2015 Shootout Edition

COVER BY JIAN BAUTISTA

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

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UAA campus goes smoke and tobacco free on Nov. 19

By Claire Lubke

clubke@thenorthernlight.org

Where this initiative came from and what it means for students As most students have heard, Nov. 19 is the official start of UAA’s smoke and tobacco free campus. Even though the program is nearly three years in the making, students are still wondering where it came from, why it’s being taken on at UAA and what is means for them.

The Asian Pacific Islanders Community Wellness Club, now known as the Multicultural Community Wellness Club, started the smoke and tobacco free initiative. In Fall 2012, this club was formed out of a class from the earlier semester, taught

by Gabriel Garcia, associate professor of public health and now cochair of the Smoke and Tobacco Free Campus Implementation Team, who then became the club’s advisor. The members of this club were investigating health inequities along racial lines and engaged in dialogue about how to contribute to public health based on their personal experiences. Many members had personal loss associated with cigarettes and they became interested in smoke and tobacco free campuses across the nation.

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year, the club conducted a survey of over 700 students on whether or not they were interested in a smoke and tobacco free campus. 72 percent of those surveyed felt positively about this measure. While bias in questioning or sampling may have been a factor in this percentage, the club didn’t stop there. They did take this as a positive sign and moved on with further validation of their initiative.

In the 2013-2014 school year, the club petitioned to make it a ballot measure in the 2014 spring USUAA elections. Over 1,000 students voted on this measure and while the conviction of student opinion on the measure slipped significantly, it passed with a 52 percent majority. The voter turnout was approximately triple the norm, but still only represents a tenth of all students on campus. Mattheiu Ostrander, USUAA Vice President, speculates that the turn out had to do with those trying to represent the opposing side of the issue.

“It seems that for almost every ardent supporter of the smoke-free initiative, a similarly-zealous student in opposition turned out to vote,” said

Ostrander. Yet, in simple majority democracy, the majority, no matter how slim the margin, is what counts.”

Contrary to speculation, the smoke and tobacco free campus was obviously a grassroots initiative. Yet, the initiative did go system wide, and because most of the action took place on the UAA campus, on other campuses, it may seem to be more of a “top-down” initiative. The Board of Regents heard from the UAA smoke and tobacco free advocates before the student vote, but after the initiative passed, former University President Pat Gamble developed a way for the policy to be addressed at a systemic level.

On Nov. 10, 2014, the Coalition of Student Leaders, which has a representative from every UA campus, unanimously passed a motion to support the policy, but with designated smoking areas — as did the Staff Alliance on Nov. 11. On Dec. 31, 2014, the Board of Regents adopted the policy, joining thousands of smoke and tobacco free campuses nationwide.

“When smoking does harm to others and impacts the university due to smoking-related healthcare expenses, I supported the smoke free policy. I hope that we will find that we have healthier employees and students thanks in part to our shift towards a smoke-free workforce and campuses,” Kenneth Fisher, a regent and vice chair of the academic and student affairs committee, said in regards to why he personally supported the initiative.

The board only mandated a deadline for system wide implementation, being Dec. 31, 2014, and a first year of enforcement focused on education, but left the other details of the policy to be determined by each campus.

UAS officially transitioned on July 1, while UAF will not make the leap until the Dec. 31 deadline. UA online has a full list of implementation dates for each campus.

UAA’s implementation is by far the most elaborate among all of the campuses. UAA has a smoke and tobacco free implementation team with representative members from each of UAA’s branch campuses. The team is comprised of four separate committees: the communication committee, the education committee, the implementation and enforcement committee, and the cessation committee. As the Nov. 19 deadline is effective this week, the primary focus of

this team, along with the primary focus of student worry, is enforcement and funding of this new policy.

Many people are concerned that, starting Nov. 19, themselves and their friends will start receiving malicious tickets for a life style choice or an addiction that they are battling to fund a system similar to the wildly unpopular UAA Parking Services. The actual change is much more subtle and arguably, more well-intentioned. As the Board of Regents determined and UAA’s implementation team overwhelmingly supports, the first year of enforcement is restricted to education about the policy and cessation resources.

This “enforcement” is to be carried out by peer educators. These peer educators are volunteers who will be trained on approaching and informing smokers on campus about the new policy with a major focus on the quitting resources available on campus. Who these volunteers will be is largely undetermined, but training sessions will begin in December. There is one paid position in regards to enforcement of the smoke and tobacco free campus policy in its first year, who is tasked with developing the curriculum for and teaching these peer educators. This position has been filled by a current student and past smoker. Beyond this first year approach, further enforcement methods are undetermined.

Both the Board of Regents and the UAA implementation team have hinted at the hope for selfpolicing once the policy has been public for some time. Yet, Garcia has expressed the possibility of more disciplinary enforcement in the future.

“We [the implementation and enforcement committee] are responsible for making recommendations in terms of what would be the most appropriate and effective enforcement moving forward. Not this first year, because this first year is all about transition. It’s all about learning what works and what doesn’t work,” said Garcia. “And who knows? We might do a good job in our community efforts and educating people that maybe in the second year, people are just following the policy. They’re doing their self-compliance and they’re not going against the policy. So if that’s the case, then we may not need to implement something that’s harsh — like a ticket or a fine — but if people are not following the policy, then I think it’s important to

GRAPHIC BY DEMI STRAUGHN

introduce penalties. Other campuses have done so, because if you don’t have any penalties at all, then it’s almost like not having any policy at all.”

The UAA implementation team is currently working with USUAA to develop the enforcement plan for two and three years out.

Funding goes hand in hand with enforcement. Since the birth of this initiative, it has been funded from outside sources.

These outside sources include a grant from the American Lung Association, Alaska chapter. A student from the original group in the Multicultural Wellness Club applied for the grant in the early stages of the initiative.

Along the way, the smoke and tobacco free campus has attracted other supporters, both financially and voluntarily, in agencies with similar goals throughout Alaska, including Leadership for Eliminating Alaskan Disparities (LEAD).

All paid positions on the implementation team and the peer educator trainer, as well as all of the promotional materials thus far, have been paid for with these outside funds. The smoke and tobacco campus implementation team has expressed no intention to look for funds through the University. Yet, as this is an ongoing policy and their current funds are limited, it raises the question of how effective the policy can be or will be without sustained funding for things such as disciplinary enforcement or cessation resources. Garcia says that his focus throughout the development of smoke and tobacco free UAA has been evaluation. As the head of the enforcement and

implementation committee, he says that he is working to know how to be effective with the resources and systems already available at UAA. There are other important facets of the Nov. 19 implementation date. Despite university support from student and staff leaders, the implementation team at UAA determined that designated smoking areas would undermine the intention of the policy. Nevertheless, there are two major exemptions to the reach of the smoke and tobacco ban, being that smoke and tobacco is allowed on public sidewalks surrounding campus and within personal vehicles on campus.

It is also notable that the most affected group of this new policy is students in on-campus housing. The campus-wide ban means that those using student housing cannot smoke in or around their homes. The implementation team says that their efforts will focus on this group in the upcoming months. The implementation team will conduct another round of surveys in the spring, regarding attitudes and beliefs about the policy thus far, how it can be improved, and what its future should look like.

The implementation team is also currently under review of UAA’s Research Review Board to hold focus groups on the effectiveness of cessation resources on campus. There is a link on every student’s UAOnline account to the Smoke and Tobacco-Free Campus webpage, where the most current information can be found and questions can be directly asked of the implementation team.

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 03

Forum focuses on if schools should value technical skills over liberal arts

PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON

Kathryn Casello and Demry Mebane defend liberal arts education

By Nathan Burns

nburns@thenorthernlight.org

As the University of Alaska budget shrinks, the job market grows more uncertain by the day, UAA may be forced to make choices for where it puts its priorities. In a forum that took place in the UAA library on Nov. 12, the question of whether or not UAA should prioritize work force development over a liberal arts education was brought to the floor.

The forum opened with a debate by the UAA Seawolf Debate Team over the proposition: “UAA should prioritize workforce development over a liberal arts education.”

Debaters Robert Hockema and Nick Tabaczka of the proposition (the team that supports a motion) squared off with Demry Mebane and Kathryn Casello (Casello is on staff at The Northern Light as Features Editor) of the opposition.

Tabaczka opened the debate by citing a New Yorker piece that characterized the difference between the utopian view of college education and the utilitarian view.

“Utility being the focus on the ability of an institution to produce a fair return on investment for students, parents, employers, and the state such that graduates positively help the economy, and the utopian university being vision that builds your soul as well as your skills and students come to critically think about

Professors Dan Kline, LuAnn Piccard, Landry Signe, and Kyle Hampton form faculty panel discussing if UAA should prioritize providing a liberal arts eduction over technical skills.

the values that guide them,” said Tabaczka. “While we can appreciate the value of utopian view, we contend that it is the utility view that pays for the show.”

The proposition agreed that a liberal arts education is important and does help students, but when faced with limited resources, the university must focus on practical skill development.

“What employers want more than someone who can think critically, is someone who can function in their occupation,” Hockema said.

The proposition cited the $1.3 trillion of student loan debt facing the country, as well as the shortage of qualified employees in technical fields, both in Alaska and nationally.

“We know that 44 percent of graduates are not working in occupations that they studied for, we think that if students are going to spend ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty thousand dollars in some cases, then they should seek a return on that investment,” Hockema said. “We think that the legislature should see a return on their investment, We want that people should stay in Alaska and get jobs in a field they studied for.”

Casello, speaking on behalf of the opposition argued that the primary goal of a college education was to provide society with well rounded citizens.

“We’re talking about fundamental skills like problem solving, analytical techniques, creative thinking and innova-

tion in order to be adaptive,” Casello said.

The opposition argued that the job market is evolving constantly, and employers need employees with a broad level of skills, that can adapt. Employers overwhelmingly want employees that are flexible, can adapt, are sensitive to cultural differences and have a strong ability to communicate and coordinate.

Mebane continued the opposition’s case.

“We don’t want to simply open one door for our students and that’s the door they have for the rest of their life. By giving them that liberal education, by giving them that humanities education, we give them the master key to open several doors throughout their life,” said Mebane. “We should focus on the liberal arts because the university has a duty to create citizens of the world, better citizens. Many jobs are being lost, someone went to school to learn one job and that job is now gone, now what do they do next?”

Following the debate, faculty panelists took the stage to further the discussion.

The panel included professor Dan Kline of the English department, LuAnn Piccard of the engineering department, Landry Signe of the political science department, and Kyle Hampton representing business and public policy.

Professor Kline set the tone for the discussion by discussing the etymology of the word liberal arts.

“We’re not talking about the liberal

Professors Dan Kline, LuAnn Piccard, Landry Signe, and Kyle Hampton listen to questions asked at the forum of whether or not UAA should prioritize a liberal arts education over technical skills. The panel agreed that students needed both.

arts versus the conservative arts, the term there comes from the same latin term that we get the word liberty, The liberal arts are those that accord with being a free person.”

Kline, Piccard and Signe were in agreement that departments needed to emphasize the humanities more in technical degrees, and as Piccard suggested, emphasize more technical skills in the humanities.

Hampton threw his hat in the ring on the issue.

“The fact of the matter is the Liberal Arts are in danger. It’s shocking to me how few [humanities] credits are actually applied towards the general education requirements, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of those,” said Hampton. “I don’t want to call out my college, but recently I’ve started to find out that there is a lot of ‘silo-ing’ going on in the various colleges around here, where they make it very easy to get your GERs within your own college or very difficult to get it elsewhere. And I think that’s terrifying.”

The forum wrapped up at 9 p.m., but the discussion continues both on a national scale as well — and in many circles, with far less tact and understanding than found at Thursday’s forum. Whereas UAA staff and faculty are committed to do both, we all must consider what skills come first during times ahead.

Seawolf Debaters Robert Hockema advocates for a focus on job development

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 04

Safety, Education and Community Wellness with Mayor Ethan Berkowitz

Mayor Ethan Berkowitz attends a USUAA sponsored Meet and Greet with UAA students; answering questions centered around the future of the Anchorage School District and Police force, future budget plans, and homelessness on Tuesday, November 10, 2015.

By Kathryn Casello

kcasello@thenorthernlight.org UAA hosts a Mayoral Forum in the Student Union Den Mayor Ethan Berkowitz visited UAA’s Student Union Den on Nov. 10 to interact with students and discuss important and relevant community issues. Berkowitz answered questions from participants in the crowd ranging from the efficacy of APD to the possibility of marijuana dispensaries in Anchorage. USUAA Student Government, the UAA College Democrats, and the Alaska Young Republicans teamed up to make this forum available for UAA students.

“USUAA is committed to fostering an environment where individuals, regardless of their political affiliation, can come together and discuss issues important to our community,” said USUAA Vice President Matthieu Ostrander, political science and economics major.

Ostrander talked more about why it’s so important to have community discussions about issues like affordable housing, LGBTQ rights, rates of suicide, mental health in the community.

“Forums like these are not just an opportunity for students to get together with elected officials and ask the questions that are most pertinent to them, but [also] an opportunity for students who might not be aware of those opportunities to just walk on in and be engaged in politics with issues so important like the ones we heard about today. It’s extremely important to provide these opportunities for students so they can continue to become well-informed citizens.”

There were many questions about community safety and well-being — sanding the roads for driving safety, motorcyclist safety, the physical and legal safety of members of the LGBTQ community, community mental health and the well-being of the homeless population were all topics of discussion. Through Berkowitz’s thoughtful and constructive answers, it became clear that the Mayor has Anchorage’s best interests at heart.

Berkowitz stated that when it comes

PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON

Demery Mebane stands with Nichole Eichrodt, UAA’s military and veteran community resource coordinator, as she address Mayor Ethan Berkowitz with the question about future Anchorage Police Department’s future with military veterans and hiring, as well as, how he’s going to address community mental health on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 Meet and Greet. 2 days ago

to enforcing safety regulations, a large issue the municipality faces is the small size of the Anchorage Police Department.

Berkowitz hopes to help APD take a better approach to hiring in order to increase the size of APD to at least 400 officers.

He also said that the goal is to have a police force that is reflective of the community and preserves the integrity of the police force. Berkowitz said that the goal is to prevent people from being reckless by increasing the visibility of police work and traffic laws.

Berkowitz answered a question about the protection of LGBTQ individuals in the community, reaffirming the necessity to protect all people, regardless of sexual preference or orientation.

“I never thought in 2015 I would have to stand up and defend equal rights for all Alaskans. Every school kid pledges allegiance — Liberty and Justice for ALL. The law should treat all people equally. I think if we don’t want to see that [violence and bullying against LGBTQ members] in this community, we have to express what our community values are, we have to say ‘we don’t want to be disappointed by the behavior of people who are trying to instigate fear and prejudice.’ I think we have a responsibility to show others that the passage of equal rights ordinances like the one we have, didn’t change the course of history, it just made it equal for everybody. I think that’s important — if we can dilute the fear, we can win. We’re on the right side of history.”

In terms of community mental health, Berkowitz said that the approach he hopes to take is one in which on-call social workers and police officers work side by side to address issues like drug and alcohol abuse or mental health problems. Berkowitz said that a big step towards minimizing the amount of incarcerated citizens is “recognizing that a lot of the encounters that police have with individuals are not necessarily best handled in the law enforcement context, but frequently better handled through social services.”

Berkowitz’s belief that Anchorage might need to try a rehabilitative rather than punitive approach to mental health

is a sign that the Mayor earnestly wants to find a legitimate, long term solution to public health. Berkowitz also discussed the role of individuals in suicide prevention and community wellness.

“The metrics on suicide in this state are horrific. We have some of the mechanisms in place to intercede and reduce the rates of suicide; provide more mental health [around the state]. These are all people. They have families and friends, and I think our strongest course in trying to reduce the incidence of suicide is to be responsible and to watch out for one another. Listen to our friends and neighbors — there are signs that we should be attentive to, and we’re not always going to get them right, but we need to say that we all have a responsibility individually.

I don’t know anyone in Alaska who hasn’t been impacted by it.”

When asked a question about how to help alleviate the issues of homelessness in Anchorage, Berkowitz emphasized the importance of humanizing the homeless population and explained the strategy that the state takes to help homeless Alaskans.

“What we’ve done is we’ve taken an approach called Housing First, the primary support of housing, it’s a method that’s been deployed in the Lower 48.

If you recognize that individuals who are receiving services off the street cost about $50-60,000 per person per year; if we provide housing vouchers to those individuals who’s costs then decline to $15-20,000 per person, that’s the model we want because it’s been effective in other places. It’s a more humane solution, and more fiscally responsible, and it’s better for Anchorage’s psyche. We need to find housing for those individuals.”

On the topic of general housing, Berkowitz advocated for affordable housing through mixed-use housing.

“What we can do to make sure that housing is more affordable is we need to have mixed housing and neighborhoods that are denser. We need to have buildings higher than one story tall to make use of the land that is available to us. Some of the things that make housing more expensive is that’s it’s 37 percent

more expensive to build here in Alaska than in the Lower 48.”

Berkowitz addressed a question about supporting the success of the Anchorage School District by promoting a diversified learning experience for students.

“We need to get more towards an individualized notion of education. The students in this city and state have the ability to compete on the global stage, we just need to make sure they have the tools to do that. The tools to be a successful human being are in three-fold — you need to be able to think critically, to empathize, to walk in someone else’s shoes and see the world through someone else’s perspective, and the third thing is we need to do what we can to enhance creativity and to spur intellectual curiosity.”

Mayor Berkowitz had opinions on many relevant issues. Equal rights, affordable housing, effective education and successful social services seem to be in the near future with Berkowitz as mayor.

One of UAA’s Finance majors, Sam Erickson, agreed.

“I think the Mayoral Forum was an excellent event. We had a great turnout; fantastic cooperation between the College Democrats and the Alaska Young Republicans,” said Erickson. “Mayor Berkowitz was asked some interesting questions — some questions with a lot of hard-hitting impacts behind them. I think he answered them quite well for the most part. I’m really glad the university was able to take this opportunity to interact with the community and show that UAA’s students are very concerned and will be leaders moving forward.”

The more political activism and interest among youth, the better. The Mayor himself had very positive feedback about the event and was happy to be there.

“The more civic engagement we have, the more that we can see that we have a healthy community. It’s very encouraging that people showed up and participated, I’m looking forward to coming back,” said Berkowitz.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 05

Red Zone: Female empowerment in sports

By Kathryn Casello

kcasello@thenorthernlight.org When women succeed in sports, they succeed in the world Over the past 50 years women have seen an incredible increase in the amount of opportunities and recognition they have received in the world, and studies are showing that sports have a lot to do with it. The continued promotion of women through sports is an integral part of female empowerment in general society.

According to the United Nations, “women and girls’ participation in sports is an important social and economic empowerment tool.” A report from the UN found that: Women and girls acquire new professional networks, develop a sense of identity and access new opportunities to become more engaged in school and community life; Sports serve as a vehicle to improve women’s and girls’ leadership roles and participation in decision-making; Sports convene people across borders, cultures and belief systems, and can promote greater tolerance and understanding among individuals and communities; Girls’ participation in sports can challenge gender stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes; Sports teams and organizations provide an excellent opportunity for sharing information and promoting dialogue on the importance of girls’ education; and Studies show a direct correlation between girls’ participation in sports and higher education and employment; and that a single year of primary education correlates with a 10-15 percent increase in women’s wages later in life; a single year of secondary education results in a 15-25 percent increase.

Shawn Butler, President of the Anchorage Women’s Hockey League (AWHL), agreed.

“I think sports above all give you confidence, because you’re learning how to use your body,” said Butler. “Any time you have control over your body, that’s a very positive experience for a woman.”

Butler was a Lieutenant Colonel in the military before becoming the President of AWHL, and she talked abouthow empowerment through sports correlates to empowerment in the rest of a woman’s life.

“Hockey I think is even more empowering for women – I’ve played probably every sport there is,” said Butler. “Hockey is even more empowering and I think it’s because it’s a physical sport. A lot of the women that pick it up have never had hockey in their lives, never had an opportunity to do hockey. It’s an expensive sport, so parents don’t invest in little girls to play hockey if they aren’t sure, and the opportunities just aren’t there for girls in a lot of places. There is so much coming together for a woman who has never done that before.”

As long as those opportunities are

PHOTO BY RYAN JOHNSON

Katelynn Zander, Leah Swiss, Julia Mackey and Morgan Hooe celebrate with relief as Thursday’s hard battle against Central Washington comes to an end in the 5th set, UAA winning the set 15-13 and the game 3-2.

available, students and women everywhere can benefit from sports.

When asked how sports is a positive experience for him, Jackson McTier, a Natural Sciences major on the Men’s Basketball team said, “It’s awesome, because I get to travel the world; I’m from Australia so I get to come over here to the US. It gets me a degree at the same time while I’m playing the sports that I love, it gets me active, it’s an all-around good thing.”

McTier also talked about how sports can be beneficial for women in all aspects of their life.

“Back home, in Australia there’s a lot of women sports, with netball, which is kind of like basketball but you can’t dribble...Only women play it so it’s an allwomen sport, and a lot of the women in that league are doing positive things like outreaches for kids to get them involved and active. They have a huge league and national and world championships...it’s good!”

McTier thinks UAA also has a positive atmosphere for its women athletes.

“We have a lot of women’s teams... they push towards high school girls to work towards playing that sport in college, and I think that’s always a good empowerment tool.”

It’s not just the UAA collegiate women athletes that feel the benefits of sports though. Megan Johnson, a civil engineering major who played volleyball in high school, agrees.

“I think sports empower women,” said Johnson. “It not only gives you confidence but I feel like it gives other females, especially younger, something to strive for.”

The opportunities that are available to women through sports such as travel and scholarships, as well as personality and skill development, provide an avenue for women to be influential in a world previously dominated by men.

In 2014, the Bleacher Report published an article detailing 25 of the Most Influential Women in Sports, saying in the intro that, “The fact that sports are still such a male-dominated world makes highlighting the influential women in the industry all the more worthwhile.”

Women like Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey challenge notions about “a woman’s place” by dominating in sports that historically were reserved for men.

Both Williams and Rousey also break down stereotypes of successful women as only feminine or reserved, which is

important for society to actually view women as equal. If society believes that women can only be weak, quiet and submissive in sports, then society probably believes that women can only be weak, quiet and submissive in other aspects of society.

“I think being physical in the sport is hugely powerful,” said Butler. “When I started playing basketball in seventh grade, they only allowed girls to play half-court basketball, and we could only take three steps before passing the basketballs. That’s the way women’s sports used to be. I came up before Title IX, and we would get the courts to play basketball, when I was playing high school varsity basketball, after all the boys got their time. There were no opportunities to play baseball, or Little League or any of that stuff. That’s all changed. From my experience, being able to play a sport and have an opportunity to play a sport that is very traditionally men is very empowering.”

Title IX was an amendment made to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ensure that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

This act created the legal mechanism to ensure gender equality in college campuses, and here at UAA, there are many opportunities for women to get involved in sports. The empowerment of women is a crucial part of modern sports institutions, but it didn’t used to be that way.

Butler told TNL more about what it was like as a woman in sports before gender equality was directly legislated.

“Before Title IX, our teams used to have to go door-to-door to sell anything to make money just to buy a shirt so we could all have the same shirts to play with. None of the coaches were paid for in women’s sports. They all did on volunteer work. We had to beg for buses to play against other teams. I remember, as a senior, calling up other schools and saying ‘we have a basketball team, would you like to play us.’ So there was no administration whatsoever,” said Butler.

“Of course we had no cheerleaders, we had none of that stuff. At the school that I was in during tenth grade, I tried out for basketball and they didn’t have basketball competing against other schools.

They got maybe 15 girls, and divided us up into two sections, we practiced against

each other, and had an exhibition game.

That was our whole basketball season.

Then Title IX came along, and the very next year my coaches got paid to actually coach the girls. The boys always had paid coaches.”

It’s important to recognize that women were granted the “privilege” of equality in sports and activities in 1972. Women were seen as equal in the eyes of educational establishments only in the past 40 years. If America is going to truly empower and enable women, the first step is recognizing how close the past of legal inequality is. Fortunately, many are aware of the needs of women, and how the empowerment of women is beneficial for an entire society as well.

“I think sports are starting to push more towards empowering women, I think in the past it was always empowering for women. There’s a lot of programs out there now, like Fast and Female, that are pushing more towards empowerment for women in sports,” said McTier.

“I think it’s a good time for women in sports.”

Grace Kiraguri, the Managing Director of Icon Sports Marketing Limited and an advocate for female empowerment said that, “the more we educate women, the more we engage them, the more we empower them, the better it is for our communities.”

Women are citizens of the world and make massive impacts in society, and the strength and success of women is something that all people have an interest in furthering. Entrepreneurship, intellectual achievement, social activism and progression, and many more types of societal contributions are possible when women are given opportunities and recognition. Sports are clearly a motivator for these kinds of achievement.

“I think that team sports help women prepare for work,” said Butler. “The more women we can get interested in sports, the more successful they’ll be in society, because it’s still a man’s world. You can go in that world isn’t fair, but you can’t change it unless you get to the top and then you can change it.”

There are few social issues as important as assuring equality and advancing the achievement of women and minority groups. When universities and organizations create opportunities for women through sports, they are promoting the growth and success of the entire community.

06 |

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

College Cookbook:

Five steps to having the perfect “Squadsgiving”

Squadsgiving is the hip version of friends-giving. Get your squad together for a night of food and fun with

your friend-family. Follow these tips to make sure your squadsgiving is as organized and as festive as possible

By Victoria Petersen

vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org

1. Set a date ahead of time

3. Take into account any dietary needs

With varying schedules, you’ll want to make sure

Get a survey from every squad member on any

everyone in the squad can make it. Most people have

allergies or diets so that everyone who is cooking can

family obligations on the day of Thanksgiving, so

take special consideration.

an alternative day may work better your particular squad, or perhaps a squadsgiving brunch with a menu of mimosas, pumpkin spice pancakes and sausage.

4. Make sure your space can accommodate the squad Not all squads are created equal. Some are big and some are small. Make sure that — whoever the host

2. Delegate a task to each squad member

is — that they can manage the amount of people in

The host will be responsible for cooking the main

the squad and that everyone has a place to sit as well

course, whether that is turkey, ham or what have you.

as a table setting.

Assign side dishes, desserts and drinks to each squad member so that everyone is responsible for part of

5. Create the perfect playlist

the meal.

Designate the perfect squad DJ to play some festive music while you are eating and socialize. Make sure the playlist has Christmas music in it, but not

GRAPHIC BY DEMI STRAUGHN

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FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 07

Sports in the Slug Empire SEAWOLF

SLUG

In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper.

These are his stories.

By Klax Zlubzecon

Translated by George Hyde A PSA from one “Fallout” fanslug to another Nov. 10, the date this issue comes out, marks an important landmark in procrastination: the release of “Fallout 4.”

Students will call in sick. Work across the country will stagnate. It will be like a national holiday, only with less traditional festivities and more bosses having to send mass emails reminding Nov. By the time you’re reading this article, the Great Alaska Shootout By the time you’re reading this article, the Great Alaska Shootout will be right around the corner. You may even be reading this at the Shootout itself. One of the writers at this paper may have even handed you a copy before the game, being the self-promoting jolly people that they are.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written

an article for the Shootout. For my first Shootout, I discussed the meaning of sports to both humanity and to life abroad in the universe. For my second Shootout, I gave a brief analysis of the different teams playing, having not had a sports writer at the time. You won’t believe how awkward it is to try and get a sports-themed issue on the stands without a good sports writer.

This time, I’m talking about something a bit different. I’ve already talked at length about Slug culture, so I think it’s time I talk about Slug sports.

I’ve mentioned in the past that we at the Slug Empire have giant gladiatorial pits that we send unruly species into to let them sort themselves out. What, you thought that our sports would be peaceful fare like basketball? Of course not! If you’re going to have entertaining sports, why not punish lawbreakers at the same time?

Okay, so it’s a bit inhumane. You have

to admit, though, that seeing the great saber-toothed beasts of Trog fighting the laser dragons of the Outer Rims is pretty awesome. It’s not like we’re endangering these species, either. When a species is in danger of overpopulation, you thin the herd a little to restore the balance. It’s like hunting — only instead of hanging a trophy on your wall, you watch two awesome alien monsters duke it out to the death.

Everybody wins! Well, not everybody. I guess the losing fighter gets horribly mutilated. You get the idea, though.

Dangerous criminals are punished, overpopulated species are protected, and we Slugs – and whatever other enslaved species gets the privilege to watch — get some seriously kick ass entertainment.

This is how a hive mind spends its leisure time. Just because we all think as one doesn’t mean we don’t get bored.

If one of us is feeling daring, we might even assume control of one of the combatants to spice things up. The only way you can improve the “saber-toothed beast versus laser dragon” scenario is to give them both the intelligence and cunning of a slug.

With that said, though, I do appreciate the idea of the “safe” sports you humans play here on Earth. Apparently, there used to be big gladiatorial fights on Earth long ago, but I guess that’s not a thing that humanity does anymore. The closest thing you guys have to that is stuff like pro wrestling, and as adorably cheesy as that is, it’s really no substitute for real violence.

Maybe that’s not what you guys want anymore. It’s not the savagery that humans crave in sports anymore so much as it’s the clever teamwork or pride for the

hometown. My host doesn’t watch much physical sports, but when he’s in a crowd that’s rooting for a particular team, he joins that mentality.

It could be that. It could also be something else, though. When you take brute force out of the picture, meta-games begin to form. Strategies are formed to counter other strategies, that were originally formed to counter other strategies.

It becomes less like a brutal fight to the death and more like a competitive puzzle of sorts, like chess. Some games are just entertaining to watch play out, even if there’s not a team or player in particular you’re rooting for. My host sometimes hops on Twitch to watch a “CounterStrike” game or two just to see the pros play it out, because in a game like “Counter-Strike,” high-level play is an incredible joy to watch. It’s the same thing with basketball.

This may not be the reason people come to the Great Alaska Shootout.

Fanatics want to come all the way up to Alaska to see one of the biggest collegiate tournaments in the nation, just so they can root their home team on. However, if you’re reading this outside the Shootout, consider checking out a game or two. If the two teams are really good at what they do, it’ll be a really interesting watch no matter who you’re rooting for, if you’re rooting for anyone.

There’s a certain elegance to a good competition. I do miss the violence of the Empire, though. If you guys behave yourselves during the invasion, they may let you in on few fights. It’s not exactly humane, but man, it’s fun to watch.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.

Working together: The final project A well-meaning column rife with clunky metaphors and horrible advice, Orange Rhymes With is the goto place to break the monotony of classes and laugh at someone else’s misfortune.

By Evan Dodd Contributor

As you progress through college, some of the more obnoxious features tend to fade into background noise as everyone in your major becomes more focused, career oriented and honestly just ready to graduate. While freshman level classes are, on average, about a 50/50 split of those who’ll actually take a stab at college and those who’ll party for a semester until the money runs out, those issues tend to phase themselves out as you hit the upper division courses.

In fact, I can’t remember the last time I sat next to someone in a class and thought to myself that they were completely and utterly going to fail without question. It’s just the natural order of things; those who do progress to the later stages of college are more likely to succeed and vice versa.

That being said the one universal constant that never changes, the perpetual thorn in the side of anyone who’s ever attempted to get something done, the bane of every hardworking student’s existence is the dreaded group project.

It was always a problem, even back in the early days of high school, but then it was easily rationalized by remembering that those courses were mandatory and that you couldn’t force effort. In college, where students presumably have a direct financial stake in their efforts, you would expect things to run more smoothly.

But I’m here to tell you that that hellish dynamic reminiscent of herding cats into functioning as a competent group never changes.

I’ve had bad groups and unlucky groups and ghost groups that faded away as deadlines arrived. I’ve had online groups where only one member had an internet connected for more the two

hours a week and the others were functionally illiterate.

I mean, hell, we all have different strengths and abilities. Maybe you don’t know how to run video editing software, or haven’t taken a high level statistics course yet, but you can at least show up on time and bring pizza or beer. Or, at minimum, try not to delete the important files your group is basing their work on due to having no idea what’s going on.

I’ve worked with groups in upper division economics courses where I had to painstakingly explain to one irate group member that it didn’t matter even if his father had won the Nobel Prize in the subject at hand, he still couldn’t list his own last name in the paper as a way to cite a casual dinnertime conversation.

Another time I was stuck in a team of five (which is well above the freeloading threshold) that was tasked to write a full semester project an Arctic food security.

After countless meetings that seemed only to demonstrate that we were barely communicating what the point was, I showed up to give the final presentation with only one other group member. Of the others, one arrived 45 minutes late with an arm full of McDonald’s, one got stuck behind a wreck and called after class, and to the best of my knowledge the other was never seen or heard from again.

The worst is when you can see the lack of progress a mile off. My current group is utilizing Google Docs, to edit and paste in our sections as we complete them. Yet, one day before deadline, some of our sections consist only of internet links leading to information on the subject and our reference list looks like a one armed man had a medical emergency and attempted

to use his keyboard to call for help. Sometimes, particularly when depending on others, ignorance truly is bliss.

I once had a strong team for a group project. It was for conservation biology and all the work involved mucking about in muddy streams and marveling at exactly how polluted Chester Creek was which, to sate your curiosity, was running orange and filled with shopping carts at the time. Even better was that one of my two teammates was my girlfriend, which completely eliminated the awkward get to know you and try to guess how hard working you are phase.

Nothing could go wrong, right? Wrong.

After spending all day doing water quality assessments we turned around to find our box of science equipment stolen, presumably to make what we hoped turned out to be very low-quality meth, in the woods behind East High School.

Four and half years of college and I’ve yet to be in a competent group. I’m starting to suspect some strange quirk of human nature is at play, where it becomes statistically impossible to select a group at random and have even a basic level of functionality.

So here I am in my final semester, working on what I sincerely hope is my final group assignment. Maybe years down the line in my professional life I’ll be tasked with another. But for now I’m content to silently hate my groupmates and curse the college system that led me to this stress. So one more month, one more grueling, irritating month before I can emerge, degree in hand, from this stress filled hell I’ve found myself in.

God, I hate group projects.

08 |

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

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Discounts are subject to the Business Agreement and may be interrupted, changed and/or discontinued without notice to you. A minimum number of employees, minimum monthly service charge for qualified plans, additional AT&T services or other requirements may apply for eligibility. Under some Business Agreements, the discount can vary monthly depending on your organization’s aggregate volume of qualified charges. Discounts apply only to the monthly service charge of qualified plans (unless otherwise provided in your organization’s Business Agreement). If you have a question about available discounts and/or your eligibility, contact your organization’s telecom manager or contact us at att.com/getIRU. © 2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.

A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 09

‘Marie Antoinette’ offers a more psychological look at the story

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

The story of Marie Antoinette, like the French Revolution it takes place in, is very tragic and violent. This goes without saying. UAA’s Theater Department, however, wants to look at her story in a more psychological light.

Their upcoming production of “Marie Antoinette” uses expressionism and surrealism to explore Marie’s character. It shows her unhinging even before she gets brutally killed.

“Expressionism tells the story through the eyes of the protagonist, Marie, which allows the audience to care about her journey and parallel her rise and fall of power to the celebrities of today,” said Nova Cunningham, assistant professor of

theater and the director of the show.

The show was proposed for the 2015 season by Colleen Metzger, another professor of theater who specializes in costume design. She shared a passion for both the French Revolution and Marie herself, being the “Queen of Fashion” that she’s known for.

“It is exciting to be able to show off Colleen’s fashion expertise and talent in a production that showcases the lead as a confection created by society,” said Cunningham.

The extravagant costume design is complimented by the uncanny scenery and unpleasant atmosphere to create an experience that some working on the show have called surreal.

“It’s a psychological take on Marie Antoinette that actually slips into the nightmarish part of her world before she

gets her head cut off at the end. It’s horrific,” said Michael Noble, a student working wardrobe for the show. “It’s not just tragic or sad, or grand. There’s a lot of terror in this take on it. It gets a little surreal too as she goes more insane from the pressures of being an unwanted queen in a France that’s about to change irrecoverably.”

While it is a challenging production, the show is supported by a very strong production team. Everyone from the crew to the actors themselves have helped make the production a visually and narratively intriguing one.

“From concept to build, the collaboration of designers, crew members and actors have all had input in this production,” said Cunningham. “Each added elements to help tell the story.”

Those who want a more striking and

ominous look into the psyche of the “Marie Antoinette” will find something to enjoy with this production. From the strange scenic design, to the lavish costumes, to the strange talent, it’s an oddball look into a story that was already pretty gruesome to begin with.

“Marie Antoinette” is showing in the Mainstage Theatre in the Arts Building from November 20 – 29. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM, and Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM. Tickets are available at the door or at uaatix. com.

‘Holy Mountain’ is a glorious mess

By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

There are cult films, and then there are cult filmmakers. Few directors are as “cult” as Alejandro Jodorowsky. He’s an avid spiritualist and makes no qualms about it in his films. “The Holy Mountain,” his magnum opus, is chalk full of transcendent imagery. During filming of a particularly trippy scene, he prescribed his actors psilocybin mushrooms.

He himself took LSD for spiritual exploration at the same time. So if the movie looks like it was made during an acid trip, it most likely was.

The result is a supremely jumbled, often breathtaking, mess. Found by a footless, handless dwarf (Basilio Gonzalez), the Thief (Horacio Salinas, “La selva furtive”) follows the man into a town to make money from tourists. From a

tower in the middle of the city descends bags of gold exchanged for food. The Thief ascends the tower and meets the Alchemist (Alejandro Jodorowsky, “The Dance of Reality”), who guides him and seven other strangers to enlightenment.

On the surface, “The Holy Mountain” begs for interpretation. In reality, Jodorowsky has a specific message: let go of the physical world. Every image, every metaphor, points to that. The movie is so on-the-nose that it gets overbearing. As Jodorowsky cast himself as the Christ of his movie, it’s even more difficult to separate the work from its creator.

On a purely intellectual level, it’s hard to enjoy. On a visual level, however, it’s hard not to.

Even with the 1970’s film grain, “The Holy Mountain” pops like no other. The colors alone are

striking. What’s most impressive is that they don’t detract from the scenes themselves.

Jodorowsky’s use of contrast is especially important, namely during the shocking rape scene near the middle of the movie.

But there are too many characters with too little purpose and too thin a narrative tethering them to call the movie “good.” The visuals are so striking that they reinforce already glaring weaknesses. It’s easy to get lost in the world when the story set there is vague and unsatisfying.

On a purely aesthetic level, “The Holy

TITLE “The Holy Mountain” DIRECTORS Alejandro Jodorowsky

Mountain” earns its place in film history.

Everything besides that is weak.

Despite its pitfalls, “The Holy Mountain” is a psychedelic classic. When it comes transcendent aesthetics, Jodorowsky has few equals.

But the imagery is too pointed, the story too feeble, to lend much weight to the symbolism.

Jodorowsky sacrifices emotional connection for explicit meaning. If it weren’t for the dazzling visual palette, “The Holy Mountain” would be just another messy experiment.

RELEASE DATE Nov. 27, 1973 COUNTRY Mexico

GENRE Fantasy

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 10

The Great Alaska Shootout is here to play

By Claire Lubke

clubke@thenorthernlight.org

The 37th annual Great Alaska Shootout has a rich history and a bright future In 1977, a spirited man named Bob Rachal became UAA’s head coach, appointed by then Chancellor, John Lindauer. Rachal, with his big personality and big ideas, not only redefined UAA’s current basketball team — from the Sourdoughs to the Seawolves — but also pioneered the future of basketball in Alaska.

Rachal noticed that the NCAA had a regulation stating that any games played outside of the lower-48 would not count towards season records.

With this information, he proposed the Seawolf Classic — an event in which Division I schools would be invited to play the UAA Seawolves in Alaska, before (and without penalty) to their regular season. The Division I schools were compensated to play in Alaska and got to play their favorite game in a unique place, while UAA got to host an unprecedented level of basketball in their home and for their fans.

While Rachal left UAA due to a recruiting scandal before the first event, in 1978, his vision came to life.

In 1979, Billy Packer, a commentator of the second annual Seawolf Classic, unintentionally renamed the event,

coining the term, “The Great Alaska Shootout.” Over the next few years, the Shootout increased in popularity and notoriety, especially with the opening of the new, state of the art, Sullivan Arena in 1983, which could seat nearly 8,000 fans. In 1984, the Shootout turned its first profit and in 1985, ESPN began live broadcasts of the Shootout. College basketball fans all over the lower 48 watched games taking place in Anchorage, Alaska — still an unheard of dynamic today.

Many consider this period from the mid 1980’s to the early 2000s to be the Shootout glory days.

“I remember being in awe of players like Ray Allen of UConn and Jeff Capel from Duke and feeling like I was in the presence of royalty when Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Indiana’s Bobby Knight walked onto the floor at Sullivan Arena,” said Mike Tunseth, in a commentary article for the ADN, on his first experiences with the Great Alaska Shootout.

The Shootout was one of the only tournament of its kind and it consistently attracted big name schools in basketball. In 1997, 52,000 people attended the Shootout over its four days — more than 20 percent of Anchorage’s population at the time.

Yet, by the mid 2000s, college basketball had become a big business and the NCAA had approved numer-

ous exempt tournaments, mostly for various charitable causes. It became increasingly difficult to attract the same caliber of ball players. Then, for the 2006-2007 season, the NCAA changed its scheduling rules entirely, furthering competition for the Shootout. In the 2006 season, none of the teams in the Shootout made the NCAA’s Division 1 tournament for the first time in history. In 2007, ESPN stopped airing the Shootout and began hosting its own tournaments. By 2009, only six teams were recruited to play in the tournament, compared to the typical eight.

In 2011, the Alaska state legislature gave UAA athletics a $2 million grant to revamp the once thriving Shootout.

This had a lot of Alaskans discussing its relevance — was the Shootout outdated? Was this something that Alaskans supported, personally, let alone financially?

While the answers to these questions remain up in the air, the Great Alaska Shootout is in its 37th year, and it has come to play. The Shootout got a new sponsor in 2014, when GCI replaced the 20-year sponsor, CarrsSafeway. GCI has expressed their intent to revive the Shootout as a sold out event and a signature of Alaskans’ Thanksgiving weekend, without asking for state funds, and they’re well on their way, particularly with the help of

the new Alaska Airlines Center. As the Sullivan Arena once did, the Alaska Airlines Center brings validity to the level of play available in the 49th state. “[The Alaska Airlines Center] is right up there with the best of them,” Ryan McCarthy, UAA women’s head basketball coach, said. The Great Alaska Shootout has also entered a contract with Basketball Travelers Inc., a leading organizer for domestic and international basketball tournaments.

With all things, the future of The Great Alaska Shootout is unknown.

Yet, the Shootout’s history doesn’t only tell of a time when UAA was able to attract high caliber basketball teams because of a fortunate NCAA policy, but it also captures a time when the people of Alaska celebrated and had a lot of fun with basketball in their state. That needn’t change. The men and women seawolf basketball teams play really competitively in their division — the women lead their region in the regular season last year — and the new Alaska Airlines Center is a great place to grab a bite and spend a cold evening inside, cheering with friends and family. Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to be thankful for the legacy of The Great Alaska Shootout and great basketball played by Alaskan student athletes.

Get More Dunks for your Dollar Student discounts now available NOV

NOV

24 28

at the Alaska Airlines Center Prize giveaways every game including 25,000 Alaska Airlines Miles

Get tickets and pricing info at GoSeawolves.com or call 786.1562 UAA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution.

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 11

Great Alaska Shootout Teams

GRAPHIC BY DEMI STRAUGHN

12 |

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

From Lynx to Seawolves: Dimond alumni come together on UAA team

By Victoria Petersen

vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org

Each year in Alaska, hundreds of women’s high school basketball players take to the court all across the state. In the Anchorage bowl alone, roughly 100 girls will suit up for a local squad. Of the eight high schools that compete in Alaska’s Cook Inlet Conference, Dimond High School in particular has a knack for sending its players on to the collegiate level.

This season, the UAA women’s basketball teams boasts four Dimond alumni on the roster: freshman Tara Thompson and Rohyn Huss, sophomore Sierra Afoa, and senior Keiahnna Engel. All four women played for the maroon and gold at various times over the past eight years. In that span of time, the Lady Lynx earned state tournament berths every year, and finished runner-up in 2013 before winning it all last spring. “[Dimond coach] Jim Young has done an excellent job preparing his young ladies for the college game and elevating his program to an elite level in Alaska,” Seawolves coach Ryan McCarthy said in a May press release.

Every year, Young takes his teams to out-of-state tournaments, allowing his players to see first hand the skill of the game in other parts of the country.

“Coach Jim Young at Dimond High School holds our varsity program to a high standard,” Huss said. “He knows what it takes to be a college athlete.”

Thompson adds that it helps he has a few college coaches in his contact list that he talks to from time to time.

“He knows a lot of college coaches so that also kind of helps in the process in getting your name out there,” Thompson said.

Thanks in part to Young, Thompson and Afoa can continue to play basketball on the same team, prolonging the time they have played with each other.

“Me and Sierra have played with each other ever since we were like in third or fourth grade,” Thompson said. “[We] have just built that chemistry all the way up until now.”

Basketball has served as a catalyst for the friendship between all four.

“Not a lot has changed between us, we’re all super close, it’s just a faster pace game,” Afoa said.

PHOTOS BY RYAN JOHNSON

Keiahnna Engel, Rohyn Huss, Tara Thompson, Sierra Aofa all played on the Dimond High school girl’s basketball team before coming to UAA to play on the women’s basketball team.

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 13

Men’s Shootout winners bracket

1 2 3 4

San Jose State

Game

Nov. 25 - 7:30 p.m.

Toledo

Game

San Diego

Winner of Game 1

Nov. 27 - 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 25 - 10 p.m.

7

Winner of Game 7

Game

Winner of Game 2

Loyola Chicago Nov. 28 - 8:30 p.m.

Championship

Middle Tennessee Nov. 26 - 5:30 p.m.

Game

UAA

Game

Drexel

12 Game

Winner of Game 3

Nov. 27 - 8 p.m.

Nov. 26 - 8 p.m.

UNC Asheville

7

Game

Winner of Game 4

Winner of Game 8

14 |

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

Men’s Shootout losers bracket

5

Loser of Game 1

Game

Nov. 27 - 12 p.m.

Winner of Game 5

Loser of Game 2

6

Nov. 28 - 2 p.m.

Loser of Game 3

Game

10 Game

4th/6th

Nov. 27 - 2 p.m.

Loser of Game 4

9

Game Loser of Game 5

Loser of Game 6

Nov. 28 12 p.m.

7th/8th Place

Place

Winner of Game 6

11 Game

Loser of Game 7

Loser of Game 8

Nov. 28 5:30 p.m.

3rd/5th Place

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 15

Women’s Shootout winners bracket

1 2

George Mason

Game

Nov. 24 - 6 p.m.

4

Game

Western Kentucky

Game

Winner of Game 1

Pepperdine

Nov. 25 - 5 p.m.

Championship

Nov. 24 - 8 p.m.

Winner of Game 2 UAA

Women’s Shootout losers bracket

3

Loser of Game 1

Game

Loser of Game 2

Nov. 25 - 2:30 p.m.

3rd Place

16 |

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

1-on-1: Christian Leckband

By Nolin Ainsworth

sports@thenorthernlight.org

Basketball is king for many youth in rural Alaska. A brightly lit gymnasium and rack of basketballs can serve as a refuge from the long winters and cold nights that characterize the far North.

Two of the Seawolves’ own grew up in this environment.

Senior forward Christian Leckband of the men’s team was raised in Nome, Alaska and starred for Nome-Beltz High School from 2007-2011.

Senior guard Jenna Buchanan was recruited by the Seawolves out of Galena, Alaska, a small village in between Fairbanks and Nome on the Yukon River.

Buchanan played on the Galena High School team from 2008-2012 and helped the Lady Hawks win their firstever state championship as a senior.

The similarities between Leckband and Buchanan don’t stop there. Prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, the two have played in the exact same number of college games - 83. The two also shoot the three ball with virtually the same precision. Over the past three seasons, Leckband has shot 39 percent from long range while Buchanan has shot 40 percent.

In an exclusive interview, The Northern Light delves more deeply into the lives and basketball careers of these two Alaskans.

TNL: I know you are from Nome, have you lived there your whole life?

Leckband: “I kind of moved around a little bit growing up. I lived in Seward for a while. I lived in Fairbanks for a little bit, lived out in Palmer even for a little while. But Nome was really kind of the steady place for me. I’ve always had just a bunch of family there so it’s always been the community I go back to.”

How did Nome shape your upbringing as a basketball player?

“Having such a small town, like honestly, it’s a huge basketball town. Like any kind of rural village, small town, rural, rural Alaska, if you go out there the big sport is usually basketball. Just growing up with that I developed more of a love for the game. I remember being a little kid and I’d go to all the Nome [High School] varsity games and you would literally have like, half of the town in the gym, just packed in there.”

What were some of your “coming of age” moments in Nome as a basketball player?

“It’s kind of funny how late everything kind of came around for me. The funny story that my high school coach likes to tell is that I went from the camera man my freshman year in high school to starting center the next year…

Well my freshman year I was like 5’ 9”, 5’ 10” and then I grew to like 6’ 4” over a summer, yeah, it was kind of an awkward summer. I think my senior year is when I kind of came into my own and actually started to seriously consider college basketball as an option for me.”

A community like Nome — they must really rally around that team and so as a star player on a team, did it sometimes feel like the whole town was cheering for you?

“Yeah, it’s actually unbelievable for me during that time because of how much...support I got from them. To this day it’s even unbelievable. I’ll still get messages and texts from community members saying like, “Oh, we saw you on TV,” or you know like, “Great job,” just really supporting me.”

Who was your biggest mentor as a kid?

“I’ve had a lot of family support. My oldest cousin Haven — he is basically like a brother to me. He was a huge mentor for me. He always kept me grounded whenever I would get a little too big-headed at times but he would also pick me up when I really needed it and he really drove me...to make the most of my opportunities.”

What were some of the other things you did outside of basketball?

“A lot of my time was honestly spent at the gym or just hanging out with friends. We’d do typical kids stuff — play video games, hang out, sleep overs, all that. Just go out and have a lot of fun. Being in Nome you kind of

have to create your own fun. The summers are absolutely amazing. Just being able to go out on the countryside — we’d go on hikes, go on camping trips, we’d go out on the beach, make big fires and invite a bunch of people.”

Okay, back on the basketball track — it sounds like in high school you were one of the tallest players on your team and then coming to a collegiate team where you got probably some bigger guys. What was that like finding your role in college?

“I developed so late that when I did finally hit my growth spurt I was able to retain my guard capabilities. It was kind of a blessing for me to develop later in life. I grew up my entire life as a guard but as soon as I got to high school, being the tallest player on my team, I had to play center just out of the necessity.”

What have been some of your favorite experiences as a college basketball player here at UAA? “Honestly, I’ve had an amazing time over these last five years. A lot of it has been the relationships I’ve been able to develop. I’ve been able to meet such a wide variety of people and develop relationships with teammates, other athletes. I’ve been grateful for my experience here.

It’s been quite the change kind of seeing the development of [the Alaska Airlines Center]. I started out playing in the Wells Fargo [Sports Complex] and so I’ve had the experience playing over there and playing in the [AAC]. I kind of miss the old gym honestly, I didn’t mind the Wells Fargo all that much, but you can’t really compare it to what we have now at the arena, it’s an amazing facility.”

Why would you say it’s sad to not play in the Wells Fargo anymore?

“I come from a small town; I’m used to small, compact gyms and everything. That’s what I grew up playing in. When I came to the Wells Fargo I was just kind of used to that setting.”

Where’s your favorite spot on the floor to shoot from?

“Ooooo... if I had to pick one? Left wing, that’s probably my favorite spot.”

Do you have a favorite shootout memory?

“I think the Loyola-Marymount game was a fun one. That might have been my sophomore year, back when we had the shootout over in the Sullivan Arena. That was a tough game.

It was probably one of my favorite inspirational speeches that [Coach Rusty Osborne] ever gave to us. He comes into the locker room and he just — I can’t give all the details of it because he said a few choice words — but he came in there and he just rallied us and we fought the entire second half and we beat a very good Loyola Marymount team that year.”

What are your goals for this season – either individually or as a team?

“I think we have a lot of talent on the team this year and because of that I think we can go pretty far — you know as far any team in the past has or even farther than that. I have a lot of expectations for this year, just from a talent level, I think we’re very talented. I think that its still very early to see how far we can go. We have a lot of new guys that are coming in and expected to play a lot of the minutes. And coming in it takes a while to learn just the systems we have defensively, offensively, everything like that. I’ve been proud of how they have done so far and I can only expect things to get better.”

What do you plan on doing after you graduate?

“I’ve actually had this question quite a bit. I’m not too sure what the next step for me. The biggest thing for me right now — there is only two focuses for me right now and that’s finishing up my degree and finishing up my senior year of basketball on a good note. I never really expected to be here in this college basketball life, so who knows what might happen after that.”

Christian Leckband Position: Forward Major: Business Administration, Marketing ILLUSTRATION BY DEMI STRAUGHN

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

| 17

1-on-1: Jenna Buchanan

By Claire Lubke

clubke@thenorthernlight.org

preseason, and so not being able to go home and visit is definitely hard, but the traveling during school aspect is definitely hardest. Our teachers here at UAA are so helpful — we tell them right away ‘You know these are the days we are going to be gone,’ and they work with us so that we can achieve as high as we can in those classes.”

What do you want out of your Senior basketball season?

“The ultimate goal is to win a national championship. Last year, we were able to be number one in the nation. We were able to host the West regions here and then we ended up losing in the first round. So, you know, on this last go around, it would be nice to finish out on a win and to be a national champion.”

TNL: What was distinct about growing up and playing basketball in a rural community?

Buchanan: “Well, basketball is huge in Galena and in all rural villages. It’s like that’s the only thing to really do. There’s school and then there’s basketball.

That’s a big reason why I chose to play basketball — both my parents coached, so I was always around it. I would say growing up in a village is a big reason why I’m here at UAA. They [the Galena community] support athletics so much. I traveled to basketball camps and I played all through high school and junior high and it was all the fundraising that I did back at home that allowed me to go to those places. Their support is a big reason why I’m here and I chose to stay in Alaska, because I wanted to be close to home and be able to see people that I grew up and have them be able to watch me play.”

Who has been your biggest mentor regarding your basketball career?

“I’ve had several. When I was younger, there was this girl who used to babysit me and she also played basketball for my mom. She played at UAF actually. She’s a big reason why I chose to play basketball because I just wanted to be like her. And then my mom and my dad have been big with basketball — they both coached and both played. And then the coaching staff we have here [at UAA] has taken my development to a whole other level.”

How has UAA basketball contributed to your college experience?

“Playing college basketball is definitely hard because you are traveling so much and you have to keep up with school, but I really don’t know how much school I would’ve actually gone to had I not been a part of basketball. The reason I am going to classes and passing classes and doing the best in my classes as I can is so that I can play basketball. And then being a part of the athletic community here has really helped out with my college experience. I know so many people because the athletic community here is so big. I automatically have this friend group. And then having the teammates that I have just makes everything so much better.”

What’s the hardest part about being a student athlete?

“The traveling is the hardest part. We have about five days at Christmas to go home and then we don’t get a spring break at all. That’s kind of hard, you know? Our season is seven months long, including

What’s the UAA Seawolves women’s basketball been like since you’ve been playing? How does this year’s team compare?

“My freshman year here was actually a very unique year. We had a brand new coaching staff, so our coaches now have actually only been here for four years as well. So it’s been a learning experience — I think for everyone. To see where we were our freshmen year to now is crazy. I don’t now what to say so far about this year — we’re five games in and we’re 5 [wins] and 0 [losses]. Last year, we had a pretty good record with 29 and 2 which is unbelievable. I think my freshmen year we only won 17 games, so it’s a big jump. It’s nice to see the growth and where we’ve come in these four years.”

What do you attribute the improvement in the team over the last four years to?

“Well, our freshman year we got a new coach and it was pretty late in the year, like right when school started. A lot of players had left the year before, so we had about seven players and that was it, that’s what we had to work with. So the next year, the coach was able to recruit players and slowly build what his vision of the program was to be. So a lot of it has to do with that — the building of the vision. We have seven seniors this year, so leadership is huge. We have two of us who have gone through four years here — and some that are here for their first year, but a lot of us have been through the system for a couple years now and I think that really helps. We know what is to be expected.”

What are your plans after you graduate?

“So I have one more year and then, I don’t really know what I want to do. I don’t know if I want to jump right in to teaching. I might to just get a job for a while and kind of just, live my life a little bit. Being in college sports, and my whole life, everything has been devoted to basketball. Like, my summers, while yes, it is a free summer, I am still training every single day. I want to hang out for a while. I want to have a job that doesn’t commit me somewhere forever.”

Jenna Buchanan Position: Guard Class: Senior Major: Early Childhood Development Minor: Special Education

18 |

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015

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