ILLUSTRATION BY LEVI BROWN
NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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New meal plan changes reflect UAA’s efforts to provide better food options, services By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org
This fall, UAA is implementing a new way to provide meal plans for students residing on campus. This change includes adding more meals per semester to be used at the Creekside Eatery, as well as decreasing the Dining Dollars that can be used at certain locations on campus. Students can choose between five different plans that offer a block of meals. David Weaver is the Director of Housing, Dining and Conference Services and says that these changes were brought on as an effort to give students more for their money. The meal plans in previous years were not suitable for students, especially when it came to ensuring they were provided enough servings to last in any given week. “One issue we have seen semester after semester is a large proportion of students will run out of meals and then add on and pay additional because the meal plans, honestly, were not very studentcentered,” Weaver said. After partnering with NANA Management Services, which operates Seawolf Dining and Catering and is contracted by UAA, the University decided to provide better meal options in exchange for an increase in the overall plan price. As a result, NMS has made improvements and upgrades to Creekside Eatery in the Gorsuch Commons from food quality to environment.
Kari Sellars, marketing manager for NMS, says that an increase in value is an important part of providing a better experience for students. “We also have themed meals… we’re really going to mix it up in there and there’s going to be a lot of reason to go and try lots of different options for food,” Sellars said. Sellars also appreciates the joint effort between NMS and University Housing to conduct surveys in order to gain feedback and discover what changes students and faculty expect to see. “We’ll do [surveys] inside all of our locations. We did a great one last fall; it was very successful and I was really excited about how many students turned out for it,” Sellars said. “We got a lot of really good feedback that we take and work as best as we can to incorporate some of those requests.” Some students are still wary about the change in price per meal and the number of meals provided in a semester. Much of their concern is centered on the amount of Dining Dollars that has significantly decreased from last year’s plans. Alec Burris, USUAA President, is beginning his second year on staff for University Housing as a Resident Advisor and will be receiving the new default meal plan, which gives 14 meals per week along with 200 Dining Dollars. Unlike the 250-meal block plan that allows meals to be exchanged at other dining locations, this default plan restricts RA’s and other students’ ability to choose where to eat.
“This is pretty concerning to most of us because firstly, we had never been consulted about the change at all,” Burris said. “So they were changing the compensation for us without actively consulting us… and then secondly, we were worried about where exactly were people going to eat lunch on campus.” Despite the University’s efforts to make meals more valuable, the new meal plans take away the Dining Dollars that can be used towards food services across campus and put the money towards the Creekside Eatery. Burris says that this is a decision that impacts students’ desire to eat somewhere convenient and accessible rather than having to return to the Commons. “I think you really get in conflict with the fact that they’ve removed the meal exchanges from the majority of the plans this year. So if a student wants to eat a lunch… at Subway, Caliente or the Cuddy, they can’t use their meal blocks,” Burris said. Weaver says that there are a number of driving factors behind the meal plan changes, including ones that affect costs, and lower enrollment numbers are one of them. UAA’s Housing, Dining and Conference Services are expected to be sustainable and when enrollment numbers are declining, the restaurants on campus are experiencing difficulties with financial stability. Burris says that these costly decisions raise the question of whether or not the meal plan changes are truly beneficial to students. “I think in past years with declining enrollment, [NMS has] been put in a position where they felt like they’ve had to make certain changes. The issue here is whether or not they’ve actively consulted with students on these changes and whether or not these changes are better for NANA Management Services or for the students,” Burris said. Weaver and Stellars hope that their initiatives are an indication that the University is pushing to help students and
GRAPHIC BY MARIAH DEJESUS-REMAKLUS
provide the necessary adjustments to be well fed and taken care of. “These things, I hope, show an investment in UAA and student satisfaction and we’re really trying to embrace the concept of continuous improvement,” Weaver said. The new meal plans and add-ons are active and available for purchase starting this fall and can be viewed online on UAA’s website.
NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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Code of Conduct violations on par with FY16, Academic Dishonesty violations increase
GRAPHICS BY JIAN BAUTISTA
By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org
Student Code of Conduct violations increased in the category of academic dishonesty for Fiscal Year 2017, while other categories decreased or were consistent with FY 2016 violations, according to information released by the Dean of Students office. In FY 2017 the Dean of Students office dealt with 379 cases, 59 of which were academic dishonesty violations. In FY 2016 students were found in viola-
tion for 38 cases. Other common areas of conduct violations decreased in frequency over FY 2017, with disruptive behavior cut nearly in half at 34 violations and misuse of alcohol decreased from 115 violations to 86. “The number for FY 2017 is roughly equivalent to the level of FY 2016,” Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct and Ethical Development, Michael Votava, said. “That’s what you would expect to see, you would expect to see the numbers plateau off at a certain point and eventually start to decline suddenly. You notice
if you compared this chart to the increase in care reports to the number of cases of student misconduct, the number of student misconduct cases has gone down, which I think is another good indicator.” A care report is a referral sent to the UAA Care Team which uses referrals to study concerning behavior along with evaluating and supplying resources to referred students. Care team reports saw no significant change from FY 2016 with 587 referrals this year. Care increases as conduct violations decrease, Votava said. “Sometimes the Care Team is able to de-escalate a situation so that a student conduct response is unnecessary,” Votava said. There were 120 violations of Regents’ Policy, University Regulation or UA Rules or Procedures last year. “Violation of rules would be students who are in possession of a pet, students that failed to evacuate during a fire alarm, students that have an empty alcohol container collection, students that bring food into a computer lab. There’s a rule posted that prohibits bringing in food,” Votava said. The residential community saw the highest number of misuse of alcohol violations with the majority of cases occurring at East Hall (29) and North Hall (17) and only four violations occurred on the main campus. There was also 34 misuses of drug violations, with marijuana cases accounting for 32 of the total. There were two prescription drug violations. “In FY 2016, 94 percent of violations involving alcohol and 100 percent of all violations involving drugs or other intoxicants occurred in the residential community,” Votava said. “I find that to be consistent. It’s usually around 93 percent of misuse of alcohol incidents oc-
cur in the residential community. The remaining 7 percent occur at events that occur off campus, such as homecoming dances or dances that USUAA government holds in the spring semester. Occasionally, there’s an incidence where students bring alcohol on campus.” Ryan-Jasen Henne, director of Residence Life, said the department does not actively seek out violations but that part of living in the residential community is to be under more supervision than commuter students. “The reality is that we are a controlled environment that’s managed by the University, to live on campus it is a privilege and it’s not a guarantee..,” Henne said. “To live on campus, we have a set of community standards that you are expected to uphold yourself to, as well as you are expected to hold other people to.” Another big change between FY 2016 and 17 is the arrival of
the new Dean of Students, Ben Morton. One metric he gauges his office’s success by is the change in conduct violations. “To me, the way to have a great student conduct process is to continually have your numbers kind of declining and to be able to show and assess that those numbers are declining, not because you’re not paying attention, but because you are doing a better and more proactive job of educating people on the front end,” Morton said. Other violations of the student code of conduct saw little to no change including endangerment (31) and failure to comply (19). Other violations in FY 2017 include theft of property or services (4), damage or destruction of property (5), Forgery, Falsification, Alteration, of Misuse of Documents, Funds, Property, or Electronic Records (16), Genderbased or Sexual Misconduct (4). There were seven suspensions in FY 2017 and one expulsion.
RED ZONE: An introduction to the 2017 Red Zone series
In its fourth year, the series continues to share stories and news to eliminate the shame surrounding sexual assault and harassment By Kathryn DuFresne content@thenorthernlight.org
The first 13 weeks of any new academic year contains a multitude of life events. New friends are made, classes are added and dropped, clubs are joined, midterms are studied for... Within these 13 exciting weeks, however, more sexual assaults occur on campuses in the United States than at any other time during the collegiate school year. This is known as the Red Zone. Sexual assault is becoming a more frequently discussed topic, not just around colleges, but in popular media as well. Celebrity cases where victims speak out and take their harassers to court, or where individuals are accused of numerous counts of sexual as-
sault, are beginning to broaden the conversation beyond the Title IX office. The broadening of the audience discussing sexual assault may remove the stigma frequently surrounding victims and their experiences, and this is why The Northern Light is continuing the Red Zone series into its fourth year. The more a community encourages victims to step forward and discuss their experiences, or even tell someone trusted that something has
happened, the less likely these crimes are to go unheard and unsolved. Throughout the four years of our series, The Northern Light has covered how to get help when you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, news related to how the state handles sexual assault cases, gender and pre-
sentation issues leading to concerns over bathroom usage, sentencing issues throughout the country and more. As the next semester continues, we hope to provide more information on a growing variety of topical issues. Most importantly, the goal of the series is to provide information to all readers about sexual assault and share the voices of students and community members who may feel lost or forgotten. The stigmatization of victims causes this silence, and this series aims to eliminate that by refusing to be silent.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, please contact the University Police Department at 907-786-1120 or the Title IX office at 907-786-4680.
04 | NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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Opening doors for students to study around the world The opportunity for education doesn’t stop on campus, thanks to the The Office of International and Intercultural Affairs By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org
UAA offers a variety of courses for students, but not all of them are held in a lab or classroom. The Office of International and Intercultural Affairs assists in preparing for and coordinating trips outside of Alaska for those who want to study elsewhere. Whether it’s for a semester, a year, or even just two weeks with UAA faculty, there are many options to choose from. “So [the office] is really there to support students in trying to integrate education abroad opportunities into their academic program,” Susan Kalina, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, said. “And that actually can mean a few different things… You know, there’s traditional study abroad, which is a semester long, or sometimes a summer program.” Kalina oversees the office and says that the opportunities are abundant. There are information sessions held throughout the year to help students make decisions regarding their destination of choice, duration of their trip and the best financial routes. The different programs can allow them to take advantage of several types of education, such as GER classes and internships. One type of program involves UAA faculty and allows them to teach a class abroad. Dorn Van Dommelen, a geography and environmental studies professor, and Hiroko Harada, director of the Montgomery Dickson Center for Japanese Language and Culture, traveled to Japan in 2015 for Van Dommelen’s class on tsunami preparedness. It was a 10-day adventure that took them all over the country from its northern areas to the south and through a number of
cities, opening their eyes to a new part of the world. Van Dommelen says that many students who choose to study abroad might be concerned about earning appropriate credits that will count toward their academic degree, particularly if they are studying something in business or the natural sciences. Fortunately, some of the programs are able to accommodate them. “In engineering and business and the natural sciences, it can often be hard to get courses in a study abroad context to work in your academic major,” Van Dommelen said. “But there are a surprising number of programs out there that will allow students in those non-humanities or [nonarts] programs to find ways to study abroad.” Joseph Sasis was one of those particular students on the trip to Japan. As a computer science and engineering major, Sasis says that he was the only one from the engineering department and had the class with Japanese majors and international studies majors. Despite the differences in their academic backgrounds, everyone as a whole helped gain the most out of their trip by sharing knowledge about Japanese culture and communication, as well as the science and math behind what they were learning. One lesson Sasis took away from his experience concerned the unity and togetherness of Japanese culture and how it played a part in their efforts to be ready for natural disasters. “They were so hard-pressed about the concept of being one in a community and they were very ‘others-oriented’ as opposed to being self-oriented,” Sasis said. “It was always about, ‘What can you do for the Japanese community?’ That’s why they’re so ready and prepared
to be a part of this awareness to prepare each other for earthquakes or tsunamis.” For Van Dommelen, these types of experiences are a new chance to learn about the world and experience cultures unlike our own. He says that remaining open and mindful can effectively impact the way we think. “We put barriers up, especially our own cultural barriers, because that makes us feel comfortable,” Van Dommelen said. “I think a lot of students who have studied abroad do have a great appreciation for intercultural differences and an ability to understand and analyze their own cultural practices because of that.” Sasis says that taking the opportunity to study abroad changed the way he looked at the world as well as the way he lives his life today. “Ever since that trip, I’ve gotten more involved in Japanese stuff, even if it ranges from watching more anime to being more involved in what the Japanese culture has, like the festivals,” Sasis said. “I started bonding more with my family in Japan. Any trip abroad just brings a whole new look into life in general… Just exposing yourself to the world is a life-changing experience.” Van Dommelen hopes to put together another faculty-led trip in the future and is currently working with the Office of International and Intercultural Affairs. Students who are interested in any type of education abroad are encouraged to start planning as soon as possible to discover what fits their needs and how they can receive the best experience. The first Study Abroad 101 Information Session will be taking place on Thursday, August 24 in Rasmuson Hall Room 211 at 5:30 p.m.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DORN VAN DOMMELEN
UAA students Alison Haines and Edward Yohak with students from Iwate University.
Dorn Van Dommelen’s class with students and faculty from Iwate University visiting the lone pine tree of Rikuzentakata, where UAA alumnus Montgomery Dickson died in the March 2011 tsunami.
06 | FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
Alpha Sigma Phi to join UAA fraternities One of the oldest fraternities in the U.S. will be opening its doors in Alaska
By Chance Townsend
ctownsend@thenorthernlight.org
Starting in the fall semester, UAA will introduce a new fraternity on campus, Alpha Sigma Phi. APS is the tenth oldest fraternity in the United States with 127 active chapters across the nation. Mike Carlo, one the coordinators of expansion and growth, looks forward to working with student activities to acclimate APS onto campus. “Right now, we’re one of the fastest-growing fraternities in the last five years,” Carlo said. “We’ve opened about 70 new chapters across the U.S. and internationally in Canada as well. As far as Alaska goes, we have yet to open up a chapter in Alaska, so UAA will be the flagship fraternity in the state.” Carlo also stated that UAA and the surrounding area would be a great place for APS expansion. “We look at a lot of different factors when coming to universities,” Carlo said. “UAA all around has a good reputation for campus life, which is growing.” A major concern for any prospective student deciding to join a fraternity is hazing. 5 percent of all college students admit to being hazed according to research from a national study found on insidehazing.com. Carlo assured that APS has a zero-tolerance policy for hazing on their fraternities. “When you look across the nation, hazing is a fear for a lot of people. We are a strict, 100 percent, non-hazing fraternity,” Carlo said. “So much so that Al-
pha Sigma Phi has helped sponsor across the nation, the AntiHazing Hotline, not only for our fraternities but for fraternities across the nation. This is something we take very seriously and we have no place for it.” APS is one of 47 national and international Greek life organizations sponsoring the AntiHazing Hotline, which was established in 2007. Alexus Tisega, a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, believes that the addition of another fraternity is redundant. “I don’t think we should be getting another fraternity,” Tisega said. “ We already have two fraternities that aren’t flourishing or expanding themselves. We also have Tau Kappa Epsilon, who have about 30 members, but still aren’t as big as we’d like them to be. We should have the fraternities we [have] now expand instead.” Leadership Coordinator of Student Clubs and Greek Life Cody Buechner helps new fraternities and sororities settle in. “It’s always been our policy here that if a group wants to come to campus that we are open and welcoming, but they have to do the recruitment themselves. We won’t recruit for them,” Buechner said. The fraternities and sororities already at UAA will help Carlo in some capacity with his expansion. “I think it’s a relief that most people see that bringing more groups to campus is beneficial for the community,” Buechner said. “We don’t want people joining for the sake of joining, we want them to find their home.” Carlo arrives on campus Aug. 26, and is excited that UAA has welcomed him with open arms, and will be looking for founding fathers to join APS. “Everything I’ve heard about the community and the administration is super welcoming, so I’m excited about this new fraternity coming up here and super excited to start working with everyone,” Carlo said.
FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
College Cookbook: Greatgrandma’s gooseberry tart Full of recipes that require gooseberries, my great-grandmother’s cookbook is this week’s College Cookbook challenge By Victoria Petersen Contributor
My great-grandma had a gooseberry bush in her yard. Her recipe book is jam-packed with recipes for gooseberries. I’ve never had gooseberries until recently, but you can find them in backyards around Anchorage and beyond. Without access to a gooseberry bush, I relied on friends for this unique berry which looks like a grape. The color ranges from light green to maroon and they will soon be ripening. If you’re lucky enough to have a gooseberry bush in your yard, take advantage of the fruit and use it in this sweet dessert.
Ingredients
Sweet tart dough
• 1 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup soft sweet butter
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 egg
• A few drops of vanilla
• ¼ cup sugar
Directions
1. Sift flour onto a pastry board. Make a well in the middle of the pile of flour. In the well, add the egg, butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest and vanilla. 2. Stir the ingredients together and slowly work in the flour until a dough forms. 3. The dough should be somewhat firm. Wrap in wax paper and let chill in the fridge for one hour.
Ingredients
Gooseberry tart
• 1 quart of gooseberries, washed and tailed • 1 cup sugar • 1 egg yolk • 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
Directions
1. Line a flan ring with sweet tart dough. Fill the ring with the gooseberries. 2. Sprinkle one cup of sugar over the berries and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 3. Mix the yolk and heavy cream lightly and then drizzle over berries. Continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until it is lightly browned and the fruit is tender.
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08 | FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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‘Shin Godzilla’ propels Gojira into the 21st century
By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor
Thank the lord for the linear thrill ride of “Shin Godzilla.” In a world where white supremacists are on the march again and our president threatens entire countries over twitter, Godzilla is a more consistent beast. He’s a walking anti-nuclear metaphor, a kaiju born of the United States’ wartime brutality. Hideaki Anno’s monster, however, is entirely different. He’s a walking nuclear meltdown, fed by the same power that brought down the Fukushima Daichii reactor in 2011. It’s an altogether darker premise than many Godzillas before. What’s interesting is how Anno deals with that darkness. Without giving much away, “Shin Godzilla” emphasizes the power of teamwork without being hokey and manages to be witty along the way. The levity is a welcome addition as Gojira here, or “God Incarnate,”
is even more terrifying than his progenitor. He starts wide-eyed and waddling out of the water, leaving ruin in his wake. But that’s all he seems to do: move. The government sits by and watches, mostly helpless. Rando Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa) was the first in it to attribute a natural disaster to the beast, so he becomes the de facto leader of various emergency response measures. He’s the only consistent player in a sea of faces and names. If “Shin Godzilla” is anything, it’s thorough. Ultimately, most of the characters aren’t too important. Godzilla is the main attraction. The movie is more dialogue heavy than you might expect. Anno could have used some more editing on his script. At 2 hours, it feels overlong, more often bogged down by the technobabble than clarified. To his credit, though, Anno has a killer eye. Conversations are shot like action scenes so they’re rarely boring.
Just as exchanges, though, they’re verbose. As Anno showed with “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” he’s an expert at deconstructing characters’ and exposing their depths. Not one to underperform, however, Anno plays up the movies antibureaucratic. When Godzilla arrives, it takes the government two hours to figure out what kind of response to mount. The actual response takes much longer as each directive passes through an endless lattice of government workers and decisionmakers. They talk about so much yet accomplish so little. This isn’t necessarily because they’re inefficient, Godzilla just doesn’t fit into any institution we have. In “Shin Godzilla,” he’s a different beast for a new, more dire era. Those in power can work together to stop him and save their country, but the damage has already been done, and Gojira never stays away for long.
TITLE “Shin Godzilla”
Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi
DIRECTORS
RELEASE DATE July 25, 2016
COUNTRY Japan
GENRE Kaijū
10 | A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
@unlikelyhikers hopes to redefine what it means to be an outdoors person By sharing stories about unlikely hikers, Jenny Brusso hopes to break stereotypes about who plays outdoors By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org
Blogger and former “indoor kid” Jenny Bruso is working to change the way we look at people taking to the outdoors. Her Instagram account @unlikelyhikers shares the stories and photos of those who might not be the stereotypical hiker. “Honestly, I don’t even want to qualify it to death,” she wrote on her website. “Maybe, you are someone who has overcome tremendous odds to find healing in the outdoors. We all have a story.” The Instagram account, which feels like a Humans of New York in the mountains, was started in 2016 and has over 20 thousand followers. It shows diverse people enjoying the outdoors whether they’re plussized, physically challenged or just interested in getting outside. “The people you don’t see in outdoorsy media,” she wrote. The self described “woman, queer, fat, mid-thirties, writer” discovered her love for the outdoors in 2012 after an “accidental hike” and found it to be therapeutic. In an interview with Portland Monthly in July, Bruso
talked about her rough past that led her to finding solace in the outdoors. She’s been on her own since she was 17, grew up in an abusive household and struggled with depression and anxiety, coping with drugs and alcohol. “It’s hard to be depressed when you’re taking in all that nature has to give you,” she told PM. “Even when I’m in a really bad place, when I’m hiking I get distracted by the rhythm of moving. And I love it. I feel like I get to carry that relief with me.” In her interview she describes two hikers who she features regularly. One is a veteran who is thru-hiking the PacificCrest Trail. He’s a black man from Louisiana hiking to cope with his PTSD and depression. Another is a woman who was stabbed outside of her apartment and decided to sell all of her belongings and move into a van. Now she’s hiking around the country. “She’s a fat woman, and it’s really cool seeing pictures of her on the trail—you just really don’t see people like that on thru-hiking sites at all,” Bruso said. In the end, whether you’re fat, skinny, black, white, straight or queer, Bruso wants to share those stories about people mak-
PHOTO COURTESY OF @UNLIKELYHIKERS
@unlikelyhikers creator Jenny Bruso looks out over Hellroaring Canyon, Mt. Adams, Washington.
ing healthy choices despite their background who say screw the status quo. “How many times can you see photos of a flawless, thin,
white woman on a summit looking like she got airlifted in? I tell you, that’s not what I look like when I’m on a summit.” she told PM. “I look haggard and like I
just worked my ass off to get up there.” For more information about Jenny Bruso or @unlikelyhikers go to www.jennybruso.com
A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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12 | A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
Mixing art and documentary ‘ALAXSXA | ALASKA’ comes to UAA Innovative theater group Ping Chong + Company asks what it means to be Alaskan in their new performance that combines Yup’ik drum and dance, video, audio and puppetry By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org
What does it mean to be Alaskan? Who are these people — the insiders and outsiders — who call the Last Frontier home and what happens when they encounter each other? An upcoming performance at UAA looks to answer these questions. “ALAXSXA | ALASKA” is a multi-media performance by Ping Chong + Company, an innovative theater company based out of New York City founded in 1975 by artist Ping Chong, who was awarded the National Medal of Arts 2014. The company describes the show as “a collage of striking contemporary and historical encounters between indigenous Alaska Native communities and newcomers to the Great Land.” Along with puppetry, recorded interviews, video installations and Yup’ik drum and dance, performers Gary Upay’aq Beaver and Ryan Conarro will assume the roles of “insider” and “outsider.” Using the prerecorded interviews along with Beaver and Conarro’s own stories the performance will show
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM C. NADEL
Puppeteer Justin Perkins performs in ALAXSXA | ALASKA.
the varying perspectives and histories of Alaskans while delivering a modern performance. It’s more of a modern theatrical vocabulary and less experimental theater, Chong said. The show was conceived in 2015 when Conarro, who is also credited as co-director and co-creator, approached Chong about putting together a show.
After Conarro told Chong about his 13 years in Alaska and his time working as a radio reporter in Nome, Chong surprised Conarro by suggesting they do a show about Alaska. Chong’s work addresses cultural issues and merges documentary with theater, so the concept was a natural fit. The Conarro and Chong re-
cently worked together on a performance called “Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity.” The show also combined elements of interviews with performances but addressed the issues of Muslim stereotypes. “I’m really just creating a space for people to speak. Because the media is not creating a space for them to speak, the me-
dia is just perpetuating stereotypes,” Chong told the Michigan Daily in February of this year. Last year Conarro and Chong traveled around Alaska conducting interviews that would eventually be used in the performance. Conarro said the archive of interviews and ones conducted after the show will be used for an ongoing project. Performing with Conarro will be co-creator and choreographer Beaver, who was born in Bethel and grew up in Kasigluk. Having learned Yup’ik drum and dance at an early age Beaver is the leader of the Kasigluk dance group and teaches his craft at schools in Southwest Alaska. Along with the small crew that will run video, sound, lighting and costumes is puppeteer, designer and performer Justin Perkins. His work is described on his website as “[unifiying], sometimes uneasily, the organic with the mass-produced, baroque refinement with punk anarchism.” Performances at UAA occur from Thursday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m followed by shows in Bethel, Kasigluk, Nome and Homer.
‘Transition’ art exhibition will pay tribute to Hugh McPeck Students and colleagues will honor McPeck’s name with works inspired by their late mentor and friend By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org
After recently being renamed in honor of the late Hugh McPeck, the art gallery in UAA’s Student Union will host a tribute show to its namesake. “Transition” will feature work by McPeck’s former students and colleagues inspired by the influential artist and educator. The opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 31 will feature speakers including McPeck’s wife Anne Gabler and recently retired Student Life and Leadership Director Annie Route who helped bring about the gallery renaming. A McPeck raven statue will be given a permanent home in the gallery and attendees can eat some of his favorite foods. “This is kind of a celebratory exhibition,” Steve Godfrey, department chair of art at UAA, said McPeck was a professor at UAA and taught sculpting from the mid-nineties until his death in 2014. “He really expected excellence from his students, of himself and of his students, and it shows in the work of the gallery,” Gabler told The Northern Light in April. He was known for his one-of-a-kind personality and left a lasting impression on those he worked with. “He had quite an influence on the community regarding the work he made, and then his abilities as a mentor and pro-
fessor,” Godfrey said. Godfrey recalls arriving at UAA back in 1998 and McPeck was one of the first professors he met. He remembers the feeling of community McPeck inspired in the studio despite the range of students and abilities. He had strong opinions, but would back people up. “He was very very unique. Very tough. He stood his ground,” Godfrey said. Enzina Marrari, curator for the Muni’s 1 Percent For Art program and a former student of McPeck’s told Alaska Dispatch News that McPeck taught her discipline and how to push herself as an artist. He even seemed to know her voice as an artist before she did. “He had this kind of magic,” Marrari told ADN last year. While McPeck taught sculpting, he was well-rounded in his artistic abilities. He worked with metal, wood, oil paints and was an excellent draftsman. His work can be seen all over Anchorage in one form or another. The pieces featured in “Transition” will be a diverse mix of styles that will represent just how far McPeck’s influence seeped into those he came into contact with. “He cared a lot about his students and his colleges and so I think that kind of feeling will emanate from the exhibition,” Godfrey said. ‘Transition’ runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 14. The opening reception is Aug. 31 from 4 - 6 p.m. and a Second Friday event will be held Sept. 8 from 5 - 7 p.m.
A&E
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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Radical Recreation: Blossoming with expression Diana Reyes is motivated to help others through dance and nursing
By Brenda Craig
features@thenorthernlight.org
Growing up, Diana Reyes, nursing major, spent most of her time dedicated to ice skating until she started high school. Reyes never thought she would become a dancer, especially with her introvert personality. It all started when her friend wanted to be in the same class as her, and that is when Reyes took her first dance class. Reyes was shy at first, but after some encouragement from her teacher, one of her biggest inspirations, she began feeling more comfortable expressing herself. Reyes continued dancing after that and has been dancing for six years. Reyes classifies herself as a hip-hop dancer, while also admiring other dance styles such as contemporary, jazz, and Latin. She has performed at UAA for Open Mic Night, the Dena’ina Center for “Meet the World”, elementary schools for multicultural events and in local
dance competitions. “I try to dance every day. Whenever I hear music I automatically start dancing,” Reyes said. “When I don’t dance, I feel like I am not growing as a person. I feel lazy and unproductive. Dance is a huge part of me and I try my best to remain a hungry dancer.” Before Reyes started dancing, she was shy unable to express herself. She believes that dancing has allowed her to grow in many ways. “My utmost favorite thing about dance is how it developed me as a person and artist. Back then, I was very timid and dance boosted my confidence,” Reyes said. “My friends now say that I have a fearless personality and I attribute it to dance.” During her sophomore year of college, Reyes was offered the assistant director position for Dance Contempo at East High school. Dance Contempo gives students who have a passion for dancing an opportunity to learn a variety of dance styles. “She’s always there with that extra mile to motivate everyone to keep dancing,” Jeremy Viray, a dancer friend of Reyes, said. “Diana is a natural teacher when it comes to helping others. You can feel and see how passionate she is when it comes to lending a helping hand, whether it’s one dance more or several, she
won’t hesitate to take her time and help.” In high school, Reyes was invited to participate in Dance Contempo and during her senior year, she became one of the captains of the dance group. One of her unique qualities was that she was a captivating performer and that is what Ariel Graham, director of the Dance Contempo, first noticed about Reyes. “I love working with Diana, we have different aesthetic styles and it’s wonderful to be able to play off each other and offer a creative eye and different perspective to what we are working on with our students,” Graham said. “She understands who she is working with and is able to take her ideas and energy and transfer it to our students.” Apart from dancing, the medical field has always been an interest to Reyes and that is what influenced her to pursue a career in nursing. “I love that nurses are advocates and play a special role in their patients’ lives. With the lack of adequate medical care in many countries, I know that I can make a difference as a nurse,” Reyes said. “My motto is to spread positivity, and what better way than helping those in need?” Besides pursuing her nursing major and dancing, Reyes is a peer mentor for the TRiO pro-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEREMY VIRAY
Diana Reyes practices at the Express Studio in Anchorage. Dance has allowed Reyes to convey emotions in new ways.
gram known as Student Support Services. She helps first generation students successfully adjust to the college rhythm. Her biggest motivators are her parents, who have inspired Reyes in her education and motivated her to help others in their education. “Hearing their experiences has heavily influenced my perspective on education. They always encouraged me to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered here in the
United States,” Reyes said. “I always took their advice to heart and I am thankfully on the path to graduating from UAA.” After Reyes finishes school, she wants to travel and explore the world after being in Alaska all her life. Eventually, she wants to move to the Lower 48 to work as a registered nurse while continuing to dance. Her dream is to join a hip-hop team and Reyes is working towards that dream with each dance.
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
Student athletes’ roads to recovery
Behind the spotlight are numerous athletes that deal with severe injuries, hoping to soon be able to contribute to their teams’ success
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUISA MARIE KNAPP
Louisa Marie Knapp stretches during rehab. Knapp, like other athletes, says being patient during recovery is the most difficult part of sustaining an injury.
PHOTO BY KAROLIN ANDERS
Cam Amantea during his rehab under Michael Dhesse during the summer. Amantea will start the 2017-18 hockey season uninjured.
By Karolin Anders
sports@thenorthernlight.org
Injuries are an athletes’ greatest enemies. Their schedules become dictated by
doctors’ appointments and rehab plans. It takes time management, dedication and passion for the sport to overcome those particularly challenging time periods. Louisa Marie Knapp, a
member of UAA’s gymnastics team, has experience in dealing with injuries. After the German native was hindered by a lower back and hip injury during the qualifications for the 2012 Olympic team, she withdrew from the sport, but only for a short period of time. Knapp was given the opportunity to join a college gymnastics team in the United States, despite tearing her ACL in 2014. Numerous teams wanted the all-around gymnast until she tore her ACL again in 2016. Paul Stoklos, gymnastics head coach at the time, was still convinced of Knapp’s potential and offered her a spot on the team. Knapp made progress and was able to train and compete for the Seawolves for several meets, but her knee was causing her issues during her rookie campaign. “My knee was constantly giving out again and I couldn’t do any landings on competition surfaces. I had to get a third ACL reconstruction in May using some different techniques,” Knapp said. Knapp avoided taking chances on her recovery and spends approximately five to six hours a day with rehab and treatment. Conditioning, strength and weight training, as well as basic gymnastic drills, are on her daily agenda. “Being patient is probably the hardest part for me. I always want to be at my old level or even better as fast as possible and get very frustrated when my body tells me to slow down,” Knapp said. Knee injuries are common among student athletes. Maria Gudmundsdottir, alpine skier, shares the pain with Knapp. After falling at her national championship in Iceland 2012, Gudmundsdottir has experienced several setbacks.
“I blew my ACL, tore both my menisci in addition to some damages to the cartilage and a fracture on my right knee. It was a big surgery and a very long recovery, but it turned out pretty well,” Gudmundsdottir said. Two years later, she fell again during a race and tore the same ACL. She received surgery to fix the damage and went on her road to recovery. Gudmundsdottir was able to gain strength again and improve her skiing skills before joining UAA. “I came to Alaska in December of 2015. I had my first season as a collegiate athlete and overall my best season ever, with few podium finishes,” Gudmundsdottir said. With a positive attitude and high ambitions for the next year, Gudmundsdottir went home for summer. She trained on a glacier to get some more skiing in before the beginning of school but ended up reinjuring her knee. Gudmundsdottir spent all 2016-17 season rehabbing and trying to get back to collegiate skiing, but her knee wouldn’t improve. In June of this year, she underwent her fifth surgery on her knee. “Skiing has been a huge part of my life since I was only a few years old. I love everything about the sport. My parents, siblings, roommates and my team have helped me to stay positive and fight through the tough times, which I’m forever thankful for,” Gudmundsdottir said. Another UAA athlete who experienced a long path of medical setbacks is hockey player Cam Amantea. The junior was off to a great start during his rookie campaign before getting injuring his shoulder. Amantea underwent a Latarjet operation, which is a surgical procedure to treat recurrent shoulder dislocations. It ended his first sea-
son abruptly. Amantea stayed focused with the help of his support system, lead by athletic trainer Michael Dhesse. “Michael was, and is, a huge help in getting me to return to playing again as well as keeping me as healthy as possible,” Amantea said. “Besides Michael, obviously, the guys on the team and the coaching staff are a huge help for being positive. They motivate me to keep pushing to get back. Away from the rink, though, my family is definitely a huge support group no matter the situation, especially my dad.” Over the summer, Amantea nursed his latest toe fracture, which impacted his 2016-17 season. He feels ready for the upcoming season of hockey. “Hockey has been a huge part of my life since I was 3 years old. It has taught me so many life lessons through all of the ups and downs involved with the game and has given me some of the best memories and friendships in my life,” Amantea said. Being injured comes with a lot of pressure, especially, from the student athletes themselves. “For myself, the hardest part about being injured is the mental side of it all. Having to stop doing your sport and just watch is a really big adjustment that not a lot of people understand, and it is pretty easy to begin to think negatively about yourself or your injury. Thankfully I have had an awesome support group and will be starting this season healthy,” Amantea said. Through 20 hours of official practice, optional practices, gear care, treatment, study halls, a full-time class schedule, community service and outside work loads, student athletes persevere even through setbacks and injury.
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
Athletic trainers are crucial to Seawolves’ success
PHOTOS BY KAROLIN ANDERS
Rachel Butler treats volleyball player Tara Melton. Butler has been a member of the athletic training staff for six years.
By Karolin Anders
sports@thenorthernlight.org
Behind every successful sports team and every individual athlete stands a strong team of supporters. UAA’s athletic training staff is a strong component in that matter. Chris Volk, head athletic trainer at UAA for 24 years, just announced her retirement for October 31, 2017. Volk will celebrate her first Thanksgiving with her family in 25 years. In previous years, she always had to work the Great Alaska Shootout, a basketball tournament hosted by UAA’s Athletic Department. Her staff, consisting of Rachel Butler, Kevin Lechtenberg and Michael Dhesse, are ready to take over her duties until another addition to their team arrives. Volk discovered the career as an athletic trainer for herself after getting injured playing softball in college. “When I got seriously injured
I saw even more what the athletic trainers did and the role they played in getting the student athletes back to activity,” Volk said. When Volk started working as the head athletic trainer at UAA, she was the lone athletic trainer for all sports. “I love science and I also love sports. So for my career, I was always looking to tie these two together. Back then, sports medicine was a new term I thought, ‘My two favorite things and I can do them together.’ Athletic training was perfect,” Volk said. Now that her staff has grown, she went from covering all sports to mainly women’s volleyball and gymnastics. The entire staff share the alpine and cross country skiing teams. Lechtenberg was the first addition to Volk’s staff 19 years ago. The Iowa native also developed an interest in the profession of athletic training after also tearing his ACL at the age of 14. After caring for UAA’s hockey team for his first 17 years at UAA, Lichtenberg took over
Kevin Lechtenberg treats gymnast Morgan Ross after her Achilles injury.
men’s basketball and women’s and men’s track and field. “In physical therapy, you might see a patient for a handful of months and then they are discharged and you maybe never see them again. But we get to see our patients, our student athletes, for four or five years and we get to see them grow,” Lechtenberg said. Butler, who joined UAA’s athletic training staff six years ago, finds great joy in working with student athletes. After volunteering at a physical therapy clinic during her sophomore year of college, she realized that it wouldn’t be the career for her and switched to athletic training. “I was working in Colorado at a D-II school for four years and was ready to move on from there. I had a student athlete from Alaska. He was injured and we would just talk about Alaska during his rehab all the time. There was an opening, so I applied,” Butler said. Butler currently works with women’s basketball and men’s
and women’s cross country but is happy to support all athletes during their journey of recovery. In collegiate sports, each athlete is eligible for four years to compete in a sport and one additional red-shirt season. An injury during the season can mean the loss of one entire year of eligibility. Athletes generally do not want to accept the loss of an entire season due to what seems like bad timing. “A big challenge can be when you have an athlete and coach that want something different than what’s good for the health of the athlete. Sometimes you get an athlete who can push through certain things and can continue on playing, but sometimes that’s not good for their long term health, so it’s trying to educate them and encourage them to make the best decision,” Butler said. UAA’s athletic trainers have their students’ short and long term health in mind as well as their athletic and professional success. “You hear through coaches or
teammates about how people are doing and sometimes they come back just to visit. You keep track of some people and it’s also rewarding to see them move on,” Lechtenberg said. The responsibility as an athletic trainer also comes at a price. The hours are spread according to various circumstances such as court times, coaches and administration meetings, acute injuries, doctors’ appointments, rehab sessions, season progressions and meets or games. “You are on-call 24/7. Student-athletes have our phone numbers for good reasons,” Volk said. “We have the privilege of working with people that are healthy other than the risks that are inherent in their sport. It is a privilege to work with a population like that and get to watch them perform.” None of UAA’s athletic trainers would trade their profession under any circumstances.
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
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