16 June, 2020

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

JUNE 16 - 29, 2020

FEATURES

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

OPINION

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The Alaska State Fair is canceled due to COVID-19

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

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Assassin’s Creed is losing what helped define it — Parkour

All 50 states hold protests for the Black Lives Matter movement

By Gabby Vance editor@thenorthernlight.org

Alaska’s residents are joining the rest of the lower 48 in protesting the death of George Floyd.

The three largest cities in Alaska held protests in the streets to protest against police brutality after a black man named George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground and placed a knee on his neck. In a video of the arrest, Floyd said, “I can’t breathe,” yet Chauvin did not remove his knee resulting in Floyd’s death.‌ When the video went viral, people were enraged by the act of police brutality and started protests in all 50 states. Alaska’s protests, so far, have been completely peaceful. In Anchorage, two marches were organized on May 30. A march organized by high school student Markus Vinson, began at noon in Town Square Park. Around a hundred people showed up for the protest with signs ready to march through Downtown Anchorage. Vinson said he was “blown away by the turnout” in an interview with KTOO.org on May 30.‌ At 1 p.m., another protest was held in a parking lot in midtown Anchor-

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age. Speakers including pastors and Alaska Native and Asian community members were present at the rally. Organizers were cautious of COVID-19 concerns and placed pieces of duct tape 6 feet apart and also had the rally broadcasted so that people could listen in their cars, according to KTOO.org’s May 30 article. ‌ “The residents of Anchorage are connected to people all across the country and cities everywhere so this really demonstrates the awareness that we have as a globally connected [and] nationally connected city even though we’re kind of far off in the corner,” George Martinez, a protester, said in an interview with KTOO.org.

Rallies in Fairbanks and Juneau each drew in crowds of hundreds and marched through downtown. Similar protests were held in Utqiaġvik on June 6 and in Kotzebue on June 2.

“Holding a protest in Kotzebue, Alaska sends the message that we see the oppression faced by black people in America,” said resident Hannah Atkinson in an interview with Anchorage Daily News. “I see it, I am not okay with it, and I have to do everything in my power to fight against it. It is also important because I want black people in Kot-

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONICA TERRONES

zebue to feel seen and supported.”

Changes in the case against Floyd’s arresting officers have been made following Black Lives Matter protests. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with second-

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Community members attend a peaceful protest downtown on the evening of June 6.

degree murder. The three other officers present during Floyd’s murder are also facing charges of aiding and abetting murder, according to NPR.org. ‌ Funds are also being redirected from police

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departments in Los Angeles and New York City to other needs within the cities. The Minneapolis City Council stated that they intend to end the Minneapolis Police Department and form a new model for safety. Local elected offi-

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cials in many cities are proposing to ban chokeholds, no-knock warrants and tear gas. Due to the protests and marches around the nation, real changes are being discussed in many U.S cities.

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NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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UA Update: 13 majors are discontinued at UAA and the COVID-19 plan changes

By Gabby Vance editor@thenorthernlight.org

In the past few weeks, a lot of information has been released about the University of Alaska budget and COVID-19. The UA Board of Regents made their final decision regarding program discontinuations, revisions and reductions. The board also approved the 2021 fiscal year budget and to review the option of merging the University of Alaska Southeast with the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

In addition, UAA has moved into phase B of the operational plans and information about fall course offerings has been shared.‌ UA Board of Regents June 4 and 5 meetings:‌ 13 UAA major programs were approved by the board for discontinuation and two majors were selected for revision and reduction. ‌ The programs approved for discontinuation include: • Undergraduate Certificate in Legal Nurse Consultant Paralegal • Undergraduate Certificate in Civic Engagement • Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Administration • Bachelor of Arts in Hospital-

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ity Administration • Associate of Applied Science in Welding and Nondestructive Testing • Associate of Applied Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Operations • Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems • Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literary Arts • Master of Arts in English, Master of Education in Early Childhood Special Education • Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Sociology • Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at the University • Bachelor of Science in Envi-

ronment and Society. ‌ The programs approved for revision and reduction include: • Bachelor of Arts in Dual Languages Option (Secondary Language Selection in Chinese) • Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Communication.‌ “Of the $33 million in FY21 budget reductions, more than $4 million is in academics program reductions and $29 million is in administration and other areas,” according to the June 5 press release. ‌ The June 5 press release esti-

mated that around 700 students and 30 faculty members will be affected by the program eliminations. Each of these students will work with faculty and staff to create a personalized teachout plan so they can complete their degree. For more information, affected students should contact their academic advisor.

Advisors can be identified on the academic advising page on the UAA website. ‌ “If you are a student in one of these programs, your academic advisor continues to be your best resource for information about your options,” according to UA President Jim Johnsen’s June 5 email. “Our commitment remains to support

all declared majors in these programs through degree completion options.”‌ The Board of Regents also voted to review the option of merging the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A conceptual plan to explore the idea further was set to be due by Oct. 15, according to the June 4 press release. The total budget for the 2021 fiscal year was decided to be $832.3 million. The board was scheduled to discuss options in the event that UA President Johnsen had accepted the University of Wisconsin presidency; however, he withdrew his name from consideration. ‌ COVID-19 updates:‌ • UAA is currently in phase B of the On-site Operations Plan. Phase B encourages the use of face coverings, limits interior space capacity to 25% and requires relevant state and federal safety regulations to be met.

• Residence halls are extremely limited, most mass gatherings are prohibited and only classes that cannot be delivered remotely are allowed to be conducted in-person. ‌ For more updates on UA COVID-19 information visit the UA website.

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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COVID-19 cases go up as Alaska reopens

By Christina Swayney features@thenorthernlight.org

A spike in COVID-19 cases accompanied the reopening of the State of Alaska. Cases all over the U.S. have gone up since loosening restrictions due to the current pandemic. ‌ Cases increased amid the full reopening of Alaska by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The state went through a four-phase plan of reopening, that started from a “Hunker Down” order to loosening restrictions based on a growing or lessening trend of COVID-19 cases. Alaska fully reopened on May 22, with all businesses accessible to residents. Recommendations for face masks and social distancing remain.

Seventeen new positive cases popped up on Wednesday, May 10, making the highest case count of COVID-19 in Alaska so far, according to Anchorage Daily News. The total case count for positive tests that are not yet recovered is 190 as of May 12, the next highest count was 186, recorded in early April.

In total, 611 Alaskans tested positive for the virus, and there are 12 deaths so far.

The new cases on Wednesday occurred as two in Juneau, four in Anchorage, one in Kodiak, two in Homer, one in Palmer, one in Soldotna, one in the Northwest Arctic Borough, one in Fairbanks, two in North Pole and two in Sitka. New cases are statewide and there is the concern of cluster cases in Anchorage such as an outbreak at The Providence Extended Care

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Facility, Matsu, Kenai and one of the state’s ferries, the Tustumena, according to Alaska’s chief medical officer Dr. Anne Zinc.

“As we’re doing interviews, it appears to be that these seem to be linked — at least some cases — into clusters relating to some large celebrations

that happened,” Zink said. “It’s impressive when we see this disease, how sneaky it can be and it can really spread amongst larger groups of people — 20, 30, 40 people getting together for a celebration, spreading, and then people going to work sick and how it can spread from there,” said Dr. Zink in a press briefing

on May 31st.

New cases since June 12 are associated with Memorial Day celebrations, according to Anchorage Daily News, as the virus has 4 days to a two-week incubation period. The Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, reports that 97.5% of people with COVID-19 who develop

symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There are 2,016,027 total cases in the United States and 113,914 active cases, according to the CDC. Out of state travel is also now permitted in and out of Alaska, with restrictions. Travelers are no longer to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Alaska as long as they get tested within 5 days of travel for COVID-19 and test negative. Travelers will also be asked to minimize in-person contact for 7-14 days after arriving in Alaska and will be offered a follow-up test upon departure.

Test results will be asked upon arrival or a test will be conducted.

Though most businesses are now fully open without limit to capacity, health safety measures are still encouraged, such as wearing face masks, constant hand washing and social distancing. Some large gathering events have been canceled in Alaska, due to outbreak concerns, such as The Alaska State Fair but alternative events have been offered to accommodate COVID-19 concerns. The Alaska State Fair, for example, has pop-up drive-in theater events all summer at the Alaska State Fairgrounds where the fair is usually held.

For more information about COVID-19 updates in Alaska, visit the Alaska COVID-19 Information Hub. For a presentation about travel restrictions, view a presentation offered by Dr. Zink and for information about COVID-19 and UAA, go to The University of Alaska COVID-19 Information Page.‌

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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The Alaska State Fair is canceled due to COVID-19

By Christina Swayney features@thenorthernlight.org

COVID-19 has changed the way people live globally. Events have been canceled all over the world as a result of this pandemic. Alaska is no exception, with the recent closure of one of it’s longestrunning events, The Alaska State Fair. ‌ The Alaska State Fair has been in operation since 1936 in Palmer, Alaska and has featured attractions that have not changed in over 80 years. Giant vegetables, live music, vendors selling Alaskans goods and the celebration of Native culture are all things that people enjoy at the fair every year. The only time that the fair schedule has been disrupted was during World War II from 1942-1946. The fair resumed in 1947 and has been held every year since then, until now.‌ Jerome Hertel is the CEO of the Alaska State Fair. He discussed some challenges that made the fair not possible this year in an official press release.‌ “Production of an event the size and scope of the traditional Alaska State Fair requires extraordinary, year-round efforts of our small, hard-working staff. We need to make decisions now based on what we know today, not how we hope things will be in August,” Hertel said. “We have now reached the point that with all the conjecture surrounding mandates and recommendations for mass gatherings of this scale, it just will not be possible to deliver the same experience fairgoers have come to expect from the State’s largest celebration. Each day brings insurmountable challenges to overcome.”‌ Even though the Alaska State Fair is canceled this year, some alternatives will be offered that accommodate social distancing. A few activities for the whole family include: pop-up drive-in theaters, food truck fare events, virtual garden tours and an upcoming Bright Up the Night drive-through light display this holiday season.‌ The family-friendly pop-up drive-in will feature films on a high definition 23 foot wide and 13 foot high LED screen.

Movies that will be featured include “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” “Dumbo” and “Men in Black: International.” The driveins also offer snacks and food from Soda Jerks, Becky’s Kettle Korn and Smokehouse BBQ. Admission is $25 per car and the maximum number of people per car is the number of passengers that are able to use a seat belt. Reservations must be made online through the Alaska State Fair Pop-Up Drive In site. The drive-ins will be held at the Alaska State Fair Fairgrounds in Palmer, Alaska. Future movie events can be found on Facebook, Insta-

Image courtesy of Melissa Keefe, Marketing & Communications Manager for the Alaska State Fair

gram and Twitter. ‌ The Food Truck Fare will also be held at The Alaska State Fairgrounds and will be every Wednesday and Saturday from May-August. Food will be provided from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., or until sold out. Vendors such as Dally Mac and Cheese, Big Dogs and Alaska’s Yummy Cheese are among some that will sell fare such as hand-dipped corn dogs, halibut tacos and specialty mac and cheese. ‌ The Bright Up the Night drivethrough light display will feature holiday light displays that guests can enjoy from their vehicles as a drive-thru experience.

More information about that event will be available in the coming months. All alternative events will have COVID-19

The Alaska State Fair is canceled for the first time since World War II.

safety measures such as social distancing, capacity restrictions and grab and go policies for food. Specific safety measures can be found on the Alaska State Fair page for each event.‌ The Alaska State Fair is also famous for its showcase of colorful plants and flowers. Every year, fairgoers enjoy a floral buffet of eye-catching bulbs to enjoy.

This year, some of those plants and flowers were already ordered for the fair.

Because of the event cancellation, the Alaska State Fair has decided to have a Fair Plant Sale of some plants and flowers that were supposed to be featured at the fair. Anyone can come and purchase fair plants and flowers at designated loca-

tions. ‌ Hertel is confident that the fair will resume again.‌ “Our goal is and always has been to produce a traditional State Fair that is the last blast of summer where all feel welcome, safe and secure. We plan to come back next year with a 2021 Alaska State Fair that is even bigger and better than ever,” Hertel said in the fair cancellation press release.‌ For more information about the Alaska State Fair and its alternative events this year, visit the Alaska State Fair site.

For a list of closures and delays for other events in Alaska, visit KTVA 11.‌

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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Statement from University Police Chief Jeff Earle on George Floyd’s death

By Jeff Earle Contributor

Dear UAA Community,‌ I chose my profession in law enforcement because I believe in public service, and I am committed to upholding the law and ensuring safety in our communities.

I was deeply disturbed and disgusted as I watched the video footage of George Floyd’s killing due to the actions of the Minneapolis police officers. ‌ I have spent the last week watching the nation respond to George Floyd’s killing.

As a law enforcement professional, I can say unequivocally that Mr. Floyd’s death while he was in police custody was preventable, tragic and horrifically wrong.‌ I know many members of our campus communities have been deeply wounded by this act of violence, and the many that have occurred before — painful evidence of our nation’s ongoing struggle to overcome systemic racism. As police chief, my commitments to you have always been to cultivate dialogue, listen more closely and learn how we as a UAA community can inclusively move forward.

We seek to create a culture of trust. ‌ I am profoundly sorry for the injustice that occurred at the hands of police officers. I am listening, reading, thinking and deeply examining how to move forward, while struggling to find the right words to say and determining the next actions to take to help do my part to ensure that UAA is moving toward true equity.‌ What I can tell you is that over the last 10 months, our department has taken proactive steps to enhance our standards of service and professionalism.

We are reviewing our policies and procedures and aligning them with national best practices established by the Obama administration’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. We also are pursuing accreditation through the International

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF UAA WEBSITE

Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, demonstrating accountability in meeting standards of quality and excellence in our work. ‌ In the coming weeks we will reaffirm our training for officers regarding a wide range of subjects such as diversity, anti-bias policing, trauma-informed policing and de-escalation. To facilitate greater interaction with faculty, staff and students, we are working toward implementation of a bike patrol program for campus. We will also continue to engage campus governance groups and communicate with transparency. ‌ This work is underway. As your police chief, I reaffirm my commitment to ALL of you and to your safety. We in the UAA University Police Department will be responsive to your requests and accountable for our actions. Your trust in UPD to provide a safe environment to live, work and study is precious and something we do not take for granted.‌ Sincerely,‌ Jeff Earle, CCCO, LCC Chief of Police, University Police Department University of Alaska Anchorage‌

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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Assassin’s Creed is losing what helped define it — parkour

By John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org

Assassin’s Creed games have relied less and less on movement and traversal as a core gameplay component over the series’ 11-year history. In Assassin’s Creed games, parkour is a fundamental tool in the player’s toolbelt. It’s useful for identifying enemies from a high vantage point, avoiding unwanted attention from guards and scaling tall structures to reveal more of the map.

It’s also just plain fun to leap from roof to roof. ‌ Parkour is the traversal from one point to another using obstacles to be more efficient according to the World Freerunning Parkour Federation. In previous Assassin’s Creed games, parkour involves the player scaling buildings from various periods of time, from Italy during the Renaissance in the late 1400s to Victorian-era London during the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s. ‌ Over time, the series has introduced new features of the parkour system, such as running across trees and smoothly sliding over or under obstacles in Assassin’s Creed III and a one-off feature with the rope launcher allowing players to quickly scale up structures in Syndicate.

However, modern incarnations of the Assassin’s

Creed franchise, Origins and Odyssey have all but abandoned parkour as a core gameplay feature.

Instead, they speed up and automate the climbing to such a degree that it might as well be like the player has a jetpack. ‌ Assassin’s Creed II provided the foundation for the series’ parkour, allowing players to climb up buildings and run across supports. Players need to spot obvious handholds to grab on to and pull themselves up. These are pretty obvious in that they protrude out from the surface of the wall. Things like window sills and jutting bricks are pretty easy to spot, although they may be spaced too far apart for the player to reach. In that case, they have to find a way around to another side of the wall if it’s a tower or look for another way up.‌ The climbing feels deliberate, with the player deciding each movement.

It’s slow and the character animations emphasize that there’s actual weight when he pulls himself up to a roof or grasps a neighboring handhold. Even though there’s not much visual variety in what the player is climbing, it feels like a core part of the gameplay. There are racing missions that have the player race through check-

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF JOHN NOVOTNY

points before a timer runs out. Running across roofs is also a good way to avoid guards when in a restricted area and get a good vantage point. Plus, running and jumping across rooftops is just plain fun.‌ Unfortunately, it’s exactly what makes Assassin’s Creed II’s parkour weighty and meaningful, which also makes it feel like a slog at times.

When the route up a tall structure such as a tower is obvious and there’s not much thinking required, it can feel like it takes forever for the character to swing across a gap or grasp the next handhold up. ‌ The last entry in the Assassin’s Creed series, before the gameplay overhaul, was Syndicate. It was released in 2015, six years

Climbing strange iron bars that are protruding out of towers is common in Assassin’s Creed II.

after Assassin’s Creed II and several sequels later each augmenting the parkour and adding new ways to get around the environment. Syndicate’s one-off addition to the parkour is a rope launcher that acts as a mechanical grappling hook. The player can look at a nearby roof, press a button and the rope launcher propels the character up the wall. Instead of running across roofs, the player can also use the rope launcher to create a zip line and zoom across it.‌ The actual parkour has also gone through several updates that resulted in it being faster, smoother and easier to get around.

Because of the leap in time, there are horsedrawn carriages that are

the fastest way to travel by far. The downside to the added convenience is that traversal and navigation around London becomes trivial and ends up taking a back seat to the combat.

The time the player spends actually climbing is minimal and only occurs inside buildings where the rope launch is of limited use.

It’s a shame there isn’t more climbing, because the way the character leaps across buildings and obstacles looks amazing and physically impressive.‌ Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey negate almost any reason for parkour. The towers that reveal more of the map are still there, but the addition of horses and a much larger world with sparser buildings make it much

less common to be running from roof to roof.

Climbing is also simplified to being essentially a single button press and choosing which direction to go. There’s no thought needed as to which handhold to move to next. ‌ Over the series, there’s a clear progression from parkour and traversal to combat and RPG being the main focus of gameplay. I don’t think Assassin’s Creed II or Syndicate’s parkour is the best.

However, I vastly enjoy and prefer them over recent games in the series as a result of their focus on parkour. It’s a major part of what defined Assassin’s Creed that I’m afraid is being lost.

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF JOHN NOVOTNY

The rope launcher in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate makes a satisfying “thwip” sound when activated.

REPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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UPD Reports June 1-8 Total calls for service: 596 June 1: • Criminal Mischief at Engineering Parking Garage June 2: • Issued in Error June 5: • Illegal Camping at Housing Bike Path.

June 6: • Agency Assist at UAA Drive & Providence Drive.

• Motor Vehicle Theft at UAA Drive & Providence Drive.

All information is provided by the University of Alaska Anchorage Police Department.

STAFF CONTACTS 3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508

Arts & Entertainment Editor John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org‌

Executive Editor Gabby Vance (806) 437-8805 editor@thenorthernlight.org‌

Features Reporter Christina Swayney

Managing Editor Mary Ryan content@thenorthernlight.org‌

Media Adviser Paola Banchero‌

Graphic Designer Michaeline Collins media@thenorthernlight.org‌

features@thenorthernlight.org

Administrative Adviser Zac Clark‌

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THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

The June 6 Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Anchorage

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONICA TERRONES