tying the KNOT

with cuba

POPPIN’CAMPUSEVENTS

PG 6

PG 3Lenoir-Rhynean NewsVolume 109 Issue 6

February 2015

tinder

i

Your dream date, 20Your dream date

The do’s and don’ts of using the Tinder app

CAUTION

By Cigi SparksLRN Design & Layout Editor

If you’re in college, you more-than-likely have a Tinder account and use the app on a weekly – if not daily – basis.

According to Business Insider, more than 1 Bil-lion profile swipes are made per-day on Tinder but only 12 million of those end in matches. It’s obvi-ous that we all love Tinder and we all want to be loved on Tinder but we’re not all so great at getting those matches. We want those “You have a new match!” notifications, so why not do everything in you power to get them?

DO -Pose with animals in your pictures. Seriously,

who doesn’t love animals? I mean really, a cute puppy can make even the most mediocre looking person look cute. Just don’t post pictures with weird pets, like a tarantulas or your fish – those are proof of your awkwardness and also a very good reason to not swipe right.

DON’T - Make your main picture one where you’re in a

group of people. Why would you do that? Isn’t the sole purpose of Tinder to match someone based on their looks? If I can’t tell who you are, it’s a swipe left. Granted, it’s nice to know that you have friends but one or two group pics will suffice.

DO -Showcase your hobbies. Definitely include pic-

tures of you playing guitar, shooting hoops, binge eating and watching Netflix – what ever your thing is. Pictures like that are great conversation starters, whether it’s something that we have in common or something that I’ve always wanted to learn to do, I now have something better than a cheesy pick-up line to send you in that first message.

DON’T - Post pictures that are from five years ago or pics

from before/after you’ve lost/gained weight. If I actually meet up with you later on and you don’t look how I expected you to look – that’s just as bad as getting catfished. If you’re actually lucky enough to get a date out of a Tnder match and you aren’t at all what your match expected, chances are you won’t be getting a second date.

DO -Occasionally message your match first. Don’t

torture yourself by waiting for your most recent match to send you a clever message. More than likely, your match is just as nervous as you are about starting the conversation. My advice, break the ice with a cute – not crazy – pick-up line.

DON’T - Post consecutive pictures of yourself with a

member of the opposite sex. Is that your significant other? I don’t know because I don’t know you – but if it is, why are you on Tinder? Go chat with your bae! Not your Tinder matches!

DO -Message me if we have mutual friends. Hello

– great conversation starter! So how do you know (insert name here)? I seen that we’re both friends with them!

DON’T - Make a Tinder that isn’t connected to your

Facebook. Why? That’s creepy. You could be lying about your age, your name, who you are... No one wants to be catfished. Everyone has a Facebook so who in their right mind would take the time to make an account on Tinder when you could just click a button. Plus, like I mentioned before, hav-ing mutual friends is a great way to start a conver-sation.

DO -Post pictures where you’re fully clothed. La-

dies – that’s not cute and it will not make you get matches any faster. Plus, guy’s aren’t going to show you any respect if you don’t look respectable. Gen-tlemen – keep your shirt ON. You have a six-pack? Cool. I repeat, KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON!

DON’T - Please, please, please – do not make your bio

300 words long. I do not care, I do not know you and I will not read it. Keep it short and sweet. Now if you’re an A+ writer, extremely interesting and super-duper clever then you’re on the excep-tion list.

There you have it, folks – a fool-proof guide on how to have a top-teir Tinder encounter. The key is, don’t be an idiot around the opposite gender. Really, it’s that simple.

THE OSCARS

PG 4 & 5

The trap

E d i T O r i a l2

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IT’S EASY – Come to our meetings on Monday at 5:20 on the second floor of P.E. Monroe.

WhaT a lOad Of codswallop! Featuring: Airports

In 1903, Orville Wright flew the first airplane over a North Carolina beach. The flight, like a disappointing one-night stand, lasted only 12 seconds. Add another 18 seconds onto that time (30 for anyone who’s not a mathematics major) and that’s how late I was to catch-ing my connecting flight from England’s version of hell on

earth (Heathrow Airport) to Charlotte International.

Out of breath, sweating and wishing I was Usain Bolt, I be-gan my argument with the cruel witch who refused to let me on the plane. I could see the plane behind her, with my $62 isle seat and my free coffee await-ing me. She refused to believe my lies that I should indeed be on the manifest as I’m in busi-ness class and further ignored my fake outrage and threat that US Airways will be receiving a very angry letter.

Instead of a calm and has-sle-free flight with what I can only imagine had no scream-ing babies, no turbulence and a Michelin Star meal cooked by Gordon Ramsey himself. Instead I found myself in a five-hour line full of very an-gry families and a non-English speaking Bosnian man named Henning. I waited patiently with a scowl on my face and

my arms folded like a woman whose one-night stand lasted just 12 seconds.

After a lifetime of waiting and three bottles of water that British Airways gave me as a means of apology, I made my way to the front of the line only to be told I would be put in a hotel for the night and would have to return tomorrow to get a re-booked flight. I accepted the terms of my death sentence of having to stay in London for another 24 hours as long as my hotel room had a king sized bed and Wi-Fi. (I didn’t get the king sized bed – outrageous I know.)

I did receive a free meal in the Renaissance Hotel but of course, it tasted like school dinners blended together with prison food. It’s depressing sitting in a hotel restaurant on your own, there’s only so many times you can look like you’re texting someone before you genuinely consider asking

someone if you can sit with them. The large serving of cof-fee and walnut cake I got my-self afterwards made me look like I’d had a bad breakup to a long-term relationship.

After a stressful night of raiding the mini-bar for nov-elty-sized liquors, shedding masculine tears of frustration and being put on hold by Brit-ish Airways for 30 minutes. I awoke at 5 a.m. to be back at the next dimension of hell that is Heathrow Airport to rebook my flight which took three hours of standing around and about 30 minutes of actual work. It got to around 9 a.m. when I found myself sitting in another restaurant (again by myself) ordering a full English breakfast and a cheeky vodka orange. In case anyone was wondering, I was in and out of Charlotte International within 45 minutes.

God Bless America!

Ryan BaxterLRN Staff Reporter

El Presidente Barack Obama y Raúl Castro hicieron historia el 17 de diciembre de 2014.

Los líderes anunciaron algunos cambios entre las relaciones de los Estados Unidos y Cuba para nor-malizar lazos diplomáticos. Las naciones intercambiaron presos y aliviaron regulaciones para viajar entre los Estados Unidos y Cuba. También tendrán discusiones so-bre poner fin al embargo antiguo y abrir embajadas en los dos países.

Sin embargo, para poner fin al embargo los Estados Unidos necesitan cambiar algunas leyes a través del Congreso. Este pro-ceso podría llevar mucho tiempo porque hay mucha gente que se opone a estos movimientos reci-entes del Presidente Obama. El Senador Marco Rubio y otros lí-deres creen que los Estados Uni-dos están ignorando una historia agitada con Cuba.

La historia incluye algunas vio-laciones de los derechos humanos del régimen de Castro y un siste-ma comunista que divide la po-blación de Cuba.

Por otro lado, las acciones del Presidente Obama y de Castro

fueron celebradas por muchos di-rigentes del mundo. Antes de los anuncios formales de Obama y Castro, el Papa Francisco estaba dirigiendo conversaciones secretas con los líderes. Él estaba muy feliz con los anuncios y fue acompaña-do por muchos líderes europeos, centroamericanos, y sudamerica-nos.

Ellos creen que las políticas ex-teriores necesitaban cambiar debi-do a la destrucción que

causaron a la población cuba-na. Según la cámara de comercio de Estados Unidos y el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores cubano, el embargo cuesta 1,1 trillón de dólares para la economía cubana y 1,2 billón de dólares cada año a la economía de los Estados Unidos. Según noticias de Heritage.org, los cubanos han estado sufriendo en una economía débil que genera mucha pobreza en el país.

Recientemente la Subsecre-taria de Estado para Asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental de los

Estados Unidos, Roberta Ja-cobson, habló con una delega-da de Cuba, Josephina Vidal. Después de las conversaciones, ambas expresaron las preocupa-ciones de cada uno de sus gobi-ernos y dijeron que las conver-saciones podrían tomar mucho tiempo especialmente por algunos temas relacionados con disidentes cubanos en los Estados Unidos.

Sin embargo, hubo un gran cambio en las naciones que ha dado muchas esperanzas a perso-nas que han querido normalizar las relaciones entre los países. En las recientes palabras del Papa, “Hoy estamos contentos porque hemos visto como dos pueblos que estuvieron distanciados du-rante tantos años dieron un paso hacia los demás.”

Jake FisherLRN Staff Reporter

PHOTOS FROM WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV

President Barack Obama talks with Ricardo Zuniga, Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, after the President delivered a statement on Cuba and the release of American Alan Gross in the Oval Office, Dec. 17, 2014. National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice is present.

Relaciones Nuevas con CubaPresident Obama works to establish ties with Cuba

By Jake FisherLRN Staff Reporter

The U.S. has historically been plagued by racism and many of its citizens have pushed to end preju-dice and bigotry.

From the abolition of slavery, to the Civil Rights Act, to the election of the first black president, the Unit-ed States has seemingly made prog-ress countering institutional racism.

Lately, the conversation has focused on police officers – partic-ularly those in Ferguson with the shooting of Michael Brown, in New York City with the choking of Eric Gardner and in Cleveland with the shooting of Tamir Rice. Many say we’re still fighting racism.

In response to court decisions in Ferguson, President Barack Obama said, “The situation in Ferguson speaks to broader challenges that we still face as a nation. A deep distrust exists between law enforce-ment and communities of color. Some of this is the result of the leg-acy of racial discrimination in this country.”

Claims of racial profiling have

sparked protests throughout the nation, including the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus with a Decem-ber “die-in” protest in the Cromer Center.

“It’s important to understand the root of any problem,” said Le-noir-Rhyne University Director of

Multicultural Affairs Emma Sellers. “How did we get to this point? How did the people who are meant to protect people, become ones that some people fear?”

Some community leaders be-lieve that similar problems exist within Hickory.

“A lot of officers would want to believe that they do not engage in racial profiling but contrary to popular belief, there is quite a bit of racial profiling that goes on,” said community activist and former res-ident of Hickory, Rev. T. Anthony Spearman. “Not necessarily to the same extent as what we see happen-ing in other communities. It may not be covert but more overt – of-tentimes some officers are guarded when they venture into commu-nities where the population is pre-dominately non-white. There have

been a number of instances where black men have been questioned for being in certain communities in Hickory.”

Some in law enforcement have a different perspective on the issue.

“Law enforcement is not being treated fairly because people are not all in the positions of officers,” said Catawba County Sheriff Coy Reid, adding that if citizens are frustrated with the police, they should “fight it in court, not in the streets.”

Hickory Police Chief Tom Ad-kins said his department is focused on helping officers build relation-ships with the people in the com-munities they police.

“When our citizens see us as normal people, they see that the only difference between us is that during our day, we have to enforce the laws that our government has provided for our society,” he said. “Every (official) encounter with the police that we are reacting to is uncomfortable for our citizens and even for our police officers.”

Spearman and Adkins worked together on issues like race relations and social justice in the 17 years

before Spearman lived in Hickory, before taking the helm as pastor of St. Phillip AME Zion Church in Greensboro last year. That ami-cable relationship that has let them discuss community issues through productive conversation.

Spearman says discussions on racial profiling should take place in Hickory to “truly understand the many dimensions and dynamics

that occur for a person when they’re in the throes of poverty – there is the root of problem that relates to racism.”

Adkins agrees that the people should understand that “better living conditions, better econom-ic situations, equal opportunity to rise above present situations, and having a good family structure and mentoring, can help reduce crime.”

2014 - 2015 LRNStaff Reporters

Ryan BaxterElijah Blackwell

Jake Fisher

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A special thanks to all of our contributing writers!

N E W s 3

COPs vs. ThE rEsT Of us?Community leaders discuss police brutality

OBAMA OFFERS FREE COLLEGE

FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

President Barack Obama has unveiled the America’s College Promise proposal to make two years of community college free. This plan will allow responsible students to earn the first half of a bachelor’s degree and earn skills needed in the workforce at no cost.

To make it work commu-nity colleges must strengthen their programs and increase the number of students who grad-uate, states must invest more in

higher education and training, and students must take respon-sibility for their education, earn good grades, and stay on track to graduate. The program would be undertaken in partnership with states and is inspired by new pro-grams in Tennessee and Chicago.

If all states participate, an es-timated 9 million students could benefit. A full-time communi-ty college student could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year. Obama also announced his proposal for a new Ameri-can Technical Training Fund to expand innovative, high-quality

technical training programs sim-ilar to Tennessee Tech Centers that meet employer needs and help prepare more Americans for better paying jobs.

These proposals build on Obama’s other higher education mandates, including a $1,000 increase in the maximum Pell Grant, the creation of the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Cred-it, reforming student loans to eliminate subsidies to banks, and making available more than $2 billion in grants to connect com-munity colleges with employers to develop programs designed to

get students good jobs.Forty percent of college stu-

dents are enrolled at one of America’s more than 1,100 com-munity colleges, which offer stu-dents affordable tuition, open ad-mission policies, and convenient locations. They are particularly important for students who are older, working, need remedial classes, or can only take classes part-time.

For many students, they of-fer academic programs and an affordable route to a four-year college degree. They are also uniquely positioned to partner

with employers to create tailored training programs to meet eco-nomic needs within their com-munities such as nursing, health information technology and ad-vanced manufacturing.

The America’s College Prom-ise proposal would create a new partnership with states to help them waive tuition in high-qual-ity programs for responsible stu-dents.

Specifically, here is what the initiative will mean: Students who attend at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA while in col-lege, and make steady progress toward completing their program will have their tuition eliminated.

Building High-Quality Com-munity Colleges: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that either (1) are aca-demic programs that fully transfer to local public four-year colleges and universities, giving students a chance to earn half of the credit they need for a four-year degree, or (2) are occupational training programs with high graduation rates and that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among employers. Other types of programs will not be eligible for free tuition.

Ensuring Shared Responsi-bility with States: Federal fund-ing will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. States that choose to participate will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate commu-nity college tuition for eligible students.

Building on State and Local Programs. In the past year, Ten-nessee and the City of Chicago initiated free community college programs. In the first year of the Tennessee program, 57,000 students representing almost 90 percent of the state’s high school graduating class applied for the program.

The scholarship is coupled with college counseling, mentor-ship, and community service that early evidence suggests supports greater enrollment, persistence and college completion.

These Tennessee Tech Centers have a graduation rate of 80 per-cent and a job placement rate of 85 percent.

PHOTOS FROM WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV

President Barack Obama recently announced that he hopes to begin offering free college tuition for community college students.

REID ADKINS

N E W s4

OSCARSTHE

WHITE WASHING

By Ryan BaxterLRN Staff Reporter

The 2015 Oscars nominations have launched a wave of controversy. The Academy didn’t nominate any candi-dates of color in the following categories: Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Supporting Actor, Best Director and Best Screenwriter.

This isn’t the first time the Academy has been under scrutiny for racial controversy. In 1940 Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar for her per-formance in Gone with the Wind. After McDaniel accepted her award she had to make her way to the segregated table at the back of the ceremony. Over the years, the Academy has become less bluntly racist but is still run by the majority votes of white men whose average age makes them eligible for retirement. The Os-car voters are 93 percent white, 76 percent male and their average age is 63, according to a Los Angeles Times survey. Not what most would consider a diverse crowd.

The one film that seems to have been snubbed this year is “Selma,” which tells the true events leading up to the infamous racial-equal-ity march led by Martin Luther King Jr. While nominated for Best Song and Best Picture, a vocal segment of the public feels that “Selma” is being overlooked for the Best Director (Ava DuVernay) and Best Actor (David Oyelowo).

“If a movie has a diverse bent to it, it’s looked at dif-ferently. Certain movies segment the audience,” said LR’s Professor of Multi-Cultural Studies and Associat-ed Dean for Engaged and Global Learning Charlotte Williams.

The academy can argue that “12 Years a Slave” won Best Picture at the 2014 awards, so is it fair to other films if “Selma,” a film with similar themes, wins the most coveted prize of the night?

“The whole feeling of ‘we’ve-been-progres-sive’ has died down a little bit, so by doing spot things that seemingly improve race-relations is something the academy prides themselves in,” Williams said. “It’s not at the forefront of normal regular behavior.”

“We, as a country in general, have swung back a little bit like a pendulum,” Williams said. “The makeups of our sen-ate, congress and local government have gotten very republican, prior to that it

How much do you know aboutWeight of an

Oscar Statuette

8.5lbs.

Number of Oscar statuettes

given out at the 85th academy awards

44

Length of the red carpet at the Dolby theatre

500feet

N E W s 5

NO DIVERSITY IN THIS YEARS ACTING CATEGORIES

was democratic. So, like a pendulum swing, we’ve headed into a different direction for the time being and that’s reflected into society.”

While many actors and actresses take on diverse roles, it can be said that certain roles for certain actors are favored more by the academy.

“A great example is Denzel Washington. All the amazing characters he’s performed as but gets nominated for ‘Training Day’ where he plays a corrupt police officer,” said LR’s Assis-

tant Professor of African-American Studies Veronica McComb. “The same could be said about Halle Berry who got her Oscar when she played a single, bankrupt and abusive

mother.”Controversy is going to surround this year’s Oscars no matter what result “Sel-ma” receives. Huge numbers of the public has used social media to express

their outrage of the decision. Many feel that if “Selma” wins Best Picture, the academy is simply backtracking to cover any controversy. If it doesn’t,

then public will continue calling the academy racist. #OscarsAreWhite is trending worldwide with the calls for the academy to bring in a di-

verse group of judges. “Historically, the awards have gone to the more mainstream

targeted films,” McComb said. “The Academy needs to make the decision to either change with the times in terms of com-

plexity and diversity or stick with its tradition.” McComb has personal experience in dealing with racial

ignorance as she once worked in the movie business. “Once working as an intern in Hollywood in 2002, I

was sitting in a development meeting of a film which required a strong, female lead which the producers wanted to be of color. They were tossing around names like Lucy Liu and Salma Hayek as if they were the same race,” McComb said. “I was then asked my opinion of what black people like be-cause I’m black. Is there any wonder there is such a representation or lack of for colored people in film?”

There’s still work to be done. “To resolve these issues, filmmakers and

industry leaders must create movies that cross race and gender boundaries,” LR’s Director of Multi-Cultural Affairs Emma Sellers said. “Casts need to reflect diversi-ty and lead roles must be given to a vari-ety of actors and actresses.”

Hollywood’s biggest night?

Seating capacity of the Dolby theatre on Oscar night

3,300

Estimated average U.S. audience who watched the 85th academy awards

40.3millionHeight of an

Oscar Statuette

13inches

N E W s6

By Elijah BlackwellLRN Staff Reporter

With the rise of the digital era, convenience has become an expect-ed luxury. Technology can now be used to easily speak to their long distance friends or to conduct busi-ness.

Internet convenience can also be used in a way that is highly ille-gal. Intellectual property theft--of-ten referred to as digital piracy--is the practice of illegally download-ing copyrighted movies, music, video games and any other digital product. Users can download any-thing for free off certain websites or programs.

“Me and my dad had a huge li-brary of music,” said Lenoir-Rhyne freshman Walker Harrison. “We could get anything.”

A user could upload his files to share them to others -- often times called a leak--obtaining movies be-fore they’re even released is an ob-tainable goal.

There’s dangers involved in dig-ital piracy.

“We often times got viruses,” Harrison said. “Not everybody on those programs were good people.”

Since most pirating programs were free, some pirates would up-load what seems to be a song but really is a virus. Anti-virus pro-grams may not catch the invasion, resulting in a malicious software taking over someone’s computer.

“You didn’t really get what you asked for.” Harrison said.

For joke or for inconvenience some uploaders may replace what the file says with something totally different. A file that users thought was a movie turns out to be noth-ing or just a video of a black screen.

Other pirates is not the only problem. Pirating is stealing. There is a wide range of United States digital piracy laws to be broken. According to the FBI, the most commonly broken offense is copy-right infringement -- using a digital product and call it your own.

According to federal copyright agencies, maximum penalty for copyright infringement is $150,000 for each work infringed and a pris-on sentence of ten years.

Often times the FBI will send a cease and desist letter in the mail to someone suspected of piracy, if the directions are not followed, the penalty will be carried out.

At LR if a student is caught pirating information, punishment could be as small as a warning or as severe as an expulsion.

“Expulsion is not likely,” said Dean of Students Katie Fisher. “We would rather issue a punish-ment that would educate.”

The Information Technology department monitors digital traffic going through the internet servers on campus. If someone is caught they are immediately sent to Fish-er.

“We would have a Student Con-duct Council hearing,” Fisher said. “We would decide if the student should be held responsible.”

The Student Conduct Council is made up of faculty and one stu-dent. If the individual in question is found responsible, the appeal process then begins.

“The student would then be under judicial review,” Fisher said. “Where the president of Le-noir-Rhyne appoints who attends.”

This is where punishment is given.

“It would more than likely end in a computer ban.” Fisher said.

If a computer ban is issued, the student will not be able to log into any computer on campus. Their account will be out of the system. Community service may also be issued.

Lenoir-Rhyne administrations’ hands are tied if a company sues a student.

“If say Sony was to tell us one of our students pirated their soft-ware, we would let them deal with the trouble they brought them-selves,” Fisher said.

As of now--pirating is not a problem on campus. It’s a hard thing to catch and monitor. There are very few cases within the year.

“Pirating is just a way to beat the ridiculous cost of music.” Har-rison said.

While pirating does seem con-venient and is a stealthy crime, the punishment for it is costly.

All information on computer usage policies on campus can be found in the LR student handbook or at http://student.lr.edu/cub/home.

TOP 5 MOST PIRATED MOVIES OF 2014

1

234

5

The Wolf of Wall STreeTDownloaded: 30.035 million times

frozenDownloaded: 29.919 million times

robo CopDownloaded: 29.879 million times

GraviTyDownloaded: 29.357 million times

The hobbiT:The DeSolaTion of SmauG

Downloaded: 27.627 million times

CONVENIENCE WITH A COSTPirating movies could land you in a world of pain

FROM THE CDC

More than 2,200 people die from alco-hol poisoning each year in the United States – an average of six deaths each day – ac-cording to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Three in four alcohol poisoning deaths involve adults ages 35-64 years, and most deaths occur among men and non-Hispanic whites. American Indians/Alaska Natives have the most alcohol poisoning deaths per million people.

Alcohol poisoning deaths are caused by drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time. This can result in very high levels of alcohol in the body, which can shutdown critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body tem-perature - resulting in death.

More than 38 million U.S. adults report binge drinking an average of four times per month and consume an average of eight drinks per binge. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks for wom-en and five or more drinks for men on an occasion. The more you drink, the greater your risk of death.

“Alcohol poisoning deaths are a heart-breaking reminder of the dangers of exces-sive alcohol use, which is a leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Ileana Arias. “We need to implement effective programs and policies to prevent binge drinking and the many health and social harms that are related to it, including deaths from alcohol poisoning.”

Alcohol poisoning death rates varied widely across states, from 46.5 deaths per

million residents in Alaska to 5.3 per mil-lion residents in Alabama. The states with the highest death rates were in the Great Plains, western United States, and New En-gland.

CDC scientists analyzed deaths from alcohol poisoning among people aged 15 years and older, using multiple cause-of-death data from the National Vital Statistics

System for 2010-2012. Alcohol depen-dence (alcoholism) was identified as a contributing factor in 30 percent of these deaths, and other drugs were noted to have been a factor in about 3 percent of the deaths. While this study reveals that alcohol poisoning deaths are a bigger problem than previously thought, it is still likely to be an underestimate.

“This study shows that alcohol poisoning deaths are not just a problem among young people,” said CDC Alcohol Program Lead and report coauthor Robert Brewer, M.D., M.S.P.H. “It also emphasizes the impor-tance of taking a comprehensive approach to reducing binge drinking that includes ev-idence-based community strategies, screen-ing and counseling in healthcare settings, and high-quality substance abuse treatment for those who need it.”

Vital Signs is a CDC report that appears on the first Tuesday of the month as part of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortal-ity Weekly Report, or MMWR. The report provides the latest data and information on key health indicators. These are cancer pre-vention, obesity, tobacco use, motor vehicle passenger safety, prescription drug overdose, HIV/AIDS, alcohol use, healthcare-associ-ated infections, cardiovascular health, teen pregnancy, and food safety.

ALCOHOL POISONING KILLS SIX PEOPLE IN THE U.S. EACH DAY

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/alcohol-poisoning-deaths/info-graphic.html#infographic

N E W s 7By Amber McKnightLRN Staff Reporter

Black History Month is an on-going thing for the whole month of February – from TV shows to different events hosted around the world.

Here at Lenoir-Rhyne there are some very exciting events taking place on campus and in the com-munity. All events are open to LR students and they are all free to attend.

On campus, Black Student Alliance (BSA) will be hosting a Black History Quiz Bowl Game Tuesday, February 17 at 7 p.m. The location is TBD.

Also, on LR’s campus on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m., Grace Chap-el will be hosting “The Gospel Truth-History of the Negro Spir-itual.” Convocation credit will be offered.

Hosted by Catawba Valley Community College at the Tarl-ton Complex on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. NuGeneration is expected to sing some encouraging songs during the Black History Month Pro-gram.

In the community there will be a Photographer, Michael Cun-ningham, who will talk about his experience working with Black Women in Church Hats on Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. at the Beaver Memorial Library. Also Feb. 7, at the Hicko-ry Museum of Art, Michael Cun-ningham will be having an artist talk and someone will be able to win a photo by Cunningham.

On Mar. 15 at 4 p.m., the Hick-ory Museum of Art will be having a HATTITUDE where everyone can come out and enjoy Cham-pagne and chocolates as women strut down the runway showing off their church hats.

For about a three month span, January 31- April 12, 2015, the Hickory Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibition of “Black Women…Their hats and their sto-ries”.

There are so many things go-ing on in respect for Black Histo-ry Month, that everyone should learn something new upon attend-ing one of these events. All events listed are free and open to anyone who wants to come and take part.

DID YOU KNOW...?black History Month

• Canada and the U.K. have their own Black History Months. Canada also marks it in February, but the U.K. marks its own in October.

• Recent counts put the black population of the U.S. at 45 million. New York has the highest number of black residents, with 3.7 million, while Washing-ton has the highest proportion of African-Americans, with 51 percent.

• There are 46 black members in the 114th Congress. The first black senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels, who represented Mississippi from 1870 to 1871, and the first black congresswoman was Shirley Chisholm, who represented New York during seven terms.

• “The Renaissance” was the name of the first black professional basketball team. They were nicknamed the Rens and once won an amazing 88 consec-utive games.

• Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, became the first degree-grant-ing historically black university in 1854. Now, the U.S. has 106, including Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro and Howard University in Washing-

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTHEvents taking place on campus and in the Hickory Community

FROM LRN REPORTS

Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series will pres-ent New York Times bestsell-ing author Katherine Howe on Thursday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Belk Centrum. Howe is teaching at the university this se-mester as Visiting Writer-in-Res-idence.

Howe’s first novel, The Phys-

ick Book of Deliverance Dane, debuted at no. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list, was named one of USA Today’s top 10 books of 2009. The book is a historical fiction tale that shifts between contemporary times and the Sa-lem Witch Trials. As a descendent herself of two accused witches, Howe has drawn much inspiration for her work from the trials. In her third novel, Conversion, she draws a parallel between a modern day high school and the witch trials and gives a voice to a young wom-an doing the accusing.

In 2012, Howe hosted the Ex-pedition Week special “Salem: Unmasking the Devil” on the Na-tional Geographic Channel. She also edited The Penguin Book of Witches which debuted in Sep-tember 2014. The book is a trea-sury of historical accounts of ac-cused witches that sheds light on the reality behind the legends.

Howe also received much ac-claim for her second novel. “The House of Velvet and Glass” is a historical thriller set in Boston in

the aftermath of the Titanic trag-edy. The novel was a USA Today and New York Times e-book best-seller.

Howe currently serves as an American Studies lecturer at Cornell University in New York. She received her master’s degree in American and New England Studies at Boston University, and completed her undergraduate edu-cation in Art History and Philos-ophy at Columbia University in New York. Howe’s fourth novel, “The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen,” will be released in Sep-tember of this year.

This event is open to the pub-lic and free for all guests. No tick-ets or reservations are required. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.

In its 26th season, the Visiting Writers Series brings world-re-nowned authors to the LR campus and community. Sponsors of the 2014-2015 Series include: Crowne Plaza--Hickory, WFAE 90.7-FM, Our State: North Carolina, Hick-ory Public Library, United Arts Council of Catawba County, and

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR KATHERINE

HOWE TO SPEAK AT LRFROM LRN REPORTS

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Concert Series is proud to present a performance by the Kruger Brothers and the Kontras Quartet on Sunday, March 29 at 3 p.m. in P.E. Monroe Auditorium. Tickets are $20 and are available at mus.lr.edu/concert. Tickets can be printed online or can be picked up at the P.E. Monroe Auditorium Box Office, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Besides their considerable re-nown worldwide, both the Kruger Brothers and Kontras Quartet are well-known by our community. To-gether they bring a powerful combi-nation of artistry and talent, creating a musical experience that redefines contemporary concert culture. The concert will feature original com-positions for the ensemble by Jens Kruger.

Since their formal introduction to American audiences in 1997, The Kruger Brothers’ discipline, creativi-ty and their ability to infuse classical music into folk music has resulted in a unique sound that has made them a fixture within the world of acous-

tic music. The Kruger Brothers per-sonify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition. In addi-tion to their regular concert schedule, the Kruger Brothers perform these classical pieces regularly with select symphony orchestras and string quartets – including the Kontras Quartet - throughout the country.

Because of their virtuosity, vi-brancy and energy, the Kontras Quartet has established an interna-tional reputation for their captivating and disciplined artistry. Their name, which means “contrasts” in Afri-kaans, is fitting for a unique string ensemble comprised of artists from four different parts of the world: Eu-rope, Africa, Asia, and North Ameri-ca. It is this diversity that informs the group’s exploration of lesser-known music from Russia, South Africa, Ja-pan and the U.S. (the quartet mem-bers’ home countries), and inspires Kontras to present the traditional quartet literature in a new light.

For more information, call (828) 328-7234 or visit the website (mus.lr.edu/concert).

LR CONCERT SERIES PRESENTS...

FROM OFFICE OF NATIONAL SECURITY

For the sixth consecutive year, In-telligence Community employee job satisfaction ranks the IC as one of the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government,” according to an inde-pendent analysis of federal workers’ job satisfaction and commitment.

The IC ranked fourth overall among large agencies that employ more than 15,000 full-time perma-nent employees, a category which includes 19 organizations. The Part-nership for Public Service compiled the rankings and announced them in announced their results in December.

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said the ranking is an indication of the workforce’s commitment to the mission.

“The IC has remained a best place to work through the adversity of sequestration, unauthorized dis-closures and critical public discus-sion of past IC programs,” he said. “We are a best place to work because we put many of our nation’s best and brightest minds to work on challeng-ing missions that are critically im-portant to our nation’s security.”

The PPS is a non-profit, nonparti-san organization that aims to revital-ize the federal government by trans-forming the way government works and inspiring a new generation to serve. According to PPS, the Best Places to Work rankings are “the most comprehensive and authorita-tive rating of employee satisfaction and commitment in the federal gov-ernment” and “are an important tool for ensuring that employee satisfac-

tion is a top priority for government managers and leaders.”

Rankings are based on data from the 2014 Federal Employee View-point Survey, which the U.S. Office of Personnel Management adminis-

ters, as well as from surveys admin-istered by 11 additional agencies plus the Intelligence Community. The first survey was in 2003, but the IC has only participated since 2009 and has been ranked a top place to work

every year. Since the first rankings were pro-

duced, they have provided federal managers and leaders with data to help boost employee engagement. Additionally, the results are a re-

source for current and prospective employees, researchers, and policy-makers. More details are available online at http://bestplacestowork.org.

PHOTOS FROM WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Govenment corporation Intelligence Community once again graces the top-five list of

iNTElliGENCE COmmuNiTy TOP-fivE jOb

C a m P u s8

By Ryan BaxterLRN Staff Reporter

Lenoir-Rhyne is set to unveil bubble soccer as one of the big events of the semester. Taking place on Apr. 13 and 14, all the students, faculty and staff will get together to play on the inter-mural field as long as they sign up a week before.

Bubble soccer has taken off in the last year due to a YouTube commercial that was seen by mil-lions world-wide.

Junior nursing student, Lau-ren Hill decided to pitch the idea to Dean Katie Fisher.

“As soon as my friend showed me a video of bubble soccer, I was pumped to have it on cam-pus,” Hill said. “Dean Katie im-mediately called in Jodi Jabs who was all for the idea.”

“On this campus and the sur-rounding Hickory area, there is a complaint of lack of things to do,” Hill said. “Giving the stu-dents something like this keeps everyone entertained. College should be the best experience of our lives.”

It’s not just college students getting involved in various forms of the bubble sport. The local community is also starting to get behind the idea.

The Boyles family, who live in Newton, North Carolina have recently set up their own compa-ny, Bubble Sports Inc. to grab the market while it’s still new.

“I started this as a side business back in June 2014,” Co-owner Jon Boyles said. “Now I’m already looking to make it a full-time job.”

“The bubble is lighter than you expect despite it looking sturdy and wide,” Shanda Boyles said. “You crawl into it with your arms straight like Superman, and

then you lift it up and wear it like a backpack.”

LR will be bringing in a pack-age deal with Kramer Entertain-ment, a company based in Mich-igan. This package includes both bubble soccer and hamster-wheel balls.

“It’s going to be an exciting semester,” Director of Student Activities Jodi Jabs said. “We currently have 6 intermural events this semester but we felt we needed some more pizazz, and then Lauren came up with this great bubble soccer idea.”

Bubble soccer is a true sign of bigger and better events for LR students, but it has come with a cost. “The deal with Kramer is $3,500 but that’s with a huge $1,000 discount,” Jabs said. “We still have a budget for more events.”

LR’s spring semester has a lot more to offer its students, with a Biggest Loser competition which started earlier this month.

“The biggest loser compe-tition is for all students, facul-ty and staff. It will take place on Monday nights in the Bears Lair,” Jabs said. “The first 20 people will receive a free pedom-eter and there will be prize give-aways at the end on March 30th.”

The spring fling is also com-ing up, where students can re-ceive free bro-tanks, t-shirts and sunglasses. There will also be hula dancing classes taught by 3 professional hula dancers on the evening of Feb. 15.

Overall, this semester at LR is going to be exciting – packed with fun things for students and faculty to take part in.

For more information on up-and-coming events, visit the Stu-dent Life page on LR’s website at student.lr.edu.

MARCHFEBRUARY

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BURSTINGWITH FUN THINGS TO DO

CAMPUS IS

PHOTO SPECIAL TO LRN

LR Campus Activities Board will be adding Bubble Soccer to the list of campus activities for the Spring semester at LR.

The Biggest Loser starts!

Katherine Howe visits LR

CAB Movie Night

Paul Muldoon visits LR

LR Playmakers - The Crucible

CAB Cafe Aromas

BSA poetry slam

Surving the Holocost Educator’s

Fair

Friday free-for all

Fallen Stars Tribute

Spring Fling!

Fallen Stars Tribute

Red-Cross Blood Drive

Keynote Address

The Biggest Loser ends

Friday free-for all

LAST DAY OF CLASSES

Reading day

Exams

ExamsGRADUATION