MARCH 17 - MARCH 23, 2020
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
FEATURES PAGE 3 Police Chief Jeff Earle welcomes two new officers to the University Police Department.
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A&E PAGE 4 A tribute to one of Alaska’s journalism greats resides in the Professional Studies Building.
UAA responds to COVID-19 GRAPHIC BY MICHAELINE COLLINS
Spring elections for student government will open in April By Christina Swayney features2@thenorthernlight.org
university is taking to respond to COVID-19. features2@thenorthernlight.org On March 23, the majority of classes on the UAA campus will The University of Alaska resume via alternative delivery system has taken steps to pre- methods, such as online, video vent an outbreak of COVID-19, conference and audio conferor the novel coronavirus, on its ence. Classes that require labs campuses. As of March 12, there or hands-on practices may still is one confirmed case in Alaska. resume and will use social disThe person infected came to tancing measures, or remaining Anchorage on a cargo plane and 6 feet from others, to help avoid has been identified as an adult the spread of the virus, accordmale and “a foreign national ing to Chancellor Sandeen. individual who was transiting Students who live in resithrough” the Ted Stevens An- dence halls who have traveled chorage International Airport, to their permanent homes for according to Dr. Anne Zink, spring break are asked to remain Alaska’s chief medical officer, at their permanent homes unfrom an Alaska Dispatch News til further notice. Students who article. remained in the residence halls President Jim Johnsen an- during spring break should plan nounced in an email to the UA to travel back to their permanent system on March 12 that spring homes or make alternative livbreak will be extended until ing arrangements by March 17 March 22. Chancellor Cathy and stay there until notified. Sandeen also posted a video For students with no other message regarding the steps the place to live besides residence By Christina Swayney
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halls, UAA will provide a process to request exemptions, which has not yet been announced. Students in residence halls are to stay in their room as much as possible, self observe for symptoms and practice social distancing. UAA will allow temporary access to resident halls for students who need personal items or study materials. Events and gatherings of 25 or more people will be canceled, postponed or will be held through video or audio conference. If the event or gathering is less than 25 people, it may still proceed, but will be greatly cautioned to take steps to prevent infection, such as hosting the event in a larger venue with better ventilation. These restrictions apply until at least March 31, and apply to all events
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The Union of Students of the University of Alaska Anchorage, or USUAA, is the governing body of students at UAA. Every year, the organization holds elections for president, vice president, senators, delegates, Green Fee Board, Concert Board and Media Board representation. Students have the chance to vote for candidates for each position. This year, elections will be held April 7-10. Times and locations for voting are still to be determined. All students will receive an email with this information. Students are encouraged to vote and spread the word to their peers, Tyler Teese, an election board member, said. “The candidates, current USUAA members and the election board are encouraged to spread the word about voting to the student body. The goal for the election is to get as many votes as possible from the student body. Historically, the number of students that vote in the election is low, and we would love to see those numbers increase,” Teese said. Students can also be a part of USUAA and see student government in action first hand. If a student wishes to join USUAA, there are a few requirements. Students need to have a GPA of 2.5, but can apply with 2.0 and be in a probationary period. If after one semester their GPA is
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not at least 2.5, they will be dismissed from the assembly. Students also must be enrolled in at least three credit hours, fill out a candidate packet and follow the USUAA Code of Ethics, UAA Student Code of Conduct and the Election Board Policies. USUAA directly affects students. It decides on matters that students see every day, Teese said. He highlighted the importance of caring about student government and its role in student life. “The USUAA officers and representatives provide the Board of Regents, chancellor and colleges insights and recommendations that can have an effect on every student at UAA. Examples include tuition, safety improvements and student worker pay increases,” Teese said. USUAA is a fee-based organization geared to serve the UAA student body and community. They create events and opportunities that seek to fulfill this purpose, such as the annual Thanksgiving Feast, AdoptA-Road Cleanup, Little Black Dress Doesn’t Mean Yes, Homecoming Dance and Mabil Duir Leadership Scholarship. Candidate spotlights and voting information will be announced closer to the time of voting, which is April 7-10. For more information about USUAA and its elections, visit their UAA web page. USUAA also has a Facebook page, where voting event information will become available closer to time of voting.
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