March 21, 2017

MARCH 21 - MARCH 28, 2017

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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College Cookbook: Spice it up with homemade hot sauce

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Women’s basketball falls short of Elite Eight tournament

Standing Together Against Rape opens office in the Student Health and Counseling Center Rotating STAR advocates provide a direct support system to students, faculty and staff

By Brenda Craig

features@thenorthernlight.org

Standing Together Against Rape advocates are the newest addition to Rasmuson Hall. Located in room 118 within the Student Health and Counseling Center open to students, faculty and staff, STAR is a confidential communitybased resource to contact with any questions about power-based violence, such as sexual assault and abuse, dating violence, sexual harassment, improper conduct and more. They provide various crisis intervention support services along with long-term support for victims of sexual assault.

“STAR is a community-based social service agency that does not have the same requirements for reporting to University officials as many resources on campus mandate,” Keeley Olson, program director at STAR, said. “If an adult over the age of 18 wants to discuss any

dynamic related to these issues, they will find a safe, confidential, outlet through STAR. STAR can provide resources, both on and off campus, and options of which many may be unaware.”

At the end of 2016, STAR entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the university about the type of services they can provide and was invited to have an office at UAA by Chancellor Tom Case.

“STAR has been open to providing services on campus for some time, but, as with any service, there has to be a readiness on the part of the University.

Nationally, there has been a lot of recent focus on campus sexual assault, thanks in large part to the Obama Administration’s efforts to increase the understanding and effectiveness of Title IX,” Olson said.

“Along with that heightened awareness, the President’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter and Title IX compliance investigations,

SEE STAR

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PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

Students are encouraged to seek an advocate for STAR if they are in need. STAR is located on the first floor of Rasmuson Hall.

Assembly passes law that ensures medical providers give cost estimates Anchorage Municipal works to enact health care price transparency law

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

By Alexis Abbott

news2@thenorthernlight.org

The Anchorage Municipal Assembly set an ordinance to require health care practitioners and facilities, upon request, to

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provide an estimate of anticipated health care charges. The vote to pass the law was 9-1.

The ordinance advises medical providers to give patients a price estimate for health related services within 10 business days upon their request. The measure does not apply to emergency services.

An estimate of reasonably anticipated charges will include a brief description of procedures and services, standardized billing codes, facility fees and individualized charges.

Also included is a notice to consult with the patient’s insurer, letting them know they may contact his or her health insurer for additional information regarding cost responsibilities.

Assembly member Forrest Dunbar hopes that the new law will allow Alaskans to seek out better value and more accurately build their family budgets.

“I understand that healthcare billing is complicated and that varying insurance and indi-

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vidualized care means every case is different. Still, I think it is reasonable and necessary for healthcare providers to provide estimates of what they are going to charge their patients, even if those estimates aren’t always exact,” Dunbar said. “Without some frame of reference, it becomes impossible for patients to compare prices or even do their own family budgeting.”

Assembly vice chair Dick Traini also participated in the vote of the recent healthcare transparency ordinance.

“Everything you buy, you know the price of... You should be able to buy your medical care with a price up front. I think it will be successful when people realize that they have a choice, and they’ll start asking for their cost estimates,” Traini said.

Gabriel Garcia, professor of public health at UAA, supports the ordinance that requires medical providers to give cost estimates before working on patients. Garcia believes that

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this new law has a lot of benefits for the people of Anchorage.

“Markets cannot function efficiently without meaningful pricing information. An increasing number of people today are becoming more curious about the price of their health care, and they are beginning to understand that more expensive care does not necessarily translate to better outcomes. Healthcare prices vary significantly between providers for the same services,” Garcia said. “Knowing the cost of medical care can empower healthcare consumers and potentially lead to reducing health care costs.”

Failure to timely provide an estimate will result in a daily fine of $100 until the estimate is provided to the prospective patient. The total fine may not exceed $1,000.

The ordinance was passed and approved on Feb. 28 and will be effective 60 days after on May 28.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

Muscular dystrophy could be cured through the genes CRISPR may be the answer to solving muscular dystrophy

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

Buying a shamrock at a participating Kaladi Brother’s location can help the MDA help those in need as well as further research.

By Sarah Tangog

stangog@thenorthernlight.org

It’s been a common belief that muscular dystrophy has no cure. However, because of emerging technology, this may no longer be the case. A device called CRISPR is becoming more popular and may be the answer to curing not only neuromuscular diseases but also many genetic disorders.

Muscular dystrophy is the degeneration of muscles. It often prevents patients from walking, moving and using voluntary muscles. Eventually, certain muscular dystrophies may affect vital organs, such as the heart and the vocal cords.

Though there are nine different types of muscular dystrophy, most are linked to disorders in the DNA. “They’re mutations in normally occurring genes,” Wayne Johnson, a family care administration assistant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association office, said.

“CRISPR can be used to ‘fix’ that.”

CRISPR itself is a bacterial immune system and acts

as a pair of genetic scissors.

“It is a system of RNA molecules and Endonuclease proteins that recognize viral DNA/RNA and destroy it,” James Wilson, biology major, said.

With CRISPR, scientists can either insert or remove a section of DNA, thereby, changing the way that gene operates. With muscular dystrophy, the gene — or lack thereof — that causes the disease will be the target gene to cure.

“The CRISPR machinery would be delivered via injection with viral particles to penetrate cells,” Wilson said.

The hope is that this therapy will “fix” the damaged DNA and spread onward to other cells.

CRISPR is a scientific discovery, and all scientific discoveries come with an ethical limitation. Though scientists and doctors should be wary of how they use this new technology. Overall, CRISPR is a beneficial treatment and may be the key to curing degenerative muscular diseases once and for all.

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IDF Druze soldier speaks on campus

By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

On March 6, UAA Students United hosted From the Front Lines. Featuring Israeli Defense Forces Major Abdallah at the event. Abdallah, whose full name has not been released for security reasons, is a Druze Combat and Elite Combat soldier who searches for terror tunnels.

Maria Lilly, president of UAA’s Students United, said the event aligned with Students United’s Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian human rights mission. Lilly worked with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, or CAMERA, to bring Abdallah to UAA. “[CAMERA has] an on-campus program that sponsors speakers from Israel to come to the United States and speak…” Lilly said. “The goal there is to advocate for Israel and bring attention to the plight of Palestinians in the Middle East because a lot of what we hear in the media is not accurate. A lot of it is biased. It is a very complicated situation... [and] part of our goal is just to bring that to campus, some perspective and to build a community where Christians, Jews, Muslims and even people who aren’t of a particular faith can come together and brainstorm about an issue that’s close to a lot of people and that’s probably one of the most complicated conflicts of our time.”

Abdallah’s lecture was question oriented and members of the community, as well as, UAA students, asked questions about politics between Israel and the United States, terrorism, media reporting on Israel and the West Bank settlements. When asked about media reporting of Israel, Major Abdallah said part of why he does these talks is to give his perspective of what is going on in Israel.

“I don’t really follow the media in the states, [so I don’t] really know what they report...,” Major Abdallah said. “As I said before, meeting with people I can tell the story from my eyes. Sometimes they [are] reporting…

We spoke about the [terrorist] tunnels here and that’s not the reality on the ground.”

Abdallah is a Druze which is a small religious sect in the Middle East, Israel in particular, that integrated into the army after Druze leadership decided to be a part of Israel, Abdallah said.

The majority of his question and answer period discussed his role as an engineering combat officer and battalion commander who has destroyed 19 terrorist tunnels. Abdallah’s first language is a Druze dialect, but he also speaks Arabic, Hebrew and, as of three years ago, he learned English in order to talk more about the way he sees the two-state solution reported in the United States.

Eric Tauriainen attended the event and asked Abdallah about the political relationship between the United States and Israel.

“My brother served in the military here, and I think it’s interesting to hear what’s going on. I’m not sure exactly what our media is telling us,” Tauriainen said. “I wanted to find out first hand what this [man] can tell us and what he can’t.”

Students United has hosted several other speakers on campus in the past, including Holocaust survivor Irving Roth, photojournalist Gil Cohen-Magen and Israel’s first Bedouin diplomat Ishmael Khaldi.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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STAR: STAR opens office with rotating advocates for direct support Continued from cover

more and more colleges and universities are recognizing they can partner with community-based services to provide more options for their students, faculty and staff. As a result, the University of Alaska Anchorage reached out to STAR in 2016 to begin the process of bringing its services to campus.”

On campus, STAR advocates will be rotating weekly with various backgrounds and connections to multidisciplinary associates to help anyone without discrimination.

“They come from human services, social work, criminal justice and other educational and career backgrounds. They enjoy close relationships with STAR’s multidisciplinary partners, such as Forensic Nursing Services of Providence, the Anchorage Police Department and the Department of Law,” Olson said. “STAR Advocates recognize that power-based violence does not discriminate. People of all ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual preferences and socio-economic backgrounds may need assistance. Students, faculty and staff will find STAR welcoming of all forms of diversity and eager to help.”

Although STAR provides many services outside of campus, having a STAR advocate on campus will provide a direct resource. There are various systems of support that will be provided by STAR, such as helping organize a report or having a professional to talk to about concerns.

“STAR can provide confidential individual support and resource referral, reporting options on and off campus, safety planning, referrals to Title IX officers, support through the process of reporting, assistance with obtaining protective orders, criminal and civil legal advocacy, access to survivor support groups, individual trauma counseling and can be a sounding board for those concerned about a friend or family member they suspect is dealing with an issue related to power-based violence or oppression,” Olson said.

Laura Hill, direct services manager at STAR and one of the advocates that will be rotating on campus, believes this will help students, faculty and staff feel comfortable talking to an advocate and get the support they need.

“I hope that having an advocate on campus will help bring awareness to the high rate of sexual assault and domestic violence our state faces,” Hill said. “It isn’t something that people often talk about, which can make it even harder for someone to reach out for help when needed, but by having an advocate on-campus in a location that students are familiar with may make it easier for them to reach out for support when it’s needed, especially if the student walks or takes the bus. They don’t have to go out of their way to talk to someone; they can drop by after classes or schedule an appointment around a time that works for them.”

STAR not only provides a support system but also helps those looking how to be supportive to their friends and family. There are also ways students, faculty and staff can be involved with STAR through volunteering.

“We know that the incidence of sexual violence is extremely high in Anchorage and in our State, we can each help to change this. Most of us know someone who experiences or has experienced sexual violence or misconduct and we can be a good friend by learning how to be supportive of those in need,” Bridget Dooley, Title IX coordinator at UAA, said. “I would challenge everyone on campus to stop by STAR’s campus office and speak with the advocate about how to help or invite

them to come to your group and speak about how to be a supportive friend. One more thing, STAR has volunteer opportunities, ask the advocate about ways you can help.”

The STAR office encourages anyone to come and talk to an advocate whether or not they need support services.

“You don’t have to be a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence to stop by our office either. If a student just wants to drop in to learn more about resources, come in to get information on how they can help a friend, ask questions or find out about volunteer or

internship opportunities we’d be happy to talk to them anytime,” Hill said.

The STAR office is located in Rasmuson Hall, room 118. The office is currently open and ready to provide support to students, faculty and staff. If there is not an advocate in the office, STAR has a 24-hour crisis line at (907) 276-7278 or 1 (800) 478-8999 to make an appointment or, if urgent, have an advocate dispatched to the office to meet them immediately.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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Perception verses reality: Students alcohol, tobacco and drug use UAA Core Alcohol and Drug Survey uses a positive social norms campaign to provide students with a positive perception of themselves and their peers

By Brenda Craig

features@thenorthernlight.org

One stereotype that comes with being a college student is the partying and binge drinking. Every four years, there is a Core Alcohol and Drug Survey conducted on campus to assess the perceptions and use of alcohol and other drugs

by UAA students.

In 2014, the survey was sent electronically to 3,800 students, which was completed by 454 UAA students who were required to be over the age of 18 and enrolled with three credits or more. They found that 85 percent of students believe that the average student uses alcohol once a week or more, while only 56 percent of students consumed on average one or more drinks per week.

The UAA Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was conducted by the Office of Student Affairs, Dean of Students Office and co-sponsored by Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol. UAA has used the Core Survey in previous years with the most recent one in 2014.

“It’s a positive social norming campaign, we did it this way so people can see even though most people think UAA students are getting wasted, actually we have a pretty healthy student body and this is the actual percentage and perceptions can be deceiving,” Amanda Kookesh, UAA’s Alcohol, Drug and Wellness Educator, said. “I think being in college and being a college student that you’re expected to maybe party and partake in binge drinking, I think that’s kind of the norm coming in whereas really you’re not, but we’re hoping that perception does not influence them.”

Whitney Brown, the assessment and strategic projects director at the Office of Student Affairs, had a huge role in conducting the survey from survey assessment standpoint of the methodology, administering the survey, data analysis and sharing the findings and results.

“We have pretty concise methodology, so we administered the survey to a representative sample of students, they needed to be 18 years or older to participate, so we filtered out anyone under 18 years old

and they needed to be taking three credits on the anchorage campus during fall of 2014 when we administered the survey,” Brown said. “We administered to a wide net to ensure that the response rate that we get is able to be generalized to the population, so we had 454 students respond to the survey and then that was conducted over a three week period of time in November of 2014.”

To properly handle the data received by students, it was important to have several people evaluate the data.

“The way we do survey analysis is we bring in multiple people to analyze the data to ensure we have diverse perspectives as we’re looking at the data and remain unbiased when analyzing the data and also for data clarity to see if this makes sense, if we should further analyze additional aspects, stuff like that,” Brown said.

Not only was there a survey conducted on alcohol, but the use of tobacco and marijuana. In the tobacco findings, 67 percent of students believed their peers were using tobacco once a week or more. However, it was found that only 13 percent of students were partaking in tobacco use once a week or more. In the marijuana survey, 62 percent of students believed their peers used marijuana once a week or more, whereas only eight percent were. With these findings, time makes a difference in the results and the planning of exposing the facts.

“The campaign started off with alcohol so we wanted to make sure that came out before spring break, that ran for two weeks, and starting Monday [March 20], tobacco will run for two weeks and then the last piece will be marijuana and that will go with 4/20,” Kookesh said.

Over time trends and fads are likely to take place. This is the reason why the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey takes place every four years. Within these findings, there were other positive trends found in the data.

“There are some highlights in the data that I just think were interesting for me as I was analyzing them particularly when we look at trends over time, that’s why we do it every four years, to see what changes there are amongst our demo-

graphic. Two that stood out to me were driving under the influence of alcohol and that has significantly decreased from 20 percent in 2010 reporting to 13 percent in 2014 reporting that they’ve driven under the influence,” Brown said. “That’s a really positive change, and then also the increase in social non-acceptance of smoking tobacco, and that there is a significant decrease in regular use from 24 percent regularly use in 2010, to only 15 percent regular use of tobacco in 2014.”

It is unknown if the high rate of alcoholism in Alaska is what influenced students to believe that their peers were drinking more than they actually were.

The survey is important because of the high rate of alcoholism to see what the perceptions were and the reality.

A lot of the time when there are surveys conducted like the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey many people don’t believe the results or they are exposed in a way that seems unbelievable. It was important to expose these findings in a way to encourage the positive environment at UAA. The result of the survey baffles some students because of how often they witness their peers out drinking at the bars or on social media.

“I find the results shocking because when I go downtown I see a majority of the students that go to UAA in the bars or Snapchats of friends that go to UAA

drinking,” Jordan McGee, radiology tech major, said. “I am proud to be a part of a school that is working hard towards their academic goals instead of spending their time drinking.”

Since studies at UAA have shown that only 56 percent of students drink at least once or more a week, some students find it comforting to know that their peers don’t follow the average stereotype.

“If the statistics hold true, it is very comforting to know that not everyone immediately turns to alcohol for recreational use or as a coping mechanism,” Annalisa Haywood, medical lab science major, said. “It’s good to see that many college students are breaking the stereotype of consuming alcohol on a regular basis, although I do believe that the true statistic should be a little higher than 56 percent.”

As of now, there is a recovery group on campus specific for college students, which takes place every Thursday from 12 - 2 p.m. in Eugene Short Hall. This is going on throughout this semester and is hoping to continue through the summer and fall depending on availability of student staff.

The UAA Core Alcohol and Drug Survey can be found on the UAA website under the Dean of Students reports.

The next survey will take place in 2018 to research the current use of alcohol and drugs.

06 | FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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UAAnonymous: Physical boundaries and how to respect them

Student Health and Counseling Center 786-4040

The UAA Peer Health Educators host a weekly peerto-peer discussion about healthy sexuality. Questions are taken from UAA students.

“My partner and I have different ideas about physical

boundaries, what’s the best way to start a conversation about this?”

Boundaries are a healthy part of any romantic relationship, regardless of if that relationship lasts a night or a year. Starting to have conversations early and often about boundaries will help you both feel more comfortable and safe with one another.

Try to be as honest, specific and clear as possible when beginning this discussion. Not only should you be concerned about advocating for your own boundaries, but you should be equally as concerned with finding out what your partner’s are. It all comes down to a mutual respect and understanding that you don’t have the right to do anything your partner doesn’t want to do. They set clear standards that both partners are individuals and neither has any ownership over the other.

The end goal of a new relationship with someone shouldn’t be sex, it should be getting to know that person, but if both people are interested in getting physical, then a conversation needs to happen. Maybe start with this: “You know, I like you and I want us to be comfortable with each other, so I just want to have an honest conversation about where this might be going tonight/soon/ in the near future...” You can then explain your hopes or fears in an open, collaborative space. Ask them to do the same and respect their responses. If these things don’t match up between the two of you, then you may need to figure out if you are willing to work with one another’s boundaries and if you are compatible.

¡Muy caliente!

Customizable hot sauce

Customize your own hot sauce for your particular palate Spice up your life with this homemade hot sauce recipe. Made to be flavorful, but also pack heat, this hot sauce is easy and simple to make.

By Victoria Petersen

vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org

Ingredients • 1 jalapeno pepper • 4 serrano peppers • 1 tablespoon of salt • 1 cup of vinegar

Directions 1. In a sealable container, add diced peppers, salt and vinegar.

2. Seal the container and put in a cool dry play for four days to age.

3. After four days, remove ingredients and place in a blender or food processor and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

4. Place back in container or in a new container to store.

Here are some examples of what good physical boundaries look like: “I feel really vulnerable when we do anything other than kissing and cuddling, so I would like to just do that until I feel more comfortable. I will let you know when that time comes.”

“I would only feel comfortable with a relationship if it is monogamous.”

“Sometimes I don’t like oral sex very much and sometimes I do. When we’re having sex, I will tell you if that’s okay or you can ask me.”

“I care about you, but I feel like I need some time for myself today.”

Some real self-reflection is required for this. You need to think about what you are okay with right now, what you might be okay with in the future and what is definitely off the table at this point in time.

If you or someone you know have experienced any form of sexual misconduct, there are many resources available on and off campus.

Student Health and Counseling Center: 786-4040 Standing Together Against Rape: 276-7273 Title IX: 786-1424

A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

PODCAST REVIEW

Fictional universes often collide with reality in ‘Imaginary Worlds’

The podcast mixes geek-culture and science in a way that is both foreign and familiar

By Sarah Tangog

stangog@thenorthernlight.org

Too often we find ourselves caught in the whirlpool of life and revert to our fantasies. There are plenty of geeky universes out there to keep audiences entertained and fans on their toes. Hiding in our fantasy worlds seem like a simple escape, but sometimes we get caught up in the ins and outs of other worlds that we forget to address our own.

“Imaginary Worlds” recognizes that and strives to bridge the disconnect between reality and fiction. Hosted by Erin Molinsky, “Imaginary Worlds” is a podcast that focuses on why we choose to believe our fictional universes more than our own.

The podcast launched its first episode, “Origin Stories,” in 2014. Since

then, Molinsky has brought in writers, directors and fellow die-hard fans to discuss, indulge and answer questions about universes we think we already know.

Addressed within the episodes are stories similar to the Star Wars universe, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and even J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.”

“Imaginary Worlds” releases episodes bi-weekly and leaves listeners craving more. Each episode is laced with the origins of the universe, the complexities of conflict and the questions that fans all ask. Molinsky himself is a relatable narrator and isn’t afraid to display his obsessions and interests to the audience.

Fans of fiction and fantasy will easily relate to how big of an impact these universes make on our lives and, more importantly, listeners will see how vital the juxtaposition between real and imaginary really is.

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A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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Simplicity makes ‘The Red Turtle’ a masterpiece

By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

Making something as straightforward as “The Red Turtle” is no easy task. Making something so simple and as incredible as “The Red Turtle” is even harder.

Although, somehow it meets the challenge. It’s about a nameless man who, set adrift by a storm, washes up on an island’s shore. He gets his bearings and starts to explore, gathering resources for food and shelter. Once he’s settled in, he makes three rafts, all of which are destroyed by what he finds out to be a red turtle. That red turtle comes on shore one day, and the man makes a choice that has, to put it lightly, unpredictable consequences.

I assure you, those consequences aren’t what you think they are. This movie has a fascinating tension to it because, without dialogue or explanation at all, it’s hard to know what’s going to happen. Some moments are more transparent, but all of them are tearjerkers. “The Red Turtle” is one of those animations that’s beautiful enough to make viewers tear up on sight.

That’s thanks to the animation and music equally. Studio Ghibli co-produced, so the visual sensibility is familiar. It’s soft and warm, even in the roughest moments. However, when coupled with director Michael Dudok de Wit’s style it looks like the perfect marriage between Japanese ink wash painting and Chinese watercolor. Animation like that calls for quietude, and “The Red Turtle” has that in spades.

Without spoiling too much, more characters show up eventually. Even then, there’s no dialogue. The most

moving moments in here, especially the drawing-in-thesand scene, are built on silence. At points, it feels like “The Red Turtle” taps into the kind of communication we knew as children but have forgotten. In those days, everything was big, and everything was fascinating.

The stunning landscapes will have viewers feeling just that way: eager to hunt the frame for every minute color shift. The characters themselves are so organic on the island that differentiating them, narratively speaking, is impossible. With its magical realist edge, the man and his companions are drawn even closer to the land.

Above that, however, “The Red Turtle” is an exercise in setting. Through subtle framing and parallax, the island’s dominance of its inhabitants is clear. De Wit is careful to assert that dominance in every small and large way he can.

There’s a timely discussion here about our place in nature and how we find meaning in it. Going that deep, though, doesn’t feel quite right. The movie’s magic comes from its matter-of-factness. It’s a compact tale where everything viewers see on screen happens. The story finds meaning for its own sake: the images and what they mean are one in the same. Analyzing that is dangerous because its meaning isn’t in the interpretation, it’s in the feeling.

The music, on the other hand, adds a lot but threatens to overstate the point. Everything about the movie is so quiet that fluffing it up with a swelling score sometimes feels like a disservice. When it works, though, it really works. When it’s comfortable being as simple as the movie, the whole feels transcendent. In those moments, getting lost in “The Red Turtle” is easy, and finding your way back feels like a disappointment.

TITLE “The Red Turtle”

Michael Dudok de Wit

DIRECTOR

RELEASE DATE June 29, 2016

COUNTRY France

GENRE Animation

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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UAA women’s basketball survives and advances, then faces major upset

Seawolves end their 26-game winning streak with season-ending loss

By Alexis Abbott

news2@thenorthernlight.org

Ranking No. 1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and entering the West Region Championships with the No. 1 seed, Alaska Anchorage’s women’s basketball team had all the confidence they needed to leap over their first opponent in the tournament quarterfinals.

Little did they know, every team in the WRC bracket brought their best game to the Alaska Airlines Center, hungry to earn the championship and advance to the Elite Eight.

Friday, March 11 vs. Hawaii Pacific The UAA women’s basketball team was put to the test in the NCAA Div. II Championship quarterfinals.

UAA, ranked No. 1 (30-1), survived an intense first-round matchup between No. 8 seed Hawaii Pacific (21-7), in a 63-56 victory.

“I’m proud of our ladies for surviving and advancing. I’m most proud of the way they fought back,” head coach Ryan McCarthy said.

The win made 30 total victories for the Seawolves against fellow D-II opponents.

The game got off to a slow start, beginning with a 20-15 lead by Hawaii Pacific after the first quarter. UAA trailed behind until a sudden improvement in play by senior forward Autummn Williams, who dropped a 3-pointer just in time for the Seawolves to walk out leading 27-26 at halftime.

The third quarter was when the game began to be in UAA’s favor, while the energy began shifting from the Sharks to the Seawolves. Although it was a low-scoring matchup, both teams brought high-level intensity to the court.

The Seawolves made a 43-30 lead after three-quarters of aggressive play.

Williams racked up a teamhigh of 23 points, with senior guard Tara Thompson not far behind with 15.

Thompson began the fourth quarter sinking four 3-point shots to change the game for both the Seawolves and the spectators.

It was clear that both teams were hungry to get the win, but by the end of the fourth quarter, it was Alaska Anchorage that

UAA’s Alysha Devine guards Simon Fraser’s Ellen Kett during UAA’s second round in the NCAA West Region Championship.

fought harder.

The Seawolves advanced to the semifinals against No. 5 seed Simon Fraser (25-7).

Saturday, March 12 vs. Simon Fraser After a brutal 40 minutes, the UAA women’s basketball team suffered a massive upset in the West Regional Championship semifinals. The Seawolves ended their 26-game winning streak to Simon Fraser (27-7) with a final score of 70-80.

This loss was UAA’s first all season to a Div. II team, wrapping up the record-breaking season 30-2. The Seawolves beat the Simon Fraser Clan twice before the WRC second round.

The tough matchup began with a tight score, ending the first quarter with UAA up 17-16.

The Seawolves brought the momentum they needed to get ahead and by half-time they led 35-27.

After the halftime break, the game started to take a left shift, while the lady Seawolves only managed to bulk up seven points in the third quarter — the Clan racked up a whopping 27 points.

Autummn Williams made a noticeable appearance in the last

PHOTOS BY JAY GUZMAN

Point guard Kiki Robertson defends against HPU’s point guard Spencer Gray during UAA’s first round in the NCAA West Region Championship.

quarter, leading the team once again with 18 points, most of which were made from jumpers in the fourth.

Junior forward Shelby Cloninger was not far behind, contributing 16 points to the Seawolves’ score. Sophomore Hannah Wandersee also made a lasting impression with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Kiki Robertson led the team in steals in her last game as a Seawolf and is now the GNAC’s single season steals record holder, with 109 steals. Robertson ends her career as the GNAC’s

all-time career leader in assists, steals and games started, after starting her 128th game at UAA. As the clock counted down in the last few minutes of the matchup, the desperation that both teams had felt began to show. Shooting free-throws every minute and intentional fouling contributed to an intense wrap-up of the Seawolves’ final game.

Outshot, but not outplayed, nationally-ranked UAA ended their record-breaking season with blood, sweat and a lot of tears.

Head coach Ryan McCarthy huddles with the team during the Seawolves’ final timeout. UAA lost to SFU, 70-80, officially ending their season at 30-2.

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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12 | SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

Previous No. 2 in the nation Seawolves basketball missed Elite Eight The UAA women’s basketball season is officially ended, but special recognition is deserved for the individual and team records for the 2016-17 season

PHOTO BY JAY GUZMAN

UAA’s Autummn Williams takes a shot over HPU Shark’s VeAnne Navarro on Friday night of the NCAA West Region Championship. Williams scored 23 points, contributing to a 63-56 victory for the Seawolves.

By Lauren Cuddihy

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

With an outstanding and record breaking season, the Seawolves women’s basketball team finished off the season unexpectedly in the NCAA West Region Championships that they had the privilege of hosting at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves not only clinched the regular season and Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship title but also remained at No. 2 in the national division 2 rankings for the entire season and held the No. 1 seed in the west region up until their final championship game against Simon Fraser on March 11.

In the West Region Championships, the Seawolves first defeated No. 7 Hawaii Pacific at 63-56. However, head coach Ryan McCarthy knew the Seawolves could have played a lot better.

“I think we played with a lot more composure, but [that night] definitely wasn’t our best shooting night,” McCarthy said.

Large contributions were made by senior forward Autummn Williams and sophomore guard Tara Thompson, who had 23 and 15 points, respectively. In addition, senior guard Kiki Robertson made 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

UAA’s second game of the tournament, against No. 4 Simon Fraser, gave other Seawolves a chance to shine. Junior forward Shelby Cloninger came through

with 14 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Hannah Wandersee managed a career-high five blocks, but neither effort was enough. The Seawolves’ season was ended with a final score of 80-70 against SFU. The team and head coach McCarthy knew this was a possibility from the very beginning.

“One game and you’re done, there is no series like the big leagues. One bad game or one slip up and [you could have] it slip through your fingers,” McCarthy said. “I’m disappointed in certain areas, but I am most proud of how they fought back.”

Overall the team ended with an undefeated conference record at 20-0 and an overall record of 30-2. With the impressive overall season, many individuals were recognized after the devastating early end.

Williams and Robertson were recognized for their outstanding performances throughout the season, which earned each of them NCAA Division II All-Regional honors. The duo proved to everyone to exceed expectations.

“It was always good to keep going and prove everyone wrong,” Robertson said.

Williams earned the honor of being named to first team by averaging 21.3 points per game, making her the sixth highest scorer in all of Division II. In addition, Williams also earned the title of GNAC Newcomer of the Year and GNAC Tournament MVP. Williams also broke the Seawolves’ single-season scoring record by accumulating 682 points. With the many records and honors that Williams earned, she now advances to the national ballot for

NCAA Division II All-American honors.

The second UAA standout, Robertson, earned her title to the NCAA Division II Second Team All-West Region and GNAC Defensive Player of the Year by securing four different UAA and GNAC all-time high records. Robertson managed 700 assists, 382 steals, 128 started games and 116 victories.

Robertson was a valuable player on and off the court, not only pulling in many records and honors but also being an exceptional individual and teammate.

“We looked at last years team and it doesn’t really mean much to us anymore, we were trying to start new traditions and legacies for us and our younger teammates,” Robertson said.

With the commencement of the 20162017 basketball season, the UAA women’s team will lose three of their most valuable players, in addition to Williams and Robertson, senior forward Alysha Devine will also no longer be on the team.

Devine has made a substantial impact on the success of the women’s basketball team over the past four years, including being on the GNAC All-Academic team every year, while also previously being named as the honorable mention AllGreat Northwest Athletic Conference and MVP of NCAA West Region Championships. Devine also served as the team cocaptain for three of her four years.

Although the Seawolves lost their chance to continue onto the Elite Eight, Simon Fraser doesn’t get the opportunity either, after being beaten in the final round. California Baptist University defeated Western Washington for the West Region title and will compete in the Elite Eight on March 21-24.

Radical Recreation: Go figure

Jennassy Regal shows her love for teaching through figure skating and education

By Brenda Craig

features@thenorthernlight.org

Figure skating is filled with beautiful techniques, the graceful gliding across the ice and the countless spin moves captivates its audience. The beauty of figure skating performances makes many forget about the difficulties of executing each trick to get a perfect landing on ice. It’s refreshing to see the figure skaters at Dimond Mall when taking a break from shopping. Along with those figure skaters, is Jennassy Regal, early childhood education major, flowing across the ice doing a variation of spins on her skates.

Regal started figure skating at the age of seven after being inspired by her family friend at the Dimond Mall who was taking beginner ice skating lessons.

“Her mom encouraged me to try it because she knew I never skated, so I tried it and I ended up loving it,” Regal said. “I thought it was so much fun and I wanted to keep doing it, so that same day when I got home I asked

my mom if I could start taking lessons. She said yes and signed me up that next week.”

In Alaska, Regal participated in competitions until the age of 16 and traveled two to three times a year for figure skating competitions and skate camps. After participating in competitions over the years, Regal decided that competition skating was not for her.

“As much I loved skating, learning new skills and traveling, I absolutely hated competing. It wasn’t my thing,” Regal said. “I don’t know if it’s because I started competing at a very young age, and I trained a lot in elementary and middle school. [However], I found it very stressful and after doing it [for] so many years, I got burned out of competitions, but I still participated in skating shows sometimes just for fun.”

Like most team activities, there is a lot of bonding time with teammates, which is Regal’s favorite thing about ice skating.

“My favorite thing about figure skating was the traveling with the skating team. Even though we spend most of our time skating, we made time for team dinners, sleepovers and doing touristy things,” Regal said.

Although Regal hardly participates in figure skating competitions, she still makes time to skate a few times a week and is teaching skate lessons at Ben Boeke in their Learn to Skate Program.

“Every Saturday during the Learn to Skate weeks, I would teach usually beginners and some experienced skaters,” Regal said. “I taught them the basics such as falling down and getting up, then marching and after that, gliding. My favorite was the toddler class. It was definitely a lot of work, but I had so much fun teaching them.”

Currently, Regal is working on getting insured so she can start teaching private skate lessons. Teaching children is something Regal is passionate about, not only in skating. In the future, she wants to become a special education teacher.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNASSY REGAL

Jennassy Regal performing in a figure skating competition. Regal’s passion for the sport has led her to teaching children how to skate.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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Walker-Mallott mid-session op-ed

By Bill Walker and Byron Mallott (907) 269-7447

Governor Bill Walker

Lt. Governor Byron Mallot

As we reach the halfway point of the 2017 legislative session, we wish to share some thoughts about this critical time that represents a truly defining moment in our state’s history. What we do or fail to do over the next few months will send ripples through the lives of Alaskans for generations.

Alaska faces new realities and unfamiliar struggles.

Navigating the uncomfortable concepts needed to overcome these challenges has pushed each of us to question what we really need or want from our government. After two years of public outreach and input, this difficult debate now rests with our legislators.

Both the House and Senate have taken this seriously and filed legislation that, if passed, would begin to address this historic challenge. We therefore applaud both chambers for showing the courage to engage in these discussions. We are also pleased that things are progressing well, and we see no reason why this work cannot be completed within the regular 90 day legislative session. Compromise is certainly still required, and we have stated all along that these plans should be considered written in pencil—but the time is rapidly approaching to break out some ink.

As we work toward a solution, we will evaluate all plans against two main criteria. The first is math: does it add up; are the assumptions associated with it valid; and can it realistically eliminate the entire deficit in a reasonable period of time? The second criterion is vision: do the mechanics of the plan remove uncertainty from our economy; will it preserve the quality of life Alaskans deserve; and does it have a long-term view that will put us back on a path to prosperity?

It is essential that both math and vision be considered together as we move forward. Otherwise the easiest, most non-controversial math will gain traction at the expense of a severely tarnished vision. We must remain vigilant against such tendencies. Our children deserve better. We therefore

encourage all participants to avoid the path of least resistance and to embrace the tough decisions required to reach a truly meaningful solution. One needs only look at the legislation we proposed last year to know what we consider to be an example of a fair and balanced approach.

There are those who say we cannot solve our entire fiscal problem this year; that there are too many difficult lifts to do at once; or that implementation should be spread out to minimize impacts on the economy. While these may be reasonable concerns, there is simply no perfect solution. Continued delay results in even worse consequences. Without a comprehensive solution this year, we will see the recession deepen, state investments dry up, a further out-migration of Alaska’s best and brightest, and short-sighted decisions like shifting state expenditures to our local communities who are far less equipped to handle them.

Partial solutions only extend the runway; they do not allow us to actually take off. It means continuing to rush down a runway at high speed for a longer time, but with no plan for how to clear the trees when we finally get to the end.

And even if we got off the ground at the very last minute, the more time spent on the runway means less fuel to reach our ultimate destination – a bright future.

Alaska has shining potential. If we can only get this fiscal challenge behind us, we can immediately devote all our attention to priorities like building a strong economy with safe and vibrant communities; ensuring healthy families; and pursuing responsible resource development. It is all within reach—if we solve the crisis. We must first fix Alaska to build Alaska. We just need to balance our checkbook, and then we can get to work on what’s really important.

History is waiting. Posterity is watching. We have a sacred responsibility to honor both. So please let your legislators know that you support them as they do the difficult job we were all sent here to do. Tell them it is okay to make the tough decisions and that we need to tackle it all. Most importantly, be sure to let them know it all has to happen this year.

14 | OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

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CONTACT

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

| 15

ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS The Northern Light is a proud member of the ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS. The Northern Light is a weekly UAA publication funded by student fees and advertising sales. The editors and writers of The Northern Light are solely responsible for its contents. Circulation is 2,500. The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy or parenthood.

The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.­­­

LETTERS AND CORRECTIONS POLICY

Letters to the editor can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum length is 250 words.

Opinion pieces can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum word length is 450 words.

Letters and opinion pieces are subject to editing for grammar, accuracy, length and clarity.

Requests for corrections can be sent to editor@thenorthernlight.org. Print publication is subject to accuracy and available space. All corrections are posted online with the original story at www.thenorthernlight.org.

The Northern Light newsroom is located on the first floor of the Student Union, directly next to Subway.

THE NORTHERN LIGHT CONTACTS

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ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

LAYOUT EDITOR Levi Brown layout@thenorthernlight.org

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CONTRIBUTORS Jacob Holley-Kline Victoria Petersen Max Jungreis

STAFF REPORTER Sarah Tangog stangog@thenorthernlight.org

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MANAGING EDITOR Kathryn DuFresne content@thenorthernlight.org COPY EDITOR Michael Thomas copy@thenorthernlight.org ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Alexis Abbott news2@thenorthernlight.org FEATURES EDITOR Brenda Craig features@thenorthernlight.org

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