You Catch Me” The album opens with a bit of gospel, but not

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as you would expect. Bey’s breathy vocals are layered over one another, before the track turns into a piano ballad that sets the scene for the overall Southern gothic feel of the album. We also get hints of a transformative theme with the slow start of the album. A beat subtly comes into the mix among gorgeous, orchestral strings. The track concludes with Beyoncé whispering, “What are you doing, my love,” beginning the story of infidelity laced throughout the album.

2. “Hold Up” The light reggae beat and the air horns somehow don’t match the atmosphere the lyrics give forth. Seemingly going through several of the stages of grief, from anger to sadness to bargaining, Bey continues the trend of infidelity suggested in the first song: “Something don’t feel right / I smell your secret and I’m not too perfect to ever feel this worthless / How did it come to this? Going through your call list / I don’t want lose my pride, but I’mma f**k me up a b*tch.”

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3. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” With the third song of the album comes its first collaboration and it is a bit of an unexpected one.

As former White Stripe, Jack White joins Beyoncé for this organ-inflected rock track. With a muffled delivery, known already to White Stripes fans, Bey pretty much screams the opening part of the track: “Who the fuck do you think I am? / You ain’t married to some average b*tch, boy!” Jack helps out in the chorus. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and helps to develop what is probably one of the best blends of rock and R&B in the last few years. By the time we are two-thirds of the way through the song, Bey is literally screaming at her cheating man, giving us one of her most passionate songs she has done up to date.

4. “Sorry” This song’s title might be “Sorry,” but Bey immediately lets us know she’s anything but sorry, for anything. On the track, Beyoncé lets men, one specifically, know not only does she not

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need them, she’s not even thinking about them. “Middle fingers up, put ‘em hands high / Wave ‘em in his face / Tell him ‘boy, bye,’” she commands over the mid-tempo track.

5. “6 Inch” This one sounds a lot like a song by The Weeknd and lo and behold he shows up. The main difference between this song and a Weeknd song is that it’s about a powerful, independent woman who works hard for her own money and doesn’t need a man for anything. “She’s too smart to crave material things / She’s pushing herself, day and night / She grinds from Monday to Friday, work from Friday to Sunday,” Bey sings. This is one of the strongest songs of the album, partially due to its wicked beat and Yoncé’s sexy drawl.

6. “Daddy Lessons” This song came completely out of left field and I don’t think anybody could have predicted this one. “Daddy Lessons” is about exactly that – lessons Beyoncé learned from her dad. “Daddy made a soldier out of me / Daddy made me dance / Daddy held my hand,” Bey sings, reminiscing about the complexbut-loving relationship she’s had with her father and former manager, Matthew Knowles. The track definitely has a bluesy feel and even a bluegrass influence, with a strumming guitar and handclap being the only other sounds beside Bey’s voice and background voices. The brass at

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the beginning are very New Orleans. “My daddy warned me about men like you,” Bey says towards the end of the song. I’ll be looking for her to perform this one at the next CMAs. 7. “Love Drought” This song introduces the second half of the album and returns to a more familiar Beyoncé, namely one who orients herself around soaring love songs. “You and me could move a mountain,” she coos on the radiantly sensual “Love Drought,” which has a gentle touch and kinetic drums.

8. “Sandcastles” The image of a sandcastle is one of something pristine being easily washed away, and it marks the opening of this emotionally raw piano ballad, but the way her voice rises with wounded anger with the line “What is it about you?” is reminiscent of the wave that ruins the sandcastle and is the true moment that kills the (Lawrence K. listener. After such intricate displays Ho/Los Angeles of production, “Sandcastles” reminds Times/TNS) us that stripped-down Beyoncé still overpowers.

9. “Forward” “Forward” is the shortest song on the album, not reaching even a minute and a half. The bit we do get is an example of glue, an interlude that joins two extraordinary artists, Beyoncé and James Blake, but does not let their perfectly melded voices shine together for more than a moment, leaving the listener wanting more before being launched into the next track.

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(Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

10. “Freedom” Anyone who knows me well knows I love Kendrick Lamar more than practically any other artist, so putting him together with Queen Bey pretty much made my whole week. This track is blues, soul, rock and gospel put together to create one of the strongest, if not the strongest song on this album. It is high energy and extremely powerful. And just to add a fun fact: “Freedom” samples a 1947 recording of a Mississippi State Penitentiary prisoner.

11. “All Night” This one essentially concluded the visual album version of “Lemonade” and there’s a good chance it’ll always feel like the album’s proper conclusion, with “Formation” serving as the vigorous bonus track.

Outkast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” horns make an appearance — just like they did on the “Flawless” remix with Nicki Minaj. The record is emotional in every sense and the lyrics are clichéd, but ultimately “All

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Night” is fun and uplifting, making it hard to do anything but smile.

12. “Formation” There is nothing I can say about this song that hasn’t been said already. It was thinkpieced to death before Beyoncé could even finish her Superbowl performance of the song.

I will say, however, that this is one of the most badass songs Bey has ever done and the amount of people it has inspired to love themselves despite our eurocentric beauty standards is something to be admired.

In closing, I will say that I have never respected Beyoncé more. She uses her power and influence to draw attention to issues of race and gender in an unapologetic way. Some people are not going to like this display of power. This is for black women and while other people can identify with things discussed in the album, we have to realize that this was not made specifically for all of us. End of story.

ACROSS 1 One capsule, say 5 Metaphorical sticking points 10 Jacob’s twin 14 App that connects riders with drivers 15 Hard pattern to break 16 Prominent giraffe feature 17 *Sing on key 19 Skedaddle 20 “Please, I’ve heard enough,” in texts 21 Speaker on a soapbox 22 Cutlass automaker 23 Jungle adventure 25 Store with Kenmore appliances 27 Sloppy 30 Corsage flower 33 Players in a play 36 Severely injure 38 Crystal-bearing rock

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39 Illuminated 40 *Try, with “at” 42 Civil War soldier 43 Desert building brick 45 Fashion magazine that’s also a French pronoun 46 In-flight predictions: Abbr.

47 Trickery 49 Discourage 51 24-__ gold 53 Draft choices 57 Whitewater ride 59 One with a bleeping job 62 Feel sorry about 63 Notable periods 64 Make available, as merchandise ... and a hint to the start of the answers to starred clues 66 Law business 67 Entices

68 Continent explored by Marco Polo 69 “__ old thing” 70 Lyric poem 71 Neighbor of Kent.

DOWN 1 Tear conduits 2 Bush successor 3 Sans __: type style 4 Make a mistake 5 Compelling charm 6 Pro __: in proportion 7 Share a border with 8 Lushes 9 Hi-fi system 10 Implement, as laws 11 *Underestimate 12 Breezed through, as a test 13 Luau instruments 18 Days of old 24 Tsp. or tbsp.

26 Constellation named for a mythological ship 28 Rescue 29 On-ramp sign 31 Original thought 32 Belles at balls 33 Not naked 34 Teacher’s helper 35 *Cattle enterprise 37 Bachelor party attendee 40 Estate beneficiary 41 Warm up for the game 44 “I’m baffled” 46 Unit of work 48 Bring down the running back 50 Make, as a living 52 Prepare to drive, as a golf ball 54 Wipe clean 55 Altercation 56 Family auto 57 Foul callers, at times 58 Operatic song 60 Fictional sleuth Wolfe 61 Went like the wind 65 It may be tipped by a gentleman

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RESTARAUNT REVIEW: LA UNICA MEXICAN RESTARAUNT ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

Tacos, quesadillas, Mexican food galore! When looking for an authentic and unique place to have a bite to eat, head on over to La Unica in Harrisburg, nothing but a twelve-minute drive from Campus.

The trip is more than worth it, for the service is fantastic and the food is phenomenal. I’ve been to La Unica twice, and it has been the only place that has consistently provided me with friendly service and tasty food.

Curiously and perhaps even fittingly, “La Unica” translates to “The only one” in English. It has indeed in my books counted as one of the only places with authentic and good

meals. Although the name suggests that the Harrisburg location is “the only one,” that’s not quite accurate.

There are four more locations throughout Charlotte one even near Uptown if you’re feeling fancy.

When we arrived, my friends and I were seated almost immediately and handed large, clean menus to ponder over. The wonderful thing about La Unica is that they offer authentic Mexican sodas and juices, unlike more Americanized Mexican restaurants. I of course went with tacos, and they were fantastic! The lunch special is the best because you get rice and beans with your

two tacos as well. Also, initially with the serving of your drink of choice, chips, and salsa are also placed before you. I ordered guacamole dip for my chips and when I tell you that it took her less than a minute to get me the guacamole I am telling the truth. The waitress was incredibly fast and kind. Once we ordered our actual meal, the food was placed on our table in less than ten minutes. Plates were hot, and the food tasted fresh. Periodically, the waitress would check on us even though she had other customers and she kept her composure and attended to everyone in a timely

and polite manner. After lunch, she graciously handed us to go plates and cups along with our check. The check is paid up front, which is a curse and a blessing because the first time I went, I didn’t realize this unannounced rule, so I sat in the booth for an eternity before getting up to pay the check at the entrance.

Overall the meal and the service was fantastic, and I recommend that everyone try it at least once. The food and the service have yet to fail me, and I don’t think it’s going to fail anyone else. Enjoy!

4.5/5

Photo by Angie Baquedano

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ANGIE BAQUEDANO STAFF WRITER

“Growing up, I moved 19 times, lived in five different states and one U.S. territory. I also went to nine different grade schools.

Change was a part of everyday life for a military family. I wouldn’t give up those memories and experiences for the world.

At the time, I was angry and confused about all the moving, but it did teach me to become resilient and how to interact with individuals of different cultures, socioeconomic statuses and lifestyles. I especially got in touch with my own culture in Puerto Rico. I love connecting with others and through my experiences I developed a passion for the power of relationships.

I decided early on to pursue psychology and to eventually study counseling. I have a soft spot for the military and addictions, which has led me to where I am now at UNC Charlotte, finishing up my Master of Arts in counseling with an emphasis in addictions. I aspire to work with service members both active and retired who are struggling with the disease of addiction. I absolutely love what I’m doing and how it impacts those around me, but mostly I love knowing that I’m making my father and grandmother extremely proud.”

Photo by Angie Baquedano

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Angie Sirvas

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