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PLAGUING PERMANENT RECORDS

OPINION

FEATURES

After growing up under Fidel Castro and escaping to the Unites States, Alina Fernandez speaks about how it was living as Castro’s daughter in Cuba.

Fernandez answered questions from students and told her life story on Monday, Sept. 26. p.10

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

SPEAKING OUT AGAINST BLINK-182 COMES TO HER FATHER CHARLOTTE

If someone is accused of cheating, a panel looks into the situation to determine the student’s verdict.

Don’t even give professors a reason to think that you may be cheating, unless you want a nice little mark stuck on your permanent record. p.6

NINERTIMES Thursday, September 29, 2011

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Potter Watch comes to UNC Charlotte Ulyana Shilov INTERN

On Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, Graduate student Mary Catherine Russell will bring sorcerer’s secrets and Deathly Hallows to UNC Charlotte. Potter Watch 2011 is an academic conference focusing on themes found throughout the Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling.

This will be UNC Charlotte’s first Potter Watch conference. The event is from 9 a.m. until 5:50 p.m. The event will begin on the third floor of the Student Union and change locations throughout the event. There will be many speakers from all over the country visiting UNC Charlotte for the conference to summarize the series and elaborate on the readers’ perspective after reading each book.

Russell, a 2nd year Graduate student, studying Children’s Literature, is the coordinator for the conference. Russell that POTTER WATCH p.4

North Carolina last to lose Wachovia Eden Creamer A S S T. N E W S E D I T O R

Above a student makes a t-shirt for last year’s clothes line project where students hang shirts between the Belk Tower and the library. Photo courtesy

of UNC Charlotte

Defeating domestic violence Molly Mulhern REPORTER

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and UNC Charlotte is ushering in the occasion with its Red Flag Campaign Kickoff event on Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, in the Student Union Rotunda at from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m.

With nearly one in four women, one in nine men and over 3 million children affected by domestic violence in the home annually, the Red Flag Campaign Kickoff

event is works to help prevent students from becoming victims and recognize warning signs of domestic violence.

This event is part of the university’s partnership with Verizon’s HopeLine Project, which donates unused cell phones to domestic violence victims and survivors, as wireless phones can serve as a connection to emergency services in times of crisis.

The event will educate students in recognizing the “red flag” behaviors of an abusive relationship and the importance of speaking up when these signs are present.

The kickoff event will be followed by many others geared towards the prevention of domestic violence throughout October.

One event many students remember is the Clothesline Project, which features t-shirts designed by survivors and friends that display striking messages and drawings about domestic violence.

The shirts are hung along main walkways through campus, and on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Belk Tower, students can create their own t-shirts to be displayed and hear the stories VIOLENCE p.3

OPINION

FEATURES

Domestic Violence:

In North Carolina, there are about 92 organizations that cater to helping women.

Families dealing with cancer: When you have a family

member with cancer and you know that you could lose them at any moment, it really says a lot when you are willing to spend all of those fearful moments with them.

p.6

SPORTS

NEWS

ASHLEIGH THORTON

PROMOTING CULTURE

Thorton, a UNC Charlotte student who is majoring in International Business, created her own haircare product line.

The Association for India’s Development will host an event where students can come learn a traditional Indian dance.

The line is all natural and developed entirely by this senior. p.11

MENS SOCCER MID-SEASON REVIEW p.14

The event is $5 and open to the public. p.4

North Carolina Wachovia users will experience changes in the coming few weeks, as the Wachovias in NC make the switch to Wells Fargo.

Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, all Wachovia accounts will be reopened under Wells Fargo, and the merger between the two companies will be complete.

Wachovia customers will need to reapply for services that they have been using with Wachovia, such as Online BillPay. Account information for bills will not be transferred to Wells Fargo.

This merger could mean a lot for other banks in the area. “I think that is it very likely that there will be branch closings as [the difference financial institutions] try to serve the market,” said Ronald Madsen, UNC Charlotte professor of economics.

“There will also be some Wachovia customers who switch to other banks,” he said.

Online services for Wachovia customers will be down from the end of the business day on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, until the morning of Monday, Oct. 17, 2011.

People in the Charlotte area and throughout the state may also feel the effects of the final transition of Wachovia to Wells Fargo.

“The job market will suffer. There will be some job reduction. It is not positive,” said Madsen, “But I think the impact is small. It will only be a few hundred jobs, not a few thousand.”

Not all the affects of this transition are negative, says Madsen. “It will make Wells Fargo’s brand name more familiar in the local market,” he said. “Long term, this is WACHOVIA p.4

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NINERTIMES

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

PAGE 3

Recognizing abusive relationships Eden Creamer A S S T. N E W S E D I T O R

Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this October, provides UNC Charlotte students with opportunities to learn about recognizing, stopping and preventing domestic violence.

According to the National College Women Sexual Victimization (NCWSV) study, which surveyed 4,446 women attending two and four year universities in 1997, found that 2.8% of college women have experienced rape, either a completed or attempted case.

The survey also found that most victims

knew the person who had victimized them.

Generally, a significant other, classmate or friend was identified as the abuser.

There are many warning signs of an abusive relationship. Signs of domestic violence include: excessive jealousy and possessiveness; humiliating one’s significant other; constant “checking up on”; forced sexual activities; threats of violence and suicide threats.

Physical, sexual and emotional violence are all forms of domestic violence. Events that seem minor, or when attacks end if the victim becomes passive, are still signs of violent or dangerous relationships.

Common ways abusers attempt to keep

control over their victims are through dominance, humiliation, isolation, threats, intimidation, denial and blame.

Onlookers of a violent relationship can identify the domestic violence in numerous ways. Victims may seem anxious to please their abusive partner, go along with everything that their partner says, have low self-esteem, become depressed, receive frequent calls from their partner and often talk about their partner’s violent temper.

Those who believe a friend may be a victim of a violent relationship are encouraged to speak up. According to the New York State Office for Domestic Violence, waiting for the victim to make the first move for

help is a mistake. Instead, the office states that bystanders should express their concern, offer help, and support the decisions of the victim.

Physical warning signs include frequent injuries, clothing that is not weather-appropriate to hide injuries and often missing events.

Victims of abuse can find help. Women in an abusive relationship may call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800799-7233.

Men may call The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women, an organization that specialized in supporting men in abusive relationships, at 1-800-743-5754.

VIOLENCE continued from p.1

Number of Emergency Shelter Beds for Domestic Violence Victims 50 42 40

White 29%

0

Cities

violence.

Also throughout the month, the Student Union Art Gallery will feature pieces from local artist Tamara Brown in a Relationship Violence Art Exhibit.

Monroe

30

Concord

Shelby

10

Statesville

20

20

29

Charlotte

26

13

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN CHARLOTTE, NC Asian 1%

30

Gastonia

bones kind of way that makes you step back and go ‘whoa.’ It scares you a little bit, but sometimes people need that.”

The film serves as a cautionary account of the gruesome potential of domestic violence. Directly after the film, there will be a talk back session on violence in relationships.

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, students are invited to come to the Student Union Rotunda for the Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes/These Hands Don’t Hurt event and take a pledge that they will not hurt their partners.

The event derives from the saying “you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Men are invited to literally walk a mile in women’s high-heeled shoes as a way of better understanding what women go through and to take a stand against domestic violence.

“It’s pretty difficult to make it a mile in bright red stilettos,” said Russell Alan, a participant in the event. “I had blisters for like a week afterwards. But it’s a great way to get people’s attention and educate them about the effects of domestic violence.”

Throughout Domestic Violence Awareness Month, there will be life-size red silhouettes of women accompanied by short stories found campus-wide.

This is part of the Silent Witness Project that serves as a daily reminder of the fatal consequences of violence. The red silhouettes are the “silent witnesses,” and the stories are the tales of victims of domestic

Number of Beds

of domestic violence survivors.

“Last year I didn’t make a t-shirt, but I saw them all along the walkways outside Atkins Library,” said sophomore Meg O’Sullivan. “It definitely peaked my interest, and I want to make my own this year.”

“The Clothesline Project is the way domestic violence awareness month needs to be implemented on campus, because it forces students to acknowledge the consequences by putting it right in their faces,” said O’Sullivan.

The university will also host an intensive eight hour physical defense course on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. given by the Rape Aggression Defense Program (R.A.D).

The course is for women only and will enhance attendees self-defense tactics, teach alternative forms of defense and better each student’s ability to defeat and escape a potential attacker.

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, the Student Union Movie Theater will show Telling Amy’s Story, a part documentary, part public service project that records the abuse leading up to a domestic violence homicide of Amy. The film offers feedback from Amy’s family, co-workers, the police dealing with the case and the court about Amy falling victim to domestic violence and the years leading up to the murder. “[The film] doesn’t sugar coat the way perpetual domestic violence lead to Amy’s death,” said sophomore Sarah Armour.

“The film presents the story in a bare-

Graphic by Christain Billings

Brown uses art as a way of communicating information, emotions, and healing.

There will be a reception on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, at 5:30 p.m., featuring Brown.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NORTH CAROLINA Other 1% African-American 56%

Other 8% African-American 69%

Hispanic 10%

White 25%

Asian 1% Graphic by Ciera Choate

PAGE 4

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Promoting culture through dance Association for India’s Development invites students to participate in their native dance

Association for India’s Development at an organization event last year. Photo courtesy of AID

Ciera Choate NEWS EDITOR

UNC Charlotte students have a chance to experience a traditional Indian dance at Dandiya Night 2011 hosted by the Association for India’s Development (AID) Satur-

day, Oct. 1, 2011, from 7:30 p.m. until 11:45 p.m. in the Student Union room 340. The cost is $5 to attend.

The Dandiya Raas, an Indian folk dance from western India, consists of people dressed in garba, traditional Indian clothing, while holding sticks, dandiya. It is a

Group hosts Africana Lecture Ciera Choate NEWS EDITOR

The Africana Studies Department at UNC Charlotte will host the third annual Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey Distinguished Africana Lecture Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m. in the Rowe Arts Building room 130.

The event was named after the founder of the Africana Studies Department, Max-

Terry Bellamy Photo courtesy of Ogundiran

well-Roddey, which was one of the first in the U.S. and was formerly called the Black Studies Department.

This year Terry Bellamy, the mayor of Asheville, N.C. will be the featured speaker.

This alumnus of UNC Charlotte will speak about youth development and the steps that universities need to take in order to prepare America’s youth for today’s global economy.

“Terry Bellamy has been able to facilitate programs that support the education of the youth and training them in leadership,” said Akinwumi Ogundiran, the department head of the Africana Studies Department.

“Teaching them how they can become successful despite the challenges they may face at home.”

Ogundiran, originally from Nigeria, has been at UNC Charlotte for three years. After graduating from Boston University, he took a position at Florida International University in Miami.

“I love the energy that Charlotte has. I love the potential to build something here,” said Ogundiran. “I saw things that people were doing that I am passionate about. I am passionate about putting Africana Studies at the forefront of liberal studies.”

popular dance that is seen at many large events such as weddings.

Traditionally the event starts with only female “Garba” dances and slowly picks up until everyone is dancing together with sticks in hand. AID expects about 200 to 300 people to attend the event.

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) also holds Dandiya nights, which is where the Charlotte group got the idea.

They expect some people from the CPCC organization to attend the event.

AID chose this time of year to hold the event because it falls in line with the festivities in India.

The Charlotte chapter of AID, which came to campus in fall of 2010, decided to host this event to promote the Indian culture, as well as raise money for their cause.

All chapters of AID work together to better all of Indian, with focus on the education of young children who’s families do not have the means to provide for themselves.

“Our only goal isn’t to fundraise, it’s also to raise awareness for our culture,” said Giri Prayaga, a member of the Charlotte chapter of AID. Over the summer AID held a fundraiser on campus that raised about $13,000 for their work in India, and they currently have about 35 members, as well as some volunteers.

Although the Charlotte chapter has only

been working for about a year, the whole organization of AID has been raising money and awareness since 1991. They have 36 chapters in the U.S. and about 1,000 volunteers, according to their website.

“Every year we [AID] raise about $1 million to help the people of India,” said Prayaga about the organization as a whole, not just the Charlotte chapter.

AID is trying to increase their influence on campus, and is currently trying to get involved with student organizations like M.O.V.E., a dance organization on campus.

Photo courtesy of AID

WACHOVIA continued from p.1

a healthy thing. It is likely to be positive.”

Wells Fargo, which bought Wachovia on Dec. 31, 2008, has switched all of the Wachovia locations to their red and yellow logos, except those in North Carolina. When the NC locations are switched to Wells Fargo, the name Wachovia will be retired, and Wachovia customers will all have been converted to Wells Fargo.

Wachovia was founded in 1879 under the name Wachovia National Bank.

In 2001, Wachovia began experiencing

difficulties with credit rating, and it was suspected that SunTrust would buy out the failing company. First Union, worried about the loss of customers in the region, placed a bid for a merger with Wachovia.

SunTrust announced a challenging takeover bid on Wachovia, which was viewed as a hostile attack in the banking industry.

Since 2001, Wachovia bought out several other financial institutions, including Prudential Securities, Metropolitan West Securities, SouthTrust, Westcorp, Golden West Financial/World Savings Bank and

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

UNC Charlotte partners with Charlotte School of Law Eden Creamer A S S T. N E W S E D I T O R

Beginning during the fall semester of 2012, UNC Charlotte students will have the chance to earn a law degree while enrolled at the university.

A dual Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) program will be created between Charlotte School of Law and UNC Charlotte. This program will allow students to earn a MBA from the UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business and a JD from the Charlotte School of Law simultaneously.

“We looked at individuals who desired to participate in a dual program, and we wanted to give them that opportunity,” said Gary Kohut, professor of management and the director of the MBA program.

The dual program would take a student eight semesters to complete, while com-

pleting the programs separately would require at least 10 semesters.

Students will begin their first year at either UNC Charlotte or Charlotte School of Law. After a student’s first year at one of the schools is completed, students must spend their second year in the program at the other school. The remaining time students are in the program will be split between UNC Charlotte and Charlotte School of Law. Students will receive nine credits for classes completed at the school that is not their “home school.”

The program will benefit both UNC Charlotte and Charlotte School of Law. Kohut believes that the effects are longlasting.

“We pride ourselves in the MBA program in giving students options. We currently have 11 concentrations for students to pick from,” said Kohut. “[The dual JD/ MBA program] is a good way of offering

more options, and partnering with another institution.”

Denise Spriggs, Interim Dean of Charlotte School of Law, also believes that the dual program is advantageous to students.

“A dual degree offers many benefits, including enhanced skill sets that better prepare a professional for a wide variety of career options. Pursued together, the JD/MBA dual degree provides significant efficiencies in both time and resources,” she said.

“A JD/MBA also provides the fundamentals necessary to help navigate the complexities of the legal and business worlds.”

Students interested in the program must apply separately through each school, and receive acceptance from both institutions. Students must also complete prerequisites, such as taking the Graduate Management Admission Test and the Law School Admission Test before applying to

the dual program.

“Individuals who would like to position themselves to pursue corporate leadership positions in their careers…are more likely to position themselves for these career paths with a JD/MBA,” said Spriggs.

Kohut recommends students take advantage of this dual program. “It is very much connected with what people want to do with their lives,” he said. ‘It is well within reason to want to obtain a law and a business background. All fields are changing these days.”

This dual program will not affect students who are not involved in the program, both negatively and positively, Kohut says.

Charlotte School of Law, which is located less than 15 miles away from UNC Charlotte, received accreditation from the American Bar Association in June, 2011.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Writing Resource Center benefits UNC Charlotte students Ciera Choate NEWS EDITOR

With the middle of the semester coming up, many students are beginning their papers and projects that will be due later in the semester. Fortunately for UNC Charlotte students, the Writing Resources Center will be available to help students better their writing skills.

“One way we benefit students is because our goal is not to better individual papers, but to make better writers,” said Ashlyn Williams, the director of the Writing Resource Center.

Students can schedule appointments online at rich65.com/UNCC. Walk-in appointments are welcome but rarely available due to appointments that are made in

advance.

“The Writing Resource Center provides tutors to work directly with you to look over your essay or paper. They give you tips on how to brainstorm, and tutors will look over your essay but will not fix it for you,” said Kenneth Panora, who works at the Writing Resource Center.

With the goal of the center being to make students better writers, they will not simply correct your writing for you.

“A lot of people have the perception that it’s a fix it shop for grammar and another common misconception is that it’s only for first year students,” said Williams, who began as a tutor at the Writing Resource Center when she attended UNC Charlotte as an English major.

Helping those in need Ciera Choate NEWS EDITOR

In response to Domestic Violence Awareness Month the student organization Costumes Across Cultures will be holding an event for people to come together in order to make blankets for the Battered Women’s Shelter.

Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 from noon until 8 p.m. the group will be in Robinson Hall room 230, and it is free and open to the public.

This will be the third Quilt Day to come to UNC Charlotte. Costumes Across Cultures held two last semester. Even students that are inexperienced in sewing can learn at the event so they can participate.

“It is a lot of fun to do. It brings the community together, and even people that have never sewn before can participate. It

is very easy sewing, and we teach people how to do it,” said James Matthew, a member of Costumes Across Cultures.

The organization expects about 20 people to come throughout the day, but hopes for more since they advertised more this year than last semester.

Some fabric is donated for the cause, and the group purchased all other fabric with funds provided to the organization through the university.

“Our adviser donated some fabric, and we also purchased some of it with club funds. We have also had some donated before from an individual, and we are considering talking to local fabric stores for donations since we plan to keep doing this in the future,” said Matthew.

Their goal is to finish two quilts that were left over from the last event, and maybe even start some more.

Annual Staff Appreciation Week rolls onto campus Ashley Dorrell REPORTER

Registration for the UNC Charlotte faculty and staff bowling will end Friday, Oct. 7, 2011.

The annual bowling tournament is one of the most popular events of the Annual Staff Appreciation Week and will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at University Lanes.

One hundred to 120 employees participate in the event. Debra Bunker, a planner for the event encouraged people to come out and enjoy an afternoon with co-workers.

“Everyone who bowls has a great time so please come on out and join in and participate by either bowling or come and support your favorite teams,” Bunker said.

Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place, as well as individual high game and high series scores, for both males and females. Winners will receive trophies.

Prize will also be raffled throughout the tournament and other prizes will be given out for Best Costume; Best Team Name and Most Attendance by division.

The tournament has no set skill level and all faculty and staff members are invited to register, teams have to consist of four players and in order to register teams must submit a payment of $12 per person which will cover costs of renting shoes and three games that it will take to play the duration of the tournament. Teams are also welcome to dress up in a costume representing the team. All payments should be submitted to Debra Bunker by deadline.

POTTER WATCH continued from p.1

it will become an annual event. She had the idea for the conference last spring and took action to make to happen. She decided to publicize the event and ask the Potter Watch Club to serve as the host organization.

“As the Harry Potter series has come to an end, many schools across the country have been hosting academic conferences to discuss the literary merits and navigate complex themes within the books,” said Russell. “Our generation in one that grew up with Harry—we read him as children and became adults as he grew up in the novels.”

She chose UNC Charlotte as the location for the conference because she is a graduate student at UNC Charlotte and knows that there is a huge fan-base for Harry Potter on campus. She claims that UNC Charlotte also has a strong program in Children’s Lit-

erature, a subject that most others universities do not offer.

“Now, as many of us enter academic fields and advanced studies, we apply our knowledge of sociology, religious afflictions, and literary theory to Harry Potter, revisiting the stories and exploring them in new and different ways” says Russell.

The Potter Watch Club has provided a number of volunteers and participants for the conference. “I go to the Potter Watch Club and that’s where I found out about the conference,” said Mishelle Wilson, a member of the Potter Watch Club. “I can see myself dressing up [as a Harry Potter Character] for Halloween, but not this. And I am volunteering for the event, so I can’t dress up.”

Potter Watch Club meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. They meet in Woodward, but this is subject to change.

PAGE 5

NEWS BRIEFS REAL MEN on campus

Fire and Rescue Class

The Multicultural Resource Center will host “REAL MEN Real Talk.” Chris Blackburn will discuss the “man code,” and what it means to be a man in society today.

Lunch will be provided at the event.

Blackburn will be speaking on Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Student Union, room 340. The event is free, and open to all students. In order to ensure lunch will be provided for you, contact Ted Lewis at tlewis47@uncc.edu.

Eden Creamer

The UNC Charlotte Fire and Rescue Management Institute will offer classes beginning Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, until Friday, Feb. 3, 2012.

These classes are meant to teach individuals in leadership roles to effectively lead their staff to the goals of the department, division and unit.

The classes will concentrate on the vast topics expected of Fire and Safety personnel to know in four key areas.

These areas will include leadership and team building, management skills, strategic planning and communication skills.

The Fire and Rescue Management Institute is in collaboration with the Fire Safety Engineering Technology Program at UNC Charlotte.

Those interested in knowing more should email CEregistration@uncc.edu or call 704-687-8900. Eden Creamer

Night of Magic Nate Staniforth will perform magic and illusions at UNC Charlotte. Staniforth served as a magic consultant for David Blaine and designed an illusion for Blaine to use on his ABC special. Staniforth now tour, performing at colleges, universities and events around the nation.

Staniforth will perform at UNC Charlotte on Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 at 7 p.m. in McKnight Hall in the Cone University Center. The event is free. Contact James Contratto for more information at jcontrat@ uncc.edu. Eden Creamer

Charlotte in Top 10 Livability.com, a site that gives indepth information about the best things in the U.S., named Charlotte, N.C. the tenth best city for book lovers.

Coming in first place was Portland, Ore., second place Kansas City, Mo., third place San Jose, Calif., fourth place Charlottesville, Va., fifth place Iowa City, Iowa, sixth place Traverse City, Miss., seventh place Pueblo, Colo., eighth place Coral Glables, Fla. and ninth place Spokane, Wash. Ciera Choate

Back Story: The Student One Act Play Festival UNC Charlotte students in the Department of Theatre will perform a series of short plays which the students directed and designed themselves.

The performance, titled “Back Story: The Student One Act Play Festival” includes “episodes” written by 18 different playwrights.

The episodes follow the lives of Ainsley and Ethan Belcher, brothers. The plays focus on themes such as sibling rivalry, loyalty and love.

The performance will be Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011, at 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., in Rowe’s White Box Theater.

The cost is $5 to attend, and is open for all students. Eden Creamer

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

OPINION

Plaguing permanent records We all know what happens if you get caught cheating, but what happens if you’re accused but found innocent

NINERTIMES Volume 24, Number 10 A PRODUCT OF

Olivia Stott EDITORIALIST

There is an epidemic occurring all across college campuses: cheating. While most people who get caught cheating in their classes receive their deserved punishment, a surprising discovery was recently made regarding those accused, but not convicted of cheating.

Before we delve into the matter at hand, what is the UNC Charlotte’s policy on cheating? Their definition of cheating is, “Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids or other devices in any academic exercise.”

If you’re the typical college student, this sounds pretty familiar.

But take a look around your classroom, and cheating is the spreading rampantly. In the grand scheme of things, many people do not get caught cheating, but the risk and penalty is overwhelming.

The greater risk, however, is getting accused of cheating while being innocent.

Once someone is accused of cheating, a panel looks into the situation to determine the student’s verdict. If he or she is guilty, penalties are administered appropriately, and there is a signed form in the Office of the Dean of Students that remains there for eight years past the violation.

Here’s the sticky situation. Even if the student is found to be innocent by the panel, there is still a mark on that student’s permanent record saying that he was accused of cheating, but found innocent. Is this fair?

In good conscience of course, it is fair to be penalized for being guilty of cheating, but there should definitely not be a permanent mark for a student found innocent.

Isn’t that part of the whole point of being found innocent by the panel, so there is no mark on the permanent record?

Even if the mark on the permanent record states that the student was innocent, I would definitely rather have a clean slate on my permanent record than a mark caused by someone else trying to get my in trouble for cheating or unintentionally not citing a source properly.

What’s the moral of the story? Some of the little known policies on campus are less than desirable, so do not even give professors

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a reason to think that you may be cheating, unless you want a nice little mark stuck on your permanent record even if you were innocent through it all.

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Domestic violence Improving the lives of those who are abused Analiz Laracuente-Espinal INTERN

In 1979, North Carolina enacted Chapter 50B, the Domestic Violence Act which defines domestic violence as, “ anyone attempting to cause bodily injury, or intentionally causing body injury, placing the aggrieved party…in fear of imminent bodily injury…, or committing the criminal acts of first and second rape, and first and second degree sexual offense.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Administration, only 5,361 referrals against domestic violence have been enacted in 2009 – 2010 despite the fact the 27% of all domestic violence incidents go unreported.

In 2008, of the 5,144 cases of domestic violence reported, only 4,407 referrals were accepted by the state of North Carolina. While it is possible that reported domestic violence cases may not be accurate or true as proven through a trial by the magistrate, what can be said of the 737 people and their families that were denied an order of protection against an abusive household member?

These numbers may not seem large enough to have impact yet it is imperative to keep in mind that according to Women’s Law, an organization that aids in helping abused and battered women, “every 15 seconds, the crime of battering occurs” and about, “95% of victims are women.”

From the data, it is obvious that domestic violence laws in North Carolina

are doing a decent job at protecting the victims of abuse; however, there is always room for improvement of those laws and making them more efficient and stricter.

For example, making the laws on restraining orders more efficient so as to reduce the chance of repeat offenses and eliminate the fear of the abused party.

Instead of allowing domestic violence abusers to be able to come up to the restriction line without getting punished, why not make a law so that the abuser will be penalized for intimidating and placing fear in the victim’s life and household.

Also, instead of not providing judicial guidance for the victim during court trials, why not create a program that aids in preparing victims to present their cases in an effective manner that will ensure their protection and those of their families.

Perhaps it is the lack of knowledge on the subject that makes domestic violence cases underreported.

In North Carolina, there are roughly 92 organizations that cater to helping women through domestic violence cases and provide programs and legal assistance.

There are also websites and information available online that provide the same assistance to victims of domestic violence which can be found on both www.womenslaw.org and www. nccadv.mrgdesign. com. If you know anyone that is suffering from domestic violence and/or shows signs of being battered, please contact these domestic violence resources.

Domestic violence resources National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) National Coalition Against Domestic Violence 1-303-839-1852 www.ncadv.org NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence 919-956-9124 www.nccadv.org The National Center for Victims of Crime 1-800-FYI-CALL www.gethelp@ncvc.org NC Department of Correction Services for Victims of Crime 1-800-368-1985 The Women’s Law Initiative www.womenslaw.org NC Victim Assistance Network 1-800-348-5068 Family Violence Prevention Fund www.fvpf.org 1-415-252-8900

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NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

If it aint broke, dont fix it Facebook brings new changes, not all of them bad Ciera Choate NEWS EDITOR

Growing up, I learned that most people have something in common, their love to complain about everything. For a positive person like me, this can get really frustrating. There are so many things that we should be happy about, but humans tend to focus on the negative.

I wasn’t surprised when I got on to see my Facebook had changed, and that everyone was pissed. People feel entitled to get whatever they want, even from a completely free service that they are in no way obligated to use.

If you don’t like the changes that Facebook made, then stop using it. It really isn’t that complicated.

Facebook is a company, and they have stiff competition that they have to keep up with. MySpace failed to keep up with the times, and you see what happened to them. With Google+, LinkedIn, and

Twitter, Facebook has to keep up with the game and add more features to keep their users happy.

Google+ is their only real competition in their market that affects the same demographic of people for the same purpose, and if you can’t tell a lot of the changes they are making are in response to things that Google+ has.

Who cares if your news feed looks a little different, your pictures show up larger on your wall, and if you have a mini news feed up in the corner so you can always see what your friends are doing?

It’s not like you can’t talk to your friends, stalk people that you wish were your friends, and procrastinate on Facebook anymore. It’s still there with everything they originally had, it just looks a little different and has a few extra things.

Really though, who doesn’t like video chat being added? That’s awesome. It’s like Skype and Facebook all in one. It doesn’t get much better than that.

They can change the layout as much as they want, as long as it remains free.

There is no way I would pay for Facebook, or buy into those statuses about how they are going to start charging.

On a side note, Facebook isn’t going to start charging.

That would result in the loss of who knows how many people. Facebook makes their money in other ways, so stop freaking out.

There are people all over the world dying of starvation, AIDS, malaria and many other things, but in America the thing we get upset about most is a change in Facebook layout.

I guess in a weird way we should be thankful that is the most life-changing thing we have to experience instead of something like a huge civil war or disease outbreak.

My advice quit complaining or get off of Facebook. Like I said, it really isn’t that complicated.

SEXwhat’s &theGENDER difference?

When you walk into a DMV they usually say: take a number, stand in that line, and give you a clipboard to fill out personal questions.

But when it comes to the line where it says male or female, there is no “other” box.

To the uneducated individual this would seem like a very simple question, but what if you were born a hermaphrodite and you do not see yourself as a man or a woman?

Maybe when you were born your parents chose for you… you had more female organs so they went with that.

But sometimes when people grow up and mature into young men or young women the sex they chose for you is not the one you identify with.

Is sex and gender the same thing?

Absolutely not.

Honestly I think they are often interchanged but they have totally different meanings.

As Monash University put it sex refers to, “biological differences; chromosomes, hormonal profiles, internal and external sex organs.”

Gender describes the “characteristics that a society or culture delineates as masculine or feminine. “ Think about this way if you are a male and you chose to be a woman and you are not gay what is your gender?

It opens up a lot of different questions.

Recently while watching late night television one of my favorite shows came on King of the Hill.

The show consisted of “Mr. Hill” finally receiving his long awaited driver’s license and realizing it had him labeled as “Mrs. Hill.”

Mr. Hill was obviously really upset. He marched right down to the DMV and demanded a new license and a change of gender on his license.

The clerk at the DMV then replied, “I’m sorry we cannot do that until a doctor has filled out this form.”

Then Mr. Hill became even more upset he stated, ”Can’t you see I’m a man!”

The two went back and forth for some time and it really got me thinking.

Has submittal messaging such as a dumb cartoon shaped and changed our views of other individuals?

PAGE 7

Families dealing with cancer Megan Ryan INTERN

For those of you who know, and those of you who don’t, next month is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

There are many difficulties that cancer patients and their family members have to endure every day. There is chemotherapy, radiation, operations and amputations, extensive medical treatment and other medications, and all of this is almost as hard for the patient’s family.

The family members of those who are sick are the ones that drive them back and forth from home to the hospital, sit with them during chemotherapy treatments, and hold them when they’re having worse days.

The families of those who have cancer have to watch while their loved ones suffer.

They are the drive to keep them going, and the support team that is there when they can’t go any more.

It can be extremely difficult to watch a loved one suffer from cancer, but there are blogs and support groups online as well as offline for anyone who needs that extra push.

It helps to know that no one is to blame and that other people are experiencing the same things you are.

It especially helps to look within one’s own family. Talking with others about your pain can help you to be stronger when facing your sick loved ones.

It would also help the both of you to just spend time together. Have a family game night, sit in with pizza and a movie, read to them, just let them know that they are loved.

When you have a family member with cancer and you know that you could lose them at any moment, it really says a lot when you are willing to spend all of those fearful moments with them.

Focusing back on breast cancer, about one in every eight women will develop breast cancer in their lives, and about 0.1% of men. Breast cancer can be scary and embarrassing.

Some victims of breast cancer have to undergo a mastectomy. With this women can feel less like a women and men might feel more like one.

Breast cancer, as well as all other forms of cancer, may not be one of the most difficult cancers to treat but in my opinions is probably one of the most difficult to deal with emotionally.

Although today in American culture we only accept two genders, years ago berdache or “two-spirit” was a status that once existed in tribes throughout native North America.

If you have ever taken a anthroplogy class you may have studied the famous Zuni man-women.

Individuals of this status were often given leadership postion in a tribe and were highly valued.

In most tribes the ability to combine male and female skills was not viewed as a liability but a talent.

It’s a shame our society has given these individual no respect and are often looked down upon.

No matter if you are for or against homosexuality a lot of individuals are born with both sets of sexual organs.

How would our society look different if we had say, five genders or maybe just an “other” section?

Put yourself in that individuals shoes and what would you do?

- Naughty Niner A

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

A&E

PAGE 8

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

LIVE MUSIC AT:

Whitewater River Jam 2011 Tour Thursday, Sept. 29 7:00 p.m.

U.S. National Whitewater Center

ON CAMPUS: Night of Magic Friday, Sept. 30 7:00 p.m.

McKnight Hall

ON CAMPUS:

Roller Skating Party Saturday, Oct. 1 7:00 p.m.

Student Activity Center

Famed Punk Rock band, Blink-182, rocked the stage last week at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, singing some of their most classic songs. Photo by Karen Pierce

Blink-182 comes to Charlotte and puts on “the rock show” Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and Matt and Kim wowed audiences at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre as part of the Honda Civic Tour, where Blink guitarist compliments the Charlotte crowd Lauren Harris REPORTER

From skinny jeans to beanies, dedicated fans throughout Charlotte joined together on Tuesday, Sept. 20 to see one of the most popular punk rock bands from the late 90s, Blink 182, perform at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre.

Blink 182 is back and better than ever, as they are known for making an unbelievable breakthrough in the music industry over the past decade.

Unfortunately the band split up around 2005, when vocalist/guitarist, Tom Delong, left Blink 182 and formed a new band known as Angels and Airwaves. Eventually the entire band broke apart to work on individual music projects.

It was only a matter of time until Blink 182 announced their comeback at the 51st annual Grammy Award show in 2009.

Fans were ecstatic while the media and press went wild over this exciting news.

Slowly but surely the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater started to fill up, as the bands for the 2011 Honda Civic Tour started performing at 7:00 p.m.

Screens set up on stage showed footage of Blink 182 customizing a Honda Civic vehicle to be given away to a lucky raffle ticket winner. This has been a tradition ever since 2001 for each band hosting the tour.

This was Blink’s second time performing in the Honda Civic tour and was the first to start the tradition.

Anticipation was in the air as the crowd began tapping their legs anxiously as well as swaying their bodies back and forth, waiting for the exciting night to begin.

Opening the show was a small Indie-rock band, known as Matt and Kim, followed by My Chemical Romance (MCR).

Matt and Kim closed their performance with their most well known hit, “Daylight,” causing the crowd to frolic and dance around.

My Chemical Romance’s performance blew away the audience as they performed well-known songs such as “I’m Not Okay (I Promise),” “Helena” and a crowd pleaser “Welcome to the Black Parade.”

Gerard Way, MCR lead singer, pointed the microphone towards audience allowing them to sing a majority of the song.

Only 30 minutes to spare between bands, hundreds of Blink 182 fans have been waiting patiently for the punk-rock star legends to take the stage.

Soon enough, lights were shinning, sounds of base and electric guitar began to play and the infamous beats of the drummer, Travis Barker, began to roll.

Opening the show with the upbeat, catchy song “Feeling This,” the crowd went insane. Looking around, seeing screaming fans, crazy dance gestures and even tears of joy, it was very obvious that the venue was filled with true, dedicated fans.

Blink 182 surely noticed the excitement and support from the crowd when vocalist/bass guitarist, Mark Hoppus stated, “You guys are doing exactly what we thought you were going to do… be awesome!”

It took about two years for Blink 182 to finish producing their new music and finally get back on tour.

Controversies with fans occurred after a sneak peek release of their latest hit “Up All Night.”

Some fans complained that it didn’t sound like “old school” Blink and that it sounded too much like Tom Delong’s style in Angels and Airwaves.

However others seemed to be very pleased, noticing the exciting, fanatical reaction of the audience.

The crowd acted very supportive when “Up All Night” played second on the set list.

They continued the night with classic hits such as the soft beat love song, “I Miss You,” followed by some of Blink 182’s more upbeat, lively songs like “First Date,” “Girl at the Rock Show” and of course their first hit single that you cant help but dance to, “All the Small Things.”

It’s safe to say that Blink 182 can still rock the stage.

Matt and Kim, a smaller indie rock band, opened the show with their biggest hit “Daylight.” Photo by Karen Pierce After leaving the audience, performing their not so final song “Josie,” fans began to question if the show was really over.

Moments later lights shined back on stage, focusing only on Travis Barker stealing the show with what could be one of the most outstanding drum solos in punk rock history.

Heads started to tilt backwards as Barker began to hover over the crowd on a raised platform, practically playing the drums upside down. The crowd could not believe their eyes watching this amazing drum solo literally flying above their heads.

Fans surely were not disappointed when Blink 182 closed the show with the three encores “Carousel,” “Dammit” and lastly “Family Reunion.”

Nevertheless it was a night of pure talent and entertainment. With only thirteen more shows to perform, Blink 182 continues their journey on tour and reputation of outstanding musical performers.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

A second Charlotte fashion week

Charlotte model Ashley Wood walking in an August Brandon runway show during Charlotte Seen Fashion Week. Photo courtesy of Ashley Wood Scarlett Newman INTERN

Last week was Charlotte Seen Fashion Week (CLTFW) in Uptown Charlotte, presented by Charlotte Seen, a promotion company that supports and produces VIP events throughout the year. I was lucky enough to intern there and witness a vast amount of great fashion.

Fashion Week consisted of mixers, award shows and runway events featuring designers from all around Charlotte.

Many of these events were complimentary to the public, but the runway shows required the purchasing of general admis-

sion tickets or VIP tickets.

Last Monday, Sept. 19, was the kickoff event, which featured a cocktail reception allowing Charlotte’s fashion advocates and enthusiast’s to mingle with each other over drinks and hor’s d’oeuvres. This was also a chance to meet the “who’s who” of Charlotte Seen Fashion Week.

On Tuesday, CLTFW hosted a “Soiree of Style” which paid homage to the many eras of style dating all the way back to the 1800s. Still models wore garments by Morris Costumes and era-specific jewelry provided by Perry’s Jewelry Wednesday held a “Meet the Designers” event in Uptown Charlotte at Vivace, an Italian restaurant and bar.

Open to the public, guests were able to mingle with designers and models, have their photographs taken and view some of the pieces that would be featured in the runway shows later in the week.

This event specifically had a great turnout. As a bystander it was really nice to see everyone’s personal style and all of their unique style combinations.

Thursday was the first of three runway shows allowing four different designers the chance to display about six to ten pieces of their collection, competing for the grand prize of “People’s Choice.”

The audience had an opportunity to cast their vote via text message to choose who they thought deserved the People’s choice award.

Friday, Sept. 23 was the “Re-Model” show event where designers created outfits around the theme of “Go Green” utilizing tools such as roof shingles, drop cloths, garbage bags, glass bottles, aluminum and much more. The point was to show the audience to be Earth conscious and it also allowed the designers to display a more avant-garde style runway presentation.

The final runway show on Saturday Sept. 24 was the “Miles of Impact” show sponsored by Cosmetic Dentistry of the Carolinas. Three Charlotte-based designers showcased their designs.

This was the most elaborate of the runway shows featuring personalities from NASCAR, the NFL, baseball, the NBA, television, news and radio. Political figures and business entrepreneurs were also amongst the crowd that night.

These people were dressed in participating Charlotte boutiques’ fashions and walked the runway displaying these exquisite pieces. This was a glamorous end to a week of spectacular fashion.

CLTFW 2011 was a great way to witness lots of local talent and it provided many social opportunities between the viewers and the designers. It also provided a lot of insight to the Charlotte fashion world. Events like this will definitely put Charlotte on the fashion world map.

“The Phantom of the Opera” celebrates its 25th birthday Anniversary performance will stream live from London on Sunday Lee Pham A S S T. A & E E D I T O R

NCM Fathom presents “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall” in movie theaters nationwide this Sunday to celebrate the musical’s 25th anniversary. It will air live from London.

“The Phantom of the Opera” is the most successful musical in history. It has grossed over $3 billion worldwide, surpassing revenues from “Titanic” and “Star Wars.”

The Broadway production has seven Tony Awards under its belt and the West End production has three Oliver Awards.

Created by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the tragic musical made its debut at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London on Sept.

27, 1986.

It made its way to Broadway in New York two years later and has remained ever since, making it the longest-running Broadway show.

The play depicts the tale of a facially deformed musical genius, the Phantom, who falls in love with the orphaned chorus girl, Christine Daaé.

The Phantom lives in the dark elaborate underground corridors of the opera house that Daaé also resides in. He seduces her with music, bringing Daaé

and the audience into his tragic world of loneliness and isolation.

Along the way, fear, murder and elaborate musical numbers accompany the plot. The compelling storyline is as well received today as it was when “Phantom of the Opera” originally debuted.

The show’s original producer, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, said, “It is amazing to think that the extraordinary success of The Phantom of the Opera is about to celebrate 25 years.”

Mackintosh will present Webber’s greatest work at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 1 - 2. The production will star Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine Daaé.

Karimloo is a Canadian actor who has played Daaé’s alternate love interest, Raoul, in the West End’s production.

He has also starred in the West End’s “Les Misérables,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and most recently, as the Phantom in “Love Never Dies.”

“Love Never Dies” is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Boggess is an American actress who has played in the United States tour of “Les Miserables.” She has also played Christine Daaé in Las Vegas and West

End, the latter of which earned her a 2011 Oliver Award nomination for Best Actress.

In addition, the Royal Albert Hall production will feature over 200 musicians and cast members who have been involved with the play since its beginning.

UNC Charlotte sophomore theater major Cecily Bednarek credits “The Phantom of the Opera” for taking her performance craft to another level.

During her early teens, she sang “Think of Me” during an audition and landed her first role in a professional production.

She said, “ I personally love the music from the show because for a soprano, the range of the songs you get to perform is crazy and can make or break your voice.”

Bednarek believes that people love “The Phantom of the Opera” because of the music, scenery and special effects.

She describes the musical as “majestic” and “addictive.”

The anniversary performance, “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall,” will broadcast live at 2 p.m. in select theaters around the U.S., including AMC Theatre at Concord Mills.

To purchase tickets, visit http://www. fathomevents.com/.

PAGE 9

Luxury liqueur NUVO is a luxury brand of sparkling liqueur that is marketed to those who live a luxurious lifestyle and is endorsed by many celebrities such as Eva Longoria, T-Pain, Jamie Foxx, Flo rida, Keri Hilson Photo courtesy of MCT and Monica. It is Campus created by Rapael Yakoby and is seen in numerous music videos.

The liquor was created in 2007 for the female consumer.

After doing research, Raphael discovered that women tend to have more of a sweeter palate and came across a statistic that women want to taste the alcohol in a mixed drink but don’t want it to be as powerful as bourbon or a shot of vodka.

A global market research company said, “Women who drink alcohol prefer fruitier concoctions.”

NUVO is made with premium French vodka, sparkling white wine and passion fruit nectar. Each bottle contains fifteen percent alcohol.

It comes in a perfume-esque pink bottle, which is perfect for an accent of decor at any special event. Best served chilled of over ice, NUVO can also be mixed with other drinks to provide a sparkling signature touch.

This drink has a very feminine flair.

The tall rose-colored pink bottle is what instantly caught my eye. It’s very tart, and has the consistency and texture of champagne. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to sip on something hard and strong, but still wants the effect of an alcoholic beverage.

Recently, the NUVO released a new drink called NUVO Lemon Sorbet.

The Lemon Sorbet flavor has 25 percent alcohol (10 percent more than the original drink) and consists of sparkling French vodka and lemon citrus flavor.

The sleek yellow bottle was modeled after a Lamborghini sports car.

Launched in the summer, it was meant to be a crisp and refreshing addition to a hot summer day.

For those legally able to buy alcohol, NUVO is a worthwhile purchase. It’s a unique drink that won’t break your bank! Pricing starts at $24 per bottle.

PAGE 10

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

FEATURES

Alina Fernandez speaks out Fernandez, Fidel Castro’s daughter, opened up about her life and childhood as a dictator’s daughter during a Distinguised Speakers Forum

Alina Fernandez last Monday night

Ciera Choate and Olivia Stott NEWS EDITOR AND REPORTER

Alina Fernandez hid behind the “Fernandez” last name for many years to avoid recognition as Fidel Castro’s daughter. Yet, Fernandez has begun speaking out about her unique childhood in Cuba and recently produced the book, “An Exile’s Memoir of Cuba.”

Last Monday, in McKnight Hall of the Cone University Center, UNC Charlotte welcomed Fidel Castro’s daughter, Alina Fernandez, to speak about her life as part of the Distinguished Speakers Forum series.

“I am passionate about my country and what is going on there,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez provided a background of her life starting with her parents’ birth in Cuba in 1926. Her mother and father wrote letters to each other, and Fernandez believes this is how they fell in love.

Her father was not only writing letters to Fernandez’s mother, but also to his wife at the time. The letters written to his wife and to who would become Fernandez’s mother were accidentally switched one day revealing to his wife that he loved another woman. They soon got divorced, and Fernandez’s mother and father continued corresponding until they got married and had their daughter Alina.

Fernandez’s story picks up again when she was a small child. During this time in

Following the lecture, a reception was held in the Lucas Room where Fernandez talked with students. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Schmidt Cuban history, the people began a rebellion. Cuban citizens would flood the streets shouting “Only for Cuba,” and they also screamed for executions.

“If you don’t think the way they think then you are the enemy, and they make you feel like one,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez recalled memories of being a small child and not even realizing what execution was. Her father and sister then left the country leaving Fernandez completely disconnected from them for years.

In this time of rebellion, Cuba changed.

Fernandez said, “The streets changed, stores closed and it went from laughter to frenzy. Fear embraced the country, and it stayed forever.”

She recalled memories of watching television as a young child and seeing her programs turned off and switched to a man talk instead. Soon, this man started visiting her home at night: that man was Fidel Castro, and she soon found out that he was her real father. The man who she thought was her father actually fled Cuba.

Cuba continued to change over time.

Families were sent away, religion was inhibited, camps were made to imprison homosexuals and artists. Change was even

made agriculturally. Farms were abolished, and farmers had to give what they grew to the state. A ration was enacted which told people what grocery store to go to and gave them a small, set amount of coffee, sugar, rice, beans, etc.

Eventually Fernandez realized that she had to leave Cuba. “I decided that I had to provide a better education and a better life for my daughter,” said Fernandez.

Looking back at her childhood and the struggles she encountered, Fernandez concludes that children can go through anything. Fernandez noted that Cuba is the same place today that it was years ago.

Government did and still aims just to control the people absolutely. Castro continued to speak on television with his longest speech lasting more than 12 hours.

Fernandez recognizes that her father, Castro, is a very powerful man. In just one year he became chief of army, obtained support from Russia, executed his opposition, relocated the families of his opposition and influenced the rest of the world to hate America.

For many years of her life Fernandez tried to escape her identity and hide behind her last name. Since then she has married,

remarried, started two careers and birthed a daughter in 1977.

Fernandez has not spoken to her father in years; she said that he only listens to himself nor would he have anything to say to his children. Fernandez also commented

“The streets changed, stores closed and it went from laughter to frenzy. Fear embraced the country and it stayed forever.”

-Fernandez that she stopped being his daughter a long time ago.

After sharing her story, the floor was open for questions. Many guests asked her about her opinion on different issues, but one student particularly stood out. Alberto Rodriquez asked about Fernandez opinion of the embargo, but he began by thanking Fernandez for coming to the university; Rodriquez was especially grateful for the opportunity to meet Fernandez, because he too was born in Cuba.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

PAGE 11

Ashleigh Thornton: natural, all day, everyday This senior has developed a line of hair care products, Noire Naturals

Ashleigh Thornton. Photos courtesy of Thornton Jessica Arenas REPORTER

The journey to fabulous hair can be a hassle for most females, especially for minority women. Thank goodness for the variety of hair care products and systems that can help ladies hair achieve that perfect commercial look like Beyonce’s!

Besides having the look of bouncy flowing hair like Sasha Fierce, what really makes up true beautiful hair?

At 20 years old, an international business student discovered that hair is meant to be happy, healthy and above all, natural.

Senior Ashleigh Thornton made not just hers, but also other women’s hair care dreams come true. Thornton created Noire Naturals, a hair care line that lets women, and even men, acquire the commercial look 100 percent naturally.

In 2008 Thornton grew tired of the growing and cutting process, as even the commercial hair products never fully made the cut. She made the ultimate decision that most minority women often think about: transitioning from relaxed to natural hair.

“I started my transition from relaxed to natural in 2008. By 2009, I became completely natural,” said Thornton. “[When using hair products] my hair potentially looked better, but not absolutely! From there I always did research, I became a product junkie.”

Being the product junkie that she was, she continued to try anything and everything, from Carol’s Darter, Kinky Curly, Deva Curl and Curlz. After many rounds of trial and error, she did research about each of these products.

While consistently doing research, she was able to better understand ingredients found in hair products. Thornton could distinguish between the good ingredients like oils and butters and the bad ones like silicone/sulfate, mineral oil and certain alcohols.

“After learning about certain ingredients, I felt like I can do it better,” said Thornton.

Newly enlightened about specific ingredients, she was able to narrow down what would be good for everyone’s hair. Keeping the previous hair care products in mind, Thornton found alternate ingredients that would give the same, but better and long-

term results.

Thornton focused on the top three ingredients needed for natural hair: shea butter, flax seed and castor oil, which derives from olive oil. All those ingredients are currently found in her hair care line.

To begin her hair care endeavor, she purchased those three ingredients and several other raw food components and materials she needed starting with Whole Foods. With a hair care blue print on deck, Thornton revised it, tried it and hoped to like it.

“My immediate family members were my first guinea pigs, then I chose 30 friends with all different hair types, like relaxed to kinky,” said Thornton. “I made them fill out an in-depth feedback form that asked them to tell me specific things about the product like the smell, consistency and lasting effects.”

After two years of before and after pictures and continuous revisions to her hair care products, Noire Naturals soon became a quality product, certified and USDA organic. It was finally ready for the market.

Determined to run her business all on her own, Thornton kept her ambition alive by focusing on school during the semesters and keeping money on her mind over the summer to save for her business.

“I never worked during the school year, I wanted to focus on grades,” said Thornton. “I was able to save all the money from internships I did during the summer.”

While focusing on grades, Thornton was still able to take some time out to seek a business license, a web developer in order to build a website and an accountant for her small business. She even searched for the right bottling company that would

produce a specific design as well as house her secret creative skills.

Thornton held an exclusive Noire Naturals pre-launch for UNC Charlotte students. Noire Naturals was able to make its mark before its debut.

“I was sold out within four days! I wanted to frame my first dollar, but the first money I earned was a 20 dollar bill. I think the 20 dollar bill told me something, hopefully some kind of foreshadowing,” said Thornton.

Noire Naturals made its official debut Sept. 17. With a website up and running, the launch was a complete surprise to Thornton.

“The launch was nothing like I had expected! People were so pumped, and ready to buy!” said Thornton. “We already have almost 1,000 visits and great feedback about the site! I feel so blessed and am so thankful to have my parents back home to help me keep up with these orders!”

With a firm foundation, Thornton’s passion for Noire Naturals continues to make her do more for hair.

The marketing mogul hopes to expand the hair care line. Additional Noire Naturals products, such as a “spritzer” may be underway as well as other products not just for minorities, but also for all women with different hair types.

“The Spritzer will be something used for ‘in-between’ times. It’s something to help keep hair moisturized after using the cleanser and conditioner,” said Thornton.

“In a five to 10 year stretch, I hope to target all different hair types.”

Random 49er trivia Throughout the remainder of the semester, we will share 49 interesting facts about UNC Charlotte Cheyenne Owens F E AT U R E S E D I T O R

Whether you’re a dewy-eyed freshman or a “been around” senior, there’s an enormous amount of magic hidden within the dwellings of the campus that most students are unaware of.

DID YOU KNOW...

1 2 3 4

An underground tunnel exists between two academic campus buildings.

The university was first called Charlotte College.

A graveyard exists on campus.

UNC Charlotte has FOUR campus locations.

5 6 7 8 9 10

The university was originally founded for returning war veterans.

The two gardens on campus attract over 300,000 visitors per year.

Attending students travel from 50 different states and 80 countries.

The J. Murrey Atkins Library shelves over one million books.

“Norm the Niner” is the mascot’s name.

Charlotte Athletics sponsors 16 varsity teams.

PAGE 12

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Campus police work behind the scenes Police and Public Safety endeavor to create a safe environment for students on campus and in the surrounding area

Sergeant Smith

Officer Lecomte

Lauren Dunn REPORTER

The UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety department may not be the most visible department on campus, but they very well might be the most appreciated, though students may not realize it. Students will realize it, however, when a campus officer is the first responder when he or she has a panic attack during exams or when the Campus Police are first to respond to silence the obnoxious fire alarm at night in the residence halls. No matter the instance, one thing is certain – it’s the UNC Charlotte Campus Police that give students peace of mind.

Student’s Perspective A Campus Police officer’s presence on campus may go unnoticed by most students, like UNC Charlotte senior Brenda Rodriquez.

“I don’t really ever see them unless they’re sitting in that circle by Fretwell,” said Rodriquez.

Or if a student happens to be a criminal justice major, like sophomore Joshua Smith, one might see them on occasion.

“They came into my criminal justice class to talk about their job,” said Smith. “They seemed pretty nice and were really informative.”

However, noticed or unnoticed, the 39 sworn-in men and women that make up the UNC Charlotte Campus Police department are hard at work literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring our safety. And, when their services are needed, students will quickly understand firsthand the importance of the Campus Police.

A day in the life A UNC Charlotte officer working the day shift begins the day as early as 5:45 a.m. with morning debriefing.

Then, he or she follows up on the previous day’s investigations, usually involving larcenies. During the rest of the shift, they patrol designated zones around campus and the recently added areas outside of campus.

“I like to keep my main focus on the heart of campus,” said Officer Bowman, who has been on the force for almost a year after transferring from the Gaston County Police Department. “I never want to go away from my zone in case a situation arrives where I’ll be needed. It’s always an of-

Police Chief Baker Photos by Aaron Cress ficer’s responsibility to protect his zone.”

Crazy calls Their day to day duties vary depending upon the amount of crime committed. Officer Bowman said rainy days are the slowest, while Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights are the busiest. But over the span of time in which UNC Charlotte has grown to its current population, the Campus Police have seen their fair share of exciting moments.

Though many students may not remember, it was just six years ago that a flash fire caused an explosion in a manhole between the Fretwell Building and Cato Hall.

“I was on call that day,” said Lieutenant Josh Huffman.

“I actually heard it and we got the call that there’d been an explosion. Everything was singed all the way up to the top

Lieutenant Huffman of the trees.”

However, not all calls to Campus Police are quite that serious. Huffman recalls being contacted by a student who was being chased by a goose. “[Geese] nest and they’re protective of their nests and apparently somebody walked a little too close to the nest and the goose chased them,” Huffman said. “Ultimately facilities got involved and they ended up putting netting around the nest.”

But the most common calls seem to be neither too serious nor too silly – larcenies. Second to larcenies are alcohol and drug violations. Lieutenant Huffman shared that an increase usually peaks in the beginning of the first semester when freshmen move in, and dwindles as they learn to adjust to college life.

A safer campus Even with the common calls of larceny and drugs and alcohol violations, Lieutenant Huffman says that crime is reportedly down on campus. Officer Bowman agrees, adding that UNC Charlotte students aren’t even the cause.

“90 percent of our problems come from foot traffic, not the students,” Officer Bowman said. “These kids are good kids. We get the most problems from people outside the school coming through.”

Still, Campus Police are actively working to lower the crime rate on campus no matter who may be the culprit or victim.

“Over the last year the number of crimes committed at UNC Charlotte has decreased dramatically,” Huffman said.

“This is because the UNC Charlotte Police Department has taken a proactive approach toward law enforcement and crime prevention.

Rather than simply responding to reports of crime, officers are now taking steps to prevent crime before it happens.”

This is being accomplished by a variety of different methods. Officers are being stationed in higher crime areas where they are utilizing all methods of patrol including bike and foot, they have developed their own SWAT team, added to their Criminal Investigations Division (CID), and with their new Community Oriented Policing (COP), they are becoming more active in the community.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

PAGE 13

DOWNTIME Thursday

Fundraiser Student Union

Bring toiletry items to donate to the residents of The Haven in Highland Creek

Back Story Rowe Arts

The Student One-Act Play Festival

30

Friday

1

Saturday

REAL Men

Lazy 5 Ranch Trip

S.U. room 340

Leave from S.U.

What does it mean to be a man on campus?

Socialiam 101 Fretwell room 121

Come to discuss why we need a world free of poverty, racism, sexism and homophobia. Socialism is that alternative.

Take a three and a half mile wagon ride and see over 750 animals with CAB.

Roller Skating Party

2

Sunday

Party with the Panthers Norm’s

Once a month we’ll be showing your Carolina Panthers on our big screen in Norm’s! We’ll have food, games, contests, and more! Panthers @ Bears.

3

Monday

Red Flag S.U. Rotunda

Join us as UNC Charlotte kicks off a new partnership with Verizon’s HopeLine Project to raise awareness about relationship violence

4

Tuesday

Fundamentals of HR Managment Center City

The Course will provide an overview of functions and responsibilities of HR Management

SAC Food Court

We’re transforming the old SAC into a Roller Rink

National Taco Day

The answers: See the answer to the sudoku puzzle by scanning the code with your smartphone.

29

Get the answers at www.nineronline.com/downtime

PAGE 14

NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

SPORTS

SPORTS SCHEDULE

Men’s Tennis vs Jeff Frank Inv.

Golf @ Rob Myers Inv.

Fri. TBA, Davidson, NC

Sat. TBA, Durham, NC

XC vs. Charlotte Invitational

Volleyball @ G.W.U.

Sat. TBA, Charlotte, NC

Sat. 7pm, Charlotte, NC

Women’s Soccer @ SLU

Softball(Exb) vs. App.State

Fri. 8pm, St. Louis, MO

Sun. 1pm, Charlotte, NC

Charlotte soccer mid-season report

The 49ers have been making their presence felt on the pitch and now sit at No.14 in the latest College Soccer News poll Joel Hanel A S S T. S P O R T S E D I T O R

Over the Hump

Freshman Guiseppe Gentile scored his first collegiate goal against Campbell leading to a 2-0 win at Transamerica Field.

Later, Evan James sealed the victory in the second half, scoring his fourth season goal.

The attendance for last Saturday’s game ranked third all time among past home matches.

Seahawk Down S h u t o u t number one of the season, the Niners advance with a 2-0 win against UNC Wilmington.

In front of the home crowd, Donnie Smith scored with force in the sixth minute. Later in the first half, the junior Jennings Rex added to the score after Anthony Perez’s shot ricocheted off of the net.

Jennings Rex led the Niners with two goals to beat the Phoenix 3-0 at Elon. Rex scored first off of an Evan James pass, then added the second after blowing past the defense and knocking another shot in past the keeper. Tyler Gibson later chipped another goal off of a penalty shot in the second half.

Red Card Fever Hurricane Evan strikes Twice

Falling Down South The 49ers took their first loss of the season at South Carolina, falling 2-1 to the Gamecocks. Donnie Smith did score, speeding past the Gamecock defense, and knocking one in to put the Niners on the board.

All Hail the Rex

In Virginia, the Niners defeated the Cavaliers 2-1 in overtime after Tyler Gibson rocked a penalty shot past the keeper with time running out. Immediately in overtime, the Niners, with a ten to nine player advantage, attacked, giving Isaac Caughran the chance to chip in the game winner.

49ers opened the season at Coastal Carolina with a 2-1 win over the Chantiwcleers.

Senior Evan James led the Niners with two storm-like strikes, giving the Niners their first win of the season.

Tyler Gibson takes Atlantic 1o P.O.W. Joel Hanel Asst. Sports Editor

Sophomore midfielder Tyler Gibson took home Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for his stellar performance in Charlotte’s ovetime win at No. 10 ranked Virginia.

Gibson joins Evan James as the second 49er to receive player of the week honors.

Gibson earned midfielder and Rookie of the Year honors last season, scored the equalizer in the overtime win against the Cavaliers Saturday on a penalty kick with 25 seconds remaining in regulation, if that wasn’t enough he assisted on the game winner by Issac Caughran which landed in the net just 42 seconds into the overtime period.

The 49ers have moved up to No.15 in the latest college soccer polls as they get set to take on Campbell at home this Saturday at 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

Campbell comes into Saturday’s match with a 4-2-1 record at the time of publication, their leading scorer is J.J. Elder with five goals and two game winners this season.

Declawing the Tigers Traveling d o w n Interstate 85, three different Niners scored as the team tamed the Tigers in a 3-1 victory. The Niners scored in the eleventh minute after a corner kick bounced around in the box, giving sophomore Will Mayhew a header in the back of the net. In the second half, with a tied score, sophomore Thomas Allen scored his first goal, giving the Niners the advantage. Finally, Evan James scored in the final minutes of the game zeroing in a Mayhew assist.

Return of the Niner Isaac Caughran scored his first goal of the season against the Spartans in a 1-0 win at Transamerica field. A year prior, Caughran was injured against the Spartans, and the goal made up for his year of rehab.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 21 21

Charlotte’s match vs. Campbell ranks third all time among total attendance (2,693) at Transamerica Field.

Senior Amanda Goetschius’s place in the Roy Griak Invitational earned her A-10 Performer of the week.

Days until Basketball Madness invades Halton Arena.

NINERONLINE.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

PAGE 15

The Leventhal Leger The Leventhal File Favorite Food: Fruits Favorite Movie: Mary Poppins Favorite TV Show: CSI Favorite Book: Black Boy Favorite Band: Breaking Benjamin Choice of Superpower: Ability to fly

Volleyball Home Schedule vs Xavier Fri, Oct 07 7 p.m.

vs Dayton Sun, Oct 09 1 p.m.

vs RI Fri, Oct 16 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

Brian Chan REPORTER

From losing a five-setter to the Saint Louis Billikens in the Atlantic-10 Tournament last season to battling through a couple notable injuries in the early part of this year, the Charlotte 49ers women’s volleyball team continues to have a positive outlook, regardless of the number of obstacles they have to encounter.

Whether it be singing on the sidelines or delivering a powerful cross-court kill, senior outside hitter/right side Leah Leventhal characterizes her infectious enjoyment as a key motivator.

Leventhal has emerged as an important piece to the Niners offensive attack, ranking second on the team with 104 kills in 345 total attacks prior to Friday’s rematch against Saint Louis. Last week, Leventhal posted her first two career double-doubles, presenting herself as one of the team’s three seniors on the 2011 squad.

Leventhal, an All-A-10 Rookie Team selection in 2008, identifies her role as a spark plug, the energizer of the team.

As a role player in her first year, Leventhal was an emerging player late into the season when she recorded 40 of her 58 kills in the last five matches of the year and garnered a couple of A-10 Rookie of the Week honors.

“It was kind of unexpected,” said Leventhal of her lateseason emergence, resulting in her being named to the All-Conference rookie team. “It was great, but I’m the type of player that gives credit to my teammates. They were there helping me through it when I was coming in late into the season not knowing the game as much.”

Leventhal experienced how the pace of the game changed from when she was playing high school or club volleyball to playing at the collegiate level. Leventhal says that most of what she learned from her first couple years was from watching from the sidelines and acquiring knowledge from the more experienced players.

Leventhal again was used sparingly as she appeared in 50 sets in her sophomore year and 109 sets in her first two years before being inserted into the starting lineup ast year, where she logged in 103 sets, collecting 145 kills and 45 blocks.

Leventhal credits her former teammate Kaitlin Knight for providing her with the advice on having fun on the court, which Leventhal points out as her biggest strength. “[Knight] always said, ‘Just have fun no matter what you do because it will be your senior year before you know it,’” said Leventhal.

Even when Leventhal or the team experiences a bit of a struggle, she manages to maintain a positive outlook.

“With my personality, I like to think that I’m a good spark plug, where other players can turn to me,” said Leventhal. “Even if my game is not on, I can really pick somebody up.”

Leventhal notes that volleyball wasn’t inherently her main sport as she was also competing in basketball, swimming, and softball, before she started to gain interest in volleyball.

“My mother threw me into [recreational] league in the seventh grade, and I refused to play,” said Leventhal of her introduction to volleyball. “But, I tried it and dropped the rest of the sports that I was playing, and then I started getting involved in travel [volleyball].”

From there, Leventhal, a Gainesville, Fla. native, starred at Santa Fe High School, where she totaled 744 kills, 293 digs, and 213 blocks in her four years and helped her team win a district title each year.

Leventhal, one of the three players first recruited by Charlotte Head Coach Chris Redding, was first connected to Charlotte from one of her club volleyball coaches, who was a good friend of Redding.

Leventhal had a tremendous first impression of her visit to Charlotte.

“It was November when I flew in, and the leaves were yellow and red,” said Leventhal. “I’m from a really small town, so when I saw downtown Charlotte, my jaw dropped.”

Even though location factored into her decision to attend Charlotte, Leventhal says that her decision was largely weighted on her impression of the team.

“I have 12 sisters, and it was an in-sync connection,” said Leventhal of her teammates. “I felt like I was really wanted here.”

Leventhal, who considers Charlotte as her second home, finds that her enthusiasm on and off the court blends in well with her teammates and the crowd at Halton Arena.

“Playing in Charlotte, I call it more like a show,” said Leventhal. “You’re having fun at the same time. It’s like a performance, where you want the crowd to get into it and enjoy what they’re seeing.”

Leventhal, who has a strong interest in musicals, is known by her teammates to sing and dance. Leventhal says that the team’s closeness is shown by them having fun as they’re singing in the locker room or on the sidelines during a match.

Meanwhile, as Leventhal is playing for a high-spirited Charlotte team in front of an energetic crowd, she hasn’t had as much of an opportunity to play in front of her family, especially her mother, whom she considers as her biggest influence.

“She has always been there in sports, behind me 100 percent,” said Leventhal of her mother. “She isn’t able to get here [in Charlotte] a whole lot, but because of her putting me in volleyball, she’s my biggest influence.”

Now, as a senior, Leventhal has acquired the experience and turned that into producing results on the court, delivering kills, keeping the ball in play with digs, and recording blocks, but she has also used her experience as a way to mentor the younger players on the team.

“Coming into my senior year, I know how things work and how things are supposed to flow,” said Leventhal.

“It’s more about no regrets and having fun, and passing on what seniors taught me when I was a freshman to my fellow underclassmen.”

Over the years, Leventhal notes that her biggest improvement came in her hitting, where she began to play more of an offensive role as she seized the starting position after Kat Hicks, one of last year’s graduated seniors, went down to an injury in the fourth match of last season.

After appearing in 109 sets in her first two seasons, Leventhal played in 103 sets, appearing in all 31 matches while recording a career-high 145 kills, averaging 1.41 per set.

“I came in very limited, where this is the one way I saw it,” said Leventhal of how she adjusted her hitting techniques. “The coaching staff really opened me up to different shots on the court and different arm swings.

We’ve tweaked my approach and arm swings since my freshman year. Working with me has really improved in me becoming a better player.”

The Niners open their conference season on the road against the Billikens, looking to avenge last season’s A-10

Tournament loss and put an end to an eight-match losing streak to Saint Louis. Leventhal recorded a key block to give the Niners a 27-25 win in an epic fourth-set battle, but the Billikens prevailed in the fifth set to give the Niners another early exit.

“We got a pretty bitter taste in our mouth,” said Leventhal of the team’s response in the tough loss. “We’re going to show them that we’re a more improved Charlotte team. This time, we’re ready to take set 5.”

As far as her future, Leventhal hopes to be able to compete in outdoor volleyball tournaments, but she looks to pursue her career elsewhere. Leventhal, who is majoring in social work while holding a minor in psychology, will be going to Africa in the spring to do international social work in addition to going to graduate school. While Leventhal doesn’t necessarily consider this to be a volleyball ending, she aspires to make choices that will help her advance in her career.

ED NISER

SPORTS EDITOR

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JOSH CARPENTER

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NINERTIMES

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

901 place