Niner Times - February 16, 2012

YOUR TRASH IS NOW MY TREASURE

OPINION

LIFESTYLE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

We’ve all heard the phrase one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but actually digging through garbage to find goods is another story.

p.8

ARE TANNING BEDS TRENDING IN CHARLOTTE?

PAGE 1

Whether you tan at a tanning salon or not everyone knows what a tanning bed is and the concept of how they work. p.5

NINERTIMES Thursday, Feburar y 16, 2012

Published twice weekly and online at www.nineronline.com

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Preparing for “The Hunger Games”

Photo courtesy of Chris Crews

Eden Creamer ECREAMER@UNCC.EDU

Ryan Pitkin AE@NINERONLINE.COM

If you’re not familiar with the “Hunger Games” book trilogy yet, you had better prepare yourself; it’s coming.

The first of three books from Suzanne Collins, titled “The Hunger Games,” was released in 2008 and the sequels were released during the next two consecutive years.

The series has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity recently, however, thanks to an upcoming major motion picture to be released this year.

The dystopian series is based around a not-so-bright future for our North American continent. Natural disasters have put the outermost parts of what used to be the United States underwater.

What’s left has been split up into 12 districts, ran by the oppressive “Capitol.”

As punishment for a revolution that happened decades before the book takes place (the one that wiped out District 13), the Capitol holds the Hunger Games annually.

During these “games,” a male and female representative between the ages of 12 and 18 is picked from each district at random to fight to the death, with the whole country, “Panem,” watching.

Fans of realism, such as myself, may be thinking that another sci-fi teen craze is the last thing we need to add to the already ensuing Twilight zeitgeist.

HUNGER GAMES p.7

International student dreams big Elizabeth Bartholf

A few words with the

HOMECOMING

King and Queen

Alan Kelley

AKELLE20@UNCC.EDU

Matt Murrow

Jessica Simpson

Q: What were you thinking as you waited for the announcement of the winners?

Q: What were you thinking as you waited for the announcement of the winners?

A: I am a competitive person, and I do not like to lose. I was preparing for a loss so that I would not be overly disappointed.

Q: Why did you decide to run for Homecoming King?

A: About a year ago, I was walking with Solomon Franklin to his car and he said, “Matt you’re the prototypical Charlotte 49er. You should think about running for Homecoming King.” I got to thinking about it, and I have done a lot things on campus here and to be able to use those experiences in the public light to benefit the university would be beneficial.”

Q: What are your plans now as far

EBARTHO3@UNCC.EDU

Some newcomers to the U.S. seek American dreams of prosperity and new opportunity. One international student at UNC Charlotte dreams even bigger.

“I have personal international dreams.

I want to travel around the world and have experiences firsthand—not just from a book or T.V. I want to live with the local people and experience the life they are living,” said Jingjing Zhao.

Zhao, originally from China, moved to Charlotte three years ago. She went to high school in Charlotte and is now a sophomore majoring in mathematics and finance at UNC Charlotte.

“I always wanted to study abroad. It was ZHAO p.2

Housing works to enforce visitor policies

A: I was very nervous because I did not know what to expect. This is something I worked so hard for, but I was in the running against some amazing women.

Q: Why did you decide to run for Homecoming Queen?

A: I decided to run for Homecoming Queen because I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and do something that was out of the ordinary for me. Also, I love UNC Charlotte and I wanted to serve as a role model for the student body.

Q: What are your plans now as far as work around the community?

A: Community service is something

KING p.3

A&E

QUEEN p.3

OPINION

Grammy Recap: With the loss of Whitney Houston on Saturday, celebration of her talented life, along with a celebration of wonderful music in general, began at the 54th Grammy awards.

Deadmont Tour: Pure filth.

That’s what the crowd experienced on Friday at the Fillmore for Steve Aoki and Datsik’s Deadmeat Tour. p.6-7

After the Niner Times released an article about an “underground Niner” in the Jan. 24, 2012, issue of the publication, students across campus fell into a frenzy. Students wondered if it was fair for someone such as Darnell Terrell* to live on campus while he didn’t attend UNC Charlotte. Others were more interested in extended details of his backstory. And some, the fewest in number, felt bad for Terrell.

Terrell applied to UNC Charlotte, and received his acceptance letter. When financial aid backed out on him, he moved in with a family member in Charlotte, began attending a local community college and worked to create a new life for himself.

After his family member kicked him out Terrell was forced to either return to his home in Durham, or move in with a friend at UNC Charlotte so he could continue his studies at community college.

“I just crashed at my friend’s dorm for a while, like two days, and they said ‘Well, if you need a place to be, I got my own room, so you’re always welcome man,’” said Terrell.

Terrell’s two days turned into two weeks, two months and now it is going on two semesters.

Allan Blattner, associate director for staff and student development with UNC Charlotte’s Department of Housing and Residence Life, considers cases like Terrell’s to be a rare violation of university policy.

“This is a pretty unique case, because my sense of this case is that he has nowhere else to live. We don’t see that very often, pretty much not at all,” said Blattner. “I think more often than not it’s someone who has a place off campus and is staying with a significant other, and they’re splitting time between the two locations, and it turns into more than three days.”

Blattner says in his 11 years working with housing and residence life, there are a few cases of visitation violations each year, but not many to his knowledge that involve an individual having nowhere else to go.

Visitation policy violations, Blattner UNDERGROUND p.2

SPORTS

LIFESTYLE

DEAR NORM

BALANCE:YOGA

Is your major your destiny? One

Many college students struggle with

plight of many college students espe-

balance. Classes, homework, jobs

cially as a freshmen or sophomore

and social lives that students are all

is the steep mountain of choosing a

trying to make time for, more often

major.

than not one thing falls short.

It takes some time maybe even years but most of us eventually choose that major, that career and that destiny for our lives p.5

With the addition of yoga for one

CATCHING UP WITH NINER SOFTBALL p.11

student’s life other areas of her life have become more balanced. p. 9

PAGE 2

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

ZHAO from p.1 my dream since I first opened my English textbook. I thought if I could go to an English-speaking country and learn English and study other subjects, [it] would be very fascinating,” she said.

At Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C., Zhao enjoyed working on projects for English class, including making posters and powerpoints and writing poems. Zhao said she was inspired by these creative projects and began to see the world in a different point of view.

“In China the homework is not like that at all—it’s always quizzes, papers and question after question,” said Zhao.

At UNC Charlotte, she’s found her place beyond the classroom. Zhao was vice president of the International Club her freshman year and now serves as president. She has worked managing the club’s budget and coordinating their trips to Washington, D.C., Orlando and New York City. Zhao became involved with the International Club when she went on a previous trip to Orlando.

“I fell in love with the international experience. I wanted to get involved and be part of the International Club—not just a member,” said Zhao.

In the International Student/Scholar

Office, Zhao helps incoming and current international students navigate paperwork and the transition to Charlotte.

Zhao is secretary for the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and will run for president next fall. She also serves as sophomore class president and a student in the Business Honors Program.

She has always wanted to go into business and may venture into international business. She competes with students from ivy league schools as she applies to study abroad this summer at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Zhao thinks of herself as a global citizen and dreams of traveling the world. She urges Charlotte students to get involved on campus, be open-minded to new experiences and travel whenever possible. “[Students] need to open your eyes and see the whole world instead of just one district, one school, one class,” said Zhao.

Before coming to the U.S., Zhao said she didn’t “see the big picture” of the world and just focused on her life in China. “[Now] I see myself differently. If I never studied abroad, if I never came to the U.S. I wouldn’t think the way I do right now. I would be a totally different person. I feel like I would never go back to the ‘little Jingjing’ anymore, and I don’t want to.”

Jingjing Zhao enjoys the weather in the Bahamas summer of 2010. Photo courtesy of Jingjing

UNDERGROUND from p.1 explains, occur most often when other schools are on break when UNC Charlotte is not. “ECU for example. They’re on a different spring break schedule, so that person will come and spend the week here,” said Blattner.

Problems with visitors in these situations usually happen when roommates don’t communicate before the guest arrives. “When they haven’t quite worked it out on the roommate level [is when there are problems]. Where they haven’t said ‘hey, my buddy’s coming from State for a week,’” said Blattner. “That’s a conversation they ought to have before that invitation gets extended.”

After the news broke that Terrell was living on campus, essentially illegally, the Department of Housing and Residence Life brought together administration, RAs and security guards to attempt to determine which buildings housed individuals violating guest policy.

“Certainly this story made us have conversations at staff meetings, and all kinds of different things, but we really feel like our staff is really well aware. As soon as this story came out, we said ‘does anybody have any ideas?’” said Blattner. “We had a couple of situations that popped back, and we investigated those. We don’t think them to be [Terrell], but we had one person who was staying here a little more than he should.”

Blattner says that individuals like Terrell would be noticed due to the large amount of unsanctioned time they would be spending in residence halls. “I think our best defense against this is that I think our RAs by large know their residents pretty well, so that the people who don’t necessarily live here stand out,” said Blattner.

Terrell, who has lived on campus since the beginning of the fall semester, more than likely fits in with other students living in the same building as him. “It’s easy for a non-student to masquerade as a student,” said Terrell.

Administrators like Blattner continue to have a positive outlook when it comes to keeping students living on campus safe, and removing individuals who don’t belong. “I think we catch 90 percent of that, but that doesn’t mean that every now and again, especially if we don’t know somebody’s name and we don’t know where to look like in the story that is purposefully protecting people’s anonymity and that sort of thing, really sort of put us at a disadvantage when trying to catch people doing this,’ he said.

While Blattner does not condone what Terrell is doing, he wishes more people on campus would take advantage of the services offered to students. “The sad part about this story is that here’s someone who clearly is taking advantage of everything we want students to take advantage of,” said Blattner. “But he’s just got this small issue that he’s not a student.”

Individuals breaking university visitation policy are few and far between, according to Blattner, but it is still a serious issue none-the-less.

Despite Terrell’s breaking of university policy, however, Blattner says he would be welcomed as a student in the coming semesters. “I don’t know what the individual circumstances are,” said Blattner.

“But I think that if he can take care of that to where he can come back as a full fledged student, you know go from 39er to 49er, that would be great.” *Name changed to protect the individual’s identity.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

KING from p.1

QUEEN from p.1

Matt Murrow, cont.

Jessica Simpson, cont.

as service work around the community?

that I have always committed myself to.

I love giving back to the community that has given so much to me by volunteering and doing service work for different organizations.

A: I am now one of the liaisons for the Governor’s Village program between James Martin Middle School and the university, which provides mentors and education experiences to the middle school students, as well as a part of the Stake the Claim Campaign and a part of Regina Brown’s Multicultural Resources Board.

Q: Why do you think the Homecoming King and Queen are important to a university?

A: I think the Homecoming King and Queen are important to a university because they serve as excellent role model to the student body and provide awareness to Homecoming. Also, the Homecoming King and Queen are a true representation of the spirit that embodies a 49er and work to promote school spirit.

Q: Why do you think the Homecoming King is important to UNC Charlotte?

A: In the Charlotte area, the university has a reputation as a commuter school, an oversized community college. It is important to have passionate people outside of the school that know about the university and are passionate about it. Allowing other people to get excited about the university, it is a way of reaching out and building the universities brand and image.

Q: How did you celebrate after the announcement?

A: Becoming UNC Charlotte’s 2012 Homecoming Queen was truly a wonderful honor that I am very excited about. After hearing the announcement, I spent a lot of

Q: How did you celebrate after the announcement?

A: After the basketball game I went home for a little bit then I went to the Green and Gold Affair. After that, I went home and played Xbox, 2K11 with the Bobcats.

Q: What did you learn from the campaign experience? What advice would you give to next year’s aspiring King?

A: It’s a really interesting experience. As far as the whole campaign experience, you have to be willing to get out there and expose yourself to campus and tell everybody who you are. As far as how to do it, get out there and get involved with different things, expand your network, don’t go for a certain organization or a specific Greek organization, or anything. Meet as many people as you possibly can it’s the best way to get the most out of your college experience it will make it worthwhile.

Q: What was the most difficult aspect of the Homecoming process?

A: I am a competitor so the hardest part was accepting that I might not win, accepting the possibility of defeat. Creating a campaign and going out to speak to people, I spoke to the Kappa Delta, NCSC national society of collegiate scholars and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). I was a little bit worried that it was going to cost me that I didn’t speak to many more organizations.

my time taking pictures with friends, family and other UNC Charlotte students. That night I attended the Green and Gold Affair and had a great time playing casino games with the other members of the Royal Court.

Q: What are some of your responsibilities as Homecoming King and Queen?

A: Being Homecoming Queen is a great honor that requires me to serve as a role model to the student body and to work to showcase 49er spirit.

Q: What do you attribute your win too?

A: I attribute my win to my amazing campaign committee because without them I would not have been able to win. I would like to give a huge shout out to my campaign manager, Kevin Praseuth, because he helped me out throughout the entire process. My sorority sisters and closest friends really helped me to get word out about my campaign and also to raise money.

Q: What did you learn from the campaign experience? What advice would you give to next year’s aspiring Queen?

A: The biggest thing that I learned on the campaign trail was the importance of having conversations with people and building connections with new individuals.

Q: How did you find out about the chance to be Homecoming Queen?

A: I was aware of this opportunity because of the emails that were sent out from the Student Organizations website.

Q: What do you attribute your win too?

A: I am not really a politician, so I am not good at conducting myself as one doing the tabling and such but I let my actions speak for themselves. The other candidates were involved with things, but I think I have been involved in a more diverse group of things. I have more friends to pull from different places.

PAGE 3

Q: What was the most difficult aspect of the Homecoming process?

A: The most difficult aspect of the Homecoming process was raising money and networking. Raising money was difficult because many college students do not like to donate money even when it is for a good cause, so I had to work extra hard to raise money for the Governor’s Village Schools.

Matt Murrow flashes a pick-axe when he is announced Homecoming King. Photo courtesy of

Corbin Peters

Q: What was the best part?

A: When they called my name.

Q: What other organizations/clubs are you involved in?

A: I am Vice President of marketing of SIFE, and I’m running for president next year. I am vice president and one of the founders of Niner Traditions. I work at the graduate school doing work study, last semester I was working with the university college, where I had to teach a class to freshmen students, and I attend all the basketball games.

Q: What other organizations/clubs are you involved in?

A: I am the President of the Student Alumni Ambassadors, I am a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, I am a SAFE Counselor, a member of the University Honors Program and a former Orientation Counselor. I have been involved with the Student Government Association for 2.5 years, I was a member of the LEAD Team, a graduate of the Leadership Learning Community and Leadership Fellows and the Pre-Law Society.

Q: How did becoming Homecoming King affect other aspects of your life?

A: Well it has only been two days. People know me now that I have never seen before. I think that is the biggest thing that I have noticed.

Q: How did becoming Homecoming Queen effect other aspects of your life?

Q: What’s the most difficult thing about being a leader?

A: It’s being willing to make the right decisions when people around you are making the wrong ones because you know if you’re a leader you have to be a positive representation.

Jessica Simpson as she is announced Homecoming Queen for 2012. Photo courtesy of Corbin

Peters

A: Becoming Homecoming Queen has enhanced other aspects of my life by bringing awareness to my dedication to our university. I am so honored and proud to serve as the Homecoming Queen of Niner Nation and will work to be the best role model that I can possibly be.

PAGE 4

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Greeks restructure recruitment process Christina Mullen

CMULLEN6@UNCC.EDU

In October 2010, the National Panhellenic Council (NPC) adopted a new resolution that changed how recruitment was to be directed, affecting the hundreds of prospective Greeks and their recruitment experience.

The NPC resolved that sorority members refrain from participating in fraternity recruitment. In the past, Panhellenic women have worked fraternity recruitment events in roles such as hostesses, servers or just attended the events. The UNC Charlotte Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Association (PHA) have now adopted this policy, forbidding sorority members from having any part in fraternity recruitment.

The Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 protected against discrimination in education. Fraternities and sororities earned an exemption from Title IX and maintained the right to confine their membership only to women or men and to exist as single-sex organizations. Because fraternities are registered as single-sex organizations, recruitment is also confined to a single-sex event therefore having sorority sisters at recruitment would infringe on this policy.

The other reason that the NPC believes that sorority sisters shouldn’t be present at events is because of one of the main goals of fraternity life: for chapter members to develop a bond with their brotherhood that lasts far beyond graduation day. With sorority sisters at events, Greek life officials fear that a different message may be presented.

Potential fraternity members may be under the impression that with the brotherhood comes a close relationship with the sorority members who are at these events.

Michelle Guobadia, Director of Fraternity

and Sorority Life at UNC Charlotte, mentions “When you join a fraternity, you don’t get the girl that’s there.” Therefore, the exclusion of sorority members at these events prevents these ideas.

Both the IFC and the PHA have issued statements that if “women are duly found to be involved with an IFC fraternity’s recruitment, that specific fraternity where the infraction occurred will potentially not be allowed to have mixers in the fall of 2012 with PHA sororities.” Generally the fraternity in trouble would not be allowed to mix with the sorority that had been present at the mixer.

Guobadia mentioned that although a $1,000 fine was discussed amongst Greek life officials, it ultimately was not passed.

However, individual chapters may choose to apply further disciplinary actions against those responsible for the violation(s).

Although there are rules against sorority sisters being at fraternity recruitment events, the policy applies both ways. Fraternity brothers should not be at sorority recruitment events either. Even though this policy applies both to fraternity and sorority life, Guobadia mentions that fraternity brothers generally have not attended sorority recruitment events in the past.

Due to the longtime tradition of sorority sisters being involved in fraternity recruitment, adapting to the new policy isn’t as easy as it would seem. Three fraternities, Kappa Sigma, Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Epsilon, broke policy in the semester of fall 2011.

Although the IFC and the PHA have adopted this new policy, there are mixed emotions regarding its implementation.

Guobadia explained that there were some chapters that weren’t exactly thrilled with the new rule. Kurt Beal, the president of the IFC writes in a letter to the IFC fraternities, “Hopefully a more collaborative, joint system can be established in the near future.”

THIS WEEK IN SGA New hearing panel members approved The Student Government Association (SGA) approved six new hearing panel members Feb. 9, 2012, in their weekly general assembly. Emiko Morimoto, Daniel Braese, Michael Whitley, Jason Mercado, Melody Lee and Il-Woong Oh were all confirmed. Ciera Choate

Nominations open This past Monday nominations for Student Body President and Vice President opened. Any UNC Charlotte student can run for office. Ciera Choate

Student organization approved The Student Government Association (SGA) recently approved a new student organization, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Students.

They are working to increase the use of environmentally sustainable design, construction and building practices across the university. Ciera Choate

Senator removed from seat College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senator, Brittney Lara, was removed from her seat due to excessive absences to the general assembly meetings.

Whitney Rice and Yessie Zuniga were also up for attendance hearing but were excused from their absences. Ciera Choate

New senators approved The Student Government Association (SGA) approved two new senators, Derek Boesch and Ugochukwu Duru-Iheoma.

Ciera Choate

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

OPINION NINERTIMES Volume 24, Number 36

PAGE 5

Are tanning beds the hottest trend?

A PRODUCT OF

Matthew Dentremont MDENTREM@UNCC.EDU

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Whether you tan at a tanning salon or not everyone knows what a tanning bed is and the concept of how they work. You go in pale and come out tan or red depending on your skin type.

Many people around the world go tanning on a daily basis to keep that “natural” glow throughout the year. So what’s all the hype about?

Spring break is coming up and I know the tanning salons around campus will be having some major business during this month and maybe even some special deals for those new to tanning.

Plenty of my friends including myself go tanning at Palm Beach Tan right down the street from our very own campus. It’s a great place to tan and a very reputable salon.

The employees working there are always friendly and helpful whenever need be.

Fellow 49er Francesca Suppa is a frequent member at Palm Beach Tan and considers it a part of her lifestyle.

I asked Francesca why tanning was so important to her and why she liked it so much. “I consider tanning a way to relax, it’s like my therapy in a way. Plus I think

everyone looks better tan. I don’t know what I would do without tanning salons.”

Many people feel that tanning is the only way to go and the tanner the better.

Francesca also stated “There is risk with everything people do whether it be smoking cigarettes or even drinking alcohol. I take the risk that I may develop skin cancer one day and that’s just how I look at it.”

Not only do women tan in the tanning bed, but more men than you think do so as well.

Kevin Opsala Freshman at UNC Charlotte is also a member at Palm Beach Tan. He just started tanning about 6 months ago and loves it.

I asked him if it embarrassed him to tell

people he goes tanning and he replied saying, “I’m not embarrassed to tell my friends but I would never tell my family because they think it’s super bad for you”.

Kevin’s family is right, tanning is bad for you. According to the National Cancer Institute 55 percent of people who tan more than once a month in a tanning bed will develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Spray tans are also a way to get some color if you’re worried about skin cancer. Although I must warn you they don’t always turn out the way you expect.

Even though tanning may be bad for you it’s a way of life for so many people everywhere including here at UNC Charlotte and they wouldn’t stop tanning for anything.

Tanning is so popular that it is advertised through movies and TV shows as well.

The movie “Going the distance” is an example of when actor Justin Long gets a spray tan to “look better” for the girl he is about to see. Jersey shore is another huge way tanning has been put out there for people to see.

In the end it’s up to you whether you want to tan and look bronzed for the year or go all natural and not risk getting cancer.

Dear Norm, Is your major your destiny?

One plight of many college students especially as a freshmen or sophomore is the steep mountain of choosing a major.

As a high school student most people are under the impression that you have to plan out your whole life.

Whether seven or seventeen people think that they will one day be wealthy, own an enormous house, get married to their high school sweetheart and major in something that corresponds to a career they have dreamed of ever since they can remember but it doesn’t always work out that way.

I am in an education class right now taught by a professor who may seem a little rough around the edges but if you get to know him just a little you will soon find out that he loves his job. He is passionate

about teaching and wants the best for his students.

One statement he made struck home for me. He said that you know you have found the right career if you wake up in the morning and you can’t wait to go to work and when the end of the day comes you can’t wait until the next morning.

There you have it sage advice from a seasoned professor who still loves teaching after all these years. If I major in something that leads me to a career that makes me feel this way I will know that my life is a success.

Before I let this idea set in I thought of my plan for my future career to be like a map. I thought I would pick a destination and find the most efficient route to get there, but that does not seem to matter anymore. My destination on my map is my destiny.

For me rather than my destiny being a specific job or career path I know my personal destiny is to impact people.

My dream is to be a psychologist or a teacher but the great thing is that I don’t need to know all the answers now. I just find things out about myself and about the jobs I am interested in one step a time and

that is all I need to know.

When we were younger we had dreams for our lives but as we mature little by little those dreams slowly morph and fade into our destiny. Maybe when you entered college you sought a degree in physics or engineering hoping to set your future up with a foundation of wealth.

If that is the case you soon found out (or will soon find out) that those shallow dreams crumbled down in shambles and you probably chose superficial aspirations based on money that will never sustain your happiness.

It takes some time maybe even years but most of us eventually choose that major, that career and that destiny for our lives that truly satisfies what we are meant to do. And once that happens we will be in the career that leaves us content and desiring to go to work each morning.

Got something to ask Norm? Send it to editor@nineronline.com

Letters to the Editor Do you want your voice to be heard?

TIME TO

STAND

OUT FROM THE CROWD Send your thoughts to editor@nineronline.com

PAGE 6

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

A&E

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Adele takes it all, Houston honored at 54th annual Grammy Awards Patrick Bogans PBOGANS@UNCC.EDU

With the unfortunate loss of music icon Whitney Houston on Saturday, celebration of her talented life, along with a celebration of wonderful music in general, began at the 54th Grammy awards Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012.

With that attitude, host LL Cool J began the evening with somber remembrance to set the stage for a great night; and a great night it was.

With a complete and utter sweep of all 6 of the categories she was nominated for, Adele was the biggest winner of the night.

Taking home the three most prestigious awards of the night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, Adele’s performance in her sophomore album “21” has been the biggest, best and most successful crossover hit in recent memory.

Kanye West, who was not present at the ceremony, and the Foo Fighters were also huge winners for the night.

The Foo Fighters won five awards, such as Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album for “Walk” and “Wasting Light,” respectively.

West won for his album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” his song “Otis” off of the “Watch the Throne” album he made with Jay-Z and even snagged two more for his rap song collaboration, “All of the Lights”.

West was actually nominated for the most awards, with seven nods. Adele, Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars came next with six each. Lil Wayne, Skillrex and Radiohead were each nominated five times.

Skillrex swept the dance awards, while other winners included The Civil Wars, Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, Lady Antebellum and Bon Iver.

The performances at the show were overall very entertaining and pleasant, and surprisingly, only a few fell completely flat. When they did fall flat, however, it was ugly.

In general, the performances can be rated on a scale from Nicki Minaj to Jennifer Hudson.

Hudson’s tribute performance of “I Will Always Love You” to the late Houston was the best and most heartfelt piece of the night, hands down.

After an unfortunate hiccup with vocal surgery late last year, Adele blew everyone away with her first post-operation performance of “Rolling in the Deep” at the show.

The standing ovation she received was very well deserved.

Bruno Mars’ homage to classic pop, Katy Perry’s obvious spiteful song to exhusband Russell Brand, and Taylor Swift’s folksy “Mean” after an intriguing introduction by The Civil Wars, were also among the more memorable acts of the night.

Other performances included collaborations such as Tony Bennett with Carrie Underwood or Rihanna and Coldplay, weren’t exactly immensely memorable, but still very well done and entertaining to say the least.

The most hyped, but most frustrating ordeal of the night, however, was the absurdity and confusion prompted from Nicki Minaj’s performance of her new single “Roman Holiday”.

Usually, when pop culture runs out of ways to shock the audience, they turn to religion.

And that’s what Minaj did. Unfortunately this blending of religious elements with an exorcism of her character “Roman”, the craziness and chaos of the performance was awkward and just left viewers straight up baffled.

Her attempt to create a memorable water cooler moment for Monday worked, but nothing much more than that.

Despite that blunder, the whole night was a fantastic success, especially for amazing British singer Adele who ultimately walked away with six awards.

Deadmau5 performing with a shirt that read Skrillex’s personal phone number and the words “U mad bro?” Maximum trolling achi eved.

MCT Campus

Paul McCartney gets by with a little help from his friends during the finale MCT Campus

Nicki Minaj’s Catholicism-inspired performance received mostly negative responses. “Stay offended. Not a single F**K is given,” read her tweet shortly after the performance MCT Campus

Foo Fighters take home five Grammy Awards; just shy of Adele’s six

Treasure Fest to showcase up-and-coming artists The out-of-towners: Algernon Cadwallader (PA), Leather (PA), Restorations (PA), The Emotron (GA), Black Wine (NJ), Red Collar (Raleigh), Museum Mouth (Southport), Double Negative (Raleigh), Worn In Red (VA), Naked Gods (Boone), Sundials (Richmond, VA), Wymyns Prysyn (Atlanta, GA), No Tomorrow (Wilmington, NC), Napalm Raid (Nova Scotia, Canada), Roz Raskin & the Rice Cakes (RI) The Charlotte talent: One Another, No Power, Jr. Astronomers, Old Milwaukee, Pullman Strike, Andy the Doorbum and Young and In the Way The setting: Snug Harbor, Lunchbox Records, Common Market, Studio 1212, Thirsty Beaver, Kickstand and Thomas St. Tavern

Barry Falls Jr

B FA L L S 4 @ U N C C . E D U

Treasure Fest is back by popular demand. Bringing back last year’s favorites in addition to some new faces, this two-day Charlotte music festival is scheduled for May 18th to 19th.

“If you are concerned that this year’s Treasure Fest would not be as good as last year,” read a recent FaceBook status from the festival. “Because sequels are rarely as good as originals, then consider this- Terminator 2, Aliens, and Odd Couple 2 are greater than their original counterparts.

And we intend to go that route while booking this year’s craziness.”

Treasure Fest was a big hit last year when the festival brought a lot of attention to the Queen City.

Since last year’s festival, the festival’s mastermind Joshua Robbins has been hard at work booking musicians and making plans with local venues and sponsors.

Currently the Treasure Fest team is continuing to book acts and networking with potential sponsors. Charlotte music fans should expect more news to be released in the near future.

MCT Campus

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Deadmeat Tour hits Fillmore hard Ann Woo YWOO@UNCC.EDU

Pure filth. That’s what the crowd experienced on Friday at the Fillmore for Steve Aoki and Datsik’s Deadmeat Tour.

And I don't mean that as a bad thing, either.

When I first arrived at the venue, the diversity of the people in line varied from freaks to super freaks. I missed Alvin Risk, the opening act, and was soon made aware that I missed a great set.

Datsick went on around 9:30 p.m. and he opened the show with crowd favorite, "YES," which he produced along with Bassnectar. He immediately got

stage and he was ready to get wild. In the week leading up to the show, people that attended in the cities before Charlotte were tweeting about how outrageous Aoki was and how he would throw food and drinks into the crowd so I had gone in with high expectations.

Here is the scene as soon as Aoki got on: imagine a food fight with hundreds of people squished together in one room with house music playing in the background and people crowd surfing on top of inflatable mattresses.

Random objects sent flying into the crowd included two salad trays, two chocolate cakes, a bottle of orange juice and about five bottles of champagne.

Filmore attendees get dirty, wet and fully enteratined at the Deadmeat Tour. the entire venue pumped and raging.

Song after song, he aimed to please and that he did. With visual effects behind him and random explosions of confetti coming from top, everyone was zoned in to their own world and at times I’d forget there were mobs of people all around me.

The bass he brings is crunchy and perfectly timed. Any audience member can see his main goal is to make sure everyone has a good time.

He was constantly asking the audience if we were enjoying the show and satisfaction came in the form of the roaring and cheering coming back at him.

Another awesome thing about Datsick is the way he doesn't forget his friends. He constantly shouted out the people who helped him get started by saying things like, “You guys like my friend Excision? Make sure to check him out!”

After his last song ended, the crowd went crazy and started chanting “Datsik!

Datsik!” and he stood there in awe for a couple of seconds and took it all in.

After about a 10-15 minute break, the event staff had set up Steve Aoki’s

Photo/Steve Aoki

Aoki is very interactive with his audience, which I found out firsthand. I somehow pushed and pulled my way to the front row during Datsik so I was front and center while Aoki was on.

At one point during his set, he scanned the front row and stopped at me. He unscrewed the top of a bottle of orange juice. If he was aiming for my mouth, he did an awful job.

As the set progressed, Aoki began playing more dupstep than house music and the light show had everyone in a trance. Between Datsik and Steve Aoki, the night was full of raunchy bass and fun-loving electro house music.

One would be hard pressed to find anyone in the crowd who left feeling anything less than ecstatic.

Alex Dyer, a sophomore at UNC Charlotte, said at the end of the night, “That was the best show I’ve ever been to. Everything was perfect. The venue, the artists, the music - it was all ideal.”

It truly was a great show. Both artists have grown as performers since the last time I saw them this past summer at Identity Music Festival. I will countdown the days until they return to the Queen City.

HUNGER from pg. 1 Fans of said vampire flick may feel protective of their precious series, whose new movie fell second to “The Hunger Games” in a Reuters study ranking the most anticipated movies of 2012.

This film may just be the perfect storm to attract people of both schools of thought.

I had never heard of the series until the movie production came to Charlotte, one of the many North Carolina locations where the movie was filmed. I never really gave it any thought.

Then I saw the trailer.

I was sucked in from the start. I devoured the books quickly and came away convinced that these stories can speak to anyone.

The thing that keeps “Games” relatable is the fact that the science doesn’t outweigh the fiction.

The oppressive nature of the district’s leadership means people aren’t walking around with laser guns and hovercrafts. One district mines, another farms, another fishes and so on.

People from the Capitol dye their skin and do idiotic things to their body and hair in the name of fashion, but this is already being done on Jersey Shore so there’s nothing too far from reality.

The true strength of Collins’ storytelling comes from the well-rounded aspects of her characters. For the most part, the book revolves around three young people: Katniss, Gale and Peeta.

The girl is constantly fighting with her own conscious over which one she wants to be with. I know, this sounds a little too familiar.

I can’t speak to differences with Twilight because I’ve never read the books or seen the movies but I know that I was very impressed with the flawed characters of the heroes and heroines of “The Hunger Games.”

For me, there was no routing for anyone to win anyone else’s heart because every character was sympathetic at

PAGE 7

times and completely selfish and idiotic at others. In other words, they were real people.

The movie is going to be rated PG-13, which sort of took me by surprise. Anyone who has read the books knows that violence runs deep into the storyline.

The bloodshed is important in showing how the Capitol has Panem’s citizens brainwashed into betting on a blood sport they have fed their children to. Yet I am not reviewing the movie, so I can only speak for the books.

As much as I hate the people who

Katniss aims to replace Harry Potter, and take over Twilight’s spot.

Photo/Europa Press jump off a bandwagon as it gets too crowded, I am sort of enjoying the authentic love some people feel for these stories now before the movie is released.

That’s because I’ve seen what’s coming.

It’s inevitable that come March, when the movie comes out, there will be crazed teenagers roaming the streets in armies named Team Peeta and Team Gale.

That’s fine because it’s part of our culture, but as far as old fashioned reading goes, I suggest you get a jump on this series while you can still find a copy.

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NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

Where a Niner’s spare moments go

Move over, Spring Scarlett Newman

SNEWMAN6@UNCC.EDU

Photo/Lee Pham

DUMPSTER Diving and waste auditing

Michele Karr MKARR1@UNCC.EDU

We’ve all heard the phrase one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but actually digging through garbage to find goods is another story.

Believe it or not it’s a current trend among many young people. Picking through rubbish is not just for the homeless anymore. The activity dubbed “dumpster diving” can be a part of someone’s life as a casual hobby or can be a serious way to save a little dough. Whatever the case may be it is happening right in our own backyard.

One big motivation for many people is to not spend money on food. It may sound gross, but a large quantity of garbage is scrap food, making it simple for someone to put together a filling meal. UNC Charlotte student Kaitlyn Tokay lived off of this practice for an entire semester.

Students have recently been noticed digging through the trash near the College of Health and Human Services building.

These students are waste audits.

Waste audits have a hands-on approach to reduce waste and help increase recycling on campus.

UNC Charlotte’s recycling clubs on

campus have been helping to go through the waste and increase awareness in other students.

This waste auditing is another big influence for people who participate in dumpster diving. Many items are thrown away daily that could be recycled or used in some way. Some divers even retrieve these materials to make a profit.

“I personally wouldn’t go jumping into a dumpster to get stuff out, because I am a bit of a germaphobe. I guess it depends what people are getting out of it,” said UNC Charlotte junior Michelle Leader.

This is a stigma that many participants of dumpster diving want to change. It is not as unsanitary as some people may think.

And by going through the trash themselves in public, the dumpster divers want to prove that it does not have to be as gross as it sounds.

Dumpster diving is also not just for food and recyclables. People have been known to find all sorts of goods that they can use for their daily lives.

Things like furniwture, art, housing accessories and many more are common items found in and around dumpsters. In the trash areas of large grocery or multipurpose stores excess food or other goods can be found at the end of the day.

BY THE NUMBERS

84 250, 000, 000

72

4.43

The percent of trash that North Carolinians bury in landfills.

The tons of trash that Americans generate each year.

The percent of newspapers recovered and recyled each year.

The pounds of trash generated by each American per day.

As we settle into the Spring semester people become fixated on the thought of Spring Break.

“I love the beach and the sun so I’m more than excited to rock jean shorts, thank tops and sundresses this spring,” said Hannah Hammond, a UNC Charlotte junior from Boston. “Happy weather makes for a happy student.”

But for designers springtime means just the opposite.

If you didn’t already know there are two fashion week events held each year. In September designers show off Spring/Summer collections and in January and February, they show Autumn/Winter collections.

This is the most anticipated week in fashion, and it’s held in four different cities: Paris, New York, Milan and wLondon. This year Paris is showing two weeks, one week for Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012 collections and Autumn/Winter as well.

Some of the most sought after and recognizable American designers showing at New York Fashion Week include Anna Sui, BCBGMAXAZRIA, Rebecca Minkoff, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren.

Charlotte Fashion Week took place last September, but there are no plans for a show this month.

For the fashion enthusiasts are not able to attend these events around the world, but there are tons of blogs and websites dedicated to keeping people up to date about what’s going during each day that the shows going on.

Tumblr has actually been a huge platform for Fashion Magazines and associations like the Council of Fashion Designers of America to provide photos and articles for people interested on up to date collections and topics in the fashions world.

CDFA, Vogue, Elle and Women’s Wear Daily are big front-runners in the Tumblr world. They provide many photos from runway shows and close-ups so you can see the detailing of garments.

A lot of these blogs can actually be used as learning platforms. If you’re interested in the fashion world or if you eventually want to have a career in fashion these sites and blogs can be used a virtual textbooks.

The world of fashion is ever changing and very exciting. It can also be very hard to keep up with, but if you use your resources it won’t be difficult to stay up to date.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

A yogi’s journey:

49er

Gentleman: CARDIGANS

Balan

Jordan McSwain

ce

Ciera Choate

NEWS@NINERONLINE.COM

Many college students struggle with balance. We have class, homework, jobs and social lives that we are all trying to make time for, and more often than not one thing falls short.

With the addition of yoga in my life I’ve noticed other areas have been more balanced.

When I’m standing on my mat I feel more rooted into the ground, and every time I stress about how much I have to work or study I just revisit the mat and everything feels better and more in order.

Last week I had two tests and a paper to start working on, and despite all of that I took time to practice yoga. I felt like afterwards, even though it was late, I was more focused and in tune with my studies.

Before I began my journey as a yogi I would always skip a workout when I had a lot of things to get done. About three weeks into the semester I didn’t work out at all because that’s just how my schedule was – completely filled to the brim. Now yoga is my priority because without I can’t focus on anything else.

Another aspect of balance is the physical balancing we take part in during class.

When I first began taking classes I was afraid to do anything that required my

PAGE 9

J M C S WA 1 7 @ U N C C . E D U

Photo/Ciera Choate

hips to be over my head, but after all of this practicing I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I master a new balance. There’s something sweet about completing a goal you have been working at for weeks.

I focus a lot on the inner changes that yoga brings, but I would be lying if the physical workout and strength that comes with it didn’t draw me in a little as well.

I didn’t gain the “freshman 15” coming into college, but I still lost a lot of the physical strength I had during high school.

Working out on a regular basis again has made me feel better about my body.

Even if someone doesn’t buy into the spiritual and emotional part of yoga, the physical benefits you gain are worth the time as well. It’s not a monotonous workout like going to the gym is and keeps you in constant motion.

Although some people come into a yoga class thinking it’s just a workout and nothing more, just like I did at first, I promise they will leave after a couple of weeks understanding the full spectrum of benefits there are.

Yoga is much more than a workout and something to use to get you into shape. It’s about balance, love, compassion, patience and so much more.

For me winter brings clouds, dismal days, biting chills and blatantly no fun; except, of course, the fashion.

Cardigans, sweaters, boots, scarves, toboggans and pea coats - the list goes on and on and includes all of the great things to wear during such a bland season. In Charlotte we had an extremely long and warm fall so it wasn’t until the last few weeks that these were necessary.

But we gentlemen have to focus on one thing at a time, and right now it’s cardigans.

Coming in every color and style, these open sweaters with a swooping neck to a line of buttons are perfect for winter.

The variations of manly outfits are numerous with cardigans, each depending on the individual and what goes underneath the cardigan. Below is a breakdown of do’s, don’ts, and what to wear underneath those cardigans: Simple t-shirts: For those days when it’s cold and those arms need covering, throwing on a simple v-neck or crew neck of a complimentary color will go a long way.

Take whatever color your cardigan is, usually some shade of gray or blue, and grab an undershirt that contrasts. With a darker cardigan wear a brighter or more vibrant tshirt. The rule that bright colors are out for the winter is completely false and outdated.

Wear a bright color and stand out against those gray clouds above you.

Band tees: In a society immersed in music of every genre, t-shirts branding bands and artists are seen everywhere. Some are worn well and some you can tell are the only thing that guy is wearing this week is never OK, no matter how much you love Metallica. Whether your shirt is The Bea-

tles or Bon Iver, surely there will be a young lady out there waiting to strike up a conversation about her favorite song by the artist on your shirt.

Polo: If you want to step it up from a tshirt and add in a bit more classiness, try a polo underneath. The same contrast rules apply. Walk around and it is obvious to see the variations in polo shirt designs, ranging from solids to stripes. It is never OK to wear one striped shirt under another. If your cardigan is striped, you better be wearing something solid or with an isolated design or logo. Mixing patterns is an easy way to show how single you are.

Button up and tie/bow tie: This is the pinnacle of all cardigan outfits. When you take a black cardigan and add a white button up with a black skinny tie, you are telling the world the pockets of your cardigan hold nothing but swag. No matter your size, a skinny tie will always work. The same rule applies, no mixing patterns with one exception; solid/striped cardigan, solid button up, pattern tie is fine as long as the pattern on the tie is something like paisley or polka dots or a repeated symbol but again, MIXING STRIPES IS NOT OK. The final cardigan rule is that you should never button the bottom button. No matter your size, if the bottom button is buttoned it looks snug and uncomfortable. A cardigan should fit like a blazer with plenty of room in the waist and coming down on your wrists to stop right beneath the wrist buttons on your button up.

Tip of the Week: Never say, “I couldn’t pull that off.” Bow ties do not belong to fraternities, boots with cuffed jeans do not belong to hipsters and band tees do not belong to grunge kids. Wear what you want but wear it well. Until next week gentlemen, cheers.

PAGE 10

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

DOWNTIME 16

17

Thursday

Friday

Sweet Breakfast

Show Your Culture

Student Union 261

Belk Tower

9:00 p.m.

2:00p.m.-2:30p.m.

May Day! May Day! I’m Stressed!

Fretwell 310

12:30p.m.-1:30p.m.

THIS WEEK IN

49ers Baseball vs.

St. Peter’s* Hayes Stadium 4p.m.

18

Saturday

Paintball Trip

Meet Student Union Loading Deck 1:00 p.m.

Club 49er

Student Union Multipurpose Room 9:00p.m.-1:00a.m.

*Series Times: Saturday Doubleheader 12:00p.m/3:30 p.m. and Sunday 12:00p.m.

February 16, 1923 The tomb of King Tut is opened by archaeologist Howard Carter.

February 17, 1801 Thomas Jefferson was elected the third President of the United States.

February 18, 1930 Astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh discovers Pluto.

February 19, 1847 The Donner Party is saved in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

February 20, 1792 George Washington signs legislation to create the U.S. Postal Service

February 21, 1948 The National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) is formed.

19

Sunday

Heart of Worship: Voices of Eden Concert Student Union Multipurpose Rooms 6:00p.m.

20

Monday

Basic Power Yoga SAC Group Fitness Studio 11:05a.m.-12:05p.m.

Resumes that Get You the Interview Atkins 150

1:00p.m.-2:00p.m.

21

Tuesday

Distinguished Speakers Forum: Charlie Todd McKnight Hall

7:00p.m.-9:00p.m.

Let’s Talk About It: Citizenship Student Union 266 5:30p.m.-6:30p.m.

NINERONLINE.COM

SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

The ‘Ladies of Summer’ start fresh

Stay in the Know Follow our sports on writers on Twitter @ N AT H A N _ B U T L E R 9 2 @ T R AV I S D U R K E E

SPORTS SCHEDULE

Friday Softball vs.Stony Brook 2 p.m.

Men’s Tennis @UNC Greensboro 2 p.m.

Nathan Butler

@ N AT H A N _ B U T L E R 9 2

The Charlotte 49ers Softball program hopes to continue some of the magic this season, as they have experienced in seasons past.

Led by head coach Aimee DeVos, in her 17th season, this could be just the year to turn some heads.

Looking back at 2011 one can’t gain the assumption of what 2012 will bring, even though Charlotte compiled a 30-win season for the sixth consecutive year, as this is a much younger team by some standards.

“I expect this young team to mature very quickly,” said head coach Aimee DeVos. The 49er women have brought in eight freshmen this year, with the likes of four juniors and one senior. In most cases that would create much concern without any upperclassmen leadership, but DeVos doesn’t seem overly concerned.

“Before we hit conference, I think we’ll be playing like seasoned veterans,” said DeVos on the leadership of her squad.

But what gives?

No question about it this has turned into a magical year for Charlotte athletics, but will it continue for the softball program?

Personally, I think it will.

Not to mention, Charlotte is returning with seven letter-winners, including lone senior and third baseman Lorena Vela.

The 49ers also return junior Briana Gwaltney, who leads all returning players in batting average, runs, hits, home runs and RBIs. Also it’s important to note, the 2011 first team all-conference selection, Gwaltney, is third all-time in the Charlotte record books in home runs.

Sophomore Kalie Lang also returns as an offensive weapon, having garnered allrookie honors last season.

“We hope by the third week in March that everybody’s playing and we are as comfortable out there as if they’ve been playing for two to three years,” said DeVos. One could also come up with the theory that this season is a ‘rebuilding year,’ thus plaguing the Niners, but DeVos doesn’t see it that way.

“I don’t see it as much of a rebuilding [year] with the talent that has come in.”

That just might be the case, but, the Atlantic 10 conference has picked the 49ers to finish fourth in conference play.

Last year’s conference champion and NCAA tournament participant, Fordham, is picked to win it all again this season, with third team All-America selection Jen Mineau returning to pitch for the Rams in 2012.

Massachusetts and Saint Joseph’s are predicted to finish second and third, respectively, ahead of Charlotte.

Charlotte opened up the season last weekend, as they played host to both Delaware and Presbyterian, beating the Blue Hens 4-3, while falling to Blue Hose 4-9.

Needless to say, this 49ers team can be extremely dangerous for not only this season, but also for seasons down the road, which is yet another reason to support Charlotte athletics.

PAGE 11

Baseball vs. Saint Peter’s 4 p.m.

Track & Field @ A10 Championships All Day Softball vs. Kansas 12:00 p.m.

Saturday Women’s Basketball vs. St. Joeseph’s 7:00 p.m.

Softball vs. Middle Tennessee State 2:00 p.m.

Play Offs at 2:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.

Baseball vs. St. Peters 12:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball @ Richmond 6:00 p.m.

SPORTS RESULTS In past years the Charlotte 49er’s Softball team has always brought the heat throughout the season.

File Photos

Men’s Basketball

WIN

vs. Rhode Island

73-66

Women’s Basketball

LOSS

vs. Duquesne

53-81 Softball

WIN

Delaware

4-3

PAGE 12

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012

NINERTIMES