OCTOBER 6, 2015
Features
THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Sports
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The Renouf twins wait to be back on the ice
Ice Fest 2015
Homecoming 2015
PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON
UAA students pose for the camera at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center Oct. 2 Friday night for UAA Homecoming.
Students sing along to DJ Pleas’s tunes at UAA Homecoming.
Edward Washington and friend point towards the camera.
Josh Medina dances with friends last Friday night.
SEE HOMECOMING
thenorthernlight.org
Athletic/recreation fee may increase for students
tle bit more information about what they would do with such editor@thenorthernlight.org an increase. We plan to have a very robust process and this is Fees at UAA, which seem to just the first in many steps that always be going up, don’t just will enable us to adequately increase without the input of judge and ascertain whether students on campus. Every four or not these entities deserve a years, organizations that col- fee increase and whether or not lect a student fee are allowed to that’s in the best interest of stumake a claim for an increase. dents,” USUAA Vice President On Friday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. the Matthieu Ostrander said. UAA Athletics Department After the proposal for a fee and Recreational Sports will be increase goes through USUAA, presenting their testimony for the Vice Chancellor of Student increasing the athletics/recre- Affairs will review the proposal. ational sports fee to USUAA. The final decision will then be The forum is one of the made by the Chancellor. first steps in deciding if the fee Currently, the athletics fee is should be increased. A final $9 per credit for all students who decision won’t be reached for are registered for six or more some time. USUAA’s vote is credits on UAA’s main campus. only an advisory vote, but is still The fee is then split between an important one in the decision. Recreational Sports and Athlet“We’re going to have a very ics, $3.60 goes to Recreational thorough process where we Sports and $5.40 goes to Athconsider a variety of factors letics. There were 1.541 million such as whether or not the pre- dollars collected from fees last sentation sufficiently answered year in total. our questions. We might invite The Recreational Sports porthem back to one of our com- tion of the fee allows students to mittee meetings to give a lit- access the services at the Wells
By Kelly Ireland
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Fargo Sports Complex and the student and auxiliary gym in the Alaska Airlines Center. Students can use the pool, ice rink, weight room and auxiliary gyms all for free. Recreational Sports is also in charge of intramurals. The athletics portion of the fee is used by the Athletics Department to allow students to go to games for free or at reduced prices, and bring friends who aren’t students for reduced prices. Keith Hackett, UAA Athletics Director, feels that athletics also brings the highest visibility to campus during the regular school year and said that Anchorage Dispatch News covered UAA Athletics around 375 times last year. “I think we are a point of pride. There are so many good things happening on campus, so many great academic programs, but I think from a visibility stand point, we provide a front porch in because of the success that our teams have had,” Hackett said. The fee also helps Athletics do a few other things, but most
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of the Athletics’ budget is from other sources of revenue. Hackett said that a little under onetenth of their revenue comes from student fees. Despite the fact that the revenue from the Athletic/Recreational Sports fee is such a small portion of the Athletics Department’s total revenue, Athletics is feeling hard pressed to make ends meet. According to Hackett, UAA Athletics currently breaks even with $10,532,000,000 in revenue and expenses. However, decreased enrollment at UAA has led to a decrease in revenue from student fees for all fee-collecting entities on campus and has raised concerns that budgets and positions will have to be cut if fees aren’t increased. Hackett said they have already had to cut some positions. Hackett, however, isn’t looking to cut students short if an increased fee were approved, very much wanting to increase what’s offered if the fees were to be raised. He wants to increase student engagement and foster stronger UAA traditions. Hack-
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ett is already working to make things better for students with the current $9 fee. “We’ve expanded the hours and I think that’s a pretty important thing,” Hackett said. Hours at the Wells Fargo Sports Center for students have increased. According to Hackett, on a weekly basis, students get to use the pool 55.5 hours. The gym is open 35.5 hours per week to students. Students could only use the gym for free for 12 hours two years ago. The fitness center in the Wells Fargo is open for 180 hours to students, whereas last year, it was only open for 66.5 hours. Hackett also said that all the free weight equipment at the Wells Fargo Sports Center was purchased through the Seawolf Athletic Fund last year. Students will have an opportunity to testify on the proposed increase for the Athletic/Recreational Sports fee Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. during the USUAA meeting in the Student Union.
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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 02
Boehner throws in the towel In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper. These are his stories.
By Klax Zlubzecon
Translated by George Hyde Alas, poor Boehner! We knew him, readers as a fellow of infinite brashness, of most entertaining thick-headedness. He has frustrated us a thousand times and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My slimy slug body rims at it. Here hung those proposals that have delayed Congress I know not how oft. Where be our gibes now? Our gambols? Our songs? His flashes of merriment, that were known to set Jon Stewart on a tirade? Not one now, to mock your own departure? ...Ahem. Sorry for the eulogy there. George still has Hamlet on the brain since he first read it last semester. I’d written (actually, that’s a lie, George
is the one who types, I telepathically dictate at him) an article about the government shutdown when it last occurred in 2013, and it wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to say I got a little mad about it. I came here an emotionless slug and one of the first emotions I absorbed from my host was the anger George had during the last congressional impasse. So that was pretty heated. I still don’t understand what makes a bureaucratic republic so much better than a hive mind, but I’ve lived here for a couple years now, so I’m a little more accustomed to the idea that humans don’t like to live that way. That, or it’s not biologically possible, yet. We can fix that when more slugs arrive here on Earth. Anyway, it’s that time of year again, another financial deadline has hit Congress, and the GOP has done the unthinkable — they’ve thrown out their House
Speaker. Well, “thrown out” is a bit of a harsh phrase. Former Speaker John Boehner resigned of his own volition, but it’s undeniable that he was feeling a lot of pressure when he did so. He’s the first speaker to resign since 1986, when Thomas P. O’Neill Junior (oof, that’s a telepathic mouthful) left his job willingly. Many see this as a symbol for an increasingly divisive house. He had to spend almost half a decade managing one of the most juvenile and impassable governments in the world, and even as reprehensible as it is to shut down the government over a bill that’s already been approved and signed into law, you have to admit that he’s got a hell of a hard job. Also remember that half of that divisive government is constantly breathing down his neck. The government came close to another shutdown this year, and conservatives in the legislature were adamant that they would not vote for any bill that provided funding for Planned Parenthood. And here we found ourselves at another impasse with the dominant party of Congress using the upcoming fiscal cliff to further their agenda. George is a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood, but that’s beside the point. Were the Democratic Party in the same position as the Republicans are in now, there’s no doubt they would use their power in a similar fashion. Hell, if I could use an incoming shutdown to revise the national anthem to reflect our incoming slug overlords, you’d bet I would. However, this put Boehner in a very precarious position, especially with the recent visit
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from the Pope. Boehner, apparently, told almost no one about his upcoming resignation. He told his wife before going to sleep the preceding night, and even then, all he noted, in his words, “I might just make an announcement tomorrow.” You know, for as stubborn as Boehner and his party have been over the course of the last few years, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. He works for a system that is growing more and more complex and incomprehensible every day. With every vote, the two parties keep the government in gridlock. Boehner was in the middle of it all. Even Boehner would admit that his party is in shambles. The opinions of the majority swing back and forth from classical conservatism to Southern-based ethics. Boehner was just starting to be a bit out of touch. Until now, he stood his ground as even his own party pressured him to change or resign. I can totally understand him for taking the second option. Ruling and governing a nation like this is very hard. There’s a certain allure in the slug way of doing things. We have a single queen whom governs her many squishy larva to do her bidding. It’s easy. She asks, we follow. You humans don’t play by those rules, and for as much as I want to enslave you all, I do admit that I have to admire that. Here’s to you, Boehner. Whatever you do next, you do it the best you can, even if your name does seem like a sexual innuendo at first glance.
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.
FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 03
PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON
ICE FEST 2015 By Ryan Johnson
rjohnson@thenorthernlight.org
When participating in outdoor activities, there is always a basic rule of thumb: don’t go alone. However, if you do, tell someone where and when you’ll be back.
Fortunately here in Alaska, there is a lot of opportunity for these activities and better yet, a large percentage of people participate. Being new to Alaska, I found myself wanting to go out and enjoy nature. There was one problem though; I didn’t know anyone up here. I looked around and saw many opportunities,
but there was one that really got my attention, the Mountaineering Club of Alaska. MCA is an Anchorage based, non-profit organization established in 1958 that is made up of volunteers that enjoy mountaineering, hiking, climbing, skiing and other outdoor recreation. These volunteers want to learn, teach and
provide the knowledge to successfully, and safely enjoy these activities. MCA also holds annual events such as Ice Fest, rock climbing, a Christmas party and a summer picnic. The opportunities, community and support they provide are well worth the membership of $20 a year. Being a member myself, I urge
anyone to go and join. Experienced members are fantastic and always love to share their experience and knowledge with the younger generations. For all you adventurers out there, get off your butt, away from your phone and look around you at all the beautiful places you can go.
Ice Fest participants checked in and got acquainted with their designated groups before heading out on the Matanuska Glacier on Saturday Sept. 26 for Ice Fest.
Cory Hinds has been the MCA president for the past year. Cory loves the outdoors and enjoys working with volunteers for the club.
After hiking across the Matanuska Glacier for some time, participants were stopped by instructors to get a safety briefing before embarking on the more dangerous terrain. They took this time to observe the glacier and plan a climbing route.
Groups at Ice Fest were trained on basic climbing techniques and other ice climbing skills such as setting up an anchor, what knots to use and when. While the lesson insued below Corey Hinds installs two ropes and the anchor at the top of the wall.
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After much fun and exertion of energy on Saturday Sept. 26, groups are happy, tired and ready to get back to camp. That night everyone would celebrate Tom Choate’s birthday. Choate is the oldest MCA member and in 2013, at age 78, set the record for the oldest man to summit Denali.
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 04
Coming out of a deep sleep Sunday morning, groups met up again to hike out to a new spot and test out their new skills.
Warming up, a few brave souls dive right in, excited and ready to conquer mother nature.
Winding into the latter half of the day, climbers push forth and climb until their body won’t let them. Those already defeated by nature rest, socialize and pack up to head back to the trailhead
As Ice Fest came to a close, people turned in gear, said their goodbyes and planned for their next excursions together.
Once full and packed with energy from lunch, climbers were ready to get back on the wall.
FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 05
Getting to know the new Atwood Chair of Journalism By Nolin Ainsworth sports@thenorthernlight.org
For over three decades, UAA’s Department of Journalism and Communication has welcomed seasoned journalists from all across the country to teach in its classrooms. The Atwood Chair of
Journalism was established in 1979 by long-time editor of the Anchorage Times Robert Atwood. The chair awards oneyear faculty appointments at UAA to the news industry’s best and brightest in an effort to “advance the quality of print and broadcast journalism in Alaska.” Over the summer, former Anchorage Daily News columnist Julia O’Malley
PHOTO BY NOLIN AINSWORTH
Julia O’Malley is the 21st Atwood Chair of Journalism. Pictured above the professor is Robert Atwood, founder of the chair.
was named the newest Atwood Chair. O’Malley is only the third woman to serve as an Atwood Chair and has brought new insights into the rapidly-evolving field of journalism and to campus. After leaving the Anchorage Daily News in April 2014, O’Malley was faced with an uncertain future. Carrying out a career in journalism was not as straightforward as it once was. “I was in journalism at a time when everyone lost their jobs and the industry just hemorrhaged people,” O’Malley said. “There were many times that I just thought to myself like, ‘What am I doing? How in the world will these skills serve me this industry that feels like it is dying?’” Shortly after parting ways with the paper, O’Malley dove into the world of digital and entrepreneurial journalism. O’Malley created a website and used her social media platforms to drive traffic to her online articles. It was the best way for the writer to build on the rapport she developed with her readers who wondered why they weren’t seeing her columns in the paper anymore. “I’d run into people all over town and they would be like, you know, ‘Where is your work?’ ‘Where can I read your stuff?’” O’Malley said. “And I would be like, ‘Well, I have this website.’” The website, titled “An Alaskan Life,” found at JuliaOMalley.media, is where the professor deposits all of her freelance work and is a helpful resource for editors determining whether they want to contract her for an article. It was O’Malley’s experience in this new way of conducting journalism that convinced Paola Banchero, Chair of the Department of Journalism and Communication and media advisor of The Northern Light, she was the right person for the job. “[Students] are going to walk into a world where that is much more common than the world I walked into, which was find a steady job, rise up through the organization, become an assistant managing
editor and then go somewhere else and become an editor, etc.” Banchero said. O’Malley’s year of working solely in digital media has influenced the approach she has taken to teaching her news writing class this fall. “One of the things were focused on right now is just tone and social media,” O’Malley said, “Sort of, how do you pivot from a person who is posting on social media for fun … to somebody who is a professional existing in a world where social media is really important to how your brand is shaped?” For some of her students, enrolling in the class meant coming out of their shell on social media. Journalism student Haley Bissell had to create a Twitter and Instagram for O’Malley’s class. said. “I’m kind of a social media hermit — I have a Facebook, but I rarely get on it — so it has kind of been a big adjustment for me to be using these things,” said Bissell. But for others, the class has simply meant changing habits that O’Malley would argue are harmful to their “brand.” “I’m known to be like, taking a selfie everyday,” journalism major Danielle Ackerman said. “[O’Malley] basically engraved in our minds like, turn the camera around and selfies are not fun and not cool.” Last week, O’Malley’s students were given an assignment involving their Instagram accounts and a stroll along 13th Avenue in downtown Anchorage. Using hashtags such as #fairview2you, #soanchorage, #fairview and #alaskalife. Students were instructed to take pictures of the businesses, people and oddities that caught their attention and then post them to their social network.
To see students’ work from the Fairview adventure, search the above hashtags on Instagram.
College Cookbook: Seawolf Sipper By Victoria Petersen
vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org
In honor of Homecoming week, The Northern Light has created a special cocktail for UAA.
Ingredients 1 oz of melon liqueur 1 oz of coconut rum 5 oz of pineapple juice 1 oz of lemon-lime soda Lemon wedge
Supplies Cocktail shaker Glass
Directions Pour melon and coconut rum, sprite and pineapple juice into a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice until thoroughly mixed and cold. Pour into a highball glass and place lemon wedge on the rim of the glass. Please drink responsibly.
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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 08
RED ZONE: UAA’s Title IX Investigators
By Samantha Davenport content@thenorthernlight.org
Sexual assault can happen to anyone. No matter what time or place, everyone is at risk of being assaulted. In the case of an incident happening to you or a friend, UAA’s Title IX Investigators are here for students. UAA’s Title IX Investigators Robin Clawson and Jessica Stillwell discussed what their job entails with TNL. TNL: What is your previous work experience to being a Title IX investigator that gives you the experience to deal with sexual assault? How long have you been working at UAA? Clawson: “I have 30 years of experience conducting and managing criminal, administrative and civil investigations. My career in criminal justice started when I enlisted in the United States Army Military Police Corps. When I arrived at my first duty station in Germany, I was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division (CID), which is where I found my calling to become a professionally trained investigator. I have investigated serious felony crimes such as sexual assault, including rape, aggra-
vated assault, murder, arson, theft and fraud. My background also includes several years in the public and private sector, where I conducted administrative investigations related to employee misconduct, harassment and discrimination. I have been an investigator in the UAA Office of Equity and Compliance since July 2015.” Stillwell: “I gained experience for this position during my time at the University of Oregon. I attended the University of Oregon School of Law where I learned about Title IX, intent, jurisdiction and the complexity of law and investigations. I also worked at the University of Oregon in the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. In that position, I gained invaluable experience working one-on-one with students and conducting investigations in a higher-ed setting. I just started at UAA on August 31, 2015.” What do you do as a Title IX Investigator? Stillwell: “First, while I know this article is focused on sexual assault, I would like to preface that a Title IX Investigator is responsible for investigating behaviors reported with implications of gender-based or sexual discrimination. This does include sexual assaults, but also includes bullying, stalking, inappropriate jokes, and other behaviors that impact a student’s educational opportunities.” Clawson: “Each case is fact-specific and each determination is based on the particular set of facts presented. In some cases, we will need to contact law enforcement to ensure the safety of our campus community. It is important to note that Title IX investigations are administrative in nature, as opposed to violations of law. We inform students they have the right to file a report with
law enforcement, but we do not require they do so. If UAA receives a complaint of sexual violence or harassment that occurred off campus, it must process the complaint to determine whether it occurred in the context of an education program or activity or had continuing effects on campus. Even if there are no continuing effects of the off-campus sexual violence experienced by students on campus, we may still handle these incidents as it would handle other off-campus incidents of misconduct or violence and consistent with other applicable laws and the student code of conduct.” What advice do you give to a victim in regards of getting help? Clawson: “Under Title IX, the university must investigate, end the harassment, prevent its recurrence and remedy its affects. We offer support and resources to the victim and preliminary remedial measures. UAA provides information about confidential counseling services and community resources available. A victim may choose not to report a sexual assault or other violation of the student code of conduct or file a report with law enforcement. Based on case-specific information the university may provide remedial measures such as, changes in academic, living, transportation and working situations. Our goal is to provide a respectful and safe learning environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors.” Why do you think people are hesitant to report their sexual assaults? Clawson: “Men, women and LGBTQ people who experience sexual violence, harassment and gender-based misconduct may be embarrassed, ashamed or decide it would be too emotionally difficult to file a report with the police or file a Title IX
complaint. They may also believe nothing will be done about it. And, unfortunately, victim blaming is still very prevalent in our society.” Stillwell: “I think people are hesitant to report sexual assaults for a variety of reasons, including the trauma of the event, self-blame, and fear of retaliation. I think our society is still working on moving away from victim blaming and that the more we do the more people will feel comfortable reporting.” Men are also at risk for being sexually assaulted. Why do you believe so few male victims come forward? LGBTQ? Clawson: “Men and LGBTQ people face some additional challenges in that they may not be believed when they report being a victim of sexual assault. Societal stereotypes related to men not being able to fight off an attack or stop a rape definitely influence their willingness to come forward. If the assailant is a friend, partner, relative or casual acquaintance, it may be much harder to file a police report or file a Title IX compliant.” Stillwell: “I think that male victims still have a lot of stigma involving society’s idea of masculinity and the same of being a victim in a crime of this type. Along with all of the reasons mentioned above as to why people do not report in general.”
To speak with a Title IX Investigator, contact Robin Clawson at 786-1535 or Jessica Stillwell at 786-6086.
A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
| 09
MOVIE REVIEW
“Holy Grail” is a surprisingly accurate parody By George Hyde
gchyde@thenorthernlight.org
What does one say about one of the most iconic comedies of film’s history? “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is what happens when six British scholars (including one scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature and Arthurian legend) decide to turn King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail into a parody of itself, complete with song and dance, knights with weird accents, a three-headed giant who argues with itself, and coconuts galore. All of this sounds very silly and humorous indeed, but a big part of what makes it so entertaining is that it’s shockingly historically accurate in moments. Yeah, sure, there probably weren’t Trojan rabbits or challenges to chop down a tree with a herring back then (although you never know), but when it gets down to the circumstances of the era, the crew at Monty Python knows their stuff. The Medieval England portrayed in “Holy Grail” is a filthier and more frank England than the one seen in many interpretations of Arthurian legends. Peasants, many of which are gullible enough to believe in things like witchcraft and the dangers of knights who say “Ni,” surround themselves in filth, with disease and death everywhere, and much of the humor is derived by how commonplace it is. It takes this horrible time in history TITLE “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” DIRECTORS Terry Gilliam, Terry Johns
and looks at it with ridicule from a modern perspective, but not outright scorn. Arthur and his compatriots play the straight men to a world that was already plenty wacky before the crew at Monty Python got to play around with it. They play the stoic and chaste heroes we like to imagine them as today, and a lot of the humor is derived by how these ideal heroes don’t fit at all with the world that surrounds them. Arthur tries to rule a kingdom that either makes fun of him, criticizes his political decisions, or is just too stupid to care. It’s with this that Monty Python crafted a film that is so anti-climactic that it’s hard not to laugh at it. Each of the knights’ challenges are solved in an incredibly simple and/or stupid way, and when they try to apply the heroics that people today give them in modern interpretations, they fail spectacularly. The anti-climactic shenanigans build right into the film’s legendarily ridiculous ending, which I won’t spoil. A “quote-a-long” is showing at the local Century later this week, but even if you somehow haven’t seen “Holy Grail” and don’t know the quotes, it’s still a fascinatingly accurate work of comedy. It works at a historical level by criticizing the more charismatic elements of Arthurian Lore, and it works at a comedic level by playing with those expectations. Whether you’re into English history or not, it’s still got plenty of laughs to go around.
RELEASE DATE April 9, 1975(Original), Oct. 11 and 14, 2015 (Cinemark Classic Series)
GENRE Historical comedy
GAME REVIEW
“Read Only Memories” is an homage to classic cyberpunk
By George Hyde
gchyde@thenorthernlight.org
It’s been a little more than two decades since “Snatcher” hit the Sega CD in America, and it’s failed to show up again since. It was the second product of a young, unknown game designer by the name of Hideo Kojima, who we now know for his “Metal Gear” series. If you can get your hands on it — it fetches ridiculously high prices on eBay — it’s a nice look into Kojima’s head before “Metal Gear” really took off. If you can’t, though, that’s okay. The
independent developers at Midboss have a spiritual successor ready to roll out called “Read Only Memories,” and it’s the best cyberpunk point-and-click since the old “Snatcher” days. That may seem like a pretty exclusive niche, but even if you like modern adventure games like “The Walking Dead,” this is a game worth checking out. The game opens, in true “Snatcher” fashion, with a narration explaining the futuristic society of 2064. Cybernetic and genetic implants are now the norm, and many citizens opt to use robots called ROMs — Relational Organiza-
tion Machines — to manage their social and business lives. In the city of Neo San Francisco, an experimental ROM named Turing breaks into your apartment and tells you his creator, one of your old friends, has gone missing. The race is on to find him before a more malicious party possibly gets to him first. It’s obviously a more intimate story than “Snatcher,” but it’s good that “Read Only Memories” gets to break out and find its own identity. While it’s usually very subtle, the game was designed to be as queer and gender-inclusive as possible. It’s not in-your-face about it, but in a futuristic world where people can augment and enhance themselves to the point of no longer being entirely human, being inclusive in terms of sexuality and gender makes sense. As was said earlier, though, those themes are often pretty subtle. If you ignore the above elements of the game, TITLE “Read Only Memories” DEVELOPER Milboss
you’re still left with an intriguing cyberpunk mystery that, while sometimes cynical about technology, still embraces it. The game lovingly uses sci-fi tropes that haven’t been in style since the late ‘90s, but as an homage to “Snatcher,” it fits very well. The only complaint I can muster is that, like “The Walking Dead” and other recent Telltale adventure games, the puzzles often feel a bit easy. “Read Only Memories” almost feels like more of a visual novel than an adventure game. That’s an easy thing to overlook, though. It works as a loving homage to cheesy, late-’90s cyberpunk culture, but it also uses those old tropes to tell an interesting story with new things to say. If you pine for the days spent reading “Neuromancer” or cosplaying Neo from “The Matrix,” or if you want a story with great, gender-inclusive characters, this is the one to get.
PLATFORMS PS4, Vita, XBOX, PC, Mac, Linux, IOS, Android
GENRE Point-and-click Adventure RELEASE DATE Oct. 6, 2015
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
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Hockey twins’ wait once more for the ice By Nolin Ainsworth sports@thenorthernlight.org
Nothing could have prepared Nathan and Jonah Renouf for the adversity they would face as newcomers to the Quinnipiac University hockey team last season. The identical twins from Ontario, Canada had just finished an impressive season with the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League. Nathan and Jonah combined for a cool 35 goals and 75 assists in their lone year in the BCHL (2013-14) — having played the prior two seasons in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. As a result of their individual successes, the twins were recruited to play at Quinnipiac University — one of the hottest college hockey programs in the country. The Bobcats were coming off two straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. As the Renoufs relocated to the east and began the season with the ECAC Hockey powerhouse, not everything went as planned. “We kind of got off on the wrong foot with coaches,” Nathan said. “From there they started winning and we never could crack the line-up.” After dropping a few games to begin the season, the Bobcats won eight of their ten games in the month of November. The twins kept their hopes up that sooner or later they would be dressing for games. That was, until around Christmas time, when they sensed they was no longer a welcome presence on the team. The twins obliged, and began taking the proper steps to find a new team. “We had to tell the coach what teams we wanted to talk to and he had to e-mail them. It was just a huge process and you need to follow NCAA rules from point A to point B,” Jonah said. One of those schools that the twins asked their coach to talk to was UAA. Head coach Matt Thomas had watched the twins play in the BCHL, and told them they could become an important
piece to the UAA hockey puzzle. “We knew they would fill a need that we had in our line-up,” Coach Thomas said of the twins in an e-mail. For Nathan and Jonah, that was just the message they needed to hear in an otherwise depressing season. “The familiarity was nice for us,” Jonah said, “Just to have somebody that was showing interest and knew what kind of players we were.” After Quinnipiac lost to North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the twins were finally free to leave Hamden for good. They had got what they wanted: a fresh start. Not long after they arrived in Anchorage this fall, the twins were met with more bad news: the NCAA had ruled them ineligible to compete with the Seawolves until 2016-17. It came not only as surprise to them, but Thomas as well. “The decision and rule change imposed by the NCAA after they had committed to us was extremely frustrating. It’s never an easy thing as an athlete to face the prospect of not competing for two seasons but they have been very mature about the situation,” said Thomas. “They understand that while it is unfair to their particular situation, we are fully committed to their development and role in advancing this program.” And so once again, the twins had to stomach tough news. Unlike the situation at Quinnipiac though, they feel much more optimistic this time around about the situation. “It’s a different feeling going from a school where you’re like not wanted to somewhere where like the coaches want you there,” Nathan said. “It’s a lot of more comfortable here for us and we’re ecstatic to be here.” It’s apparent that whatever the twins lack in game experience, they more than make up for in optimism.
PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON
Twins Nathan Renouf, left, and Jonah Renouf, right, interview with The Northern Light Sports Editor, Nolin Answorth, about their reasoning for picking the UAA hockey team.
KENDALL HOCKEY CLASSIC Fri, Oct. 09 UAF vs. St. Cloud State
UAA vs. Arizona State
Sat, Oct. 10 UAF vs. Arizona State
UAA vs. St. Cloud State
at Sullivan Arena
5 PM 8 PM
at Sullivan Arena
4 PM 7 PM
SEE HOCKEY PHOTOS
thenorthernlight.org
CAMA-I Room
10 th Anniversary C e l e b r a ti o n
Join the Cama-i Room in celebrating our 10th Anniversary! There will be a dinner with guest speakers, an art show with dancing, potlatch gift giving with a throwing party and Alaska Native Games! All are welcome to attend.
Thursday, October 8 | 6:30pm Cama-i Room, Gorsuch Commons For more information call Karla Booth at UAA is an EEO/AA employer and educational institution.
A look inside the new UAA Seawolf Hockey locker room. The brightly lit locker room sits between a lounge area on the left and hydrotherapy room on the right.
751-7452 or email: khbooth@uaa.alaska.edu.
OPINION
THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
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OPINION “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough” By Samantha Davenport content@thenorthernlight.org
Chris Harper-Mercer walked into Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon with six guns. Upon entering the classroom, he shot the professor point blank. He fired several shots at the class. Mercer demanded students that were Christian to stand up. He pointed his weapon at them and told them it was good that they were Christian, because they were about to see God. He killed them. Lucero Alcaraz. Quinn Glen Cooper. Kim Saltmarsh Dietz. Lucas Eibel. Jason Dale Johnson. Lawrence Levine. Sarena Dawn Moore. Treven Taylor Anspach. Rebecka Ann Carnes. These are the names of the nine people that were killed by Mercer. Seven others were injured. Since 2007, there have been over 20 mass shootings. The killers have had history of abuse, falling outs with family members and mental abuse. During his presidency, Barack Obama has had to address the nation 15 different times pertaining to gun massacres. People who were simply going to a movie, getting their hair done, running a marathon, pursuing their education or attending church are now dead. America is not willing to address the disgusting problem we have. America has become numb to this violence. There is a systematic chain of events for emotional destruction such as this. News reports will break out about another mass shooting. The number of deaths will slowly rise. Families will come forward with broken hearts and pictures of their loved ones, their brothers, their children. Politicians will debate about gun violence and the ties to mental health. The president will speak out for the sixteenth, seventeenth, or eighteenth time in his terms about how this is not normal. President Barack Obama came out for his routine speech
on Thursday. “I hope and pray that I don’t have to come out again during my tenure as president, to offer my condolences to families in these circumstances, but based on my experience as president, I can’t guarantee that. And that’s terrible to say. It can change.” What is wrong with America? What is the sickness that has swept over this nation? Guns. The United States has roughly 5% of the world’s population. America also holds 42% of the world’s private firearms. Do you see the connection? Unfortunately, America has become normalized to this grotesque violence. We don’t have to take all of the guns away, but we can definitely make some changes. “It’s my right to own a gun. It says so in the Constitution.” The second amendment was created hundreds of years ago. Back in the day, America was a new country. There was a fear that the United States would be invaded, like Britain was. Of course it would make sense that everyone was entitled to own a gun. Our founding fathers would have no idea what guns would turn into. If you’ve ever gotten hold of a flintlock pistol, it’s obvious that they aren’t as advanced as an AR-15. The pistol takes about 20+ seconds to load and shoot, if you’ve practiced. When gunpowder gets wet, it’s effectively useless. An AR-15 can fire 700-900 rounds a minute (fully automatic version). Compare that to the 1776 muskets and flintlocks that could fire three rounds a minute if used by a regular shooter. According to Rolling Stone, the Oregon shooting is the 264th mass shooting of the year. (A mass shooting is described as having a minimum of four gunshot victims, excluding the shooter.) Numbers and statistics speak for themselves. That’s the problem, and Barack is right. It can change.
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The Northern Light is a proud member of the ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS. The Northern Light is a weekly UAA publication funded by student fees and advertising sales. The editors and writers of The Northern Light are solely responsible for its contents. Circulation is 2,500. The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy or parenthood. The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.
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THE NORTHERN LIGHT CONTACTS 3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508 EXECUTIVE EDITOR 786-1313 editor@thenorthernlight.org Kelly Ireland MANAGING EDITOR content@thenorthernlight.org Samantha Davenport COPY EDITOR copy@thenorthernlight.org Kathryn DuFresne NEWS EDITOR Vacant ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Vacant FEATURES EDITOR Vacant ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Vacant A&E EDITOR Vacant
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CORRECTIONS In the Sept. 29 issue of The Northern Light, we misprinted the date of publication.