PAGE 1TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012

A product of Student Niner Media • The University of North Carolina at Charlotte • Partially funded by Student Fees • Breaking News? Email us at editor@nineronline.com or call 704.687.7148

New on NinerOnline.com: Check out NinerTV’s Around the Crown and Niner News.

Malcolm CarterMCARTE72@UNCC.EDU

Thursday April 19, 2012, local leaders and state rep-resentatives gathered in front of the Bioinformatics Building to celebrate the fi -nal agreement for the state to provide 25 percent of the budget for the Blue Line Ex-tension (BLE) project.

This project will bring the light rail transit to the main campus of UNC Char-lotte.

Charlotte Mayor An-thony Foxx, North Carolina Department of Transporta-tion (NCDOT) Secretary for Transit Paul Morris, Dep-uty Project Director Kelly Goforth and Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Chief Executive Offi cer Car-olyn Flowers attended the ceremony.

According to Goforth the project has been in the works since 2000. CATS began preliminary engi-neering after opening the south quarter line in 2007.

The funding for the proj-ect would not have come to-gether without UNC Char-lotte’s cooperation.

“Unless the university agreed to bring it on cam-pus, they would have never met the federal require-ments for ridership that were necessary to get the funding,” said Chancellor Phillip Dubois.

Fifty percent of the funding comes from the federal government, 25 per-cent comes from the city’s collection of a transit sales tax and 25 percent comes from the state.

“UNC Charlotte has been tremendous partners

in the efforts of bringing the light rail to University City. In fact they’re one of the signature stops on the line.

It’s going to end right on campus which is going to be great for students and visitors and staff,” said Jean Leier with CATS public re-lations.

Two on campus stops are currently part of the plans for the light rail. One stop will be on J.W. Clay Blvd. and the other will be just north of Wallis Hall.

These station locations will provide students, fac-

ulty and visitors easy access to uptown Charlotte.

“Because it has frequent stops, it has the ability to connect the university to shopping, recreation and entertainment and other housing options,” said Mor-ris.

UNC Charlotte is the fi rst of any universities in North Carolina to get a light rail system. “[Charlotte and UNC Charlotte] are setting the stage for other univer-sities and cities to follow suit,” said Morris.

Once distinguished guests had fi nished speak-ing, Flowers invited at-tendees to make their way to the makeshift track that had been transported to the lawn in front of the Bioin-formatics building.

Green and gold ham-mers awaited the guests who, on the count of three from Foxx, hammered the golden stakes into the track.

This symbolizes the completion of the BLE and the recognition of partner-ship between UNC Char-lotte, CATS and the city of Charlotte.

Elizabeth BartholfEBARTHO3@UNCC.EDU

Last year UNC Charlotte broke campus records, recycling over 2 million pounds of materials and diverting 39 percent of cam-pus waste from landfi lls.

As the university recycles another 2 million pounds this year, the campus com-munity will celebrate and promote green initiatives at the upcoming Earth Day Festival.

UNC Char-lotte’s Offi ce of Waste Reduction and Recycling will host its 20th an-nual Earth Day Festival Wednes-day, April 25, 2012, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., in the Col-lege of Health and Human Services (CHHS) Plaza. The free event is open to the public and will include live music and games.

“We want students, faculty and staff to come and learn about [the environmental work of] local business and other groups on campus,” said Devin Hatley, environmen-tal educator for the Offi ce of Waste Reduc-tion and Recycling.

This year’s celebration will feature the work of various campus groups includ-ing UNC Charlotte’s Sustainability Offi ce, Charlotte Green Initiative, Venture, Earth Club, Geography Club and Recreational Services.

As part of new recycling initiatives on campus UNC Charlotte engineering stu-dents will unveil two original interactive re-cycling bins. Two teams of seniors have de-signed and built recycling bins with game components for their senior projects.

One bin, which is designed for indoor use, starts a football themed game when you recycle a can in the bin.

The second bin contains a solar compo-nent and launches a game inspired by a the Price is Right. Both bins will available for use on campus starting this summer.

“We make a huge impact with over 30,000 people on this campus every day. How we go about our daily business makes a large impact [as we] recycle.”

Hatley looks forward to continued ex-pansion of campus recycling programs and environmental education at UNC Char-lotte.

What: Earth Day

Festival

When: 10 a.m.

until 2 p.m.,

Wednesday, April

25, 2012

Where: CHHS

Courtyard

EVENT

Eden CreamerECREAMER@UNCC.EDU

Earlier this school year the Niner Times began following the “Underground Nin-er,” a boy who posed as a UNC Charlotte student. He lived in student housing, ate in residence hall dining and called himself a 39er with hopes of one day becoming a student at the university he was living at. Now, after months of coverage, his iden-tity will be revealed.

Darnell Terrell is not his real name. Ter-rell, 20, has spent the last eight months liv-ing in a UNC Charlotte residence hall after his application for fi nancial aid was reject-ed, leaving him with nowhere to call home. Friends at UNC Charlotte took Terrell in and gave him a place to stay.

He ate in Crown Commons, used school facilities and integrated himself into the campus community. He attended a local community college and lived on campus as a Niner. Now, he is not.

Terrell received acceptance to the Art Institute of Charlotte (Ai) in March 2012. As his UNC Charlotte comrades work to wrap up their semesters, Terrell’s fi rst day of class began Monday, April 2, 2012, the fi rst day of Ai’s Spring Quarter.

Before his acceptance to Ai, Terrell felt burdened by the weight of his secret. “I al-ways feel that secretly, I don’t belong here, I’m not supposed to be here right now. And that hurts,” said Terrell. “Everybody has that desperate need and desire to be suc-cessful, and it seems like, and it’s almost been proven that it is impossible to be successful without college, not to mention without an accredited university behind you.”

Now that he has that, Terrell is happy with his new life at Ai. He enjoys how his photography, the art he has gone to Ai to study, is improving. He also loves “the cre-ativity of my peers,” he says.

Along with his change in school Terrell also moved off campus into a place of his own.

“I have an apartment, and I still visit UNC Charlotte every now and then,” he said. Terrell visits campus on a weekly ba-sis, spending time with the friends who had helped him so much in the past months.

Before moving out Terrell was con-scious of how he might be troubling the people who were helping him. He was al-ways aware of how he “might be a burden on some people. We’re all the same age. As a coming-of-age adult, you shouldn’t have to carry another coming-of-age adult on your back,” he said.

His real name is Daniel Terry. He had been living in the UNC Charlotte high rises since August.

UNC Charlotte became a home to him but now he has a real place to call his own. Daniel Terry is no longer an Underground Niner.

Nailing down future plans

E rthDay

Unmask the 39er

E rth

Last year’s Earth Day. Photo courtesy of Devin Hatley

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx holds an green and gold hammer as he prepares to hammer celebratory stakes into a track. Photo by Chris Crews

The Lynx Blue Line that is coming to UNC Charlotte in the future. MCT Campus

PAGE 1

A product of Student Niner Media • The University of North Carolina at Charlotte • Partially funded by Student Fees • Breaking News? Email us at editor@nineronline.com or call 704.687.7148

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Publ ished twice weekly and onl ine at www.nineronline.com

NINERTIMES

A Niner TimesTHROWBACK

pg. 3-11

PAGE 2 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES

The newspaperFrom the Charlotte Collegian to the Niner TimesThis issue of the Niner Times is a throw

back to past issues of UNC Charlotte stu-dent newspapers. Despite numerous name changes, the student newspaper at the university has commented on student life, noted important events, and told the story of the school.

The design and layout of this issue is specifi cally a throwback to the late 1970s Carolina Journal. The name “Carolina Journal” was decided upon after Charlotte College became UNC Charlotte and ran un-til 1983.

Timeline of Charlotte College and UNC Charlotte student newspapers

Charlotte Collegian1949-1965

The Carolina Journal1965-1983

The 49er Times1983-1989

The University Times1989-2011

The Niner Times2011-Present

PAGE 3TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012The Carolina Journal

Instagram vs. NostalgiaCan you distinguish old UNC Charlotte photos from current Instagram photos?

Continued on Page 8

Reliving the Mean Green: 35 years laterBy Michael Brennan

MBRENNA7@UNCC.EDU

The Charlotte 49ers made unimaginable headlines in 1977 when the “small school in Charlotte” made a Final Four berth after shock-ing the nation with upsets and notoriety.

Seven years prior to 1977, Charlotte’s bas-ketball program was so inexperienced and neo-teric that it could only offer its basketball pro-gram a high school gymnasium in which to host games. The journey that Charlotte would come to engineer would be revered as one of the most overlooked triumphs in sports history.

In 1977, UNC Charlotte was nothing more than a converted dairy farm that was widely neglected by nearly every major school. With a campus that was younger than 20 years old, and little to no tradition, it wasn’t realistic to ex-pect Charlotte to make a national splash. But in 1977, the world opened its eyes when one of the greatest Cinderella stories of all time was born.

As they would come to be known the “Mean Green” started the 1976-1977 season after near-

ly winning the NIT (National Invitation Tourna-ment) the season before. 1977 marked the be-ginning of Charlotte’s representation in the Sun Belt Conference.

The 49ers imposed their superiority on the Sun Belt Conference by fi nishing with a 28-5 record that was good enough to fi nish at the top of the conference after winning its post-season tournament.

Winning the Sun Belt conference was Char-lotte’s automatic bid into their fi rst NCAA tour-nament.

Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, arguably one of the most infl uential players in Charlotte his-tory, was at the apex of his performance dur-ing his years with the 49ers during the magical 1977 season. Maxwell was named conference player of the year in 1977 and was drafted 12th overall by the Boston Celtics just shortly after Charlotte retired his number (33) at the conclu-sion of the season.

Continued on Page 11(fi le photo)

Cedric Maxwell in a basketball game in 1977, before the construction of Halton Arena.

By Caitlin EvansonCEVANSON@UNCC.EDU

Upon fi rst moving to Charlotte, I had no idea what I was in for, especially considering I was fresh on the bar scene being 21 and all. I didn’t have any friends or a job, which meant I had no money to go out to bars and no friends to hangout with.

The fi rst bar I went out to was Howl at the Moon in uptown Charlotte. Being in the city, we (meaning my mom, step-dad and I) already knew it was going to be fairly expensive. With a cover fee and then one too many drinks, we (meaning my mom and step-dad) ended up spending close to $75. Drinking in uptown Charlotte can be mighty expensive.

After being here for almost two months I eventually started making friends after fi nding a job and starting school. My fi rst “bar” friend was Justin and he had just turned 21. This meant he wanted to go out, every single night. Needless to say, I was worn out. I’d go out, have a few beers, go home, sleep for about fi ve hours, wake up, go to class, do homework, go to work and then go to the bar again. It was the most insane three weeks of my life and a com-plete waste of money.

The money issue goes a long way too. It is much more expensive to drink at a bar than hav-ing a six-pack at home. Everyone knows that bars overprice everything and charge an insane amount on most drinks. It’s just much more simple to sit at home and enjoy a beer or two.

Here at UNC Charlotte, there are cheaper ways to have fun. As students, we pay an ac-tivity fee in our tuition so we should be taking advantage of the fun we could be having. At the Student Union on campus we have a movie the-ater that offers movies (usually newer releases) to students for free. We also have hang out spots there with pool tables and what not, where stu-dents are able to relax while still having fun.

Continued on Page 5

By Joshua WoodOPINION@NINERONLINE.COM

In the November 14, 1978, issue of the Carolina Journal, former staff writer Don Wa-terman asked several UNC Charlotte students to rate their major department. I plan to revisit these answers.

More specifi cally I will be analyzing the an-swer given by former senior James Kirkpatrick, a Creative Arts major. I myself am an Art major and will compare how much has changed in the last 34 years.

Continued on Page 5

Speak up:Rating colleges By Ryan Pitkin

AE@NINERONLINE.COM

With technology evolving everyday, it’s easy to forget that little more than a decade ago, many students on campus didn’t have cellphones, let alone apps like Angry Birds and Draw Something to get them through a boring lecture. For today’s retro issue, the A&E sec-tion takes a look back at the issue of gaming 20 years ago.

An article from the March 19, 1992 issue of The University Times titled “Players De-fend Their Games” goes over the debate about whether video games can become too addict-ing, therefore taking students away from their studies.

Continued on Page 6

A slippery slope:Digital entertainment progresses as grades decline

Photo by Mark Reep Original caption: Whether it is Nintendo or the game room on campus, many students spend the majority of their time and money on video games.

Volume XXIV Volume L A Niner Times Special

Rogues and Rascals 1978

PAGE 4 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES

PAGE 5TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012The Carolina Journal

GIVE US SOME FEEDBACKNinerTimes wel comes letters. Feedback should be under 200 words, leg i bly written or typed and should include the author’s sig na ture, year in school, major and tele phone number. Faculty and staff should in clude title and de part ment. Unsigned, anon y mous letters will not be print ed. All let ters are sub ject to editing for space and style.

NINERTIMESVolume 24, Number 50

E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F

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ASSISTANT EDITORSEden Creamer, Barry Falls Jr., Travis Durkee, Nathan Butler

ADDITIONAL STAFF

Sarah Obied, Ashley Smith, Jordan McSwain, Maurii Davenport, Scarlett Newman,

Malcolm Carter, Elizabeth Bartholf, Christina Mullen, Olivia Stott, Jordan Scheno, Anna Leatherman, Tricia Bangit, Gwen Shearman, Margaret Daly, Michael Brennan, Sequoia Dozier, Asha Roper,

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A S P E C I A L I S S U E O F

Commuter life continued from page 3Fellow students often throw parties where

students can get together where drinks are often cheaper, meaning we’d spend less money. UNC Charlotte also offers a lot of other activities on campus throughout the semester. For example Battle of the Bands, Holi Moli, plays put on by UNC Charlotte students and much more every semester.

As a commuter student, I often feel like I fi t in on campus. I have never lived on campus or anywhere near a college I have attended, making me feel a little out of place at times. But making friends that live on or around campus helps a lot in making me feel like I belong.

Instead of going out and spending money we as students could be having a great time on or around campus. You just have to do a little more research instead of getting in the car to drive 20 minutes to get to a bar and spend money you don’t have.

********************

The Commuter Life column is an idea that has been recycled numerous times throughout Niner Times history.

The column was made to voice the opinions of commuters around campus and to make campus events known to all commuters.

This issues column is about commuters utilizing on campus facilities instead of running off and wasting money at the bar to have a good time.

Hopefully the Commuter Life column is something we will carry on into future issues. If you have any stories you wish to share as a commuter, please submit them to editor@nineronline.com.

In the January 16, 1984 issue of the 49er Times, staff writer York David Anthony published an article pertaining to a student wide fast protesting against world hunger problems.

Currently 13.1 percent of the world is starving, Anthony talks as if the percentage of the hungry (at the time 0.4 percent) would not increase but it has.

A more recent issue is the Invisible Children movement, showing that the world’s problems have not just disappeared as Anthony would like to believe.

Perhaps we should all take advice from Kelly Smith and have a school wide fast.

Joshua Wood******************

By York David Anthony49er Times staff writer

To the students:Aside from the creation of

pent-up demand for Bojangles dirty rice and a game of Pac-Man, I wonder what the Student Fast that Kelly Smith encourages will accomplish? Let’s get one thing straight at the beginning: this writer does not advocate starvation and global human suffering. Indeed, it’s every person’s concern to do as much possible to minimize these tragic conditions.

However, the extreme naiveté which is expressed by Ms. Smith and others who believe

similarly is ineffectual at best. We are discussing problems which are very much larger than can be encompassed in such oversimplifi cation.

Ms. Smith, there is not this cut and dried relationship between producing $550 billion of military goods versus 20 million people starving. In view of the growth of population in many areas of the world, your “starving people” number is actually incredibly good. Never before in the history of the world have only 0.4 percent of the world population been going without nutrition.

Both military and civilian production is the reason why 99.6 percent of the population is not starving. If people who allegedly sit on their fat ass and consume “more than their fair share” didn’t produce video games, tanks and Bojangles dirty rice, there would far more starvation. Ms. Smith should realize that technological innovation is why we are free from very major social ills that were common even 100 years ago in her “offending society.”

Creation of a society of plenty has an additional benefi t: reduction of the risk of severe overpopulation. Those of us who consume more than their fair share are also less likely to leave behind 10 to 15 imprints of their genetic code. Economic incentives; namely, that it hits one in the wallet about $250,000 to raise a child to

maturity, is a primary reason. Kelly, the simple bailout of 0.4

percent of the population might have the direct result of decreasing starvation momentarily. However, without concomitant measures (such as contraception) the increased well-being of those individuals will result in even more over population than we already have. Ultimately, this will create more starvation.

Finally, it is highly idealistic to presume that we could just arbitrarily decide to feed however many people are starving. The cost of this program, if implemented at the rate Smith advocates, would require the diversion of many goods and services (all of which would not be reimbursed) that the world economy would be severely jeopardized. There are also political ramifi cations, and the fact that some people, even starving, will not accept charity.

We also have another problem with increasing longevity of people: the societal cost of keeping the chronically ill alive. This is not to say that there is a “duty to die,” but rather that there is equivalent suffering of the prosperous which is dramatically increasing. Who is to say that the person who has advanced carcinoma of the pancreas suffers any less than a starving child? If we have “equivalent suffering units” for measurement, the problem of starvation of 0.4 percent of the

population is going to be nothing compared to the rapid increase of health problems of the well fed by 2000, when the Woodstock/WWII baby boom generation hits old age. The question of whether there is enough to eat is going to be moot in light of the mass suffering from chronic disease that industrialized nations will experience very soon.

The answer is not necessarily a short-term bailout. Suddenly feeding the worlds starving will result in far worse problems than we have now (namely increased longevity of the living, and creation of more people, without an increase of production or resources available to take care of the effects). Provision of foodstuffs on a limited basis, together with education and communication, is far more reasonable.

Again, I would like to emphasize that I do not advocate starvation of a single human being. However, there are issues connected with how this problem should be dealt with that go beyond the palliation of hunger, particularly the perpetuation of more hunger via over population. The goal is permanently minimize suffering, not just a temporary decrease. Clear thinking of all ramifi cations is required, not sensationalist techniques.

Hunger Strike Oversimplifi es World Hunger Problem

An editorial cartoon featured in a 1965 issue of the Charlotte Collegian. Depicting Charlotte College being adopted into the UNC system, and changing the name to UNC Charlotte.

Speak up continued from page 3When asked to rate his major department

Kirkpatrick answered, “It is confusing for me because of the new program. The new program is based on the needs of the department rather than the needs of the student. Before, you found your own structure through self-motivation and self-discipline.”

I believe that the structure of the art major is very well done. Normally an art department is one of the fi rst to get an axe to the budget during an economic decline but despite that I think that the art program has wonderful working space and beautiful gallery exhibits. I fi nd the advisors and professors most useful.

Other responses to the “rate your major department” question were: “So far the business courses have been all right. Economics

and accounting are the only parts I really don’t like,” according to Mike Thomas, a former Business major.

Libby Blythe, a former Criminal Justice major, answered, “It is a real good department. The advisors, professors, and faculty are quite helpful. They have a real genuine interest in the students.

Deanne King, a former Mathematics major said, “I don’t like the way they teach some of classes. I think should teach the classes at their own speed instead of following strict syllabuses. The department is good in most other respects.”

If you have any thoughts about your major, please send them to editor@nineronline.com.

Let your voice be heardSend in your letter to the editor now!

Send to editor@nineronline.com

PAGE 6 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES

By Patrick BogansPBOGANS@UNCC.EDU

Wild, addictive, upbeat and charming: just some of the many words that come to mind when thinking of Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers (BKTF).

The local rock band took to the stage at Amos Southend last Friday night to celebrate the release of their new album, “Years.”

Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers is lead by Kirkley, with Chris Hensley on bass and backup vocals and David Hole on gui-tar and backup vocals.

Kirkley is a graduate and current em-ployee of UNC Charlotte who has definite-ly proven himself over and over again to be the definition of a successful and devoted 49er.

The new seven-song album is straight up addictive, all-American rock from start to finish.

“I really love all the songs we chose for the album - they’ve all got a special place with me,” Kirkley says.

BKTF soon translated the feeling of these rock and roll tunes to Amos’ stage wonderfully at the release show.

Earlier in the week, local rock radio sta-tion 106.5 The End even invited the band over to promote “Years” and played more than a few songs off the album.

“It’s always an awesome experience to hear yourself singing on the radio - and our fans get pumped about it as well,” Kirkley

said.“Being asked to come in the studio for

an interview and acoustic performance was surreal. We’d done it once before, but be-ing asked to come back to promote our new CD was very special, and we’re extremely thankful for the opportunity.”

On Friday night, Kirkley made sure that he went around and talked to everyone in the audience as they arrived to Amos. It re-ally set up the whole event in way that felt very personal and connected.

On stage, the night started off with sup-porting music sets from Georgia artist Dan Forsberg and local rock band VESS.

Forsberg was very reminiscent of a Mumford and Sons/Augustana mix.

VESS, who seemed to have band mem-bers really different from one another, came together very well for some enchanting songs with a great onstage presence.

Both acts definitely helped build up the excitement and rock and roll state of mind before BKTF finally the stage.

When Kirkley arrived upon the stage, he was dressed with the attire so recognizable from the front cover of the album.

The man in trademark long necklaces, a jean jacket and skinny jeans made everyone get up on their feet and come towards the front of the stage.

His outgoing personality from the very beginning gave everyone a good glimpse of how eccentric Kirkley was to be throughout the night.

The band decided to start off the show with “Years”, the title track off the new al-bum. With its undeniable catchy vocal an-them, the addictive song was a great way to get everyone ready for what was to come.

Obvious excitement was glowing from Kirkley and the band. Throughout his first few performances of “Madison,” “Stay” and “Not Even Here,” he kick-started the concert with ridiculous momentum to be a crazy good fist-pumping, sing-along good time.

This enthusiasm became greatly ap-parent during the performance of “Love, American Style.” This upbeat anthem, about someone continuously straddling the line between love and lust, has the high energy vocals and power punching guitar

rhythms to sing and dance to.Kirkley began to bounce around the

stage in a crazy, frantic and awesome man-ner with a smile on his face the entire time performing this song.

And all the while, the American flag was right there in the background.

Soon enough, Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers were radiating their obvious ability to put on a pretty awesome all-American rock show.

BKTF transitioned from this heavy American rock anthem to some slower, vintage love songs from their first album, “What We Thought We Knew”.

The performance of the songs “Sunset City” and “You Don’t Know” were defi-nitely much more subtle, with just Kirkley and Hensley on stage with a guitar and a harmonica.

Afterwards, Kirkley and the entire band reunited for a high energy, rock and roll run, ending the night playing new songs “Come On” and “Settle It Down.”

The entire release party was a major suc-cess. It seemed as if everyone in the crowd was wearing Brandon Kirkley and the Fire-cracker t-shirts or at least holding the new album in hand by the end of the night.

“[The CD release party] was simply amazing and went by in a flash,” Kirkley mentions.

“We were astonished at the support from all of our friends, family and fans at Amos’. If we put on half of the show everyone raved that we did afterward, then we’re all very proud Firecrackers.

Seeing so many people singing along, dancing and cheering for our music is the best feeling in the world.”

It was without a doubt a memorable night, and Brandon Kirkley and the Fire-crackers have the stage presence, the ad-dictive rock tunes and the overall appeal to have an insanely successful career in the rock ‘n’ roll industry.

The new CD will be at all online retail-ers (iTunes, etc.) in the next few weeks, but anyone can buy the album sooner from www.bktf.net, along with other merchan-dise as well.

The band is looking for a full-time drummer and lead guitarist, so anyone with interest should email booking@bktf.net.

Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers will be playing acoustically in Norm’s this Friday for the final Union Take Over.

Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers rock Amos’ at ‘Years’ release party

Photo by Brandon KirkleyDavid Hole (left), Brandon Kirkley (middle) and Chris Hensley (right) of BKTF at Amos’.

Photo by Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers

Photo from iTunes App storeA similar Marvel installment, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty costs $2.99 on the Apple App store

A slippery slope continued from page 3

The article covers the growing trend of the Nintendo game system, but points wannabe gamers to a game room that was once in the Bonnie Cone Center, now the University Cone Center.

A couple of the students quoted in the story wanted to remain anonymous, apparently be-cause they were embarrassed by the fact that they played Nintendo for four hours a day.

One student, Cheryl McCloud, shared her sentiments, which sounded almost exactly like the things many girlfriends are still saying to this day about gaming.

“To me, it is a waste of time,” said Mc-

Cloud. “You’re just sitting there playing and you can’t get anything done.”

The game room was a place similar to what is now Norm’s in the Student Union, with pool, ping-pong and arcade games.

One student, who remained anonymous, admitted to spending $60 a month on Street Fighter and Captain America by going to the game room between classes.

The new Captain America app can be bought on an iPhone for $3 and played without limit before, during and after class.

There is an app now for iPads called Gamepad that can sync with your iPhone and let you play EA Sports titles right in class using your phone as a controller.

The effect is basically having a Playsta-tion 3 sitting in front of you while your

teacher goes on about Twelfth Night or qua-dratic functions.

The newest Angry Birds app, released in March, takes place in space. The develop-ers worked with NASA engineers to get the feel of it just right.

When comparing that video game in your pocket to a humongous machine that would only let you move forward and back-ward with a fighting charachter, the ad-vances become clear. It’s not hard to see why the game room didn’t last to 2012.

Scott Evett, a sophmore in 1992, was quoted as saying that going to visit the game room was OK as long as one doesn’t get addicted to it.

Video game addiction can still be a prob-lem, but for the most part the most popular games these days are just time killers.

The one thing that has changed the most since 1992 is the portability of the technol-ogy.

In most classes, students have their lap-tops on their desks, checking up on Farm-ville or Words with Friends.

Any professor from 1992 would be as-tounded to know that kids were no longer just distracted from homework by video games, but also distracted from lectures.

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I usually waste up to $60 a month playing games like Street Fighter 2

Anonymous Student - 1992

NINER

Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers

PAGE 7TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012The Carolina Journal

By Patrick BogansPBOGANS@UNCC.EDU

It seems as if most of the laughs and plot had already been given away in the trailer for “The Five-Year Engagement.”

As was the case with “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” even the title seems to pretty much explain it all.

These characteristics are not at all sur-prising for a romantic comedy.

A rom-com produced by comedic genius Judd Apatow however, changes the game a little.

The film stars Jason Segel (who also co-wrote the script) and Emily Blunt as Tom and Violet, an engaged couple who end up having to hold off planning their wedding to pursue Violet’s new prospective job op-portunity at the University of Michigan.

As they move from San Francisco to

Michigan, Tom has to quit his job as a chef and both of them have to adjust to this com-pletely different lifestyle.

As can be expected, this puts a ridicu-lous strain on their relationship.

The story unfolds from there. The looming, prolonged wedding along

with Tom’s withheld frustration of the whole ordeal eventually and predictably adds up to have some unfortunate conse-quences.

Throughout the movie, “Five-Year En-gagement,” hits the mark so much more of-ten than not.

The most missed opportunities for laughs often come from Violet’s co-work-ers at the university.

It’s a shame how awkward Mindy Ka-ling and Kevin Hart were on screen at times, especially early on.

Their characters were obviously go-to

characters for laughs, but rarely seemed to have any. The most on-target laughs throughout the film were from the brilliant Chris Pratt and Alison Brie.

Pratt (Parks and Recreation) plays Tom’s best friend, and Brie (Community) plays Violet’s sister in the film.

Their odd but hilarious relationship with each other, along with their interactions with everyone else, consistently had some-thing every time they hit the screen.

It’ll be refreshing to see them get some time in the spotlight, and hopefully both of these talented actors will become house-hold names.

And then there were Tom and Violet. The main couple surprisingly have fantas-tic chemistry for seeming so polar opposite.

This isn’t the first time the two have starred together.

Blunt and Segel really pull off the “op-

posites attract” thing and it thankfully makes their relationship very realistic and believable.

The film gets the relationship part of the story just right, which is obviously impor-tant for a romantic comedy.

The dialogue, whether on a lighthearted or more dramatic subject, is well written and Tom and Violet each develop through-out the film in a way that is completely re-latable to actual people.

They act the way real adults would act in a relationship. And the fact that they are in this real, relatable situation of rushing into marriage in the first place is refresh-ing.

With the two hour run time, the movie makes sure the ups and downs of the rela-tionship aren’t just brushed pass and swift-ly gone through.

The effort to make this movie feel like it actually was an engagement struggle that lasts a long time is a nice, logical move, un-like the tendencies of many other romantic comedies to just flash forward within the movie.

Apatow has a tendency to produce great romantic comedies like this (Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), so it was never a surprise that the movie pulled this off.

Sure the movie has the campy love stuff with the cliches that bookend the story, but anything cliche within the movie is cute, not frustrating.

Any prospective audience of this film should not be turned off by the threat of it being a regular romantic comedy.

It has the typical arc of a romantic film, but that should be a small factor compared to how the comedy in “The Five-Year En-gagement” is so often spot on.

Apatow rarely misses, and this one is no exception. The film will hit theatres on April 27.

Apatow production is funny, grown-up enough to surpass the cliches of the genre

Jason Segal (third from left) co-wrote and starred in “Five Year Engagement.” Photo by Universal Studios

PAGE 8 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES

Instagram vs. NostalgiaCan you distinguish iPhone snapshots from the photos of UNC Charlotte yesteryear?

By Lee PhamCOMMUNITY@NINERONLINE.COM

Instagram has become the standard for taking quick iPhone (and recently Android) pictures and sharing them with the world. Facebook and Twitter feeds are littered with in-stagrams, which are photos fi ltered digitally to look vintage, dreamy and nostalgic. But what happens when time takes a toll on these instant-camera-like pictures? Will people look back at photos from 2012 and wonder, “Is that from the 20th century?”

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A, B, D, M- Instagram/ Sarah FrickeC, J, L- UNCC Rougues ‘N Rascals yearbook 1973E, F- Instagram/ Jess TaylorG- UNCC The Prospector yearbook 1984H- 49er Times 1984I. UNCC The Si Si yearbook 1965

K. UNCC Rougues ‘N Rascals yearbook 1978

49er Gentleman:A LOOK BACK

By Jordan McSwainJMCSWA17@UNCC.EDU

This week we are going take a look back into the history of gentlemen.

The following men are a few of the famous Ameri-can gentlemen and much can be learned

from each of them. Take time to do some independent reading of your own to fi nd out more and even try to emulate some of what these men did to be successful.

Frank Sinatra: One of the most well-known gentlemen, Frank Sinatra was a crooner with a voice that soothed women all over the country. Most of his songs were saturated with romance and that’s what he got. His well-fi tted suits and the knowledge of how to pour himself a stiff drink didn’t hurt too much either.

Dean Martin: A good friend of Ol’ Blue Eyes (Sinatra), Dean Martin was just as well dressed and could defi nitely hold his own in the singing world. Not as well-known for his drinking but more known for his more coy personality that just drove the crowds mad awaiting his next soft love song.

Paul Newman: Arguably the best, Newman is one of my favorite gentlemen to ever grace the American public with his persona. A very famous actor with a soft but gruff voice, Paul Newman starred in movies for decades playing every kind of character possible. Even when he was a scoundrel, America could still see his true gentlemen shine through. It must be noted that Newman was always well-dressed and would never be caught looking sloppy in any sense of the word.

The following are quotes from various people and I want to use them to display certain specifi c qualities of a gentlemen and how they are portrayed by those of the past.

“A gentleman is a man who can dis-agree without being disagreeable.” This anonymous author may be one of the most important concepts of a gentleman. He must be able to defend his point of view in a way that shows respect for the other side but somehow doesn’t anger in any other patron in the discussion.

“Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time.” - Luigi Pirandello Becoming a gentlemen isn’t something you write down for certain days on your calendar but instead a lifestyle you choose to live every minute of every hour of every day.

“A true gentleman is one who is never unintentionally rude.” - Oscar Wilde. Wilde is telling us here two things. One of which is that a gentlemen should never offend anyone on accident. Always act in such a manner that whatever you are do-ing, is acceptable.

The second is that every person will, at some point, meet someone who believes they are more than they really are. As a gentlemen it may be your job from time to time to do society a favor and relay the message that regardless of what a particu-lar person may think, they are no better than the rest of us.

Gentlemen’s Tip of the Week: Charles Dickens once said, “I do not know the American gentlemen. God forgive me for putting two such words together.” That in itself should be enough to go about your life in a way that will make a small change on the face of the American male popula-tion. Cheers, gentlemen.

The Monthly Features Magazine of The Carolina JournalLifestyle XXIV

PAGE 9TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012The Carolina Journal

By Scarlett NewmanSNEWMAN6@UNCC.EDU

Bell Bottoms? Check. Disco records? Check. Big Hair? Check. Farrah Fawcett wall poster? Check. It’s 1978 and this has got to be one of the best years in pop culture.

Film: If this is your favorite decade then you’ve probably already memorized every song off the “Grease” soundtrack and maybe you’ve still got your “Saturday Night Fever” record on repeat.

Consider John Travolta, the man of the hour. Grease came in number one for the top grossing fi lms of the year with “Superman,” “Jaws 2,” “Animal House” and “Halloween” not trailing too far behind.

So the next time you’re tired of watching “All in the Family” reruns, watch one of these fi lms as a throwback. Want to make your movie expe-rience even more mem-orable?

Take your gang or signifi cant other to the drive-in theatre. There’s nothing like seeing a much anticipated fi lm on the big screen from the privacy and the comfort of your own car.

Music: If you’re deep into the music scene then you know that the Bee Gee’s dominated the charts after “Saturday Night Fever” was re-leased.

Disco ruled the world in general, but so did bands of other genres like The Rolling Stones, The Commodores, Frankie Valli and Paul Mc-Cartney’s post-Beatles band, Wings.

And unfortunately in ‘78 the world of music lost one of the most iconic drummers to ever grace the rock world, Keith Moon of The Who.

Fashion: In the 70s some trends were made

famous by mega-icons like Donna Summer, John Travolta, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Girls rocked hotpants, jersey wrap-dresses and platform shoes.

The guys sported bell-bottomed trousers, pull-over vests with button-ups underneath and three-piece suits, things that are very reminis-cent of what you would see on TV or in fi lm.

Punk fashion has also been popular amongst the youth of our generations. Made popular by London-based designer Vivienne Westwood punk fashion (like most fashion) was very in sync with the music of the time.

Bands like the Sex-Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees were very bold with what they

chose to wear. It was not uncommon to see a

punk rocker in torn jeans and t-shirts with scrappy hair-

cuts dyed vibrant colors with everything embel-lished with safety pins and patches.

Nightlife: Those who frequently painted the town red were lusting

for the chance to be able to go to the star-studded

night club Studio 54 in New York City. Known as “the hottest club in

the world,” Studio 54 was famous for regulars like Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson, Mick and Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Grace Jones, Woody Allen, Yves St. Laurent, Cher, Brooke Shields and more.

Footage from the famous nightclub was constantly on TV and photos taken from it were always featured in popular magazines of the time like Tiger Beat, Rolling Stone and Vogue.

This is the destination for any hipster who loves the spotlight, good music and a great time.

Hopefully I’ve shed some light on some of your favorite topics and fads of 1978.

Super ‘78: a snapshot of life at the end of a decade

PAGE 10 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES

24 Tuesday 25 Wednesday 26 Thursday 27 Friday 28 Saturday 29 Sunday

Mix and MingleStudent Union Third Floor Terrace Patio5 p.m.

Baseball vs. DukeHayes Stadium6 p.m.*Students Free

Snails and the Hiding HyenaCollege of EducationRoom 106 p.m.-8 p.m.

Belly Dance & Circus PerformanceStudent Union Room 3406:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Retro Carolina Journal Ads

Earth Day FestivalAcross from Student Union 10 a.m.

Symphony OrchestraRobinson Hall8 p.m.General Admission-$6Students & Seniors-$4w

End of Year PartyStudent Union8 p.m.

Union TakeoverStudent Union 8 p.m.-11:45 p.m.

Summer Send OffWest Quad1 p.m.- 5 p.m.

Murder Mystery DinnerStudent Union Norm’s7:00 p.m.

Opera WorkshopRobinson Hall2:00 p.m.General Admission-$6Students & Seniors-$4

PAGE 11TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012The Carolina Journal

Charlotte had the Sun Belt title in 1977; so in essence, they were not a team on the bubble in need of something to prove. Being led by Maxwell, the 49ers opened up tournament play against Central Michigan in the fi rst round. Per-sistent to advance, Charlotte clung to a late lead and overcame Central Michigan, 91-86.

Charlotte’s victory was a just a mere fi ve points when people began to speculate that they didn’t have the necessary ingredients to contin-ue their tournament push. The opponents ahead were teams that put Charlotte up against their biggest test yet.

Charlotte’s next tall task came in the form of the Syracuse Orange. Syracuse’s athletic culture has always been successful. To this day they have had a basketball program that has succeeded beyond many others. In the Sweet Sixteen however, Syracuse proved to be noth-ing more than a warm-up for Charlotte. Char-lotte would move on to the Elite Eight after defeating Syracuse 81-59.

Charlotte’s Final Four berth was not without the upset that would gain them the recognition worthy of their tournament run. The gate to the Final Four was well-guarded by the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines were the No. 1 seed and widely regarded as the best team in the nation at the time. Discussions held before the game revolved around how the 49ers had not a prayer in victory against the Wolverines.

The game, like all games, had only one win-ner: Charlotte. The Cinderella story continued to gain national attention and support after the 49ers dropped the heavily favored Michigan Wolverines, 75-68. Charlotte, the ultimate un-derdog, had the entire nation behind their back going into their matchup with Marquette.

Charlotte brought every bit of intensity and determination against the Golden Eagles. The Final four match was dead even 49-49 with three seconds left in regulation. Marquette Guard, Butch Lee, hurled the ball inbounds with the hope of producing a little bit of magic at the end of the hard wood fl oor.

Lee’s pass was over the outreached arms of two Charlotte defenders and right into the hands of Jerome Whitehead of the Golden Eagles. As time was expiring Whitehead lunged toward the basket and put home a layup as the very last

second expired to bring down the curtain on Charlotte’s Cinderella show.

It was a surreal moment in Atlanta, Georgia home of the NCAA Semifi nals. The moment of salvation for Marquette would be emulated many years later by the last second heroics of Christian Leitner and the Duke Blue Devils.

Charlotte’s historic run had ended abruptly, and in a fashion that had allowed Marquette to be featured in the National Title game. Mar-quette would go on to defeat the Tar Heels of Chapel Hill and be hailed as National Cham-pions thanks to their extravagant fi nish over Charlotte.

Charlotte’s magic didn’t prove to be true going beyond the 1977 season. To this day it remains the paramount in Charlotte 49er bas-ketball success.

Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell would go on to be a part of the Boston Celtics dynasty in the early 1980s that would be ushered in by one of the best basketball players the game has ever known, Larry Bird. Maxwell found so much success in the NBA after just 10 seasons, that the Celtics honored him on December 15, 2003 by retiring his number.

Maxwell’s contribution to the 49ers helped to make the 1976-77 season one of the most memorable in Charlotte history.

It really makes you think; without the atten-tion of much of the NCAA, and falling short of an illustrious or seasoned tradition for athletics, the Charlotte 49ers put themselves on the map in a big way in 1977.

It didn’t take seizing any national title or fulfi lling any undefeated season to get there, all it took was one school that was merely a series of woods over a decade before, showing that they could compete.

The University of North Carolina at Char-lotte has made strides to improve its athletics since its very conception. Successes like the 1977 season will continue to serve as the back-bone for a strong Charlotte athletic history.

As the buzz behind a new generation of ath-letic excitement enters for the Charlotte 49ers in 2013, being able to remark on the triumph of the 1977 basketball team and what they over-came can only set the stage for what Charlotte has the chance to accomplish in the near future.

By Tadd HaislopTHAISLOP@UNCC.EDU

It is easy to undermine the signifi cance of a school’s logo, mascot or nickname. What do you think of when you hear the word Demon Deacon?

How about when you see the image of a “Carolina Blue” footprint on the rear window of a vehicle? These images or words represent schools in more ways than one.

For people that have no affi liation to UNC Charlotte, the logo may be the only spot of knowledge they have about the institution. So what comes to people’s minds when somebody mentions the 49ers or Norm the Miner?

Up until the 1980’s many may have pictured a little grizzly man smoking a pipe.

The identity as a whole has always been dynamic and sometimes confusing for the uni-versity, specifi cally in regards to the athletic department. They have been called N.C.-Char-lotte, N.C.-Char., North Carolina-Charlotte, UNCC, UNC-C, UNCC at Charlotte and now fi nally just Charlotte. The school’s representa-tive logo, however, has not necessarily been through so many changes.

The old logo was almost comical. Obvious-ly intended to depict a 49er, the man in the im-age looked more like an intoxicated leprechaun wearing a goofy green hat with a pipe hanging out of his mouth like Bing Crosby.

The only aspects of the old logo that actu-ally seemed 49er-esc were a pickaxe in his right hand and the “49ers” text directly under the image. For years, this was the image that was used to represent Charlotte. These days the uni-versity is represented by more than one logo; a primary logo and a few secondary logos.

The green, gold and white logo showing a “C” formed by a coiled arm holding a pickaxe standing as the fi rst letter of the word “Char-lotte” is probably the most well known image beyond the confi nes of campus. This is a much bolder, more contemporary logo compared to the original.

The 49er nickname was put in place when

Bonnie Cone saved the then Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina from being shut down by the state. Cone thought that the newly named “Char-lotte College” contained a “49er spirit” referring to the settlers that suffered hardships in the Califor-nia Gold Rush. Until this point the offi cial nickname for the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina was the “Owls” due to the fact that it was only a night school.

The logos that are used now were revealed back in 2000. Judy Rose, the 49ers athletic director, was extremely excited about what the new logos meant for the college. “We are proud of our heritage,” Rose said. “We’re proud to be members of the North Carolina university system. But, frankly, we are tired of being con-fused with other institutions or having our own identity misused and misconstrued. It’s harder to make a name for yourself, when your name keeps getting confused. Not only will this logo simplify matters, but it gives the program an exciting new look that better captures our essence.”

The history of the Charlotte logoBonnie Cone saved the

state. Cone thought that the newly named “Char-lotte College” contained a “49er spirit” referring to the settlers that suffered hardships in the Califor-nia Gold Rush. Until this point the offi cial nickname for the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina was the “Owls” due to the fact that it was only a

The logos that are used now were revealed back in 2000. Judy Rose, the 49ers athletic director, was extremely excited about what the new logos meant for the college. “We are proud of our heritage,” Rose said. “We’re proud to be members of the North Carolina university system. But, frankly, we are tired of being con-fused with other institutions or having our own identity misused and misconstrued. It’s harder to make a name for yourself, when your name keeps getting confused. Not only will this logo simplify matters, but it gives the program an exciting new look that better captures

The history of the Charlotte logo

Reliving the Mean Green from page 3 Sports ResultsSoftball-The Niners (24-19) won

both games against Saint Louis 11-5 and 3-1. The Niners were led by Chelsea Stamey who had four hits between the two games.

Baseball-Due to incliment weather, the Niners were unable to fi nish the series against St. Joesph’s but came out with one win and one loss. On Friday the Nin-ers fell 7-8 despite outhitting the Hawks. Corbin Shive had two homeruns. In the second game, the Niners won 7-2 with Joe Yermal earning 29 wins as a Niner. The benchmark ties Yermal for second in the all-time win list.

Track & Field-At the Charlotte In-vite, the Niners racked up 14 event wins against a fi eld consisting of UNC-Wilm-ington, East Carolina, Methodist and Sa-vannah State. The Niners have two weeks before the Atlantic 10 Championships.

Women’s Tennis-In the simifi nals of the Atlantic Ten Championship, the Nin-ers fell 4-1 to Richmond. Niner Andrea Rivera and Alexandra Zinn won their last doubles match together as Rivera is the lone Women’s Tennis senior. Together the pair went 18-5 this season and are ranked second in all-time doubles wins.

A Plethora of Miners

PAGE 12 TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 NINERTIMES