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Call of Duty Modern Warfare Campaigns used to be big dumb action spectacles
UA update: COVID-19 five-phase on-site operations plan By Gabby Vance John Novotny arts1@thenorthernlight.org arts@thenorthernlight.org
The University of Alaska, or UA, office along with the UA universities developed a fivephase operational plan for reopening the UA system. From most restrictive to least restrictive, these phases are intended to help UA reopen and serve the Alaska community while limiting the risk of COVID-19 transmission. “Our goal has been and will continue to be creating a safe learning and working environment for our students and employees. We hope that as many of those activities as possible can resume in person,” according to an email sent to students by UA President Jim Johnsen. “However, it’s likely that our university communities will have more restrictions and safety measures in place than are mandated by the state or local cities and boroughs.” The extra precautions are necessary because universities have high incidence rates of travel, group housing, mass gatherings and asymptomatic people which all increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission, Johnsen said. Phase A Phase A is the most restrictive of all the phases. Within this phase universities and students protect themselves through alternative course delivery, working from home
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and no mass gatherings. Everyone is encouraged to wear face masks and keep their hands clean. Almost all courses are distance delivery with very limited exceptions. Residence halls are closed with the exception of students who have no other options, according to the UA website’s COVID-19 Information article. Operations will go into phase A if the risk to the UA community is high. Universities will then take the necessary steps to implement phase B. Phase B Interior spaces are limited to 25% capacity and in-person classes that cannot be distance delivered will resume in person, as long as they comply with local and state mandates. For all other classes distance, blended or staggered schedules will be used. Universities must provide the neces-
sary safety items to anyone entering a universityowned or leased facility, according to the COVID-19 information article on the UA website. Residence halls will be limited. Mass gathering and events will be allowed only if they comply with the current university event policy and Phase C. Frequent cleaning and face coverings are encouraged. This phase goes into effect when risk is considered medium and steps will be taken to implement phase C. UAA moved into phase B on June 1. Phase C Interior spaces open up to 50% capacity and health assessments such as thermal scans will be used in high occupancy areas. More in-person classes will resume and alternate delivery and staggered course schedules will be used. Residence halls will
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be open at reduced capacity. Mass gatherings will be allowed as long as they comply with phase C safety measures and university policy. This phase is implemented when the risk for COVID-19 is low. Steps to implement phase D will be taken. Phase D Interior space will be open according to current state and local regulations. Social distancing, hand washing and frequent cleaning are all encouraged. In-person classes will be fully offered and alternate delivery will be provided for social distancing. Congregate housing in residence halls will be fully open. Mass gatherings will be allowed if they comply with university policy and phase D measures. This phase is utilized when risk is generally very low Phase E No additional safety measures required and all operations are full and in person. “It is very likely that we will move back and forth among the phases as the incidence of COVID-19 ebbs and flows in our state and communities,” Johnsen said in the May 20 email. Universities and campuses in the UA system may be in different phases at the same time UAA Chancellor Cathy Sandeen said. For example, UAA’s Anchorage campus could be in phase B when an outbreak occurs in Homer
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and the campus reverts to phase A. UAA is currently in phase B and will be so for the fall semester, according to Sandeen. That means classes with 20 students or fewer or in a room that is at 25% capacity, can occur in person. However, the need to reduce how many people come into contact with each other will remain. “For [classes] that are face to face, it’s not going to be the same as it was before because you’re coming to campus... going to your classroom and you’re leaving,” Sandeen said. “There [aren’t] coffee shops, there’s no playing pool, there’s no hanging out.” Extra precautions are currently being planned for face-to-face classes such as specific entrances for screening stations, hand sanitizing stations, face mask guidelines and practicing social distancing, Sandeen said. Student housing is also not quite back to normal for the fall semester. An undetermined, limited number of students will be allowed to live in student housing for the semester. An application process to apply to live in student housing is currently in the works. It’s likely that students will be chosen based on need, such as if they are an out-of-state student with numerous inperson classes, Sandeen said. A reserved wing will also be dedicated to isolation if a resident becomes
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sick, Sandeen said. “We’re designing that number so that we can manage and keep those people safe for the whole semester,” Sandeen said. “We’re trying to keep things predictable [and] reduce uncertainty.” UAA is prioritizing safety in addition to ensuring student learning outcomes. “[UAA] won’t open up completely until there’s a vaccine… that is distributed broadly or a treatment... to make it less severe is available for COVID-19,” Sandeen said. However, a COVID-19 vaccine that immunizes against the virus may not be possible according to a Guardian article written by science editor Ian Sample. “Vaccines are simple in principle but complex in practice. The ideal vaccine protects against infection, prevents its spread and does so safely, but none of this is easily achieved,” said Sample in the article. Sandeen hopes that UAA will return to normal in time, but we must be patient. “I still miss walking through the spine, [hearing] those random conversations [and] seeing people having a good time. We will get back there. We just need to wait a little bit longer,” Sandeen said. For more information on the phases and to see what phase the Universities are in visit the UA website’s COVID-19 Information article.
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Students can visit graduate schools virtually By Christina Swayney features@thenorthernlight.org
Graduate school is on the horizon for some students, but the current COVID-19 pandemic may make the path uncertain. College visits are a great way to see if a school is a good fit for a student. The size of the school, location, types of classes offered, social scene and many other factors can affect the overall experience. With many schools not allowing visits in person, it can be hard to figure out how to choose the right one. Virtual visits are now available to help potential students get a better idea of what a college or university is like, even if it is not in person. The University of California Los Angeles, or UCLA, offers virtual visit tours. The UCLA Virtual Tour is a narrated tour online that is led by the viewer. The tour starts at a welcome center and then an interactive map is available during the entire tour that the viewer can click on and choose what to go more in detail about. There are also videos and 360 pictures for all featured areas. The UCLA Virtual Tour is a general tour of the UCLA campus and university housing. Tours for specific graduate programs are also available, from Aerospace engineering, law, theater and everything in between. UCLA uses the platform You Visit to host virtual tours at the convenience of the prospective student. You Visit provides online tours to over 600 colleges and universities for free. Students can tailor their tour experience to search for colleges based on size, tuition, location and various other options. The tours can also be accessed at any time, stopped and also resumed at the convenience of the prospective student as well. Campus Tours is another online platform that allows students to visit colleges and universities from their computers or mobile devices. They offer virtual tours at locations all over the U.S., as well as the United Kingdom, France, China and Canada. When universities and colleges are open in person, they offer self-guided walking tours as well. Most campuses are closed at this time and not all know what the fall of 2020 or beyond will look like as far as in-person attendance is concerned. There is always the option for graduate school to be done entirely online. Universities of all kinds
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offer programs, like state schools, private colleges and even Ivy League schools. The University of Pennsylvania or Penn offers Master’s degree programs and specializations entirely online. The Online Learning Initiative began in 2012 at Penn and focused on making college education and beyond available to students on a global scale. Classes are meant to be integrative and make an online learning community engaging, with lec-
ture videos and constant communication between professors and students. The State University of New York or SUNY offers over 500 degrees, including graduate school online. They have a clear interface that is easy to navigate and organized by program section. SUNY operates with 64 institutions underneath it. This includes 29 state-operated campuses, which include research universities, liberal arts colleges, specialized and
technical colleges, health science centers, land-grant colleges and beyond, creating a specialized experience for specific programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education is currently tracking over 830 colleges in the U.S. and their plans to have in-person classes beginning in the fall of 2020. They have a current list with links and data available for re-opening plans. The list is updated regularly.
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Recipes from virtually anywhere in the world can be enjoyed at home By Christina Swayney features@thenorthernlight.org
International travel may seem like a far away dream at the moment because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A small taste of it can be had though, with recipes from around the world and virtual tours of cities or a destination movie, where the location of the film is as much the star of the movie as the actors, all from the comfort of home. Travelling provides many new experiences with sights, people, culture and of course food. An exotic dish to be made at home with a little patience. Recipes like gumbo, can take the eater straight to New Orleans with its layers of complex flavors and nuanced spicy aromas. New Orleans, Louisiana Gumbo is a customizable dish with a long, rich history originating from New Orleans, Louisiana or NOLA. Its cultural origins are a melting pot, just like NOLA. It may seem like a complicated recipe but the payoff is a meal with so many taste facets. Mr. B’s Gumbo Ya Ya is a classic gumbo recipe still being served at Mr. B’s Bistro, located in the French Quarter of NOLA. A colorful virtual tour of New Orleans can accompany some gumbo and for a little while, the travel experience can be had
at home. Take a stroll in Jackson Square using a 360 photo tour, experience a virtual bike ride on Bourbon Street and take an aerial tour of the Mississippi River, right from a home computer. Tuscany, Italy Italy is featured in the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Picturesque scenes are prominent in this destination movie, showing the beauty of Italy. The plot is romance, adventure and traveling. Italy is famous for its bevy of dishes such as pizza, pastas and sweet confections such as tiramisu. Creamy Tuscan Chicken can be served with pasta, potatoes, or a big chuck of crusty bread. It’s flavors burst with the richness of the sauce and the tart, sweet freshness of the sun dried tomatoes. South Africa The country of South Africa is kissed by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans on its sun soaked beaches. It also has bustling city life in Cape Town. Virtual 360 tours from 360 Africa are available for many of its attractions and natural wonders. Peri Peri Chicken is a dish with roots in both Africa and Portugal. It is a spicy, savory and sweet chicken that is commonly enjoyed in South Africa. The recipe is simple and the chicken is best made grilled or in the oven, served with a side of rice. France
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France is a destination that many dreams about. From visiting the Eiffel Tower, taking pictures of the Seine at sunset or enjoying the gardens at Versailles, France has many attractions that tourists flock to when they can. You Visit offers free virtual tours of Paris, that is customizable with a city map, narrated and even accompanied by traditional French music. Château De Versaille also has virtual exhibits that are available. Crêpes are a staple in French cuisine and are either savory or sweet. They are
enjoyed from quick street food to many fancy bistros in Paris. Crêpes are like an airy, light pancake that can be filled with a number of delicious things. Some suggestions are Nutella and bananas, jam, whip cream and berries, cheese and ham and chocolate sauce. For more recipes from around the world, visit Cooking the Globe and Tasty. More virtual city tours can be enjoyed at Mental Floss and Refinery 29. A list of some travel destination movies can be found at The Planet D.
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We can still enjoy art and live music during the pandemic By Gabby Vance arts1@thenorthernlight.org
With all the closures and cancellations, it’s easy to think that the virus has ruined things like the arts. However, there are plenty of artists and musicians who are thriving even during the pandemic. Porch Pride: A Bluegrass Pride Queerantine Festival is an example of a group who is pushing through the cancellations and finding ways for people to enjoy music during the pandemic. “Bluegrass Pride is now an internationally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to letting the world know that bluegrass and old-time music are for everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, nationality, upbringing or politics,” according to the Porch Pride press release. The goal of Porch Pride is to showcase LGBTQ+ musicians and generate donations. They also aim to support and advance these musicians so that they are accepted in the industry. With donations, they are hoping to be able to pay each of the artists $200. In previous years, they put on marches. This year, they are hosting a digital festival. It will feature 10 hours of live music over Pride weekend, which is June 27-28. The lineup for the festival, including musicians and times are listed on bluegrasspride.net along with a link to donate to the organization. More details about the streaming of the festival will be on the website soon.
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On pride weekend, a digital film festival will bring music to people during the pandemic. “What the world needs now is a Bandits. They are an Indie-Rock/Pop and turn our attention to live streams weekend of great music and even betband from Massachusetts. through Facebook or Instagram.” ter community,” according to the Porch “We have definitely been affected by Their debut single “Willow” has had Pride press release email. “We didn’t coronavirus. We’ve had to cancel a gig over 350k and is on multiple Spotify. want anyone to miss out on that experiwith a nationally touring act around the They also have a newly released EP called ence because of their own financial cirtime of our release and really shifted “Ain’t it Great.” If you like the sound of cumstances, so we’re making the whole gears toward promoting the EP online the Red Hot Chili Peppers then you may weekend festival completely free to and through social media,” Leo Son the want to check them out. attend.” co-front person for the band said in an There are so many ways to still appreA band who has also been promoting email. “Along with that, we have had to ciate art and music during the pandemic. online ways to enjoy music is The Q-Tip drop a few more gigs in the last months Look out for digital events or opportuni-
OPINION
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Call of Duty Modern Warfare campaigns used to be big dumb action spectacles By John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org
The Modern Warfare series of Call of Duty games features some of the best campaign missions in the entire franchise and leave a lasting impression on players over a decade later. Thanks to the remastered versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, I had an excuse to go back and compare their campaigns with the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot. Unfortunately, there’s no Modern Warfare 3 remaster and I don’t own the original on PC, so I didn’t play through the end of the trilogy. Call of Duty 4’s campaign is like a warm-up act to Modern Warfare 2. “All Ghillied Up” is by far the most memorable mission of Call of Duty 4 and features the use of a ghillie suit and suppressed weapons to sneak past Russian soldiers. The ghillie suit, which camouflages them almost perfectly with their surrounding environment, creates opportunities for the player to feel like they’re invisible. When the player unexpectedly encounters Russian soldiers and tanks, all they have to do is drop to the ground and stay still. It’s like having a superpower as soldiers walk mear inches from the player without having any idea they’re right under their noses. What also makes “All Ghillied Up” memorable is its setting, which is just
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to another level. There’s an escape from a Russian mountain base on a snowmobile with automatic pistols, Russia invades America and a prison breakout of a Russian gulag. If Call of duty 4 is “The Fast and the Furious,” then Modern Warfare 2 is “Furious 7” in all it’s car jumping from a skyscraper glory. In “Cliffhanger,” the player, Gary “Roach” Sanderson, and Capt. John
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outside the abandoned town of Pripyat, Ukraine. Pripyat was built to house the tens of thousands of nuclear power plant workers of Chernobyl, but was abandoned after the disaster in 1986 according to the New York Times. Modern Warfare 2 cranks up the action
“Soap” MacTavish of Task Force 141 infiltrate a snowy Russian mountain base using suppressed weapons and heartbeat sensors. “Cliffhanger” begins with Capt. MacTavish smoking a cigar on a steep cliffside as fighter jets pass overhead. After scaling the mountainside, the player
stealthily navigates through the Russian base with a suppressed assault rifle and heartbeat sensor. After being discovered, the player and Capt. MacTavish fight to escape on a snowmachine with Russians chasing after them. “Cliffhanger” perfectly blends stealth and action in an arctic setting, which is one of my favorites. As part of the invasion of America, Russia has taken control of the White House in the mission “Whiskey Hotel.” The player fights with a group of Army Rangers to take back control. The invasion of America makes for an unsettling backdrop to firefights. In previous missions, the player fights through residential neighborhoods, which is unnerving enough, but to see the White House, a symbol of America’s government, halfdestroyed with trenches dug in front of it, is something else. Beside a later mission involving a nuclear submarine, breaking out Capt. MacTavish’s previous Captain, John Price, from a Russian Gulag is about as close to an over-the-top blockbuster action movie Modern Warfare 2 gets. It starts with the player in a squadron of Little Bird helicopters using snipers to clear guards off the castle towers. As the player and their squad fight deeper into the gulag, they fight past levels of cells arranged in a circle with a guard post in the center. After fighting through the showers and initiating a breach and clear slowmotion sequence on the bottom level, the
wall explodes to reveal Capt. Price choking-out a guard with his handcuff chains. “The Gulag” is an epic mission that reintroduces a fan-favorite character. The Modern Warfare 2019 reboot is much more grounded in reality in comparison to the games it’s inspired by. The missions might not be as over the top, but they’re certainly still pulling inspiration from movies such as “Zero Dark Thirty” and “13 Hours.” In the mission, “Clean House,” the player raids a two-story residential home suspected of housing terrorists responsible for the bombing of Picadilly Station in London with their squad. The player uses night vision to slowly clear each room of threats. They must make snap decisions to exercise restraint or use force when assessing if a person is reaching for a gun or a crying baby for example. In “The Embassy” terrorist forces are attacking a U.S. Embassy and the player must extract a VIP from a safe room. Molotov cocktails fly and trucks crash through walls. The office setting is reminiscent of Modern Warfare 2’s America under attack setting in that it’s unsettling seeing workers rush to destroy important documents as tension mounts. It’s clear that it’s only a matter of time before the attackers get inside. These three campaigns are a blast to play through. They’re all around 4-6 hours long, so it’s easy to play through in an afternoon, or go mission by mission.
SCREENSHOT BY JOHN NOVOTNY.
REPORTS
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UPD Report: May 11-26 Total Calls for Service : 1316 May 13: • • • •
Traffic Violation and warrant arrest at Providence Drive & Elmore Traffic Violations and Probation Violations Public Intoxication at the Library Warrant Service at Alder Lot
May 14: •
Injured Employee at Central Parking Lot
May 15: •
Issued in Error at Eugene Short Hall.
May 19: • •
Reckless Driver at Folker St. & Tudor. Eluding at Folker St. & Tudor.
May 20: • •
Criminal Mischief at Integrated Science East Parking Garage Attempted Motor Vehicle Theft at Integrated Science East Parking Garage
May 21: •
Illegal Camping at Exterior East Campus
May 22: • •
Trespass at East Campus Central Lot DUI at Providence Dr.
May25: •
Trespass at Integrated Science Building.
All information is provided by the University of Alaska Anchorage Police Department.
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Sports Reporter Ronan Klancher sports2@thenorthernlight.org
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