Volume LXX, Issue #28
T H E
V O I C E
O F
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
T H E
N A N O O K ,
Y O U R
S O U R C E
F O R
S T U D E N T
N E W S
Springfest brings students out of winter hibernation pg. 4
Death of Sociology?
UAF scientists weigh in on march Josh Hartman
Erin Granger
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
T he sociolog y de partment faces potential discontinuation after undergoing a special program review this year. Some faculty were informed of this possibility as early as July of 2016, according to Sociology Professor Sine Anahita. Threefaculty members left the program during 2016, she said, two of which left suddenly in the summer. Following this change the provost placed the department o n s p e c i a l p ro g r a m rev i e w. “I went to the provost and said we have to do something,” Anahita said. “Cut the lifeline is what I actually said, because we had just been bleeding.” Admission to the program was suspended in September 2016, according to Alexandra Fitts, vice provost and a c c re d i t at i o n l i a i s o n o f f i c e r. “It was a very difficult decision for [Provost Susan Henrichs]. It’s a difficult decision for the chancellor, but Susan was so humane about all of this,” Anahita said. While no official decision has been made regarding the fate of the sociology department, hopes are not high among faculty members. “It looks like we will be able to keep the minor,” Anahita said. “And I’m fighting to keep the BS but I just don’t know.” Students often choose the Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology if they plan to attend graduate school, Anahita said. The difference between the two degrees is additional math requirements for the BS. The department is currently made up of four adjunct professors in addition to Anahita, who is the only tenured faculty member remaining. “It’s been heartbreaking,” Anahita said. “I’ve been here 14 years and I can’t imagine not teaching sociology. It’s not just a livelihood, it’s a calling.” According to the report provided by the department, the program currently has four declared majors. Continued “Sociology” pg. 3
The March for Science Fairbanks is a way to limit the politicization of science and to connect with the community—an action which is particularly important in recent times, according to campus scientists. “My scientist colleagues and I are all feeling very stressed out,” wrote Microbiology Professor Mary Beth Leigh in an email. “It’s painful to be so committed to helping society and then to see those efforts devalued. It’s also really scary to see misinformation and poor logic being perpetuated, especially when it can harm people.” The politicization of science “There is a thought that this might be another way to politicize science—which scientists should stay out of—we should continue to be neutral brokers of information,” said Olivia Lee, a marine ecology research professor. “A Scientist’s March on Washington is a Bad Idea,” reads the headline of a New York Times opinion piece published on Jan. 31, which suggests that the march will only reinforce the politicization of science. Several scientists on campus referenced this article in particular. “I agree that this march is unlikely to change the minds of people who are already staunchly opposed to certain sectors of science for one reason or another,” Leigh wrote. “Nonetheless, I do think the march will still serve many valuable functions. It will serve to remind people of the many ways that science serves society and makes their lives better.” Eicken thinks that politicization is a legitimate concern, however he states the organizers have done a good job of separating themselves political events. Eicken emphasized that the march could be a good opportunity to discuss the role of science in the community. “This, I would argue, is less of a march of protest and more of a positive message to say be careful about politicizing things that are beneficial across the board,” Eicken said. “We’re here ultimately to provide information to the citizens of Alaska and to the U.S. in general, what is the type of information needed?”
Aren Gunderson, a researcher working for the UAF Museum of the North, attending the earth day science march. Aren was one of over 1,000 people who attended the march. Kael Knight / Sun Star
Students, professors march for science Kael Knight Sun Star
Over 1,000 marchers took to the streets on April 22, bearing signs with messages such as “Ice has no agenda, it just melts” and “Save science from politics” to protest legal and social setbacks facing the scientific community. Demonstrators marched up and down a quarter mile of Airport Way near Lathrop High
School, waving as traffic passed by. “Science is the search for truth,” said David Newman, a UAF physics professor. “There is no political bias in science.” Scheduled on Earth Day, the march was one of 610 such events throughout the world, mirroring the main demonstration that took place in Washington D.C. Eleven of these satellite marches took place in Alaska. Continued “Science march” pg. 5
New chancellor candidates slated for public talks
Dan White
Tony Haymet
Michael Kuperburg
Mirta Martin
All photos courtesy of the UAF Chancellor Search web page
Erin Granger Staff Writer
Four final candidates for the position of permanent UAF Chancellor will be visiting campus this week to meet with President Johnsen and other officials. Each candidate will be hosting a public forum for students, staff and faculty. UA President Jim Johnsen said he is hopeful for the future and pleased with the potential shown in these new candidates. “When I announced the chancellor recruitment five months ago, I was hoping we would find a dynamic and innovative person Tweet us! @ uafsunstar
capable of leading UAF,” Johnsen said. “The finalists announced this week include qualities I was hoping to find in our next UAF chancellor. I look forward to the public forums and to my discussions with each of them in the weeks ahead.” Dan White, the first to visit campus. is the current vice president for academic affairs for the UA system. White held his forums last Thursday evening and Friday mor ning. White has been a part of the University of Alaska since 1995 when he joined UAF as a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Other positions White
has held at the university include director of the Institute of Northern Engineering, UAF associate vice chancellor for research and head of the Office of Intellectual Property a n d C o m m e rc i a l i z a t i o n a n d interim vice chancellor for research. The remaining three candidates, Michael Kuperberg, Tony Haymet and Mirta Martin, will visit campus and hold their respective forums this week. Kuperberg is the executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The goal of the march Olivia Lee stated that the march is a way for scientists and the community to show that they value scientific research. “The understanding that science is important for the overall safety and well being of the country and of society,” Lee said. “We’re at very real risk of losing a lot of just basic necessities, services and information that science provides.” For Physics Professor David Newman, the march is to emphasize that science should not be restricted for political reasons “First and foremost, science is nonpartisan, it’s completely nonpartisan,” Newman said. “People who are marching for science ... are saying that the search for truth is what science is all about and that search for truth is something that can only benefit society.” Plant Ecologist Katie Spellman brought up an issue that the march could alleviate; that scientists are not doing a good enough job of communicating science to the public—particularly that scientists can seem disingenuous to the public. “For me, I think it’s an opportunity to show that scientists are real people,” Spellman said. “Science is for helping solve real problems in the world.” Christa Mulder, one of the coorganizers said that her hope for the March would be to bring awareness to the importance of having facts and data to back up policies. As well as to show that there is a lot of support for science in Alaska and in Fairbanks. “The more we invest in science and science education the better we will be for the future,” Newman said. “It’s a really strong investment in the future and it pays really really handsome dividends.”
Continued “Chancellor candidates” pg. 6 Like us on Facebook!