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SUN STAR Tuesday, September 24, 2013 2013
Runners race in the 51st annual Equinox Marathon
Damien departs: Orientation Coordinator will be missed at UAF Elika Roohi Sun Star Reporter There are 400 people in the Student Recreation Center. None of them know each other, all of them are nervous. And Orientation Coordinator Damien Snook and a small group of orientation leaders are responsible for making a positive experience happen for the entire incoming freshmen class.
Two runners make their way up Ester Dome around 10 a.m. They were some of the first runners to make it up the hill and at mile 15, were still almost a mile away from the top of the dome. September 21. Ivan Kvapil / Sun Star
ing how much training would be required to I can’t run, I’ll run the race, her teamSun Star Reporter “If walk. If I can’t walk, mates dropped out I’ll crawl. But I’ll do More than 960 people whatever it takes to get and de Leon made the participated in the 51st to the finish line,” UAF decision to run alone. To prepare for the race, Equinox Marathon anthropology and Nat- de Leon practiced the Saturday morning with ural Resource Mansecond and third legs countless supporters agement student Kris- of the Equinox relay, following runners in tine de Leon said the only training to run up cars throughout the night before her first course. The Fairbanks marathon. She decided to ten miles. marathon is known to run the Equinox last Former race direcfor it’s grueling uphill month, originally with tor Steve Bainbridge climb and 26-mile a relay team. But realiz- gave the morning’s adventure through
Annie Bartholomew Alaska conditions.
pre-race announcement at the Student Recreation Center at 7:30 on Saturday. Bainbridge encouraged participants to write any injuries or medical conditions on the back of their bib in case they were in need of assistance on the rocky trail. “You don’t have the visibility in front of you that you’d like,” he said after finishing leg
one of the race. “You just got to make sure you’re watching out for the roots because there were people falling in front of me.” At 8:00 a.m. the race began in a mass start outside the Patty Center with relay, marathon and ultramarathon participants all taking off at the same time. continue to page 4
Bobby Bare Jr. jams at the Pub
Just imagine it, said Josh Hovis, the student organizations coordinator who has worked closely with Snook and New Student Orientation at UAF for several years. Snook has been the orientation coordinator at UAF for three and a half years. He put in his two-week’s notice last week. His student worker, Alexandra Roberts, will take over organizing spring orientation, a much smaller affair than orientation in the fall, while the university looks for someone to take his place. Snook went to graduate school for student affairs, with the idea that he’d end up in advising, admissions, orientation or something along those lines. While he was interning for the National Orientation Directors Association annual conference, a friend mentioned a job in Fairbanks, Alaska. “One night, Joey, this guy from Arkansas, came up to me and was like, ‘Man, I got this former boss who keeps bugging me about this job,’” Snook said. “‘It’s in Fairbanks, Alaska and it gets down to, like, 50 below and it’s cold and dark all the time and it sounds terrible.’” “And I said, ‘No, that sounds awesome,’” Snook said. He got the job. When Snook showed up at UAF in April 2010, he had 25 orientation leaders and had to find 20 more. Last spring, he had 90 people apply for the same position. Snook has worked on creating a culture around orientation at UAF, getting students and orientation leaders excited and invested in the program.
Organ player Jimmy Matt Rowland performs with Bobby Bare Jr. at the UAF Pub on Saturday, Sep. 21, 2013. Annie Bartholomew/Sun Star
See Page 4
Matt and Kim prepare to perform Pg. 3
“Innocent Eye”: Adrina Knutson’s work lives on pg.3
Continue to pg. 4
Miss Euporia talks about controvery pg.10
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