It’s official. The Charlotte 49ers are moving back to Conference USA.

The official announcement came during a press conference on Friday, where UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Philip Dubois announced that the university has accepted an invitation to join Conference USA in all sports, beginning in the 2013-14 academic year.

The 49ers were members of Conference USA from 1995 to 2005 but were forced to leave due to a lack of a football team. In return, Charlotte joined the Atlantic 10 and will spend next year there before making the switch.

Football, on the other hand, will make the move to Conference USA beginning in 2015, provided attendance goals are met.

Charlotte will be forced to play their first two seasons as an FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) independent program.

“We have the unique opportunity to become one of the first programs in history to go from no football to FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football in the minimum time allowed by NCAA regulations,” Dubois said. “The invitation to join Conference USA is momentous in what it can do for our university.”

Charlotte will be joined by Florida International University (FIU), Louisiana Tech University, University of North Texas and University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), per announcement by Commissioner Britton Banowsky on Friday.

“In adding football, it was imperative that we find a conference to compete in – and today we struck gold,” said Director of Athletics Judy Rose.  “We not only found a conference to play in – but we found an FBS Conference.  A top-10 basketball conference.  A conference that includes regional rivals, and holds national attention and it’s a conference that has an in-state opponent to fight for bragging rights.  It’s a strong conference across the board.”

Charlotte is no stranger to success while competing in Conference USA. The 49ers went to eight NCAA Tournaments in men’s basketball, winning the C-USA Championship in 1999 and 2001.

Existing members include East Carolina University, Marshall University, Rice University, University of Southern Mississippi, Tulane University, The University of Tulsa, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and University of Texas El Paso (UTEP).

“We thank Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky and the league’s presidents for this wonderful opportunity,” Rose said. “We enjoyed our time in the Atlantic 10 but we needed to find a permanent home for our football program. We found Conference USA – and it feels great.”

On week’s not really explosive season finale, Andrew Baker tries to take over the show. Gabe makes his best dish and has some disagreements with his staff.

Thank you all for supporting us this school year! Look out for the season three premiere in the summer!

This is the last episode of the semester. ListenUp! has an awesome guest today, and we hit the streets for the last time with Mike Bethea.

Conference USA, which has four schools departing to the Big East next season, is reloading by seeking the additional memberships of six institutions in 2013, according to CBSSports.com.

Charlotte will join the likes of Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas San Antonio and Old Dominion next season.

Currently, both Charlotte and Old Dominion do not play football at the FBS (formerly I-A) level. Charlotte’s program will start play in 2013. Old Dominion is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and qualified for the FCS playoffs this season.

In order for Charlotte to play in the FBS as a C-USA member, they would have to at least play two years in the FCS in order to qualify.

Charlotte 49ers athletics director, Judy Rose, would neither confirm nor deny the move on Tuesday, but said that Conference USA officials met with Charlotte officials earlier in the day, according to the Charlotte Observer.

All is not lost for the Atlantic 10 conference, which has been the conference home for Charlotte for the previous six seasons. It appears as if Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason will all join the Atlantic 10.

Charlotte played in C-USA from 1995-2005, but was forced to exit the conference because it didn’t have a football program.

Tuesday’s report also comes with the news of a possible merger between C-USA and the Mountain West Conference, which could be announced later this spring.

An official league announcement could come as early as Friday, according to initial reports.

David Hole (left), Brandon Kirkley (middle) and Chris Hensley (right) of BKTF at Amos’

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 guitar and backup vocals. Kirkley is a graduate and current employee of UNC Charlotte who has definitely 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 station 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 being 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 really set up the whole event in way that felt very personal and connected. On stage, the night started off with supporting 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 members 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 album. With its undeniable catchy vocal anthem, 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 apparent 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 manner 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 definitely 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 success. It seemed as if everyone in the crowd was wearing Brandon Kirkley and the Firecracker 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 Firecrackers have the stage presence, the addictive 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 retailers (iTunes, etc.) in the next few weeks, but anyone can buy the album sooner from www.bktf.net, along with other merchandise as well. Brandon Kirkley and the Firecrackers will be playing acoustically in Norm’s this Friday for the final Union Take Over.

During the weeks leading up to exams the amount of students in the library increase drastically. I myself am not a huge fan of the library but when you have five exams coming up you’ll do just about anything to find a quiet place to study. Not only do the visits become more frequent but also longer as you realize you have an entire semesters worth of work to review in a very limited amount of time.

Although I have never actually spent the night in the library, I’ve seen many people who have and I can completely understand. I have stayed in the library until 5 and 6 a.m. and during these times I have seriously debated just passing out on a couch. At that time it seemed unsafe for me to drive but thankfully I had a friend who lived on campus that I could crash with. Not everyone is so lucky and sometimes a couch in the library is your only option.

If you didn’t get the perfect schedule and have breaks between your classes then you might be stuck with the decision of whether or not to leave campus and drive back to your apartment or hang around and wait for your next class. I live twenty minutes away from campus and driving to and from school is a very annoying and time consuming process.

With so many students commuting at UNC Charlotte it’s no wonder that they would rather just take a nap on the couch during their break than make an extra trip home. I’d say the biggest downfall to not living on campus would be the waiting between classes because it’s pretty uncommon to have no breaks.

My personal experience with sleeping on campus began this semester. I have an 8 a.m. class in which the professor often lets us out early. However, I have a 9:30 a.m. class right after so it’s not worth it for me to leave campus. If this was a later class, I’d probably just go to outtakes or to the bookstore to spend my time but at 8 a.m. it’s hard for me to think of anything besides sleeping. I am not a morning person at all so I’m always looking for ways to get in some extra sleep.

With all the stress of juggling a job, school work and a social life it’s not hard to see why a nap on the couch may be necessary to maintain the sanity of these college students. Many students would rather catch up on their sleep than waste the gas and time to drive back to their home.

Recent studies have shown that the unemployment rate in North Carolina stayed above 10 percent throughout the previous year.  With the economy slowly improving, these same studies project slow growth and recovery for the state.

In January national employers added 227,000 positions to the job market. Even with this increase the national unemployment rate remained at 8.3 percent due to the number of people entering the workforce.

As the market makes it difficult for recent graduates to land jobs, politicians on Capitol Hill battle to preserve student loan rates.

The interest rate on federally subsidized loans is set to rise to 6.8 percent July 1. Democrats and Republicans both agree that they are not in favor of the hike, however, they cannot find a solution to funding the low subsidized rate.

Democrats seek to find the money by raising the taxes on small businesses while Republicans like Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee find it more appropriate to cut funding to President Barack Obama’s health care policy in order to extend the low interest rate. Either way Congress will need to find middle ground on the matter before July to prevent the interest rate on student loans from doubling.

In light of the possible hike in interest rates and a slow economy, the White House is responding to student needs in other ways.

“Our income-based repayment (IBR) policy… allows students to repay student loans based on the income they make, rather than the standard 10-year repayment plan,” writes Special Assistant to the President of Education Policy Roberto Rodriguez in the Official White House Response to the government petition regarding student loans.

The IBR will serve to put more money in the pockets of borrowers so that they can put it back into the economy.

Jobs are being added monthly for recent graduates who are well prepared in the search for them. UNC Charlotte students like Matthew Murrow, a junior Marketing and Management major, are taking in active roles in preparing for the job market and are not worried about securing a position after they graduate. Murrow stresses the importance of networking.

“I have been preparing myself for the job market ever since I came into college,” said Murrow. “The biggest thing that I have done is develop my professional network.”

Pamela Sofras. Photo courtesy of Pamela Sofras

After working for UNC Charlotte 35 years the Chair of the Department of Dance, Pamela Sofras, will hang up her dance shoes as she moves into a life of retirement.

“I have illnesses in my family.  I have an older husband, and I have a son who is quite ill.  I am also taking care of my elderly mother, and that’s a lot of people.  What happens is being the Chair of the Dance Department you need time, and I just have too many people I have to care for,” she said.

“I think you feel when it’s time to [retire].”

Sofras began her career at the university back in 1976 when there was no Department of Dance, only the Department of Creative Arts.  She was one of two dance professors for the following 10 years as the Department of Creative Arts began breaking into different sections.

“The department has taken many shapes,” said Sofras.  In 2008 the Department of Dance finally became it’s own department.

While being Chair, Sofras has taught at least one class a semester to ensure that she knows all of the students going through the program.

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Before coming to UNC Charlotte Sofras worked as a performer and worked with choreographers like Jose Limon, Mary Vigmon and Martha Graham.  She began studying dance when she was 10-years-old and feels like she came into the field at the right time giving her the opportunity to work with some of the developers in the modern world.

“I had first hand experience with most of the developers of the new modern dance in America,” she said.  “I also was on the faculty of the American Dance Festival which moved to North Carolina in 1978, and the American Dance Festival has been the center of American modern dance in the country since 1934.”

Sofras says she will miss many aspects and people in the Department of Dance but plans to still attend shows and keep in touch with those close to her at the university.

Jacob Huffman, a sophomore at UNC Charlotte is one of the 11 N.C. Newman Civic Fellows. Huffman, a member of the first class of Levine Scholars, is a double German and Geography major focusing on Geographic Information Systems in regional planning and struggling to master German preterite.

Huffman was meeting with the Levine Scholarship Director Dr. Diane Zablotsky, discussing summer internships,  when she brought up nominating him for the award. He accepted the offer and together they constructed his résumé, which consisted of his various past and present civic engagements. Zablotsky sent the nomination to the program and soon afterward Huffman was receiving congratulations and well wishes for being named a Newman Civic Fellow.

Huffman, who was born and raised in Charlotte, N.C., says his ties to his community are top notch on his list of priorities. Community bonds are more important than things such as hobbies, academics and friends.

“I’d say [Campus Contact] is all about grassroots efforts and students who are committed to community engagement, something that I am certainly very big on,” said Huffman. “It’s one of those aspects of my character that is very difficult for me to express because it takes on so many different forms in my life.”

He has been involved with a variety of different volunteer organizations. The philanthropic organization that has mattered most to him is the Habitat for Humanity. He feels it is important to have a place to belong in this world, which is why he believes Habitat for Humanity is important.

“A home is where a person develops those first social bonds we mammals are so fond of creating,” said Huffman. “Habitat is all about providing a strong, healthy environment for a family to build those bonds.”

Huffman also finds the power of music to stimulate growth. For two years now he has been a part of a student-led nonprofit organization called Concerts and Causes.

“One half of our mission is to raise support and awareness of local and national non-profit organizations,” he said. “The other half is about strengthening the bonds throughout the university area and greater Charlotte community.”

Seven years prior to 1977, Charlotte’s basketball program was so inexperienced and neoteric that it could only offer its basketball program a high school gymnasium in which to hosts 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 expect Charlotte to make a national splash. But in 1977, the world opened its eyes and one of the greatest Cinderella stories of all time was born.

As they would come to be known, the “Mean Green”, started the 1976-77 season after nearly winning the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) the season before. 1977 marked the beginning of Charlotte’s representation in the Sun Belt Conference.

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

Winning the Sun Belt conference was Charlotte’s automatic bid into their first NCAA tournament in school history.

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

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

Charlotte’s victory was a just a mere five points, and people began to speculate that they didn’t have the necessary ingredients to continue 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 nothing more than a warm-up for Charlotte. Charlotte 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,it had only one winner: Charlotte. The Cinderella story just continued to gain national attention and support after the 49ers dropped the heavily favored Michigan Wolverines, 75-68. Charlotte, the ultimate underdog, 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 floor.

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 Semifinals. 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. Marquette would go on to defeat the Tar Heels of Chapel Hill and be hailed as National Champions thanks to their extravagant finish over Charlotte.

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

Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell would go on to be a part of the Boston Celtics dynasty in the early 1980’s 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^th, 2003 by retiring his number.

Maxwell’s contribution to the 49ers helped to make the 1976-1977 season one of the most memorable in Charlotte history.

It really makes you think; without the attention 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 fulfilling 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 Charlotte has made strides to improve its athletics since its’ very conception. Successes like the 1977 season will continue to serve as the backbone for strong Charlotte athletic history.

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