November 14, 2017

NOVEMBER 7 - NOVEMBER 13, 2017

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RED ZONE: Survey shows one in two experience sexual violence in Alaska

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Registration holds temporary

Mandatory training not fully completed across UA system

By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org

The University of Alaska has been pushing for completion of the mandatory Title IX: Sex and Gender Based Discrimination Prevention training for weeks, but the process has been met with mixed reactions. While there was a deadline of Oct. 31, as well as prizes and a potential account hold for spring registration, withdrawal holds were placed on Nov. 3: the withdrawal deadline.

Bruce Schultz, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, said that a registration hold meant a student would not be able to add or drop a course. Consequently, this also prevented the student from withdrawing.

“The university system did not intend to prevent students from completely withdrawing,” Schultz said. “It did recognize, though, on Friday that the date they had selected coincided with the last opportunity for students to withdraw, so that’s why the holds were reversed off of people’s accounts.”

For that Friday, holds were temporarily lifted in order to allow students to withdraw from courses. It was on the following Monday that the holds were put back in place if they still had not taken the Title IX training.

It was not the university’s intention to

prevent students from withdrawing, but it also was not communicated, according to UAA’s Dean of Students, Ben Morton.

“That wasn’t messaged to them, nor was it our intent to keep people from withdrawing, so we felt like that was unfair,” Morton said. “We made that correction to make sure that we were fair with folks.”

Even if holds are replaced on students’ accounts following the withdrawal deadline, they will eventually be lifted by Nov. 27 when open registration begins.

This decision was made on Monday, Oct. 30 by President Jim Johnsen and the chancellors, Schultz said.

“There was a group of individuals that made some recommendations to the president, and the president and the chancellors reviewed those and made a decision,” Schultz said.

Since then it has been communicated to faculty and students that, at the time, had holds on their accounts. Morton had sent out an email on the following Friday to these students to remind them about the training and the account hold that would stay in place until Nov. 27.

The university had recognized that prolonging these holds would interfere with students’ ability to take courses in the spring semester and decided that they would be removed in order to let them register.

GRAPHIC BY MARIAH DEJESUS-REMAKLUS

“The last thing we want to do is establish a barrier that’s going to prevent students from continuing with their education… so that was the rationale behind it,” Schultz said.

Sarah Gray, USUAA delegate, saidthat the lack of structure made it difficult for students to be motivated to complete the Title IX training. It was especially troublesome to Gray seeing an inefficiency in communication despite the fact that she had received several emails regarding the mandatory training.

“I think not having a structured deadline and not having enough [posters] or information about it really was hurtful to students,” Gray said.

She also said that the university’s decision to lift holds on Nov. 27 will give students who have not done the training less of a reason to actually complete it.

“If you’re threatening students with holds and you decide to not put students on holds, I think it kind of discredits them, because now students don’t know what to expect,” Gray said. “If they say, ‘Hey, this new training came out and it’s mandatory. If you don’t take it you’re going to have a hold,’ and then people are like, ‘They’re just going to lift it like they did with the other training,’ they’re not

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Seawolves struggle in their first home games of the season

By Logan Harrison

lharrison@thenorthernlight.org

The UAA men’s basketball team hosted the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge over the weekend. The tournament, which consisted of UAA and University of Alaska Fairbanks taking on visitors Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade University of Honolulu, did not go the way the Seawolves had hoped.

The tournament opened with Chaminade beating UAF 71-58 in the first Friday game as UAA prepared to take on Hawaii Pacific.

UAA, which had won its first nonexhibition game of the season in a road win against Antelope Valley in California earlier this month, was still working out the kinks that come with a full roster overhaul.

The Seawolves came out strong against the Sharks, taking an early 18-10 lead. The Sharks responded quickly, taking back the lead with a three-pointer by all-tournament forward Jonathan Janssen that put them up 23-22.

The Seawolves kept fighting and found themselves only down by three at the half, 37-34.

The second half started off with a layup by UAA’s senior transfer D.J. Ursery, the lefty guard from Pacific University.

That turned out to be their only points for the next nine minutes of the game, as UAA went ice-cold on the floor. The Seathenorthernlight.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY GUZMAN

Jacob Lampkin draws a foul as he attempts to make a shot over Hawaii Pacific University.

wolves kept Hawaii Pacific from blowing the game open with some solid defense that let the Sharks only shoot 38 percent from the field, but their own struggles would be too much to recover from.

The Seawolves shot 27 percent from the field for the game, and only 17 percent in the second half. They missed their first 19 shots from beyond the arc in the facebook.com/northernlightuaa

second half before knocking one in with 30 seconds left in the game.

Jacob Lampkin, another senior transfer from Pacific University, was the only bright spot of the game for the home team.

He finished the night with a double-double, scoring 12 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and adding several blocks.

Saturday’s games started with UAF

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avenging their loss the night before with a victory over Hawaii Pacific, taking the high-scoring game with a final of 97-90.

The Nanook’s guard Davis Kimble and their forward Ladonavan Wilder each scored 15, on their way to both getting all-tournament recognition. Kimble added 11 assists, while Wilder added 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

The Seawolves, going up against the Chaminade Silverswords, looked to be in trouble again. After being down 17-2, UAA was able to finally get some shots to drop and headed to the locker room at halftime only down 38-33.

UAA was able to tie the game at 59 with a little more than 4 minutes to go.

That would be the closest they would get, as the Silverswords scored some tough shots down the stretch to put the game away, winning 71-65.

Ursery was a rebound shy of a doubledouble, as he lead the Seawolves with 21 points, while making nine of his 15 shots from the field. Josiah Wood, a junior transfer from Butte College, chipped in 12 points.

Lampkin had another solid performance, getting his second double-double of the weekend with 16 points and 10 boards and securing his own spot on the all-tournament team.

The Silverswords had a balanced attack throughout the game with five

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

| 02

Staff Council broaches topic of unionizing

PHOTO BY CHEYENNE MATHEWS

Staff Council Co-Vice President, Kathy Lardner, shares concerns about misinformation from union materials.

By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

Staff Council considered the benefits of unionizing UAA staff at the Nov. 2 meeting. The Council decided to assess interest staff had in learning more about unionizing through a poll. The poll stated this was not a vote to unionize but an assessment of interest.

The decision to gauge interest through a poll was based on a similar effort by UAF’s staff governance. Based on the UAA population, the Council stated that

monthly dues would cost approximately $57.91.

Brenda Levesque, co-president of Staff Council, said she wants to see staff have a larger voice than they currently do.

“I think that one of the reasons that we are moving forward to get information about doing this, is so that staff would have a voice, because that’s something that we have not had,” Levesque said.

“We see that faculty has a voice and they are recognized and we always feel like second class citizens here at the university. The other was for more job security, because of all of the layoffs and the re-

organization and the restructuring and how concerning that is to see that type of thing to happen to our employees.”

Nelta Edwards, sociology professor, is also the vice president of the United Academics union at UAA. At the Staff Council meeting, she said unions are good at establishing a process for employees to be treated fairly.

“What we have here in the contract is a process that is open, that everyone is treated the same way in terms of tenure and promotions,” Edwards said.

This past year, the faculty did not receive raises, and Staff Council Co-Vice

President, John Moore, said he was concerned staff would also see little benefit.

“In our immediate time frame, the concern would be that nobody is getting anything, union or otherwise,” Moore said.

Edwards said unionizing is a decision for the future.

“You begin by getting a contract and then every time you negotiate,” Edwards said. “And so they say, ‘We can’t give you money.’ So you say, ‘OK, so, we want power.’”

Co-Vice President, Kathy Lardner, was worried about misinformation from past failed union efforts being used to support potential current efforts.

“One of the problems with the second unionization effort was false information getting out there about people who didn’t sign up,” Lardner said.

Hillary Haslip, Staff Council member, said unionizing was a step that was in the best interest of staff.

“I’ve never really thought that unionizing was a step of aggression towards the university because the university has done a lot to try to find that equal balance,” Haslip said. “If they really do care about their staff, they would support also a more lined-out contract for us as well, because they would see that — if it isn’t in the best interest of staff — it’s just a continuation of what they’ve been trying to do for us.”

According to Time magazine, Alaska has one of the densest union populations with 23.1 percent of workers in a union.

The magazine ranks Alaska as second in the nation for percentage of union workers.

REGISTRATION: Students will have a hold on accounts until Nov. 27 Continued from cover going to be able to incentivize students to complete further trainings in the future.”

Currently, there are no plans in place for any other consequences that may follow if a student still has not completed the training by Nov. 27. Schultz says that the university will still address this possibility come spring semester.

“The decision as far as what the longterm approach is going to be for the university hasn’t been made yet,” Schultz said. “I would anticipate that there will be several discussions in early spring semes-

ter at the system level to decide how the program will be modified in the future.”

As of Nov. 9, approximately 79 percent of students system-wide have completed the training; 86 percent for UAA, 62 percent for UAS and 69 percent for UAF. Morton is unsure that the university will reach 100 percent completion and this is in part due to the differences in enrollment between semesters.

“There’s a certain amount of attrition from a fall to a spring semester that happens regardless of Title IX training,” Morton said. “I don’t know that we’ll get to 100 percent. I’d like to get as close to that number as possible, though.”

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

| 03

Chronic Blackboard problems frustrate students, faculty

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

By Marie Ries

news2@thenorthernlight.org

During the 2017 fall semester, a series of problems with the university’s Blackboard Learn system have occurred. Before the semester started, the system underwent major updates.

Courses and grades have vanished, assignments were lost and students had difficulties taking tests on the platform.

Nathan Kipchumba, a nursing major at UAA, has experienced some of the problems with the system.

“My courses disappeared and I couldn’t see any of my courses on Black-

board,” Kipchumba said.

Not being able to access course pages and the materials on it can affect the performance of students.

“I was logging in to access my study guide for an exam that I had to take the next day, “ Kipchumba said. “I had to wait until the issue was resolved to get access to the study guide.”

Several professors at UAA have reported that their students are having enormous problems with Blackboard.

Veronica Howard, an assistant professor for psychology, is increasingly frustrated with the error-prone system. Even though she has been working with the system for about 12 years, she has never

Posters across campus attempt to stir up controversy

By Logan Harrison

lharrison@thenorthernlight.org

Posters all around the UAA campus were found last week that read, “it’s okay to be white.” The posters have not only appeared on UAA’s campus, but in schools all around the country.

On Nov. 7, the university addressed the issue through an email sent out by Interim Chancellor Samuel Gingerich.

“Further investigation revealed this is part of a movement occurring at high schools and universities nationwide designed to create racial tension and division with the express goal of eliciting media coverage,” Gingerich wrote in his email.

He added that, “At UAA, we refuse to be divided.”

The posters were found in the Student Union, Rasmuson Hall and the Gordon Hartlieb Building, among other places. It is not clear who put up the posters, and what exactly their intentions were.

The Office of Equity and Compliance’s Interim Director Ron Kamahele echoed the chancellor’s email.

“It’s important to remember that we are all united in the spirit of learning, cre-

ating, discovering and growing.”

Ben Morton, the Dean of Students at UAA, said that something like this is not all that surprising. During his time at the University of St. Louis and the University of Memphis, similar occurrences have taken place.

“It seems like once or twice a year at every institution I’ve been at, there is some event or series of events that happen that kind of creates concerns,” Morton said.

Morton reiterated that we don’t know who put up the posters, who they are affiliated with, what their motivation was or even if they are students at UAA. He did add that the university is planning on using this situation as an educational opportunity sometime after Thanksgiving.

The details of this educational opportunity are still being worked out.

“I think it is important to know that some people saw those posters and it was really concerning to them,” Morton said.

“The poster, depending on who you are, can be interpreted in a lot of different ways and that can hit people in different ways.”

The posters have seemed to have disappeared almost as quickly as they were put up.

before experienced problems like this.

“Blackboard has always been a kind of a sticky wicket… even when I was a grad student. But this fall semester has been really trying,” she said.

For her classes, she usually creates practice tests on Blackboard. But setting up these mini quizzes has turned into a time-consuming and difficult task.

“This semester, copying documents, editing those pools [for the quizzes], stuff that used to take maybe a minute total has been timing out, has been showing that it has been successfully completed even if it didn’t,” Howard said. “At one point, it was three in the morning, my next class was at 10 am and it took me an hour and a half to make a 10 question quiz, and I had three of these to make.”

In addition to her regular classes, she also instructs classes over Blackboard Collaborate and is reliant on the system to teach her courses and to hold office hours.

“So far this semester people have been unable to connect and I have updated the driver and the program for it,” Howard said.

Students in her classes often have troubles with completing online quizzes, too.

“You’re taking a quiz, you’ve got plenty of time left, you go in to put in an answer — you get kicked off the quiz,” Howard said. “The best thing to do would be to email the instructor,” Howard said.

“For some reason this semester, not many people are doing that.”

Sometimes, students do not realize that this is due to a system error; therefore, they do not contact their instructor and have to keep their low grades. Freshmen and students who are inexperienced with online classes are particularly af-

fected by this.

“When they call to get some help, the person on the other end of the line says …

‘Well, there is something wrong with the way your instructor set it up.’”

Attempts to solve the problem have been quite challenging.

“If you need to figure it out, troubleshoot it, you have to get the students who had the problem and myself and IT all on the same page at the same time,” Howard said.

When tackling the problems, the local IT service has been helpful. The statewide IT service, however, has not been communicative about the issues.

“Our IT has really tried very hard,” Howard said. “We have never received an email from statewide about any of these known issues.”

Due to the persistent problems, Howard is questioning whether she is even going to use Blackboard for the upcoming semesters. She is thinking about going back to commercial online textbooks like Pearson or LaunchPad to teach her classes. The access codes for these systems are often expensive.

Phil Jordan, a term professor for psychology who teaches primarily online classes, has been experiencing similar problems.

“I feel really bad for students in particular. It’s frustrating enough for me,” Jordan said. “When a student sits down and tries to accomplish something, and even if they are using the correct browser, if they are doing everything they are supposed to do, the system fails on them. And sometimes it will fail multiple times.”

The problem was addressed at the Faculty Senate meeting on Nov. 3. The next steps are yet to be determined.

04 | NEWS

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

RED ZONE: 1 in 2 Anchorage women The Edge Update: Alaska experience sexual or intimate partner violence LNG progress, aftermath of Texas shooting and American

By Marie Ries arrested in Zimbabwe news2@thenorthernlight.org

By Grant Kniefel KRUA

The Edge Update can be heard every weekday on KRUA 88.1 FM The Edge, UAA's college radio station.

Local China’s giant state-owned oil company, Sinopec, and a pair of Chinese financial institutions have signed an agreement to advance Alaska’s liquefied natural gas export project, state officials announced Nov. 8. The fiveparty agreement includes the State of Alaska, its gas pipeline agency — the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. — Sinopec, and the Bank of China. Sinopec would buy Alaska LNG, Bank of China would lend money and China Investment Corp. would invest in the project. “We’ve been through the courtship; we’re now engaged,” Keith Meyer, AGDC’s president said.

National The pastor of the Texas church where a gunman killed 25 people says he plans on demolishing the building, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention

said Nov. 9. Frank Pomeroy told convention leaders that conducting services at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs would be too painful following Sunday’s massacre, convention spokesman Roger Oldham said.

“The pastor expressed his desire that perhaps the best way forward is to have the church demolished and replaced with a prayer garden,” Oldham said.

Global An American woman living in Zimbabwe will be tried on charges of attempting to overthrow the government of Zimbabwe with a tweet mocking President Robert Mugabe. The arrest of the woman, Martha O’Donovan, has raised fears that the Zimbabwean government is stepping up efforts to control social media ahead of national elections in 2018. Mugabe, who will be 94 next year, is running for re-election despite his increasingly frail health. O’Donovan was arrested on Nov. 10 at her home in Harare and charged with subverting the government and undermining the authority of the president. She faces up to 20 years in prison.

The 2015 Alaska Victimization Survey found that one in two women, 48 percent, in the Municipality of Anchorage has experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both in their lifetime. The survey was conducted from May to August 2015 by the UAA Justice Center.

Statewide, the numbers are very similar. In the entire state of Alaska, 50 percent of women have experienced either one or both forms of sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2010, the numbers were 9 percentage points higher. Still, rates for Alaska and Anchorage are exceptionally high, especially when compared to nationwide statistics.

Keeley Olson, executive director of the organization Standing Together Against Rape, sees it as a problem starting at a young age.

“Alaska’s rates of child sexual abuse are six times higher than those of the Lower 48.

Statistically, once someone is harmed by sexual violence, they are more likely to be harmed repeated times,” Olson said.

STAR has had a presence in Anchorage for over 35 years.

The organization provides crisis intervention, education and advocacy services to survivors of sexual violence and their families.

They also offer a 24/7 crisis line all year round and work on educating people about healthy relationships and boundaries, self respect and consent. STAR strives to start early with that by teaching youth in primary school classes on personal body safety.

Preventing the first occurrence of sexual violence is of greatest importance for fighting the alarmingly high rates in Anchorage.

“If we can prevent initial abuse, we can make a bigger impact on sexual violence occurring to older youth, teens and adults. But without trauma-informed interventions, those who were harmed as children are much more likely to be harmed as adults,” Olson said. “Since Alaska has more children than any other state harmed by sexual abuse, it makes more sense, then, that adult rates are also higher.”

The reasons for that are complex since the issue is multifactorial.

“The criminal legal system is not terribly evolved in Alaska; for example, there is no misdemeanor probation to hold low level offenders accountable,” Olson said.

The lack of law enforcement in more rural communities does not only affect these communities; Anchorage and other cities might be influenced by this as well.

“When you do not strive to make misdemeanor offenses of domestic violence and sexual misconduct matter, offenders tend to... advance to committing crimes that cause more damage and to more people. The fact there are whole areas of the state without local law enforce-

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

ment and access to emergency response also plays a role. Those who are no longer welcome in their rural communities, may choose to come to Anchorage as a hub community, where they are likely to continue committing crimes,” Olsen said.

People tend to assume that the rate of crimes related to sexual violence is only unusually high in more rural communities.

While it is true that these communities experience more of these crimes, the rates for Anchorage are only slightly lower.

“Alaska’s rural areas do indeed experience a higher per capita rate of domestic violence and rape. But Anchorage has excessively high rates as well, compared to other states in the nation,” Olson said.

Ignoring the prevalence of sexual violence in the municipality could be a way of disassociating oneself from the issue.

This is creating a false sense of security — anybody could be affected by intimate partner violence or sexual violence, regardless of their place of residence.

“I think it is simply a matter of distancing ourselves from grim reality. We would all maybe like to convince ourselves this is not an issue impacting me, this is an issue affecting someone else, somewhere else.

Kind of an ‘us and them’ mentality,” Olson said.

Open communication is most important when it comes to raising awareness about the issue.

More and more share their personal experiences with sexual and intimate partner violence.

“As it becomes more mainstream to speak about it, the stigma and blame will dissipate.

If everyone would express be-

lief and offer support to those impacted, rather than laying blame, or making excuses, it would make a world of difference,” Olson said.

UAA has also launched several efforts to increase awareness about sexual violence and intimate partner violence such as the mandatory Title IX training and the Take Back the Night March in September.

Mariah Burroughs, a social work major at UAA, believes that these efforts are successful.

“I think UAA is already doing a pretty good job with raising awareness the students’ awareness about this. Especially now that everyone is required to complete the Haven Training and that some are also doing the bystander training, they’re actually forced to think about the issue,” Burroughs said.

Nurse practitioner Betty Bang from the Student Health and Counseling Center, is one of the leaders for the bystander training at UAA. This semester, they have already done 21 presentations.

“We’re trying to get students involved in intervening and we also help with the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition for Change,” Bang said.

In cooperation with the DVSA coalition, they are working on getting staff, faculty, students and departments together to plan more events highlighting sexual assault and domestic violence in the community.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

| 05

The Chronicles of Yarnia: The crochet, the knit and the cross stitch

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CHRONICLES OF YARNIA

Chronicles of Yarnia club members pose with their table during their first sale of the semester on Oct. 24.

By Caleigh Jensen

cjensen@thenorthernlight.org

Knitting, the act of forming yarn with a series of loops via needles, is generally stereotyped as an elderly woman‘s hobby. However, The Chronicles of Yarnia, UAA’s knitting and crocheting club, strives to change this perception.

Since the spring of 2014, the club has shared a goal of keeping people, especially the younger crowd, interested in taking up yarn crafts. They express the love of knitting with their members and the UAA community through weekly meetings and sales on campus while building a sense of togetherness through group activities and services.

The Chronicles of Yarnia have been named UAA’s student club of the year for two consecutive years, and for good reason. They host a variety of events, including workshops and an upcoming DIY night next semester with UAA’s DIY club.

However, the best showcase of their skills is through their biggest events: sales.

Featuring products handmade exclusively by members, the club hosts as many as five to six sales per semester.

Sales incorporate many products produced by a variety of members, including hats, cowls, stuffed animals, scarves, mittens, socks, blankets and more.

They even do custom orders. Sarah LaBelle, applied technologies leadership major, makes many of her products outside of the club’s hours. She specializes in hats and scarves.

Johnson’s favorite specialty item to make is stuffed alpacas.

“I like [the alpacas] because of their unique and cute style,” Johnson said.

“The 3-D design is popular among buyers.”

Founded by two former UAA students, the club has been active for three years, now in the hands of president Molly Johnson, a German major. Inspired by her crafty aunt, Johnson picked up the art of knitting through her family and YouTube videos.

Other members had similar inspirations. K.C. Mandt, the treasurer of the

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

Alpacas crocheted by Molly Johnson were one of the many items available for sale.

club and a psychology major, got into knitting through his mother, who knit frequently and had an abundance of supplies laying around the house. Mandt picked up the craft one summer, many years ago, and has been doing it ever since.

Anna Ivanova, physical therapy assistant major and vice president, however, joined simply to learn to speak English after coming to Alaska from Russia.

“And it worked!” Ivanova said.

The club was formed to bring together like-minded people who share an interest in yarn crafts. They wish to create a community through low-key meetings, which act more as a social group than anything.

Anyone, despite age or skill level, is welcome.

There is no limit to the number of products members can make, creating a unique variety from sale to sale. The crafters name their own prices, taking the cost of materials, time spent knitting or crocheting and the difficulty of the product into consideration. Proceeds and donations go to new materials and to fund other club events.

“We price our products reasonably since our market is mainly college students who we understand are typically in debt,” Johnson said.

Events prior to holidays usually produce Yarnia’s best turnouts, although the most successful sale so far this semester was their first on Oct. 24.

“We had so many products available that were made over the summer,” LaBelle said, “and that attracted a lot of customers.”

The Chronicles of Yarnia is open to any student of UAA. The club meets every Wednesday in the Cuddy Hall from 3 - 6 p.m., with members available to teach the crafts of knitting, crocheting and cross stitching in as few as three meetings, confirmed by their two new members this semester.

Be sure to catch their upcoming sales, and the last of the fall semester on Nov. 21 and Dec. 5 at 11:30 a.m. in the Social Science Building.

Student business owner shares his path to success

By Joseph Diaz

jdiaz@thenorthernlight.org

Aside from taking classes, freshman business and computer systems major Leland Jones is busy trying to make a difference in his community.

Jones spends his spare time in the Air Force ROTC, volunteers at the small business development center, participates in local Christian organizations on campus and leads as a Boy Scouts adult leader.

Jones is also the CEO of TQuotes, a company that sells customizable and inspirational t-shirts, and author of “A Journey with Purpose.” He always had a passion for business and motivational speaking, however, his passion did not start in college rather it started to develop around the age of 10.

“I have always been into business ever since I was a little kid. I literally had a store in my bedroom. I had tables set up and I was just selling different things. Entrepreneurship was in my blood, if you will. It was something that I found great interest in and just loved to do,” Jones said.

The Quest program is a yearlong project-based learning program that seniors at Singa-

pore American School can join.

Throughout the year, they focus on different projects to improve their community. Being in the Quest program his senior year, Jones was able to find his passion for motivational speaking and clothing.

“We would go out and find problems that were in our community, we would start testing solutions to that problem, and we would write a report on it,” Jones said. “My first project was an electric door that conserved energy and money. I dropped this project halfway through the semester and decided that I wanted to focus on something that I enjoyed more.”

Jones started his company “T-Quotes” at the age of 17 with the intention of giving back to others.

“I decided to register my first company, which was a clothing brand. I started with three of my friends,” Jones said. “We decided, that in order to set ourselves apart and to help others, we would donate 10 percent of all profits to service organizations in the U.S.” The small business recently started a new project called Project Africa with a goal to provide clothing to 100 villages across Africa every year.

However, Jones said it wasn’t

easy getting to where he is now.

There were a lot of barriers that he had to keep pushing through.

“At one of the first business conferences I attended, nobody took me seriously because I was so young. People say young people are inexperienced, and the problem I have with that statement is that it is true, but it is also not true. I believe experience comes with time, but time is not the only way you can gain experience,” Jones said.

To further develop his experience, Jones wrote a book, titled “A Journey with Purpose: A Guide to Starting and Succeeding as an Entrepreneur.”

Through detailing his journey to becoming an entrepreneur, along with tips on how to become successful, Jones highlighted other entrepreneurs and their paths to success.

“The principles I talk about in this book can pertain to all aspects of your life, not just succeeding as an entrepreneur,” Jones said.

During his time at UAA, Jones has already started to make an impact on the community through his work ethic and passion for helping others.

“I think he works very hard.

He is very active in class and has gone above and beyond my expectations,” Zhanjian Zhu, Chi-

PHOTO COURTESY OF LELAND JONES

Leland Jones is the owner of T-Quotes, and author of “A Journey with Purpose: A Guide to Starting and Succeeding as an Entrepreneur.”

nese professor at UAA, said.

Derek Wampradit, a friend of Jones, meets with him every Monday to discuss their shared interest and involvement with Cru, a Christian organization on campus. They also check up on each other and talk about their experiences.

“Sometimes he will use me as a sounding board to sound off ideas that he has and to practice some of his speeches,” Wampradit said.

Jones’ philosophy of success is defined by a willingness to do what you love to do despite any difficulties you may face and never giving up.

“The stars are never going to align perfectly; so many people wait until everything is perfect.

I succeeded because I didn’t wait for the stars to align. So just start, don’t waste time. Time is limited,” Jones said.

06 | FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Annual PB&J drive continues in year eight

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

By Caleigh Jensen

cjensen@thenorthernlight.org

Food for Fines, or the PB&J Drive, is an on-campus food drive at UAA that provides an opportunity for students to pay off parking citations with food donations. Put on by Parking Services and the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, the goal of the event is to collect food to feed hungry individuals both attending UAA and in the Anchorage community.

Since the fall of 2009, UAA Parking Services has participated or sponsored the event in some form, and the drive has consistently taken place for a two week period in the month of November. By partnering with an on-campus club or organization to battle food insecurity, the event remains consistent in encouraging participation of UAA students to work towards a good cause.

This is Phi Kappa Theta’s first year of involvement in the drive, thanks to Douglas Echternacht, senior health major and vice president for philanthropy of the fraternity.

“The primary goal of the event is to stock the Emergency Food Cache here at UAA… which directly benefits UAA and it’s students,” Echternacht said.

A service provided by the Student Health and Counseling Center, the cache collects food for students who are considered food insecure.

Glenna Muncy, UAA Parking Services director, encouraged sponsorship from Greek organizations or clubs on campus that have a service component to their membership.

The PB&J drive originally only accepted donations of peanut butter and jelly products, hence the name.

However, new changes this year have opened up more possibilities for food donation. Since peanut butter and jelly have limited options for eating without bread or other foods accompanying them, Food for Fines is accepting other products.

Some of these newly accepted items include canned soups, noodle cups and granola or protein bars. These products are also intentionally calorie-rich, keeping someone who is hungry satisfied for longer between meals.

Donations will go into the Emergency Food Cache first, and once full, the remaining food will be distributed by Phi Kappa Theta to the Food Bank of Alaska and Bean’s Cafe.

According to Echternach, Muncy and Falon Harkins, associate director of Parking Services, the PB&J Drive has a reputation for success, collecting

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF PARKING SERVICES

a combined total of over 9,000 pounds of food since 2009.

If the PB&J Drive doesn’t collect as many products as anticipated, Echternacht has arrangements with local companies, who will donate in order to fill the cache. “[The drive is] beneficial in the sense that it gives people the opportunity to pay less for citations, but more importantly, help their fellow students with donations while receiving a personal incentive to do so,” Harkins said.

Food for Fines takes place from Nov. 6 - 17, just in time for Thanksgiving, and during the biggest citation distribution of the academic year, according to Harkins. Throughout the begin-

ning of the fall semester, Parking Services gives out the highest number of citations for two major reasons: there are a lot of new students on campus, and with the snowfall, people park farther apart than usual.

As well as supporting students in need, the PB&J Drive shines a light on Parking Services.

“Many students spend their whole career at UAA without ever visiting our [Parking Services] office. This event gives us an opportunity to invite users to our office for a good cause,” Muncy said. “It provides awareness to our other programs… and allows students a way to resolve citations before they are posted to their student account

for collection.”

Most citations issued in the last 30 days are eligible to be paid through donations. The specific food products given to the PB&J Drive can relieve $10, $35 and $60 parking citations.

You can still donate, even if you haven’t received a citation, for a chance to win a spring parking permit with a value of $170, with entries allowed up to three times per week.

Food for Fines will be accepting products until Friday, Nov. 17. Donations are accepted in the Parking Services office, located in the Eugene Short Hall, Room 125. They are accepted during the hours of 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and Fridays from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

College Cookbook: Honey garlic ferment

By Victoria Petersen copy@thenorthernlight.org

I am currently taking an Alaska Native studies class where we learn about how plants native to Alaska can be used as food and medicine. In our last class, we had a presentation on fermentation and the health benefits that come from eating fermented food. The presenter shared some of her creations, one of which was a fermented honey garlic: a mason jar filled with garlic and honey. The garlic was a dark black color and was completely saturated with the honey. Hesitant to try it at first, the garlic ended up tasting strong and sweet. It would make a great addition to a stir-fry, or even hummus.

Ingredients • Unfiltered honey • Garlic cloves

Directions

1. In any size mason jar, fill halfway with garlic cloves.

2. Fill the jar with honey until the cloves are completely saturated and under the honey.

3. Leave the jar in a cool, dark place for at least one month.

PHOTO BY DONOVAN GOVAN

& AE

Get off the couch!

Sports, markets, music and more

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Tales of humans and animals from southwest Alaska What: Ann Fienup Riordan and Alice Rearden present their book, “Qanemcit Amllertut/Many Stories to Tell: Tales of Humans and Animals From Southwest Alaska.”

The bilingual collection of stories consists of new translations of old tales collected over the last 40 years pulled from interviews with Yup’ik elders around southwest Alaska.

When: Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1 - 3 p.m.

Where: Bookstore, The Loft Cost: Free Sinfonia What: An evening of orchestral, solo and ensemble works featuring sections of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Classical Symphony” and Arnold Schoenberg’s “Verklarte Nacht.”

When: Saturday, Nov. 18 from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Where: Fine Arts Building, Recital Hall (Room 150) Cost: $9.99 for students, $14.99 for seniors and military, $19.99 for adults.

Around town TNL Staff

At UAA Dance in Performance What: Experience a mix of choreographic styles and ideas. The next generation of Alaskan contemporary choreographers will share eight dances featuring over two dozen performers.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 15 - Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

Where: Fine Arts Building, Harper Studio (Room 129) Cost: $11.99 for UAA students, $14.99 for general admission.

Now What? A guide for after graduation What: Learn what to expect from post-graduation. Listen to experiences of professionals who have gone from student to worker.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 15 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Student Union, Lyla Richards Conference Room Cost: Free Open Mic Night What: Get on stage and share a talent whether it’s dance, music or something weird. Have stage fright? Just show up and enjoy.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 7 - 8 p.m.

Where: Student Union, The Den Cost: Free Volleyball: UAA vs. MSU Billings What: Cheer on the Seawolves as they go head-to-head with MSU Billings on Senior Night.

When: Thursday, Nov. 16 from 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Where: Alaska Airlines Center Cost: Students taking six or more credits on the Anchorage campus can attend for free with valid Wolfcard. $10 for general admission. Each student can bring up to two guests with them to all regular season matches/games for only $5 each. $10 for the general public.

Women’s basketball: UAA vs. Holy Names, Western State What: Get your cheer on and root for the home team as they go up against Holy Names and Western State.

When: Friday, Nov. 17 at 5:15 p.m. (Holy Names) and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 5:15 (Western State) Where: Alaska Airlines Center, Main Gymnasium Cost: Students taking six or more credits can attend all regular season games for free with a valid Wolfcard.

Each student can bring up to two guests with them to all regular season matches/games for only $5 each. $10 for the general public.

Men’s basketball: UAA vs. Holy Names What: The Seawolves will compete against Holy Names for two games.

When: Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Game 1), Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. (Game 2) Where: Alaska Airlines Center, Main Gymnasium Cost: Students taking six or more credits can attend all regular season games for free with a valid Wolfcard.

Each student can bring up to two guests with them to all regular season matches/games for only $5 each. $10 for the general public.

Maggie Rogers in concert What: Since being discovered by Pharrell Williams, Maggie Rogers has been on a rising trajectory. She’s now touring extensively and released the EP, “Now That the Light is Fading.”

When: Friday, Nov. 17 from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Where: Egan Center (555 W. Fifth Ave.) Cost: $25 in advance, $30 at the door for UAA students. $35 in advance, $40 at the door for the general public.

Seawolf Hockey: UAA vs. Michigan Tech What: Watch as the Seawolves battle it out against Michigan Tech in two games.

When: Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:07 p.m. (Game 1), Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7:07 p.m. (Game 2) Where: Sullivan Arena (1600 Gambell St.) Cost: Students taking six or more credits can attend all regular season games for free with the presentation of valid Wolfcard. Each student can bring up to two guests with them to all regular season games for only $5 each.

Free parking passes for hockey games at the Sullivan Arena can be picked up at the Alaska Airlines Center Terry Ann Homan Box Office, Residence Halls Information Desk and the Student Union Information Desk prior to the game with valid Wolfcard.

| 07

Local Roots with Spitshine, Old Timber and Eternal Cowboys What: Rock out with your favorite punks and/or drunks.

Ages 21 and up.

When: Friday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m.

Where: Koot’s (2435 Spenard Road) Cost: $5 Evan Phillips’ CD release What: Local songwriter and producer Evan Phillips will release his new live album “Lonely Mountain.”

When: Friday, Nov. 17. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Where: Church of Love (3502 Spenard Road) Cost: $15 Williwaw Public Market What: Williwaw is putting on a one-stop shop for handmade goods, coffee, entertainment, food and drinks.

There will be over twenty local artists and crafters and chances to win door prizes. This event is family-friendly, but minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

When: Saturday, Nov. 18 from 1 - 5 p.m.

Where: Williwaw (609 F St.) Cost: Free Fall Anchorage Rock and Mineral Show What: This event will feature dozens of vendors selling rocks, minerals, fossils, jewelry and other crafts. There will be mineral displays and activities for all ages.

When: Saturday, Nov. 18 - Sunday, Nov. 19 Where: Northway Mall (3101 Penland Parkway.)

Cost: Free Candlelight vigil for homeless youth What: This community awareness event will show support for young people living on the streets.

When: Thursday, Nov. 16 from 6 - 7 p.m.

Where: Town Square (544 W. Fifth Ave.) Cost: Free Transgender Awareness Week variety show What: Identity’s Anchorage Transgender Community presents “Resourceful, Remarkable, Radiant: Celebrating Transgender Resilience.” This all-ages event will feature an evening of poetry, live music, drag, dance and singing.

When: Sunday, Nov. 19 from 6 - 8 p.m.

Where: Alaska Experience Theater (333 W. Fourth Ave.) Cost: Free

08 | A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Veterans’ disappearing stories The Alaska Veterans Museum is working to preserve veterans’ oral histories while there’s still time

By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org

Veterans of World War II won’t be around for much longer, and it’s with an increasing sense of urgency that the Alaska Veterans Museum is collecting their oral histories before it’s too late.

About 2,000 World War II and Korean War veterans are dying every day, Suellyn Novak, president and executive director of AVM, said.

So far, Novak and the museum have collected around 160 oral histories from veterans living all over Alaska.

Not only does the museum maintain an archive of the collection, but they also provide the veterans’ families a copy of the video interview for posterity.

“It’s been a great, great boon for the [veterans’] families and the museum,” Novak said.

While AVM has collected interviews with veterans of Vietnam, Desert Storm and more recent conflicts, they’re focusing on World War II and Korea while they still can.

Novak’s favorite interviews were with men who served in the Alaska Scouts, also known as Castner’s Cutthroats, during World War II. “These guys told wonderful stories,” Novak said. “They told stories about being trapped out in the weather and what they would have to do to survive.

They told stories about being out in the Aleutian Islands and scouting out the Japanese.”

Formed in 1941, Castner’s Cutthroats wasn’t the typical army unit serving in World War II. They were Alaska Natives, hunters, fishermen, prospectors and trappers — tough guys who had the skills and knowledge to survive in the Alaska wilderness. During the Aleutian Campaign, it was their job to collect intelligence on Japanese troops while staying undetected.

The unit’s official name was the 1st Combat Intelligence Pla-

PHOTO BY AMMON SWENSON

The Aleutian Campaign exhibit at the Alaska Veterans Museum explores the soldiers who served in the western islands of Alaska during World War II.

toon, but the Cutthroats looked more like a band of outlaws than soldiers. They wore a mix of civilian and military clothing, grew facial hair and often carried their personal gear and weapons instead of the standard issue military equipment.

In addition to their scouting missions, they tested coldweather gear and trained soldiers how to survive in Alaska.

They also did extensive mapping and surveying. Some of their work was eventually used when the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was built.

The last surviving Cutthroat, Earl Acuff, died in 2013, but not before recording an interview with AVM for their oral history archive.

“They were so dedicated, especially the ones who weren’t regular army. They just wanted

to get the war over,” Acuff said of his fellow Cutthroats. “They would do anything to get the war over, because a lot of them were wanting to get back to their traplines and some of them wanted to get back to their fishing boats.”

Prior to joining the Alaska Scouts, Acuff was stationed by himself in an outpost on Adak to warn of incoming Japanese planes. The skies had been quiet, so he had been out of radio contact with anyone for a long time.

He was eventually presumed dead and a group of Cutthroats was sent to search for him. They were surprised to find Acuff not only alive, but thriving.

The Cutthroats asked him how he managed to survive alone with limited rations. He told them he had been hunting birds and catching fish and crab.

He hadn’t even touched his rations. With skills like that, he was a natural fit for the Alaska Scouts and joined their ranks.

“I enjoyed being in the Scouts more than any other unit,” Acuff said. “Didn’t do as much fighting as I did in other units, but I got more experience.”

Novak recounted a story Buck Delkettie told her about a close call while observing the Japanese for the Scouts.

As far as Delkettie remembered, he was on Amchitka in the western end of the Aleutians.

He and his partner were crawling their way across the tundra and came upon some Japanese soldiers who were cooking a rice dinner. As the pair observed them, one of the Japanese soldiers sneezed. Delkettie barely managed to get his hand over his partner’s mouth before the man

accidentally said “God bless you” to the sneezing Japanese soldier. It was the closest he’d ever come to being discovered, Delkettie told Novak.

Delkettie died about 10 years ago. Novak said it’s not uncommon for veterans to pass away relatively soon after their stories are recorded.

It can be a challenge to get some veterans to share their histories, but with help from local VFWs or American Legion posts, Novak has been able to continue finding people to interview.

The museum used to have two teams of oral history collectors, but these days, it’s mostly just Novak when she can find the time. Despite this, she’s managed to get over 20 interviews this year with a handful lined up.

Novak is a retired colonel in the Air Force with over 30 years of service and feels that her interviewees have an easier time opening up to a fellow veteran.

Not only can she relate to serving in the Armed Forces, but she can also guide the interview to make it clear and understandable to the general public, without them getting bogged down in military jargon.

“It really takes a veteran to do these, because so many things the interviewee will say will make no sense to a civilian,” she said.

While some veterans can be apprehensive about sharing their stories, Novak said they often feel better after doing so. Sometimes they share things they’ve never told anyone.

“It’s a healing process for them too, and it’s a very, very moving process for the interviewer, because you learn all kinds of things you never knew before,” Novak said.

The Alaska Veterans Museum is located at 333 W. Fourth Ave., Suite 227. Their winter hours are Wednesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

| 09

‘Sword Master’ tries to hide its well-trod story

By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

The problem with 3-D epics like “Sword Master” is that they’re silver screen time is limited. One day, they’ll fade to the small screen in standard 2-D. As the lavish production it was meant to be, I’m sure “Sword Master” was beautiful in the theater. It’s wuxia to the core.

The fight scenes are grand, the performances are larger than life, and the set design is lavish. The easily distractible will find plenty plenty to spy in every frame.

As it plays in 2-D, “Sword Master” is the kind of empty big budget mishmash that makes you wonder why it was made at all. Ostensibly, it’s a tribute to the wuxia genre. The lone hero Hsieh Shao-Feng (Kenny Lin), gives up his martial life and tries to live a quieter one in the countryside with a family of villag-

ers. He leaves behind a bride-tobe from an opposing clan, Chiuti (Jiang Yiyan), but she plans on changing that.

It takes wading through stilted conversations and some cringy humor to get the real story, keep in mind. This is a martial epic, after all. Our hero, the fabled Third Master, is as boring as they come. Following his character only would make for a dull experience. So, director Derek Yee sees fit to pack in as much as possible. Most of this comes in the form of flashbacks.

By showing viewers the past, he can focus less on the present.

In fact, there are so many flashbacks that it feels like a tactic. The actual story is thin as cheese cloth, and the only way to justify its existence is to pad it with unnecessary backstory.

It’s a frustrating exercise in asking “How long until the next fight scene?” If you’re a kung-fu aficionado, you will be disappointed.

There’s far more melodrama here than wirework fight sequences. The result is disquieting: we’re shown too much of a bad story and too little of the (mostly) excellent confrontations. The slow-mo heavy sword fights are a joy to watch. Like every other aspect of the movie, they’re laughably unreal. The sets are the same way.

But that’s all in keeping with the spirit of wuxia, and that’s the one thing “Sword Master” gets right. The self-aggrandizing melodrama and the opulent costuming make for eye-catching viewing. Jiang Yiyan is the only actor here who’s worth watching. Her performance is as naturalistic as it is over-the-top, often making her co-stars unbearable to watch. Fittingly, “Sword Master” is double-edged: you get the resplendence of old wuxia, but you also get an overdone story.

Save it for a rainy day. Any other time and you’d be missing something better.

TITLE “Sword Master”

DIRECTOR Derek Yee

RELEASE DATE Dec. 2, 2016

COUNTRY China

GENRE Action

10 | A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Alaska’s oil money hangover

Atwood Chair of Journalism, Tim Bradner, discussed need to find new solutions for the state’s fiscal future

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

Tim Bradner, University of Alaska Anchorage’s new Atwood Chair of Journalism, fielded questions about the future of the state’s oil economy after giving a brief history of the Permanent Fund Dividend on Nov. 9.

By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org

For Alaskans, Christmas comes twice a year. Once in December and again when their Permanent Fund Dividend checks arrive. That extra bump in Alaskans’ bank accounts has been a sign of the state’s prosperity from oil revenue since 1982. There’s a problem, though.

The state is running a $2.5 billion deficit and the days of the oil boom seem like nothing but a fond memory.

On Nov. 9, Atwood Chair of Journalism, Tim Bradner, gave a talk at UAA called, “Where is All Our Oil Money Going?” He discussed the history of Alaska’s oil revenue, the Permanent Fund and the urgent need to find new ways to pay for the state govern-

ment.

For a complex topic, Bradner’s answer to where the money went was simple.

“We all took the money,” Bradner told the audience. “We all spent it and it was kind of a big party for many years. There were some high times. We enjoyed it while it lasted, but now, we have a bit of a hangover.”

When the Trans-Alaska Pipeline became operational, oil money started pouring into state coffers, exceeding expectations to the point of the treasury having an extra billion dollars that wasn’t budgeted for.

“The floodgates were open and that started things off and it was really party time, because the money kept coming in and it was a billion, two billion, three billion,” Bradner said. “All this money piled up.”

With years of pent up de-

mands on the state, Alaskans started putting pressure on their legislators to spread that money around. With so much revenue, there seemed to be enough money for everything. Each year, revenue continued to increase and everyone seemed to think oil prices would never stop rising.

“People couldn’t figure out how to spend the money fast enough,” Bradner said.

Legislators were even running out of ideas on how to spend the money, calling home to ask for suggestions. Constituents, mayors and city council members would call their legislators with ideas and lobbyists clogged the hallways between the House and Senate chambers.

Eventually, the spending turned “topsy-turvy.” Capital projects had no backup or written justification with little to no

foresight.

“It was just a mess,” Bradner said.

Citing State Department of Revenue numbers, Bradner said that since 1977 the state collected about $145 billion in oil revenue from taxes and royalties. According to a 2012 study, the state saved about a quarter of that income and the rest went into the general fund and was ultimately spent on various projects, he said.

The savings went into the Constitutional Budget Reserve and the Statutory Budget Reserve — essentially savings accounts the state has depended on to subsidize the budget over the last five years.

“That’s kind of given us this cushion to ride through the recession and the rapid decline in oil revenues without seriously disrupting the state programs,” Bradner said.

There’s about $5 billion left in those accounts, but that money wont last long. With oil production down compared to the good old days, the state is longoverdue to find a solution to solve its financial predicament.

“The past three or four years has been a very, kind of, painful reckoning for us,” Bradner said.

With the billions of dollars sitting in the Permanent Fund, using that money on the state might seem like an easy solution to solving the budget crisis, but doing so worries legislators in that it would “take the brake off” increasing spending.

“Without some constraining influence on budgets, they’re going to go up, because people want services and you’re going to have a constant upward pressure on budgets for some reason

or another,” Bradner said.

“The best constraint on budget is to just not to have any money,” he added, providing some levity to the situation.

Using the Permanent Fund to subsidize state spending can be a touchy subject, but Brander thinks it’s a solution to funding the state without relying on oil revenue is to tap into some of that money.

“The bottom line is that it will have to be used to help support the state budget. I mean, there really is no other solution than that,” Bradner said.

Clinton Boyer is a finance and property management student at UAA and was in the audience.

He’d like to see Alaska build a natural gas pipe line and draw income from that, because if the state were to impose an income tax or he were to end up losing his Permanent Fund Dividend for whatever reason, he would find somewhere else to live.

“Because why [would] I want to live here if you took away the incentives?” Boyer asked. “[If] you take it all away, I have no motivation to be here.”

Merry Engebretson works in the oil industry and showed up to the talk to learn more about the subject.

“We’re the ones who need to be taking over the conversation, because a lot of the [older] demographic that was in that room, they wont be around to speak for this in 20, 30 years,” Engebretson said.

Regardless of what the solution to the state’s fiscal woes ends up being, it’s the younger generation who will ultimately reap the rewards of the future or face the consequences of the past.

Sinfonia, a night of music and community

By Malia Barto

arts2@thenorthernlight.org

UAA’s Sinfonia is more than just a symphony. This year, the performance is a collaborative effort with the UAA wind ensemble, offering a night of strings, woodwinds, percussion and brass played by students, faculty and the Anchorage community.

The musicians consist of UAA students, both music-focused and not, and are joined by university faculty from the music and other departments, high school students and members of the community. In past Sinfonia shows, even the military has been involved.

“Being able to work with all ages and people from all over the state is really great for us to learn how to interact as musicians, but also just how to play an ensemble better,” Katie Wasko, a violinist in this year’s Sinfonia, said. Wasko is a senior this year, majoring in music education with a concentration in violin.

“We are very lucky to have such a wide range of people

playing with us,” Wasko said.

The musicians rehearse twice a week for over an hour and a half per rehearsal. Wasko said many of the musicians, including herself, have put in additional hours outside of class to practice, to work with private instructors and to perfect the pieces to be presented.

Wasko called this year’s Sinfonia one of the “most difficult but most rewarding shows” she’s ever been involved in at UAA and is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

Collaborating with the wind ensemble this year gives the audience more to look forward to, but also gives the musicians a chance to experience being a part of a bigger group.

“We managed to put two groups together and be able to play a symphonic repertoire so the students will have an experience not just playing in the sort of smaller settings [as one] wind ensemble or string ensemble, but will have a chance to experience a component music which includes winds, brass, percussion and so on,” Oleg Proskurnya, director of Sinfonia, said.

Terri Hubble, director of the

wind ensemble, said the opportunity working with others outside of the classroom and campus gave the musicians a “more realistic experience” and is a good way to continue to build the music programs, something that the music department is always continuing to do.

“It’s a lot of work, but Oleg [Proskurnya] and I are working really hard trying to build the program. We’re working hard and together and it’s been a lot of fun,” Hubble said.

Sinfonia is a one-night-only performance, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The show will run roughly 90 minutes with an intermission at the Recital Hall in UAA’s Fine Arts Building. From supporting the arts to enjoying talented musicians and classical music, Sinfonia is a night for all ages.

“All the pieces we are playing are so dynamic and they’re so passionate. Every time I play them I feel very empowered and I think the same will be for listeners as well,” Wasko said.

Tickets for Sinfonia are $9.99 for students, $14.99 for military and seniors and $19.99 for general public adults. Tickets can be purchased at artsuaa.com.

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

| 11

The strength of UAA’s Athletic Department Ryan Walsh, head strength and conditioning coach and assistant coach Adam Friese are responsible for every student-athlete’s weight training program at UAA

By Karolin Anders

sports@thenorthernlight.org

In 2005, Ryan Walsh of Fairbanks earned a scholarship to run track and field at UAA. Aiming to combine his passions for soccer and the short sprints, Walsh transferred to Humboldt State University after his sophomore year where he tore a labrum in his hip that put his athletic career on hold. Working in the weight room enabled him to stay active and engage with his team on a regular basis.

“That’s when I started liking lifting a lot and realized it would be fun to start doing that as a profession,” Walsh said.

After finishing up his collegiate eligibility, Walsh stayed at Humboldt State University to lay the groundwork for his professional career in the athletic world.

“I started volunteer coaching for the track and field team and handled all their weight training,” Walsh said. “That’s when I started working for the head strength and conditioning coach, Drew Peterson, at Humboldt State and it went on from there.”

The opening of the Alaska Airlines Center in 2014 and the introduction of its strength and conditioning department introduced a new opportunity to Walsh that drew him back to Alaska. Michael Friess, head track and field coach, as well as director of the strength and conditioning department, offered his former athlete the position as strength and conditioning coach. Walsh gladly took it.

Since then, Walsh has been a force in the department, with the help of assistant coach Adam Friese, and was named head strength and conditioning coach.

“What makes coach Ryan Walsh a successful strength coach is the effort he puts into getting to know his athletes,” Grant George, senior thrower for UAA’s track and field team, said. “He is familiar with the talents, strengths, and limitations of the athletes he coaches.”

Walsh’s daily schedule is filled with coaching activities, mentoring his athletes and the logistic aspects of the job.

“I oversee the daily operations in the weight room,” Walsh said. “I write up the training programs for our athletes, take them through the programs, oversee daily maintenance of the equipment, make sure that logistics are all working and so on.”

Martins Onskulis, alpine skier at UAA, appreciates Walsh and Friese’s innovative training, experience and passion for what

they are doing.

“Ryan [Walsh] and Adam [Friese] are like teachers to us; the only difference is that the classroom is a gym,” Onskulis said. “Ryan is doing a great job by planning workouts for us, it’s definitely a tough task since skiing involves not only lifting weights, but also balance, agility, jumps and other specific exercises. I have worked with Ryan and Adam for four years and I have become stronger and most importantly smarter in planning my workouts.”

Walsh and Friese enjoy seeing their athletes improve their strength and experience the benefits of their gained strength in their individual sports.

“I have several athletes who have literally tripled or quadrupled their max lifts from their freshmen year to later points in their career, and their athletic performance has shown their hard work. I love that I can give them an objective measurement that shows their progress as a result of their hard work,” Friese said.

Walsh and Friese’s love for what they do does not go unnoticed. In times of injury, athletes often find themselves working in the weight room more than usual to find alternative ways to stay in shape. Gymnast Marie-Louise Knapp recently underwent ACL surgery and is happy about the encouragement she received from Walsh and Friese.

“I like the variety and the combination of weight training and gymnastics conditioning,” Knapp said. “Especially during my recovery from my ACL surgery, Ryan and Adam motivated me every day and thought of creative exercises to keep me busy and in gymnastics shape.”

While putting his athletes’ well-being at top priority and spending hours in the Alaska Airlines Center to accommodate the different teams’ individual schedules, Walsh uses his late nights and downtime to work on his own lifting in the gym.

Walsh is a successful powerlifter in the community, winning local meets and also competing at the national level.

Currently competing in the 230-pound weight class, Walsh holds personal records of 639 pounds on squat, 419 pounds on the bench and 606 pounds on deadlift. Walsh also drew Friese into the sport, who used to compete in hockey, before retiring and taking the position as strength and conditioning coach at UAA. “My passions for athletics and weight training quickly grew and when I finally hung up my skates I was able to focus solely on fitness,” Friess said.

PHOTOS BY JAY GUZMAN

Ryan Walsh is the head strength and condition coach for UAA’s student athletes at the Alaska Airlines Center. Originally from Fairbanks Walsh has been the head strength coach since the Airlines Center opened in 2014.

PHOTO BY JAY GUZMAN

Ryan Walsh coaching one of his student athletes during their training program at the Alaska Airlines Center. Walsh works with, and manages, every single student athlete’s training program.

“But I wasn’t much interested in powerlifting until I met Ryan [Walsh]. He gave me one of his programs and after following a three-month plan I realized I had a knack for the sport and a desire to compete. The rest is history.”

Walsh continued to introduce powerlifting to members of the Anchorage community as he founded a powerlifting club at UAA, The Last Frontier Lifters, with the help of Colin McGill, current chemistry professor at UAA and an active member of

the powerlifting community in Anchorage. Lately, they had to hand the club over and hope that it will continue attracting generations of University students.

“We had a few athletes that were really dedicated and stayed with it, but I was spread too thin at the time, as well as Colin McGill,” Walsh said.

Still, Walsh encourages everyone interested in powerlifting to try it out and join the community in Alaska.

“Powerlifting has a great role in Alaska. It actually has a

pretty long history here,” Walsh said. “The community is very friendly and willing to help people getting into the sport.”

Walsh recommends USA Powerlifting Alaska, a Facebook group for Alaskan powerlifters, to find resources, ask questions and meet the powerlifting community. Additionally, Southside Strength and Fitness is a meeting point for many powerlifters from Anchorage to meet and train together or UAA’s The Last Frontier Lifters club.

12 | SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

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SPORTS

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Loss and tie for UAA’s hockey team against UAH The Seawolves played their second set of conference matches against Alabama-Hunstville

PHOTO COURTESY SAM WASSON / GOSEAWOLVES

Senior forward Austin Azurdia takes aim at Minnesota State goaltender Cole Huggins during the 2016-17 season. Azurdia has a team-leading five goals to his name as of Nov. 11.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAM PHILLIPS / GOSEAWOLVES

Jonah Renouf celebrates after a Seawolf goal during a home game. Renouf registered three assists during the match against Alabama-Huntsville on Nov. 11.

By Karolin Anders

sports@thenorthernlight.org

After splitting the games against Lake Superior State during their conference debut Nov. 3-4, the Seawolves went to Alabama to register a similar outcome versus the University of Alabama Huntsville at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville on Nov. 10-11.

Senior forward Austin Azurdia continued his scoring streak by registering a goal during Friday’s match against UAH. Azurdia’s lone team goal of the match, at 7:06 in the second period, makes it four team-leading goals on his record. Junior for-

ward Jeremiah Luedtke and senior forward Tad Kozun each recorded assists.

The Alabama-Huntsville’s Chargers were led by Brennan Saulnier, who scored twice, in the 5-1 win over the Seawolves.

Saulnier scored at 2:18 of the first period with a power-play and added another goal at 4:52 of the second period.

Christian Rajic scored another goal for UAH at 10:30 of the second period followed by his teammate Levi Wunder at 16:49. Madison Dunn sealed the win for UAH with his empty-net goal at 18.08. Overall, the Chargers outshot UAA 40-17.

During his 100th game for the Seawolves, senior goalten-

der Olivier Mantha registered 35 saves versus UAH’s goaltender’s 16 saves.

“We struggled to find our rhythm and our opponents were there from the start,” David Trinkberger, sophomore defenseman, said. “The long drive and entire week cost us a lot energy and you could feel it. Overall, we had a hard time to play our best and Alabama-Huntsville won rightfully.”

After their upset on Friday, the Seawolves returned to the ice on Saturday with a new tactic. In front of 3,072 attendees, the team scored three powerplay goals in the second period.

With an assist from Jonah Renouf, Nicolas Erb-Ekholm

was able to respond to UAH’s first goal at 14:03 of the first period — producing a 1-1 tie.

Erb-Ekholm’s goal was followed by Azurdia’s power-play goal at 17:57, assisted by Renouf as well as freshman forward Joe Sofo. Azurdia’s goal further extended his scoring streak to a team-leading five goals.

Renouf registered his third assist of the night during Kozun’s power-play goal at 19:53.

“The goal for today was to be there from the start of the game,” Trinkberger said. “We accomplished that relatively well and headed into the last period with a 3-1 lead.”

Josh Kestner of UAH registered his second goal of the night at 4:36 of the third period, followed by Connor Merkley’s goal during the final minute of the period. Alabama-Huntsville pulled their goalie for a six-onfour advantage to secure the 3-3 tie.

Luedtke’s goal in combination with Olivier Mantha’s saves

during the shootout secured the win for the Seawolves. Overall, Mantha registered another 35 saves that night.

“The Chargers were able to tie with us in the last minute of the third period, which resulted in overtime,” Trinkberger said.

“Both teams had good chances, but the shootout brought the final decision. Our win of the shootout secured the tie and gave us an extra point in the WCHA standings.”

UAA eared five points in its four WCHA games of the season and is currently tied for last place in the 10-team league with UAF and Lake Superior State, who have played two more WCHA games than UAA. The Seawolves will return to the Sullivan Arena on Nov. 17-18 to host a match against WCHA rival Michigan Technological University. Michigan Tech currently ranks third in the conference.

Newest addition to UAA Athletic Department Tanya Pont to handle donor development and relations

By Lauren Cuddihy

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

As of the end of October 2017, the University of Alaska Anchorage introduced the addition of a new Associate Athletic Director of Development. Now a part of the athletic’s 13-sport community, Tanya Pont took over the responsibility for donor development and relations.

Pont brings a significant amount of experience and knowledge to UAA as she has previously worked in a related field for over 18 years at SMG of Alaska, Inc. SMG was the management corporation that previously employed Pont as the Director of Marketing, but due to the recent budgetary issues, Pont and Joe Wooden, former general manager of the Sullivan Arena, were both dismissed in Aug. 2017.

At SMG, Pont had a broad

range of responsibilities and connections that will now help facilitate her career at UAA. Pont was appointed to be in charge of coordination of promotions, advertising campaigns, internal and external communications, public relations functions and media buys relative to the Sullivan Arena and its public events.

For UAA, Pont’s experience will not only benefit current athletic community members, but future ones as well.

“I volunteer for many local organizations that benefit youth athletics and support education,” Pont said. “These are my passions. I understand that, as a community, we need to work together to ensure opportunities for our children. In my new position at UAA, I can move this passion forward to help ensure that my children may have a chance to represent the hometown team.”

Pont will not only work to develop relationships with future athletes, but past athletes as well.

“I am working with Alumni Relations on a campaign to better engage alumni studentathletes. In order for UAA Seawolf Athletics to continue to be competitive in their respective sports and in the classroom, it is important to have a partnership with those alumni that have realized the benefit of graduating in green and gold,” Pont said.

In addition to relevant experience, Pont has a B.S. in Corporate Communications that she obtained from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (1994-1998).

Pont should be able to initiate communications and marketing strategies for the Alaska Airlines Center clients due to her experience establishing relationships with new business prospects, while continuing existing

customer relations and support.

At her previous job, Pont accumulated many specific successes that could transfer over as experience to UAA. “There were other events that we helped to bring to Alaska, including Nitro Circus, but one of the most satisfying accomplishments was being able to coordinate with local charity organizations to host a community holiday gift distribution center,” Pont said.

Pont heightened community engagement and revenue through successful public relations campaigns.

“I have a prior working relationship with UAA Athletics, having served on event committees for the [GCI] Great Alaska Shootout and Kendall Hockey Classic, and acting as their event logistical contact for events hosted at the Sullivan Arena. I have also developed relationships over the years with many

of UAA’s key donors and alumni base,” Pont said.

Her previous achievements and future goals for UAA have already been recognized and acknowledge by other athletic department and UAA faculty.

“We are pleased to add a seasoned professional like Tanya [Pont] to the UAA Athletics team. Her wealth of experience and knowledge in the Anchorage-area market is a great asset,” Tim McDiffett, interim athletic director, said.

In addition to her practical experience in a professional work environment, Pont joins the athletic department with valuable collegiate athletic experience. During her time at UC Colorado Springs, Pont participated as a dual collegiate athlete in both basketball and softball.

14 | SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

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BASKETBALL: Silverswords slash Seawolves Continued from cover players scoring in double figures.

They were lead by junior forward Braden Koelliker, who was also given all-tournament recognition for his contributions in the Silversword’s two wins.

“We showed some resiliency,” UAA Head Coach Rusty Osborne said. “We battled back, never got the lead, [but we]

tied it at one point and gave ourselves a chance.”

Osborne mentioned the challenges that comes with having so many new players who have been playing for different programs, but didn’t use that as an excuse for his team.

“We’re not a very good basketball team right now, but I do think we can get there if we stick with the process. Everybody just needs to do their job, and we’re

not consistently doing that,” Osborne said.

Although the GCI Great Alaska Shootout is only two weeks away, Osborne said that his team has work to do before they start focusing on the Thanksgiving classic.

“When we get passed the two games next weekend, we’ll start thinking about that. Right now, we have to give all our energy and just follow the process [and

start] coming together as a team. We’ve got four days of practice next week and we’ll have another test on Friday night,” Osborne said. “The bottom line is we want to win basketball games and we didn’t.”

The Seawolves will be taking on Holy Names University in a weekend doubleheader on Nov. 17 and 18 at the Alaska Airlines Center. Games start at 7:30 p.m.

CONTACT

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017

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