JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2018
FEATURES
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
SPORTS
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PHOTO STORY: The 2018 Women’s March
THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG
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Women’s hoops stays on top despite weekend loss
Sam’s Club closure hurts UAA
All about improv for Chi Alpha’s comedy night By Malia Barto
arts2@thenorthernlight.org
Chi Alpha, a student ministry at UAA, holds a number of events every semester. Past and recurring events include a fall semester party, an annual retreat, a movie awards event and guys’ night and girls’ night. After a successful event last year, Chi Alpha has decided to repeat one of their favorites. The comedy night will begin at 8 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building’s Recital Hall, a different location from last year’s offcampus church. They hope to attract more students to the event this year. Erin Pavek, a member of one of the teams this year and one of the leaders of Chi Alpha, called the comedy night simiPHOTO BY KATHRYN DUFRESNE lar to “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The event was something that Pavek and her Lines at the Tikahtnu Commons location of Sam’s Club were spread throughout the store as customers filled carts with discounted items on Jan. 20. The Muldoon and Dimond locations will be closing on Jan. 26, 2018. husband, Steve, did at their Chi Alpha at North Dakota State University before Clubs that are fit for the future,” Furn- cept the credit card. they moved to Alaska to plant UAA’s Chi By Cheyenne Mathews er said. “We know this is difficult news Justine Nelson is the ProCard admin- Alpha. cmathews@thenorthernlight.org for our associates and we are working to istrator at UAA, and she says Procure“[Our events] are just to get to know place as many of them as possible at near- ment Services is still working with State- students better and provide a place where Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the parent com- by locations. Our focus today has been on wide to come up with a solution, but in students can come and have fun, meet pany of Sam’s Club, announced Jan. 11 those associates and their communities, the interim, she advises departments to people who love Jesus and love them, and that it was closing 63 different Sam’s and communicating with them.” shop with retailers that accept Master- build relationships. And just to provide Clubs nationwide, including ones in The news was especially hard for Card. maybe a safer but fun way to hang out Alaska. In a press release, President and members of the UAA community who “From day one we said we’re going to with people,” Pavek said. CEO of Sam’s Club, John Furner, said use ProCards, commercial credit cards try to come up with a solution and that’s The event will consist of two teams of the decision was to build a stronger set of for UAA, because Sam’s Club has been — we’re still working on it,” Nelson said. three: a red team and a blue team. The Sam’s Clubs. the only warehouse retailer to accept Student Union Operations Coordi- teams are made up of UAA students and “Transforming our business means MasterCard. All UAA ProCards are nator, Tim Flynn, said the Information Chi Alpha staff. The teams will compete managing our real estate portfolio and MasterCard and the other big warehouse against each other in a variety of games Walmart needs a strong fleet of Sam’s retailer in Alaska, Costco, does not acthat the teams learned how to play prior SEE CLOSING PAGE 2 to the night of the event. The games will be refereed and will have a scorekeeper as well. Audience participation is needed to keep the games lively. Last year’s event had well over 100 attendees and this year, they hope to fill all 200 seats in the Recital Hall. knows no bounds… it can be practiced Part of last year’s team, recent UAA nearly anywhere. The same idea applies graduate and Chi Alpha member, Olivia to the museum experience, in some ways Cluff, will participate again this year and — you can experience the museum in so hopes to help get her team, the blue team, many different ways.” to victory. The instructor for the class, Sami “I love the feeling of family,” Cluff Glascott, developed the idea for the class said. “It can be a really big event, but it on a trip to Pennsylvania. can still feel like a family reunion, just “I visited the Morris Arboretum in being together.” Philadelphia while visiting relatives and The night is open to the public and learned that they have a yoga class in one Cluff and Pavek both encourage inviting of their treetops,” Glascott said. friends for a wholesome night of laughter. When the new Rasmuson Wing was “We’re just here to have fun and laugh built, Glascott’s attention was drawn to together and to have good fun,” Cluff the Anchorage Museum. said. “Come ready to laugh.” “As soon as the space, where the poChi Alpha meets weekly, every ThursPHOTO COURTESY OF ANCHORAGE MUSEUM lar bears are now, took shape, I told my day in Cuddy Hall at 8 p.m. daughter I want to teach yoga there,” Participants of the yoga class meditate in the Art of the North gallery at the Anchorage Museum. Glascott said. “I reached out to the muished Rasmuson Wing. Amid polar bear seum and asked if they’d be interested in By Marie Ries sculptures belonging to the Art of the hosting yoga classes and they’ve been an news2@thenorthernlight.org North galleries, participants get to spend enthusiastic and supportive partner ever since.” The Anchorage Museum is mostly their lunchtime practicing yoga. Glascott, a yoga practitioner and Rebecca Pottebaum, programs manknown for its versatile art exhibitions, but teacher for over 11 years, has also worked Alaska’s largest museum is also offering ager of the museum, sees the class as an in executive-level management and is faa variety of classes ranging from painting opportunity to perceive the museum dif- miliar with the stresses of modern work ferently. to yoga. “We are exploring new ways to in- life. She recently founded Unravel, an On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the museum is offering a 50-minute class called vite visitors to interact with the space,” SEE YOGA “Yoga in the Gallery” in the recently fin- Pottebaum said. “Yoga is something that
Balancing bears and downward dog
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NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 02
Providing a solution to Anchorage homelessness with Think Tank By Caleigh Jensen
cjensen@thenorthernlight.org
Students, faculty, staff and community members alike are challenged to come together and share solutions to issues in Anchorage through an event called Think Tank. Put on by the UAA Center for Community Engagement and Learning, Think Tank is a series of brainstorming events. Each is paired with a non-profit agency, and attendees provide solutions to a challenge presented by the organization, while enjoying free pizza. “When students come to the Think Tanks, they tend to really enjoy them, and not just for the pizza,” Judith OwensManley, director of the CCEL, said. “It gives them a chance to be really thoughtful about what’s going on in the community and ways they can get involved.” Think Tank began around four years ago as a monthly event. According to Owens-Manley, it is not only meant to involve non-profit organizations with the university, but also to address burning questions in the community. This month, the topic at hand is homelessness in Anchorage, more specifically how to form a solution. As of 2015, an estimated total of 7,372 people were reported homeless in Anchorage, according to the Homeless Management Information System. Although the issue is pressing, a solution may be in sight. Clare Dannenberg, associate professor
of linguistic anthropology, along with her applied anthropology class, are working on a community engagement project on homelessness. Dannenberg and her students have teamed up with United Way of Anchorage, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and the Municipality of Anchorage. Through Think Tank and other public events, they will collect as much community data as they can in efforts to form a solution. “It’s all about social justice, and working more towards being open and accepting towards all human beings,” Dannenberg said. “Everybody should help everybody.” At the meeting, the question of “what does a solution to homelessness in Anchorage look like?” will be presented by Laura Brown, senior director of marketing and communication for United Way of Anchorage, along with an overview of the issue. Attendees will then have the chance to give direct input and opinions, as well as collaborate with others in smaller groups. “Homelessness is a complex and multifaceted issue,” Brown said. “It takes a village, or in this case a city, to solve it.” Brown has been involved in previous Think Tank events and has found them valuable. “They’re designed for discussion and sharing, it’s a group effort,” Brown said. “It shows us how others envision the future, and what success looks like to them.” This particular subject is a very impor-
PHOTO COURTESY OF JUDITH OWENS-MANLEY
Students, faculty, and community members gather in the UAA/APU Consortium Library for a Think Tank event.
tant one for UAA faculty and students, the social work department in particular. Members have been very involved in fighting homelessness in the community, according to Owens-Manley. Jonathan Bowers, a UAA student pursuing his masters in social work, is an active member of the Think Tank events. He also assists the CCEL in running the meetings. “[Think Tank] always picks subjects really relevant here in Anchorage, it gets me out of the academic brain,” Bowers said. “In college, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when you keep hearing about so many issues in your classes. This is a
way to actually work towards a solution to them.” The “what does a solution to homelessness in Anchorage look like?” Think Tank event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Consortium Library, room 307. The event is free, and open to all students, staff, faculty and other community members. Upcoming events in the series include topics on the Alaskan environment and access to justice. A full schedule of the 2018 Think Tank Series is available on the Center for Community Engagement and Learning page on the UAA website.
CLOSING: 500 ProCard users impacted
PHOTO BY KATHRYN DUFRESNE
Sam’s Club, owned by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., announced on Jan. 11 that they would be closing 63 stores, including all Alaska locations. Sam’s Club is the only warehouse retailer in the state to accept MasterCard, the credit card used for UAA ProCards.
department more than anticipated. “I wish I could quantify the impacts, but I guess what’s scary about this transiDesk at the Student Union, which sells food items from candy bars to corn dogs, tion is that we don’t know how it’s going to affect us and we’re actively figuring it will potentially have to raise prices. “Buying things in bulk definitely gives out,” Tranberg said. For now, Commuter Programs is shopus the opportunity to pass the savings on to students and the community members ping at Fred Meyer for the Daily Den, that walk through,” Flynn said. “When which started Jan. 22. Mary Beth Overturf, director of Prowe figure out what our new alternative will be, our prices potentially will go up curement Services, said one of the best because we will not be able to buy in bulk case scenarios would be to negotiate the anymore in the rate that we were buying.” use of the MasterCard at Costco. “I think if there is a mechanism for us Flynn said he found a short term solution by going to Sam’s Club and purchas- to make purchases at Costco, that would ing two to four times his average order be one option,” Overturf said. “And if there are... other vendors... in town who for the next few weeks. Some items may no longer be sold may kind of take advantage of this opporat the Information Desk because they tunity and get into the market — into this are uniquely tied to Sam’s Club. Some market.” Having employees purchase the items of these items include refrigerated corn dogs, certain ice creams and hamburgers. they need with their own credit cards and “I feel that it is unfortunate that this submitting receipts for reimbursement is company made this decision, because it’s not being considered as a solution. “The employee, depending on how not only showing the effects at UAA with many employee reimbursements there the recession and lower budgets, but the state of Alaska is going to suffer from are, might, could potentially be out that money for a while, depending on how this too,” Flynn said. While the Information Desk doesn’t much they’re spending and if they have receive student fees, some fee funded all the paperwork and documentation programs may be impacted by the Sam’s they need,” Nelson said. “It’s just a big Club closure. Kojin Tranberg, Commut- burden on everyone involved, I think.” Nelson estimates that there are around er Programs coordinator, said free programs like the Daily Den may cost his 500 ProCard holders at UAA.
Continued from cover
NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
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Alaska population declined for first time since late 1980s
By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org
For the first time in nearly 30 years, Alaska’s population has declined by 2,629 people. According to estimates released by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the 0.36 percent decline was the first drop since 1988, the year during which the state’s last big recession ended. These numbers are not that surprising, Eddie Hunsinger, state demographer and economist in the department, said. Typically, about 40,000 - 50,000 people leave Alaska each year. “Even though this year we had a net migration loss... the numbers were still in order with the overall levels that we expect,” Hunsinger said. “About 40,000 people moved to the state and close to 50,000 people moved from the state. It’s just that they were pretty far from one another this year.” The net migration loss was 8,885 peo-
ple. In other words, 39,260 people came to Alaska while 48,145 left. This, coupled with a slight decrease in births, contributed to the overall population decline. Hunsinger said that the state’s economy is a likely factor in people’s migration out of the state. “We knew the last few years that we were probably going to see net migration losses due to the growth in Alaskan economy compared to the economy down south. We expected to have unemployment losses, we expected to have some population losses,” Hunsinger said. Ralph Townsend is the director of UAA’s Institute of Social and Economic Research, and he also says that Alaska’s unemployment rate may drive Alaskans to the Lower 48. “Given that the unemployment rate in Alaska is 7.2 percent and the unemployment rate for the [whole U.S.] is 4.1 percent, it’s not surprising that people might be leaving to take advantage of the stronger job market down south,” Townsend said. The estimates also show that there has
been a gradual decrease in births and an increase in deaths. “That trend is not surprising because Alaska is getting older,” Townsend said. “Its population structure is changing... If the population gets beyond the age at which they’re having children, then there will be fewer births.” Hunsinger says that there have been changes below the surface that are geographic and demographic. These include an uptick in the baby boomer population. “We’ve had so much increase for that senior population for Alaska and that’s really due to people who moved here back in the 1970s and ‘80s when they were young,” Hunsinger said. “Going forward for the next 10 to 15 years, they’re hitting age 65 and that’s why that growth is happening.” While the state’s overall population has grown over the years, many of those that move to the last frontier still have connections and family elsewhere. “It’s not surprising that when economic opportunity increases in the Lower 48, there will be people who, for one reason
or another, the right decision is for them to move,” Townsend said. Compared to other areas of Alaska, the Mat-Su Borough population has grown by about 1,600 people. Townsend says that it’s possibly because it is cheaper to live there than it would be to live in Anchorage or another part of the state. Some Alaskans are unsurprised by the statistics. On a Facebook post by Anchorage Daily News, a number of people have commented about the state’s economy, crime, accidents and the permanent fund dividend having an effect on citizens. “Alaska’s recession is all [too] real,” Hugh Pelkey wrote. Others say population changes are common. “I have lived here for 47 years,” Robert Grove wrote. “People leave the state for all kinds of reasons... The economy and population will always fluctuate.” Alaska’s total population on June 30, 2017 was 737,080.
04 | NEWS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
DHSS publishes comprehensive report on health impacts of climate change By Marie Ries
news2@thenorthernlight.org
On Jan. 8, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services released a report about the adverse health impacts of climate change in the state. It is the first comprehensive report for Alaska on this issue. Based on the current National Climate Assessment predictions, the 77-page document provides an overview of the range of both mental and physical health impacts. Compared to other U.S. regions, the only Arctic state in the nation is likely to feel the effects of climate change sooner. “Temperature in Alaska has warmed faster than in the rest of the United States,” Sarah Yoder, lead author of the report and public health specialist at the DHSS said. It is expected that Alaska’s annual average temperature will increase by 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit until 2050 and by 8 to 9 degrees until 2100. The permafrost layer, which currently makes up 80 percent of Alaska, is predicted to decrease drastically in the years to come. By the end of the century, near-surface permafrost will likely be lost entirely from large parts of the state. Janet Johnston, associate professor of epidemiology and director of the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies at UAA, explained that this could pose a series of challenges to Alaskans. “Our infrastructure is more fragile in areas where there is permafrost,” Johnston said. “As the permafrost melts, water systems and other infrastructure settle and may crack or be otherwise disrupted. Underground storage areas used to keep food supplies frozen may get too warm to keep the food safe.” A decrease in food security is a major issue caused by climate change in Alaska. Due to unseasonable weather, the cost of importing food is going to rise while the availability of local food sources de-
creases as the temperature and Alaskan ecosystems change. In rural areas, Alaskans often rely on subsistence harvesting — the hunting, fishing, and gathering of natural resources — to meet the food need of a population. “Subsistence harvest is also an important food source for many Alaskans, and changes to animal habitat, caused by a changing climate, can make this food source unreliable,” Micah Hahn, assistant professor of environmental health within the ICHS said. Hahn’s work focuses on applied environmental health research aiming to improve the health of Alaskans. Expected long-term impacts include the increase of droughts, floods and storms, as well as costal erosion. For Alaskans, this means more injuries and accidents, limited access to clean drinking water and waterborne diseases. Warmer temperatures could result in the introduction of new diseases transmitted by insect bites as well as prolonged seasonal allergies and asthma. While health issues are increasing, the access to health services is predicted to decrease as thawing permafrost, erosion, wildfires and flooding could hamper travel to clinics. “An area that I think needs more attention is the mental health effects of living in communities that are threatened by the effects of climate change, either due to coastal erosion or effects on subsistence,” Johnston said. The report names increased anxiety and depression as likely results of the unwanted environmental changes. In addition to the summary of potential health impacts, the report includes monitoring and adaptation strategies for communities in the state. As an initial step, it advises local communities to identify the challenges that could be most relevant to them and determine the expected timing and extent of their effect. When developing adaptation strategies, the consideration of regional differ-
GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA
ences is important. “The [health] impacts will vary by region, so it is important to understand local context,“ Hahn said. “We’re already noticing changes to sea ice, permafrost and extreme weather and the associated health impacts, but it’s also important to prepare for longer term impacts.” The ICHS has already been working on a community surveillance system designed to assess health effects of climate change in Alaska to determine health risks for specific communities. One of the findings was an association between injury and unusual weather conditions. “As a follow-on to that study, we are working with the village of Wainwright on a program to promote safer travel during periods of unseasonable weather,” Johnston said. Detecting possible risks early could help communities immensely in preparing for, or even preventing, injuries. “Not all these things are destined to
happen — there are things we can do about it,” Yoder said. “A lot of U.S.-focused research has been on the Lower 48. We need to catch up and get awareness out about potential change, because it is going to be different than in other states of the U.S.” Even though the report highlights the adverse impacts of climate change, it also mentions potential health benefits; increasing temperatures, for instance, could result in fewer injuries linked to cold weather. Still, the positive impacts are likely to be outweighed by the negative effects. “It’s really hard to say what will end up happening, but it appears that there’s a very long list of potential adverse impacts of various scales and it seems like the benefits are not quite as large,” Yoder said. The complete report can be found on the DHSS website at dhss.alaska.gov.
World Health Organization to classify ‘gaming disorder’ as mental health disorder
GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA
By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org
The World Health Organization will possibly classify “gaming disorder” as a mental health disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of
Disease in 2018. The drafted document, posted on WHO’s website, describes the disorder as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior (‘digital gaming’ or ‘videogaming’), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline.” Other characteristics include prioritizing gaming over other activities, life interests and responsibilities, which can lead to impairment in social, educational and occupational areas. Christian Marcale is the president of UAA’s eSports Club, which was formed last semester in an effort to let gamers compete on a collegiate level, particularly for a popular game like League of Legends. He says that gaming can be a stress reliever and bring people together, but if it begins to affect daily life, then it could be a problem. “If it affects your daily life and wellbeing, that’s when you should look into whether this is an addiction or a hobby... For me, I play like four or five hours a day but it doesn’t affect my school or my work life,” Marcale said. There are those who play even longer
as professional gamers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are addicted. “Pro players play, like, sixteen hours a day to stay good and stay competitive but I don’t think they’re addicted to it,” Marcale said. “I definitely think there’s average gamers out there that could have gaming addiction.” Vivian Gonzalez, associate professor in UAA’s psychology department and a licensed clinical psychologist, isn’t sure she sees why playing games is being singled out by WHO. There are other examples of activities that can be similarly diagnosed, such as internet pornography and social media. “Why do we need a disorder that’s specific to gaming? There’s lots of problems that people have related to spending their time poorly, which is essentially what the gaming diagnosis is suggesting,” Gonzalez said. “We have folks that are doing the same thing with internet pornography, people are spending too much on Facebook, and we’re not proposing a specific disorder for that.” Gambling is the only other non-substance-related addictive disorder classi-
fied in both the ICD and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Unlike gaming disorder, it’s unique in that it has severe consequences such as a large amount of debt and even losing one’s home, Gonzalez said. Lawrence Juan enjoys playing games like Overwatch, and he says that one problem with classifying gaming disorder might be the response from the public. “If the world knows about this, they’ll probably want us to stop playing games and focus on our health more,” Juan said. Gonzalez also sees the possibility of stigmatizing playing video games. Since it’s not an uncommon pastime and hobby, the classification of the disorder might open doors for incorrect diagnoses. Parents that are concerned about their child’s affinity for games could assume gaming disorder. “I can see parents bringing their kids in to get treated for a disorder, but the treatment might be: limit the kid’s time on the video game console,” Gonzalez said.
FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 05
Empowering girls one kit at a time By Malia Barto
arts2@thenorthernlight.org
Malia Barto volunteered at the Faraja Family Resource Center and For The Good Period during a mission trip to Kenya over winter break. North of Kenya’s largest city Nairobi, is Chogoria, the home to over 30,000 residents and to the Faraja Family Resource Center. The Faraja Family Resource Center opened in 2003 and provides support, whether that be education, food or shelter, to children and families in need. Faraja ― the word meaning “comfort” in Swahili ― is also a supporter of the organization For The Good Period. For The Good Period started in 2012 by women for women. The non-profit supplies washable, reusable menstrual pads to Kenyan schoolgirls who do not have access to common disposable products. The organization reaches around 1,000 girls per year and is partnered in three places in the world: Kenya, Colorado and North Dakota. Millicent Garam is the Kenyan Programs Director for For The Good Period, as well as the co-founder of the Faraja Family Resource Center with her husband. “I love the job ― learning from them and them learning from me,” Garam said. Garam, a life-long Kenyan, holds a master’s degree in in-
ternational health and learned that it’s “better to prevent than to treat” health issues. Garam works along with four others at Faraja and hopes to expand the program to other communities. More than just a need In addition to giving approximately 1,000 kits to girls, For The Good Period provides education to the girls on topics in health such as puberty, menses, sex and pregnancy, as well as more culture-directed issues such as HIV, AIDS and female genital mutilation. Kenyan nurse, Josephine Kimemia, said that there is a strong stigma around menses in Kenya as well as a “lack of education” and “ignorance” in being sexually active as a teenager and the spread of HIV. Not having access to feminine hygiene products can lead to further complications in Kenya. If the Kenyan schoolgirls do not have access to some sort of hygienic products, they will have to skip school. Skipping school will lead the girls to be punished by the teachers, and sometimes the consequences for missing school may result in missing more school. On average, girls in primary school (elementary and middle school) will miss four days of school days per month due to menses. It is critical for girls to finish school because if they cannot finish, or are forced to drop out, it can result in unfavorable
YOGA: Stress relief at museum Continued from cover Alaskan wellness company in which yoga practice is a vital part. “In my business, I provide the benefits of yoga, meditation, breath work and mindfulness to businesses onsite as part of their stress-reduction and wellness programs,” Glascott said. “What we offer at the Museum is similar. Members and visitors to the museum can come at lunchtime and take a true break from the stress of the day.” Recent studies funded by the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health suggest that practicing yoga helps relieve depression, reduce stress and improve low-back pain. Dakayla Walters, a UAA alumna with a bachelor’s in Psychology, practices yoga on a regular basis. She, too, is convinced of its beneficial effects. “It helps people set aside time for their own mental health and uses various breathing exercises and body postures to help facilitate peace of mind,” Walters said. Glascott’s course is open for
yogis of all skill levels. “For every class, I assess what level people are and what energy they bring and, from there, teach a practice that will provide them with the benefits that they need,” Glascott said. The class always starts with meditation and breath work, moving into a yin or yang style practice later. Yin style focuses on the deep connective tissues of the body while yang yoga is a more active style. According to Glascott, unusual locations like the gallery can be beneficial for yoga classes. “It’s quiet, clean, uncluttered… This environment is perfect for allowing our overstimulated brains to rest and focus on just breathing,” Glascott said. “The tall ceilings and large windows [of the gallery] let in a lot of light that all Alaskans need this time of year.” Classes take place from 12:10 to 1 p.m. and cost $18; members of the Anchorage Museum receive a 10 percent discount. More information can be found at anchoragemuseum.org.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAUREN WEBBER
For The Good Period supplies resuable, hand-sewn pads for girls in Kenya.
events, including a higher risk of teenage pregnancy or being sold into marriage, often to a man three times her age. Girls often will find an alternative to pads if they do not have them. Garam said she has heard of girls using mattress stuffing, parts of blankets and clothes as supplements. There have been other reported instances of using dried cow manure under a piece of cloth to better absorb blood. Needless to say, these methods are unhygienic and can lead to infection. The Kenyan government passed a law to supply schoolgirls sanitary pads, for free; however, the need is so great that it cannot reach every girl, especially those in rural areas. The reusable pads For The Good Period supplies can last up to three years if the owner takes good care of her kit and washes
the products well. Each kit contains two “holders;” one holder will lay on the girl’s underwear and either has a snap or velcro to secure the holder to the underwear. The holder keeps a removable flannel liner in place, which is similar to using a disposable pad. Each kit comes with 6-8 liners in a zippered waterproof bag. “[These kits] are good and very clean for them,” Garam said. Helping across the world Heidi Porter, Eagle River resident, created 88 kits to bring to Kenya with her on a recent mission trip. With the help of her friends and family, Porter sewed and serged 616 liners, 176 holders and 88 cinch bags, along with purchasing washcloths and collecting small bars of soap
PHOTO COURTESY OF UAA CENTER FOR
Millicent Garam sews fabric for the reusable menstrual pads at the Faraja Family Resource Center.
for each kit. Porter paid for the materials and dedicated hours of her time to create the bright and colorful products for girls and women she had never met before. “What if we didn’t have anything? What if that was us?” Porter said. “We want people to live to their fullest potential.” North Dakota State University, a partnered university with Faraja, has instructions on how to create the products online, which Porter used as a reference. Porter and the team she was a part of dispersed the 88 kits throughout various cities in Kenya to females of all ages. For more information on For The Good Period, visit their website at www.forthegoodperiod.org.
06 | FEATURES
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
Women’s March 2018 By Kathryn DuFresne content@thenorthernlight.org
Following the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017, millions of women and men around the world gathered to protest abuses of women and power, hoping to spark a movement. One year later, on Jan. 20, the Women’s March celebrated their anniversary of this event, hoping to “Look Back, March Forward” into the new year. Thousands of Alaskans gathered in their communities to show support for the movement, including an event held in downtown Anchorage. There were speakers from the Young Women’s Christian Association Alaska, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the First Alaskans Institute and UAA’s Generation Action club, before marching downtown.
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN CIELO
Hundreds of people from the Anchorage community march down F Street on Jan. 20. After the rally at the Park Strip, musicians and speakers gathered at Williwaw to encourage residents to participate in the mail-in voter process and focus on local issues relating to women and minority groups.
“I want to show support, not only to women and members of the LGBTQ community, but to also protect my right to healthcare,” David Clark, UAA sociology major, said.
Prior to the march, a rally was held at Delaney Park Strip, which include a speech from Hilary Morgan, the CEO of YWCA Alaska.
Marchers hold signs in support of voting rights and voter awareness during the second Women’s March. The Anchorage march was one of hundreds of events around the country.
People of all ages gathered at the Delaney Park Strip to show their support for causes, including women’s and voters’ rights.
Planned Parenthood supporters raise “I Stand with Planned Parenthood” signs during the rally at Delaney Park Strip prior to the Women’s March. Marchers bundled up for a half an hour march through downtown in 20 degree weather.
Nile Morris, vice president of the UAA Black Student Union and member of Generation Action, leads the crowd in chants to prepare for the march.
& AE
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 07
Clay Body club showcases ‘clay good’
PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN CIELO
Bachelor’s of Fine Art’s students showcase ceramic face masks they created in their intermediate and advanced hand building class.
By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org
The UAA ceramics club, Clay Body, is showcasing their artwork in the Hugh McPeck Gallery until Feb. 2. The annual exhibition features art that Clay Body students have created over the last two semesters in their classes. Bachelor’s of fine art student, Jessi Saiki, says Clay Body is a
tight knit group of people. “I feel like that name just signifies community and like collectivism and coming together for the common good, the clay good,” Saiki said. Saiki has three pieces on display at the gallery, including one that plays with themes of mental health and wellbeing. “The two sided person that I did, who share the same brain, they are a statement about like a day to day observation about
mental health, and it’s just to show like that diverse range, like one side is haunted. His arms are confined,” Saiki said. “But then on the opposite side, he’s fine, calm, his arms are able to wrap around the body. I just wanted to show that contrast and let people know it’s okay to feel both, and you don’t have to feel one all the time to be who you are.” The two-sided man also represents Saiki’s desire to pursue a master’s degree in art therapy.
“I feel like oftentimes people are ashamed of like their mental health state or they feel alone, and no, that doesn’t do any good,” Saiki said. Kendra Harvey, another BFA student in Clay Body, also chose to represent her own personal experiences in her art. One of her pieces is a tiger with its mouth caught up in rope and birds. “Sometimes I have difficulty speaking to people and so
I kind of feel like there’s these little birds in my mouth,” Harvey said. The piece is a part of a larger collection Harvey is working on for her thesis show, which focuses on how humans create myths out of personal experience. Harvey utilizes a technique that some artists view as risky, because she’ll build a solid mass and then cut her pieces in half to hollow them. “In order to do that you have to work kind of fast and kind of loose,” Harvey said. Jade Aldridge, president of Clay Body, has several pieces that focus on themes of femininity. “I think it’s kind of funny to make art that makes people a little uncomfortable but also maybe initiate some sort of dialogues,” Aldridge said. One of her pieces, entitled Strawberry Jam, portrays female underwear that’s stained red. “It relates to like how society treats menstruation and how it’s considered a very taboo topic. People don’t like to talk about it and people are embarrassed about it, and yet it happens to a significant portion of the world,” Aldridge said. The Clay Body showcase also holds a wall of heads on the east facing wall that intermediate and advanced hand building students crafted using their own faces for a mold. In May, members of Clay Body will be going to New York to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and local galleries.
The true star of ‘Radius’ is its story By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor
Taken as a whole, the Canadian sci-fi thriller “Radius” shouldn’t work. From the quiet set-up to the plethora of jarring twists, the movie is nearly unrecognizable by the end. It’s a rough watch at times, but with serviceable performances and a killer narrative, “Radius” rides on its formal strengths more than anything. At first, directing team Caroline Labrèche and Steeve Léonard take the “Twilight Zone” approach to storytelling: start with a mystifying premise and explain it in bits and pieces. Around the midpoint, though, that changes. It begins with the amnesiac Liam (Diego Klattenhoff) waking up after a car crash. He searches for help, but everyone around him dies until he meets Jane (Charlotte Sullivan).
The rest of the movie is best watched cold, but there are spoilers ahead. After some brutal trial and error, Liam finds that anyone within a 50-foot radius of him dies. Labrèche and Léonard don’t explain this phenomenon’s mechanics and they don’t need to. Liam and Jane’s relationship takes center stage instead, making “Radius” something else entirely. The movie’s strength is its story. Its beats are careful and logical, even if they seem out-of-the-blue at the time. In remembering-your-recentpast movies like this, it’s hard to avoid flashbacks. They’re easy to to integrate and mostly justified. Thankfully, “Radius” doesn’t take this easy path. It lets Liam scrabble for clues with little help or reward. It isn’t until the last half that flashbacks become important and even then they’re not overbearing. With or without that, however, the attentive viewer will see the final revelations coming. I mean, how
many times at the beginning of a movie can you emphasize one small detail before its importance becomes apparent? At least once every two scenes, if “Radius” is your metric. The performances, though, are nothing to write home about. Klattenhoff and Sullivan are good enough, but they’re uninteresting. Both have backgrounds in TV and it shows. Klattenhoff is excessively grave, Sullivan is always worried, and Jane’s husband Sam (Brett Donahue) does nothing but ask questions. More than anything, they’re functional. Like “The Void,” another solid Canadian genre flick, “Radius” just works. Klattenhoff and Sullivan aren’t strong enough to chew the scenery, so the story takes precedence. While its parts seem disparate, they come together in just the right way. “Radius” could have been average. It just happens to work exceptionally well.
TITLE “Radius”
Caroline Labreche & Steeve Leonard
DIRECTOR
RELEASE DATE July 17, 2017
COUNTRY Canada
GENRE Science fiction
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 08
Women’s basketball loses undefeated conference status The Seawolves hold onto No. 1 spot in GNAC with 10 regular season games remaining
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY MEAD
Hannah Wandersee played 32 total minutes on Jan. 18’s game versus Seatle Pacific, accumulating 12 points.
By Lauren Cuddihy
sports2@thenorthernlight.org
The UAA women’s basketball team has held their position as No. 1 in the conference, previously undefeated by any other Great Northwest Athletic Conference team, for 33 games straight, until Jan. 20. The weekend proved to be polar opposite games for the Seawolves, battling out against No. 10 Saint Martin’s (1-8 GNAC record) and No. 2 Seattle Pacific (7-2 GNAC record). Against these teams last year, the Seawolves completely blew away both of them with a 73-31 win over Saint Martin’s and a 94-50 win over Seattle Pacific. The team tried to maintain the same attitude that brought them the success
that they had last season, according to sophomore guard Yazmeen Goo. “When you’re confident in yourself it kind of has an affect on your team and they’re able to have confidence in themselves as well. I think that has contributed to our good starts in the last couple of games,” Goo said. This year didn’t prove to be much different against Saint Martin’s with a 76-57 win, however, the Seawolves suffered a 66-48 loss against Seattle Pacific. On Jan. 18 against Saint Martin’s, the Seawolves took off with an immediate lead, finishing the first period with a 14-point lead. “I feel like we have been focusing on having a really good starting group in our games recently. I think that in the beginning, in the first couple games we lacked a good start and that kind of gave us a lack of energy,” Goo said.
However, UAA suffered a minor scare in the second period that put them behind going into the second half. The Seawolves managed 23, 5, 27 and 21 points in each period, respectively. While UAA only managed 5 points in the second period, the Saint’s came through with a game-high of 22 points, leaving them at 31-points over UAA’s 28 points ending the first half. That resulted in UAA experiencing their second-worst 10-minute period since women’s college basketball went to quarters in 2015-16. A disadvantage that head coach Ryan McCarthy was shocked by. “I’m not sure what came over us in that second quarter, but luckily we were able to regain our focus and play well overall in the second half, Hannah [Wandersee] and Yazmeen [Goo] played aggressively and chose good shots, as well as provid-
ing the veteran leadership needed to earn a win like this,” McCarthy said. Junior center Hannah Wandersee proved to be carrying the weight of the team heavily with a final tally of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Goo and senior guard Kaitlyn Hurley both finished with 15 points each. In addition, Goo managed to tally up 5 assists and 5 steals to help the Seawolves rally over the Saint’s. “I feel like ever since our Simon Fraser game we have given an effort that is worthy of a championship level,” McCarthy said. “If we don’t win we can still feel good about it. Ever since then we learned a really big lesson.” UAA only spent 5 minutes and 4 seconds of the game behind, spending the remaining 33 minutes and 31 seconds in the lead and only a total of 34 seconds in a tie. As for the game against Seattle Pacific, the Seawolves suffered an unfortunate loss. However, players for UAA did excel throughout the game, including senior forward Shelby Cloninger who accumulated 13 points and nine rebounds for her first game back from an injury. Wandersee also came out with personal success. She accumulated 12 additional points. The rest of the Seawolves were unable to excel as much as Cloninger and Wandersee did, with only a total 26.4 percent shot average, compared to Seattle Pacific’s 40.0 percent average. This poor average gave the Seawolves the worst setback of any kind, with the 18-point difference, since a 76-49 game against Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 17, 2013. Although the loss came as a large disappointment to the Seawolves, they still safely lead the GNAC standings, with a one game win advantage over No. 2 Seattle Pacific. UAA will have the opportunity to redeem themselves starting Thursday, Jan. 25 against Western Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center.
SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 09
10 | SPORTS
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
Seawolf skiing takes on competition in Utah Already halfway through their season, the skiers of UAA traveled down to Utah to participate in a two weekend meet By Lauren Cuddihy
sports2@thenorthernlight.org
With one of the shortest athletic seasons at UAA, the men’s and women’s ski teams are about halfway done with their regular season meets, after only three weeks of competing. The team has spent countless months training and preparing for the season, as senior Charley Field has experienced. “The coaches have done an excellent job setting up good training spaces for us to be able to have the training we need,” Field said. “I don’t think that anything needs to change for us to be more prepared. Each of my team members [has] the potential to do amazing and have so far stepped up to the plate.” Over the weekend of Jan. 19-20, the Nordic ski teams continued the meet that the alpine teams had competed in the weekend prior. The Utah University Invitational meet took place in Huntsville and Soldier Hollow, Utah, previously featuring the giant slalom, slalom, classical race (5/10K) and freestyle race (15/20K). After the giant slalom portion of the weekend, UAA remained at the end of the pack at No. 7 out of eight teams. The Seawolves managed to accumulate 38 points on the men’s side and 54 points on the women’s side to finish with a total of 92 points. The finish of the giant slalom portion proved to be successful for University of Colorado Denver, Montana State and University of Utah, who were the top three finishing teams with 176, 145.5 and 138.5 points, respectively. On the women’s side, top finishers were Li Djurestaal (12th), Georgia Burgess (13th) and Alix Wells (15th) in the giant slalom, whereas the men had Anthony Naciuk (17th) and Erik Cruz (18th) in the giant slalom. “The GS went well, and I am thrilled with the result where I ended up 12th. I am particularly happy with the second run and the fact that I could keep my position from the first run even though the course was turning a lot which usually doesn’t fit me. The slalom I unfortunately straddled and needed to hike,” Djurestaal said. The skiers also competed in the sla-
lom. This kept UAA at No. 7 but added an additional 44 points on the men’s side and 40 on the women’s side to accumulate a total of 176, still trailing No. 1 Denver who had 329. UAA had several successes in the slalom including Georgia Burgess (17th), Charley Field (20th) and Alix Wells (24th) as well as Anthony Naciuk (18th), Dominic Unterberger (19th) and Erik Cruz (22nd). Of these successes, Field (28 points) and Wells (27 points) currently sit at 16th and 17th on the NCAA qualification points list for the slalom. As for the giant slalom, Field currently ranks No. 6 with 63 points. Burgess, Djurstaal and Wells also make the list at 14th, 17th and 18th respectively. Unterberger is at No. 11 on the men’s qualification list for the slalom (37 points) and No. 13 on the giant slalom list with 39 points, followed by Naciuk at No. 14 on slalom and No. 19 on giant slalom and Cruz at No. 22 on both slalom and giant slalom. As for the Nordic portion of the meet, UAA competed in both the freestyle and classical races, a men’s and women’s team for each. With the most success being seen in the classical races, the men’s team finished with 42 points and the women’s team finished with 41 points. In contrast, the freestyle teams finished with 39 points on the men’s side and 35 points on the women’s side. In the men’s 20K freestyle, Tracen Knopp, Zackarias Toresson, Marcus Deuling, and Toomas Kollo finished one after another to take places 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st. On the women’s side, for the 15K race, Jenna Difolco finished at No. 20 with Sadie Fox only 30 seconds behind at No. 22. The Seawolves were also successful in the classical races as well, with Deuling and Kollo at a 17th and 18th finish, respectively, in the 10K classic. Difolco was the top UAA women’s finisher in the 5K classic at No. 23, with Wright and Michaela Keller-Miller behind at 26th and 29th, respectively. Ultimately, after both the Nordic and alpine components of the meet, the Seawolves finished at sixth overall with 333 points. “The season has been very varying.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY
Casey Wright competed in the women’s 5K classic and 15K freestyle at the 2018 Utah Invitational on Jan. 18 -19.
PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN CIELO
Marcus Deuling earned 12 points in the men’s 20K freestyle and 16 points in the 10K classic events.
Some results good and some not so good. But it has also been amazing going to all of these different places with an awesome team,” Djurestaal said.
UAA has a short break until they take off again for the New Mexico Invitational on Feb. 3-4.
OPINION
THENORTHERNLIGHT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
| 11
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