What is ChatGPT? How it works and the company behind it
The name “ChatGPT” is everywhere nowadays, but what exactly is the AI tool, and where is it going next?
By Taylor Heckart news3@thenorthernlight.org
When discussing AI, it’s hard not to bring up ChatGPT. Stories about the AI software are everywhere – a Google search on ChatGPT news stories returns over 115,000 different results.
With a current user base of over 180 million, many people are using ChatGPT, but what is it, and how did we get here?
ChatGPT is both a website and an app. The AI tool can be accessed for free, though there are paid options available.
Users of ChatGPT can type anything they want into a textbox, and the AI chatbot will generate a response. The New York Times reports that people have been using ChatGPT for everything from workouts, recipes, gift ideas, proofreading, academic research and more.
ChatGPT was developed by the company OpenAI.
OpenAI was created in 2015. One of the founders and donors was Elon Musk, but he left in 2018.
OpenAI began as an open-source nonprofit company. According to
The New York Times after Musk left, Sam Altman — another founder and now CEO — remade the company into a for-profit organization.
According to their website, OpenAI researches and creates AI, and their mission “is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
Before creating ChatGPT, OpenAI had other AIbased projects. Some early OpenAI projects included Gym – an AI learning platform – and Universe – a software to measure AI intelligence across different applications. Both were released in 2016.
In 2019, OpenAI released GPT-2, and in 2021 they released GPT-3. These are large language models, which help computers understand and communicate in human languages.
Generative pre-trained transformers models –known as GPT – are the base of other AI tools such as OpenAI’s text to image AI tool called DALL-E.
ChatGPT was first launched in November 2022 and, according to Reuters, within two months of its release date, it set the record for the fastest-
Israel declares war
on
By Kyle Ivacic news2@thenorthernlight.org
Israel declared war on Hamas following an attack by the militant group.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, on Oct. 7 Hamas “fired more than 2,000 [rockets] at Israel” and militants breached the Israeli border.
Israel is reporting that at least 199 people were kidnapped and more than 1,400 people were killed – children, women and civilians included — according to the New York Times.
It was the bloodiest day in Israel’s history according to The Economist, which reported that “More Jews were killed on October 7th than on any day since the Holocaust.”
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “Hamas is an Islamist militant movement” that governs Gaza – a small Palestinian territory to Israel’s southwest. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by many countries, the United States included.
Israel’s response to the attack has been intense and largely focused on Gaza.
CNN reports that between Oct. 7 and Oct. 12, Israel dropped more than 6,000 bombs on Gaza. The toll on civilian life
growing consumer base for an application in history – reaching 100 million users in two months.
For context, it took TikTok nine months, and Instagram over two years to reach that many users. That record has since been broken by Threads, which Forbes reports gained over 100 million users in five days.
In January 2023, The New York Times reported that Microsoft announced that they would be investing billions into OpenAI’s development.
ChatGPT is a generative AI, meaning that it takes in a lot of data in order to generate a response to a prompt. According to Stephen Wolfram, the CEO of Wolfram Research, when ChatGPT is given a prompt, it tries to come up with the most “reasonable” next word. This reasonable guess is based on the billions of different web pages and other data sources it’s already read.
According to Business Insider, ChatGPT is able to learn and mimic human sentence structures to look realistic. And, though it can talk like a human, it doesn’t actually “think” in the way people do – it’s
only mimicking what it knows.
As of publication, ChatGPT is free and available through an app and online webpage. Anyone can use ChatGPT 3.5, and paid subscribers can access ChatGPT 4, which has more advanced features.
Like Google, users of ChatGPT can ask questions into a text box and get results, but the results provided by ChatGPT are different from Google. When prompted, ChatGPT generates a response based on its training data, while Google directs users to websites. The information generated by ChatGPT can be accurate, but sometimes it’s not correct
When an AI like ChatGPT lies it’s known as a ‘hallucination,’ and instances of AIs lying have become well-documented.
In June, Reuters reported that two New York lawyers were sanctioned by a judge after they submitted a legal brief which cited six fake cases which were generated by ChatGPT. The lawyers did not realize that the briefs were fake when using ChatGPT to research a case.
Google is rolling out its own generative AI as
a part of its search tool. When users do a Google search, there is an option for Google’s AI to sort and generate a summary of the information.
There have been other concerns raised around the technology as well. This year, the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI because of its AI’s potential to put personal data and reputations at risk. The Federal Trade Commission is looking into the “products’ potential to ‘generate statements about real individuals that are false, misleading, or disparaging.’”
In March 2023, an open letter was published calling on tech companies to pause training AI systems stronger than ChatGPT 4 for at least 6 months. According to the letter, “Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable.”
The letter called for AI labs and experts to come together and create a set of shared safety measures for future AI design, to ensure that “systems adhering to them are safe beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Former OpenAI founder Musk was one of the signatories, in addition to many other famous names such as Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. This open letter caused other leaders in the tech industry to push back against these claims. In an interview with Reuters, Microsoft founder and owner Bill Gates said, “I don’t think asking one particular group to pause solves the challenges.”
“Clearly there’s huge benefits to these things … what we need to do is identify the tricky areas.”
ChatGPT continues to receive updates to its software. Previously, versions of ChatGPT were only trained on information up to September 2021. However, in September of this year, Reuters reported that with GPT-4, ChatGPT will be able to browse the internet using Bing.
The BBC reported that this means that users will now be able to ask ChatGPT questions around upto-date information.
On Sept. 25, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT can now “see, hear, and speak.” Users will soon be able to upload photos and have back and forth voice conversations with ChatGPT.
Hamas, UAA political science professor weighs in
and property in Gaza has been extensive.
The Gaza Health Ministry is reporting that Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 2,750 Palestinians since the war began.
According to NPR, “the Palestinian minister of health says a third of all those killed [in Gaza] since the beginning of this war have been children.”
At the time of publication, Israel is amassing soldiers, weaponry and armored vehicles along its border with Gaza, according to multiple media outlets, and it appears that Israel is preparing to invade Gaza to eliminate Hamas.
In an Oct. 13 speech reported by Reuters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel vowed to wipe Hamas “off the face of the earth.”
In an interview with The Northern Light, political science professor Kimberly Pace said that it’s important to remember “that there are real lives involved here on both sides … there are good people in Israel and there are good people in Palestine.”
Pace said that the Palestinian territories and Israel have seen disputes since the inception of Israel following the Second World War. Before modern Israel, the area was known as Palestine and had a long history “going back hundreds and hundreds of
years of Jewish people in that area, so the decision was made to make that the state of Israel,” said Pace.
She explained that “Palestinians were living there for centuries” as well. The partitioning of the land was the “impetus” for what is currently happening, said Pace.
“On and off there have been skirmishes and conflicts and wars … pretty much ever since.”
Pace said that better technology such as drones and satellites have brought the current conflict closer to the limelight.
“We’re seeing a lot more images now, in realtime than we ever did before.”
She also said that weapons “have drastically … gotten more efficient. And so, we see just utter devastation of cities, communities and villages.”
Pace also said that the conflict is not fully limited
to just Israel and Hamas. “Iran is a … supporter of Hamas. And what the United States doesn’t want to see is Iran get more involved.”
Iran also “has close ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon,” said Pace.
The Israeli military has clashed with Hezbollah militants in limited skirmishes over recent days, according to CNN and the Associated Press.
According to ABC: “Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said Sunday [Oct. 15] that the group is ready for all possibilities” and that “Hezbollah’s next step ‘is tied to what is going on in Gaza.’”
Pace mentioned that the United States sent “an aircraft carrier to the region” as a “show of strength.”
According to The Associated Press, Israel has ordered an estimated 1.1 million people to evacuate
northern Gaza.
Israeli Defense Forces dropped leaflets from the air displaying evacuation information, warning Palestinians to leave northern Gaza before the Israeli offensive.
Palestinians heeding the evacuation order have only one option: head south. All entry and exit points have been sealed off or destroyed in the recent fighting. The Associated Press reports that aid intended for Palestinians is stuck in Egypt where trucks at the border of Gaza are not currently able to enter the territory.
According to Reuters, Israel’s “total siege” of Gaza has resulted in the complete cutoff of all food, water and fuel to the territory and the only power plant within has been shut off.
At the time of publication, Axios is reporting that water supply to the southern Gaza has been resumed.
On Oct. 14, an official press release from the Israeli Defense Forces stated:
“With the support of an extensive logistical effort and hundreds of thousands of drafted reservists, IDF forces are currently preparing to implement a wide range of operational offensive plans, which can include combined and coordinated strikes from the air, sea and land.”
The Israeli Defense Forces plan to “dismantle
Hamas and ensure that the threat does not repeat itself,” according to the organization’s official website.
Al Jazeera reports that streetlights have been switched off on roads that straddle the border and that signposts are being covered up. Al Jazeera reporters on the ground have also taken note that “GPS systems often stop working” near the border.
President Joe Biden and other U.S. officials have reiterated that the United States stands by Israel. In response to the Hamas terror attack, Biden said in an Oct. 10 speech that, “Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond – indeed has a duty to respond – to these vicious attacks.”
NBC reported on Oct. 16 that 2,000 U.S. troops were ordered to be ready to deploy “for possible support to Israel.”
Biden is expected to visit Israel on Oct. 18 to “reaffirm solidarity with Israel,” according to Reuters.
Pace said, “Solve Israel-Palestine … If you can solve this, I firmly believe that … our world becomes a more peaceful place.”
“Presidents of the United States have been struggling with this for decades. World leaders have been struggling with this for decades. And this [the current conflict] is not making it any easier.”
UAA political science professor Kimberly Pace shares her thoughts on the conflict.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WAFA VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal neighborhood in Gaza City on October 9, 2023.
Debating to unionize: UA and graduate workers exchange arguments
University of Alaska graduate workers are looking to unionize for increased pay and better benefits, but the University of Alaska has pushed back saying that a union would be ‘one-size-fits-all.’
By Taylor Heckart news3@thenorthernlight.org
Graduate student employees across the University of Alaska system are currently voting on whether or not to form a union. The vote will end on Oct. 26 at 4 p.m.
If the vote passes, this would be the first graduate student union in Alaska. If a union is formed, the University of Alaska would have to negotiate with the union to create their contracts.
Graduate student employee jobs at the University of Alaska encompass many duties. Teaching assistants work in the classroom, research assistants work on research projects, while others work in administrative positions related to their area of academic interest.
According to UAA and UAF websites – like other student employees – graduate student employees cannot work more than 20 hours a week during the school year. Unlike undergraduate workers, graduate student positions receive healthcare and are offered tuition remission.
Organization of the proposed union — known as the Alaska Graduate Workers Association or AGWA-UAW — began in 2020 and 2021 when students across departments at UAF started to “have conversations about graduate worker issues,” according to the AGWA-UAW website.
The AGWA-UAW site highlights four issues that graduate student organizers are looking to improve. The Alaska Graduate Workers Association is looking for increased wages and regular pay increases, better healthcare, the inclusion of university fees in tuition remission and the ability to negotiate rights and working conditions.
According to the site, the Alaska Graduate Workers Association began a card drive on Sept. 20, 2022. AGWA-UAW or-
ganizers filed a petition for recognition with the Alaska Labor Relations Agency on December 9th, 2022.
There was significant back and forth between the Alaska Graduate Workers Association and the University of Alaska on what the bargaining unit – or group of employees who are eligible to be a part of the union –would be. Both had to agree on who was a part of the unit in order to move forward.
In August 2023, the University of Alaska and the Alaska Graduate Workers Association reached an agreement on the bargaining unit, allowing an election to take place on Oct. 13 through Oct 26.
The final bargaining unit includes research assistants, teaching assistants, student assistants and fellows – encompassing about 330 or so students. It excludes undergraduates and full-time university employees who may be taking graduate level classes.
The University of Alaska recently released a webpage with information on unionization. At UAA, digital posters appeared on televisions in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building and the Social Sciences Building, informing students of the upcoming vote.
“A graduate student employee union would be a ‘one-sizefits-all’ unit and may cost students more,” one digital poster read, directing students to the University of Alaska’s website.
The university site says that students do not need a union, and that “The University already works closely with graduate students and graduate student organizations to maintain direct, two-way communication with deans of the Graduate Schools and the Provosts at UAA, UAF, and UAS on a variety of topics.”
Graduate students also received an email from the university detailing similar information to the site.
According to the email, “The
outcome of the negotiating process is not known yet, so graduate student employees could end up with less, more, or the same benefits – it is simply impossible to guess at this point. Anyone who tells you that things ‘definitely’ will improve with a union is not being honest with you.”
UAA-based graduate employees and union organizers Sofia Sytniak and Allex Mahanna said they expected this response from the university, and said that many points on the university’s page are “blatantly false” or “partial truths.”
The Alaska Graduate Workers Association responded with a “report card” of UA’s site. They gave it a failing grade.
The full text of claims made by both the University of Alaska and the Alaska Graduate Workers Association can be found online at their respective sites.
“I do think it’s interesting that the only kind of conversations around like, the grad student experience and all the benefits that UA provides, came out like in direct response to the union effort,” said Mahanna.
Changes to graduate student wages at UAA, UAF and UAS are currently decided independently by each school. UAA and UAF have raised the minimum rates that graduate students are paid in recent years.
According to the AGWAUAW website, UAA raised its minimum rate to $21 an hour beginning in fall 2022. UAF raised its minimum rate from a little over $15 an hour to $21 an hour beginning spring 2023.
“There’s no way to prove this, but it’s really interesting that that [UAF’s] pay raise came about once the union started gaining a lot of traction, and there was a lot of talk about unionizing,” said Mahanna.
The AGWA-UAW site says, “Although substantial, this increase does not fully rectify the decrease in wages graduate student-workers have experienced due to rising costs of housing,
groceries, and other essentials. Further, this increase occurred only after the UAF Graduate School was made aware that graduate assistants intended to unionize.”
The AGWA-UAW site also compares UA graduate student minimum pay to other unionized campuses, claiming, “Unionized Campuses Have it Better.” The site draws comparisons to UAF “research peer” institutions, identified in a 2017 UA document.
Jonathon Taylor – the director of public affairs for the University of Alaska system – spoke with The Northern Light in an interview about these issues.
When asked how University of Alaska graduate employee wages stack up to comparable universities, he said that it’s challenging to compare Alaska’s graduate schools to other universities.
“Drawing comparisons to other schools can be a little bit challenging, just because of the uniqueness of Alaska, but also because of the different types of programs and research opportunities that we can provide folks, so I tend to hesitate to draw direct comparisons with other institutions,” said Taylor, “There are so many nuances.”
Taylor said that he wouldn’t speculate on what would happen if a graduate student union formed, but said that “There has been, in some cases, a little bit of a loss of nuance and the ability to address hyper specific needs. Because it is a unit that represents … all folks at the University of Alaska.”
According to the UA page, “The differences that make our schools, colleges, degree programs, and departments unique make it impossible for all of them to be accounted for under one, umbrella agreement.”
Mahanna doesn’t agree. “We, as the union, get to decide what we want for our bargaining unit. We can make specific choices … for the different schools,” she
said, “There are specifications that are allowed to be made within the different universities.”
Sytniak added to that, saying that there are also many similarities between graduate students across the UA system. “I think it’s not trusting us and our decisions as graduate students, like, we’ve come together across campuses, have been having conversations for years, and know that we have common interests,” said Sytniak.
Despite not being in agreement on many unionization issues, both the University of Alaska and the Alaska Graduate Workers Association sites encourage eligible graduate employees to vote.
Taylor said, “While our opinion might be that a bargaining unit might not provide the benefits that are being claimed to the graduate student employees, every graduate student employee absolutely has the right to make their voices heard and we want folks to participate.”
The vote on whether or not to unionize is based on the proportion of yes or no votes among the total number of people who actually vote, and not the actual size of the bargaining unit. If only three graduate workers voted and two of those votes were in favor, the union would still be formed.
Sytniak said, “But that’s, of course, not what we want to happen.”
“We want to have as many people vote yes as possible to show the university that we’re together on this, and are in agreement that this is what we think is best for us as graduate students.”
The vote ends on Friday, Oct. 26th, at 4 p.m. Eligible graduate student employees should have received an email and pin that allows them to vote online or over the phone.
The Alaska Graduate Workers Association expects the results of the vote to be certified on November 2nd.
Cutting up dead beached whales, students can help with necropsies
In the last year, the UAA affiliate of the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network has worked 22 cases with an average of 30 to 50 each year. No experience is necessary and volunteers are still eligible to sign up.
By Hannah Dillon opinion2@thenorthernlight.org
UAA is a part of the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network which researches and takes samples of stranded marine mammals. Natalie Rouse is a research professional and stranding coordinator for the university who works with the network. Rouse and UAA Veterinary Pathologist Dr. Kathy Burek work together to respond to dead-stranded marine mammals across the state.
Marine mammals are considered stranded when they are alive and unable to return to sea. They can also be dead and beached or found floating in the water – dead or alive – according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A volunteer program at UAA allows students and community members to assist in collecting samples for research and diagnosis of dead-stranded marine mammals.
The volunteer program has a grant through UAA allowing activity in Marine Mammal Stranding Response. Rouse said she and Burek like to involve students in the program to get them interested in marine biology and help them learn about anatomy.
The necropsy program does not typically deal with live stranded animals, but they may assist the Alaska SeaLife Center in live strandings when more assistance is needed.
Rouse explained that participants in the program collect samples for the National Marine Fisheries Service and the samples are then sent to diagnostic labs and researchers in an attempt to understand their condition while alive and why the animals died.
After examining the samples in the diagnostic lab, they are sent to archives such as the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks.
“They’ll take a little piece of
several different organs of each mammal and then they’ll take bones as well so people can do future research on them,” said Rouse.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, necropsy research is important because “through necropsies we have learned a significant amount about the basic physiology and biology of animals that are not accessible in the wild or through other means.”
Rouse explained that the reason marine mammals die is often dependent on species or location. Sea lions and humpback whales tend to have interactions with fisheries, such as getting hooked, getting hit by fishing boats or becoming entangled in a variety of fishing gear. Meanwhile, Cook Inlet Beluga whales die more often because of disease.
In the last year, Rouse explained that the program responded to reports of four belu-
gas, four porpoises, three harbor seals, two humpback whales and nine steller sea lions, with most reports occurring in the summer and fall.
There are currently 60 active volunteers that consist of both students and community members available to collect samples across the state.
To volunteer for the program, you must first contact Rouse to receive printable application documents. After filling out the application, it must be physically mailed to Rouse.
“We figure out how many we’ll need, then… I send out a mass email and whoever responds that they can do it, that’s who comes.”
The program is still accepting applications.
Interestingly, after the emergence of Covid-19, Rouse explained that reports of beached mammals had decreased.
“It could be because we are out less and reporting less, it could be because we put a lot of
effort into training people in other areas of Alaska so that they could do it themselves. You only have about a day or two to have a really fresh, really good case, otherwise you lose a ton of information,” said Rouse.
Rouse said that the decrease in marine mammal reporting is happening nationwide. There is a stranding response network in every coastal area and many are experiencing a similar trend.
“Report marine mammals, dead or alive, as soon as you see them. A lot of people think ‘it’s dead, I’ll report it later’ but actually we lose a lot of information if we don’t get it reported right away,” said Rouse.
To find out more about this program or sign up to volunteer, contact Natalie Rouse at nrouse@alaska.edu. To report a stranded marine mammal, call the 24 hour National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hotline at 1-877-925-7773 or the Alaska SeaLife Center at (888) 378-2525.
Survey results: UAA students have mixed opinions on the use of generative AI
As part of our investigative series into AI, The Northern Light conducted a two week survey on student opinions on AI. Survey designed by Mark Zimmerman and Matthew Schmitz.
By Taylor Heckart news3@thenorthernlight.org
The Northern Light conducted a survey across UAA’s main campus, asking respondents for their opinions on a variety of AI-based issues. The results were mixed, with some students feeling very positive toward AI, some feeling very negative and many falling somewhere in-between.
This survey allowed respondents to be anonymous, though they did have the option to provide their name and contact information if they chose.
The Northern Light received 23 responses to the survey. All respondents identified as students, though one identified as both student and staff. This is not meant to be a scientific survey or represent the feelings of the entire student body of UAA.
Students represented a wide variety of degree programs including English, anthropology, computer science, mechanical engineering, marketing and history to name a few.
More than half of all respondents reported using AI programs before.
Excluding “other” responses, 69.6% of students reported using generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Bard, 52.2% reported using a generative AI image generator like DALL-E and 56.5% reported using a built-in generative AI feature in an existing product, such as Google Generative Search or Microsoft Copilot.
When it comes to how often students are using AI, 27% of students said they do not use generative AI products or services, while just as many say they use it at least once a week.
23% reported that they use AI on rare occasions, 9% said they use it only once a month while another 9% claimed to use it daily.
54.5% of students said that their instructor, employer, or organization has a policy around the use of generative AI. 36.4% were unsure. Only 9.1% of students said there was no policy in place.
While some professors ban AI altogether, students reported that some allow it as a starting point, or as a way to generate ideas. One student wrote that in one class it’s alright to use AI to
proofread and help research, but the student is responsible for any inaccuracies that AI might create.
Some professors do allow AI more widely in the classroom. One student wrote, “There are set places in assignments to use GPT and guides for how to use it to be a better and more efficient student.”
Three students self-reported that they had used AI on an assignment without their instructor’s knowledge or approval, while 18 students self-reported that they had not.
Many students reported using generative AI to help with education-related tasks. The most popular use for generative AI tools was brainstorming ideas, followed by looking up information and studying.
When it comes to how students feel about the use of AI in education, the results are mixed. 36% of students reported feeling a mix of both positive and negative toward AI. 23% of students reported feeling very negative and concerned. Only 9% – or two students – reported feeling very optimistic about AI in education.
“It does take away the satisfaction of completing an assignment completely on your own. You may not learn as much
while using AI to do the assignment. It could be more beneficial as a study tool [than] anything else,” one student wrote.
Another student wrote that it was ironic that universities often have strong anti-AI policies, while they may also use AI-based services such as plagiarism detection software.
“This is a problem the university quite literally helped create,” wrote the student, “And now they act like education is under attack and they are just so vulnerable to these large language models.”
When it comes to AI use outside of education, students were most concerned about the use of AI in politics, with 60.9% reporting feeling very negative and concerned.
Students were also concerned with AI generating online and social media content, with a majority of students feeling either very negative and concerned, or a little bit negative.
59.1% of respondents also reported feeling very concerned about AI misinformation being spread online.
One student wrote, “One thing that people forget is that AI text generators, when asked certain questions, can produce extremely incorrect answers with strong confidence. This can mislead the user if the user does not exercise caution.”
65.2% of students reported being very concerned about photorealistic deepfakes – digi-
UAA’s Atwood Chair John Sharify talks journalism, filmmaking to UAA students and community
“I want my passion for journalism and storytelling to rub off on my students.”
By Kaycee Davis features2@thenorthernlight.org
As I chose my seat, a woman sitting in front of me called out to a man in a gray suit standing in front of the stage. The man walked over and she introduced herself. She was Alice, sister of his roommate Steve from Princeton. They spoke of Steve for a few moments and took some pictures together. I got out of my seat to avoid photobombing them.
I realized that I missed what would have been a great photograph of the man I would learn was the storyteller of all storytellers, someone that some members of the audience had traveled a long way to see. The man in the gray suit was the man I had come to hear: Shahab “John” Sharify.
Sharify won the duPont Columbia Award in 2021 – what presenter and UAA professor Paola Banchero described as “the broadcaster equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize” – and has received 79 Emmy Awards, among many other prizes of professional recognition. Sharify has been a broadcast journalist for over 40 years, working in New York City and Seattle and has traveled all over the world covering stories, presenting workshops and mentoring journalists.
Banchero’s voice softened, “He is also, if you know him, a wonderful human being – and I think that comes across in his storytelling. Students love him and he is so thoughtful, such a good listener and just a pleasure to have as a colleague.”
With that glowing introduction, the audience was taken into the multifaceted world of John Sharify. Sharify told the audience that he was going to speak of his “journey as a journalist” and his approach to storytelling. He said that “journalists have a front seat to history, a passport into people’s lives.” Sharify is still winning awards, but at this stage in his
career, he said he is “influencing the next generation of journalists.” There was a sense that he was passing the baton to the next journalists – encouraging them to tell the stories of what is happening.
Sharify said many times –both on and offstage – “I want my passion for journalism and storytelling to rub off on my students.”
tally manipulated AI videos that realistically pretend to be another person.
“I think [AI] is very impressive and demonstrates the potential for great things, but the costs, such as the potential for accurate deepfakes, outweigh these benefits,” wrote one student.
More than 60% of respondents reported being either “very concerned” or “concerned” about bias in AI, while slightly more than half reported being either “very concerned” or “concerned” about copyright issues with AI.
“I think it can be used in helpful and useful ways, but there are aspects of it that could be detrimental to society, such as AI-generated art stealing from the work of human artists,” wrote one student.
While some respondents said that AI is a “net positive” and others said it’s “garbage,” many students acknowledged both the possible benefits and disadvantages in their responses.
One student wrote, “It could offer immediate help and explanation when there is no one else to ask. On the other hand, connecting with other people is a necessity.”
“It is very helpful for solving equations, but it is not great at morals,” wrote another.
The Northern Light is continuing to report on other AIbased stories, all of which can be found online.
His advice to writers was simple: write what you know and say why it matters.
“It’s not enough to give us the facts. Shine a light, get at the truth, hold our government leaders and the powerful accountable, raise awareness, make a difference, shift perspective on the stories you share. Do all of that but give me more: report with heart, take viewers places they’ve never been. Don’t just tell us, show us. Prove it.”
And prove it he did. Throughout his presentation, he shared several examples of his own work with the audience. First was “Storybook” – a documentary about two writers who write stories about kids with cancer, and one little girl who was featured in a book.
Next was “Bob’s Choice.” It explores the last days of a man – Bob Fuller – diagnosed with cancer who ended his life on his terms.
Another story – “Climb of a Lifetime” – was about former homeless men and drug users who took on the challenge of climbing Mt. Rainier.
What makes a good storyteller great? Most people have heard of “blank screen syndrome,” where the writer has a hard time starting to write. Sharify isn’t like that. “I love the blank screen.”
However, it wasn’t always that way for Sharify. Only with experience, did he see the blank screen as a fresh start with “possibilities, new chapters, new beginnings, a story to tell!” He emphasized the importance of telling the truth, not being boring, doing no harm and getting the facts right.
He spoke about the emotional impact on journalists from being on “the front lines of people’s lives,” and being given an assignment and having to go –even when you know the subject is hurting. Such as one where a young man had been murdered and [Sharify] was told to go talk to his grieving mother. “We try to not let it get to us,” he said, “we try, but it does.”
The videos Sharify shared were sad, but one could observe the good in telling a news story. These pieces were great because they were not just about “homeless drug addicts living in Seattle,” or “a child with cancer tries to cheer people up.” Sharify’s stories and documentaries are not just about the news or the people making the news – they are about connections between people, and commonalities with the viewers.
Throughout the film, Sharify was able to share the many facets of people’s lives and show them as more than statistics, illnesses, addictions or afflictions. Flowing under the surface of his stories there was resilience, healing and strength.
Sharify ended his lecture with a quote by Joseph Campbell:
“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.”
Sharify said that he is following his bliss and that – as the Atwood Chair in Journalism and Public Communications at UAA – he is teaching and sharing his “experience, expertise and stories with the next generation of journalists and filmmakers, tapping into the human experience and the human spirit and hopefully telling those meaningful stories powerfully and beautifully.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICE HUTTUNEN
Alice Huttunen, sister of Steve Davis, a roommate of Shahad John Sharify from his Princeton days, came to hear Sharify speak and say hello to him.
Writing and AI: ‘tech wizards’ and ‘intellectual slugs’
One UAA professor discusses the absence of critical thinking when using AI.
By Hannah Dillon opinion2@thenorthernlight.org
This story is a part of The Northern Light’s investigative series into AI in education, which follows different groups at UAA and their experience with AI.
AI in education has been a major topic of discussion in the past few years with the emergence of programs like ChatGPT. But how does AI affect writing in an educational setting?
UAA Professor of Writing Shane Castle has introduced dis-
cussions of AI into his syllabus in WRTG 111, WRTG 211 and WRTG 212.
Castle said that with his classes – Writing and the Humanities especially – his unit on AI helps students consider what is uniquely human about writing. It also helps students understand their choices and how they think when writing various texts.
Castle first brought AI into the classroom in 2022. His first unit of the semester introduced the differences in AI generated stories and student essays.
Castle’s first lesson asked students to write a short essay on a
given topic, ChatGPT was then introduced shortly after. He then encouraged students to compare and contrast an AI generated essay of the same topic, with the student’s essay.
“The real learning comes in reflection when they write an essay identifying distinctions between the [two] essays,” said Castle.
Castle leans somewhat against the use of AI in the classroom, but not so much for the risk of plagiarism, but instead the dulling of critical thought.
“I think outsourcing critical thinking is a net loss to humanity and to students on an indi-
vidual level. You can’t develop critical capacities without hard mental work,” said Castle. “I would rather ask hard questions and hope students will at least think about the consequences of certain actions rather than living on auto-pilot and passively accepting whatever billionaire tech wizards with obvious profit motives throw at us.”
Castle also noted that AI can be an impressive tool for understanding a new concept. With ChatGPT’s ability to simplify definitions or difficult concepts, he said that AI can be helpful to struggling students.
When it comes to the worries
and risks of plagiarism through AI, Castle said he can not worry himself too much about it. If he suspects plagiarism, he would report the incident the same as any other.
Plagiarism is a concern among any educational institution but Castle’s true concern lies in the intellectual autonomy of students.
“I worry about the long-term effects of humans outsourcing too many of our critical capacities. Struggle is essential to growth. Shortcutting that hard work could turn us into intellectual slugs whose only function is to give money to the ruling class and consume piles of garbage they shovel at us,” said Castle.
A&E 05
Upcoming UAA Department of Music Fall Concerts
Ranging from early period music to Broadway and solo voice performances, the UAA Department of Music offers a rich variety of performances.
By Kaycee Davis features2@thenorthernlight.org
The Department of Music at UAA has a full schedule lined up for the upcoming semester. The music department has a wide variety of performances, ranging from early period music and classical guitar to solo voice recitals and choirs.
There will also be a classical guitar concert by UAA professor Armin Abdihodzic playing on Oct. 21. In an email to The Northern Light, he wrote that his work will be “a nice trip through the 20th century of Spanish and Latin American classical guitar music,” with works from Spanish, Cuban, Argentinian and Venezuelan composers.
Arts
There will be two early period music shows in November.
“Romantic Reverie” will be on Nov. 11 with Romantic guitar
Upcoming events
UAA event list for Wednesday, Oct. 24, to Tuesday, Oct. 31
By Selena Im webmanager@thenorthernlight.org
Events happening throughout the week:
Mr. Mummy Halloween’s Surprise
A performance put on by TBA Theatre. This performance tells the hilarious tale of Joe Ho Tep, 13th in line to be Pharaoh, and his attempt to put on a Halloween party. All ages event, ticket purchase required.
Alaska Pacific University Grant Hall
Oct. 26, starts at 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 starts at 3 p.m.
Oct. 29 starts at 3 p.m.
Curse of the Mummy
A performance put on by TBA Theatre. The year is 1933, and Oxford University students have come to Egypt to uncover the mysteries of ancient times. But they find - and awakenmuch more than they are expecting. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Ticket purchases required.
Friday Oct. 27, starts at 7 p.m.
Saturday Oct. 28, starts at 7 p.m.
Sunday Oct. 29, starts at 3 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 31, starts at 8 p.m.
Tuesday Oct. 31, starts at 7:30 p.m
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Screening of “Trust Me” and panel discussion
A free screening of the documentary “Trust Me,” examining the effects of media technology and misinformation on society followed by an insightful panel discussion about the film. Starts at 6:30 p.m.
Social Science Building room 118
Thursday, Oct. 26
Seawolf Hockey vs Penn State
Avis Alaska Sports Complex
Starts at 3 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27
Soapstone Carving with Native Student Services
ANHC and UAA/APU’s Native Student Services offer a three-session soapstone carving class with instructor Leon Kinneeveauk
Rasmuson Hall From 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Seawolf Hockey vs Penn State
Avis Alaska Sports Complex
trio music, and on Nov. 19, students and faculty will perform in a free concert of Baroque period instruments which include Ba-
Starts at 3 p.m.
Halloween at the Museum
Explore Halloween-themed activities like trick-or treating, story time, creative projects, and planetarium shows. Costumes are welcome, and admission includes music, cookies, and treats.
Anchorage Museum
From 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Haunted Halloween Fun Night 2023
Anchorage’s largest indoor trick-or-treat event, the Haunted Halloween Fun Night, is hosted by the Club Council and Student Organization Services. Recommended for children and families, ticket purchase required.
Student Union
Session 1, from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Session 2, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Flow Zone Halloween Jam Community dance gathering, featuring games, performances vendors, a special guest artist, and a costume dance battle. Tickets can be found at Eventbrite.
Flow Zone Dance Studio
From 4 to 9 p.m.
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper Blind fiddler Michael Cleveland, celebrated for his remarkable skill and speed, is a blue -
roque guitar and violin, sometimes harpsichord and an early cello called viola de gamba.
On Sunday Nov. 12, Mari Hahn will be performing “Mandela of Song” with UAA music professor Timothy Smith. Hahn said that she and Smith will be performing for the first time in over 20 years. The recital was Smith’s idea.
Hahn said that she chose the theme of “mandala” because “for some, mandala is a vehicle of transformation. The concept of ‘mandala’ is about being present when everything around you is transient.”
Her selection is broken up into parts – starting in childhood and morphing into a theme of “losing one’s mind.” The topic is heavy, but the material is about the impermanence of everything.
Members of the UAA Jazz Ensemble and voice majors
will practice improvisation for a week with retired UAA music professor Karen Strid-Chadwick. On Nov. 18, they will present “The Great American Songbook: A Concert of Jazz Songs.” Their genre is called “Great American Songbook” with their performance website describing the pieces as “Standards made famous by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall and Michael Buble.”
On Dec. 8, the UAA Voice Majors will present “Broadway Bound,” a concert with Broadway hits.
Is money tight? The UAA Department of Music will be offering a few free concerts. One of these is scheduled for on Nov. 19, whenJohn Lutterman will be directing “Early Music Ensemble,” and – as the semester winds down – there will be class recitals and ensembles.
To purchase tickets and see schedules, go to the Department of Music’s Facebook page and see the pinned posts.
grass star of our time. Secure your tickets for his performance through Center Tix, Anchorage Concerts, and more.
Atwood Concert Hall
Starts at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 29
USUAA General Assembly
Meeting
Join in person or virtually through Zoom or Facebook. USUAA is UAA’s student government
Student Union, Lyla Richards Conference room
From 3 to 5 p.m.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES EVANS/UAA.
UAA Department of Music holds a dress rehearsal for its annual Symphony of Sounds performance in the UAA Fine
Recital Hall. Spring 2023.
Movie Review: ‘The Creator’ pits man against machine in a futuristic critique of Western warfare
The sci-fi film released to mixed reviews, and tackles far more than just the future of AI. Warning: spoilers ahead!
By Taylor Heckart news3@thenorthernlight.org
AI is a hot topic in popular culture right now, and another AI-centered sci-fi movie has just hit the big screen: “The Creator.”
“The Creator” takes place in the year 2060 – following the effects of a devastating nuclear detonation in Los Angeles. The United States blames artificial intelligence for the bomb, and vows to destroy all artificial intelligence on Earth.
AI take refuge in “New Asia”– a futuristic combination of east and south Asian countries – where artificial intelligence is still welcomed.
The United States begins missions to target and destroy AI, often killing civilians in the process.
Joshua Taylor – played by John David Washington – is a former U.S. secret operative who has returned to New Asia five years after a disastrous undercover mission killed his wife, Maya.
His goal was to get closer to the leader of artificial intelligence forces – Nirmata. Now the military needs him back for his expertise as they search for Nirmata’s newest weapon – “Alpha O.”
When he discovers that Alpha O is actually an AI child, Taylor is forced to make a decision between his job and his humanity.
“The Creator” is directed
by Gareth Edwards, who directed “Rogue One” and 2014’s “Godzilla”. In addition to John David Washington – Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe and Allison Janney play supporting roles.
From a box office standpoint, the film isn’t exactly a smash hit. After close to a month in theaters, “The Creator” has made just over $79 million at the worldwide box office – almost breaking even with its estimated $80 million dollar budget. According to Screenrant, the film would need to make back at least double its budget at the box office to be considered successful, which currently looks unlikely.
One of the one things that’s unique about “The Creator” is the budget – which is small compared to other movies produced by large studios this year. Despite the relatively small budget, the film is a visual masterpiece – with filming locations spanning from LA to Tokyo and Indonesia to Vietnam, all while futuristic visual effects such as vehicles, weapons and robots run across the screen.
In an interview with Collider, Edwards said that the reason they were able to film in these locations was because they kept the crew small.
“If you have a crew small enough, then the cost of flying anywhere in the world with that group of people is cheaper than building a set. The second it’s a bigger crew, now it’s more expensive, and so let’s just build a
set, right?” said Edwards.
In an era where green screen and CGI are often used instead of on-location filming, not only is it refreshing to see characters interact with the actual landscapes around them, but it also contributes to the realism of the film. By putting CGI sci-fi creations overtop an existing landscape, the visuals mesh surprisingly well together, and don’t look out of place.
Another unique part of the film’s production was that many actors didn’t even know whether they were AI. In an interview with Screenrant, Edwards said that “We’re making a film about AI. And so I think the thing I was really interested in … [bringing] to the table was how human everyone was.”
“And by the end, I stopped
telling people if they were AI or not. I didn’t want them to behave differently. I wanted it to be completely natural.”
When it comes to reviews, there are just as many critical reviews as there are positive. The film currently has a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.1 out of10 on IMDB.
Critics tend to either love or hate the movie. NPR called the movie a “muddled plea for human-robot harmony,” while IGN said it “looks amazing but doesn’t have a lot to say.”
Meanwhile, the Guardian called it “a truly original man-vmachine sci-fi spectacular,” and the BBC said “The Creator” was a “ ‘jaw-droppingly distinctive’ sci-fi.”
Many reviews say that the film fell prey to cliches and tropes that have been done many times before – which is true.
The trope of war between humanity and AI notwithstanding, there’s also the reluctant hero-child duo that seems to be in every third action movie that comes out. Not to mention, the fate of the entire world rests on this one chosen child. Meanwhile, the long-suffering hero is motivated by the loss of his wife. The list goes on.
But cliches are rampant in all kinds of movies these days. Any viewer would be hard-pressed to find a film – especially a science fiction one – that doesn’t have some kind of reused trope within the plot. So, the question then becomes: Does the movie
execute the cliche well?
Overall – though there are some slips – the film uses its cliches in compelling ways that further the story. There’s an emotion and an intensity to the film that makes it hard to look away, regardless of some overused tropes.
What makes the movie actually stand out, however, is that it’s not really a movie about AI. Sure, it’s about a war against AI, but the message goes beyond that into a critique of the United States’ role in modern warfare.
By 2060, the United States created a military space station called NOMAD which launches military attacks from the sky. It evokes images of military drone strikes, but on an even larger and imposing scale.
In New Asia, the military guns down and bombs hundreds of civilians during every mission to eradicate AI. They do not take the time to check if they are human are not. Characters can be killed off at any time.
“The Creator” evokes images of the Global War on Terror and the Vietnam War.
It’s fast-paced, it’s tense and people die. A lot of people die. It forces the viewer to consider what happens to civilians who are so often caught in conflict, and are senselessly murdered because of it.
It’s a heavy film, but it may be worth the watch if you’re okay with some cliche.
The haunting of the Wendy Williamson Auditorium
Ghost tours were held at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium to explore the paranormal activities associated with the building.
By Avery Williamson sports2@thenorthernlight.org
A woman in a white dress, a man who doesn’t like women with long, dark hair, spirits that emit negative energy – that’s what’s lurking within the walls of the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
Weird things have happened ever since the building was built in 1972. It only seemed fitting that Friday the 13th would feature ghost tours at the auditorium.
Wendy Williamson Auditorium Manager Shane Mitchell was the tour guide for the event. Before leading the group to the stage, Mitchell gave a historical rundown of the building:
“It was built to be the performing arts center. They got into the construction of the building, and – because it was the university – they ran out of money. So the building sat here as an empty shell for 18 months.”
UAA then asked the Municipality of Anchorage for funds to finish the building. “The Municipality agreed, but not to the way that the building was supposed to be built,” said Mitchell.
“It was supposed to be twice
the size to accommodate 2,000 people.”
The Municipality changed the original blueprints to reduce the size, but – according to Mitchell – they didn’t change the plans completely.
“As a result of that, the building is very strange,” said Mitchell. “There is an elevator shaft that leads absolutely nowhere.”
“During the 2018 earthquake, there was a crack that appeared in the wall. When they opened up the wall, there was a full room complete with electricity and lights walled up behind the wall that no one knew existed.”
These strange designs add to the eeriness of the auditorium.
Many people think the Wendy Williamson haunting is nonsense, but after touring the auditorium, even a self-proclaimed psychic believes the building is haunted.
Micthell said that a few days after the psychic explored the auditorium, she told the staff that “there were a minimum of five spirits” haunting the building.
These spirits are a teenage boy, a college-aged woman who wears a white dress, a little girl around the age of nine and two men.
The psychic also noted that “both of the men were aggressive, violent spirits.”
For Mitchell, the psychic’s analysis is accurate, because he’s encountered these spirits before.
When Mitchell first started working at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium, he noticed that – unlike many buildings across campus – there was no portrait of the building’s namesake Wendell Williamson.
Before Mitchell was the manager of the auditorium, he found Wendell’s painting hidden in the closet. When asked about the painting, Mitchell’s manager replied “I hate that effing painting.”
“He was my manager,” said Mitchell, “so I immediately put it back.”
A few years later – when Mitchell became the manager – he hung the painting up. “But when I came in the next day the portrait was on the ground, having slipped off the wall.”
For several days Mitchell rehung the painting, only to find it on the floor in the morning.
One time, Mitchell recalled, “the portrait slid down the wall, broke the linoleum underneath the carpet, and the portrait was unharmed.”
From that day on, Mitchell decided “I too hate that effing painting.”
To this day, Wendell Williamson’s portrait cannot be found hanging in the building.
On multiple occasions, Mitchell has also seen the woman in the white dress around the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
One night, Mitchell was waxing the floor when he heard the sound of high-heeled shoes. Looking in the reflection of the freshly waxed floor, Mitchell could see a woman wearing a white dress walking toward him.
When he raised his head, there was no one there.
Months later, the Wendy Williamson Auditorium hosted a women’s bodybuilding show. After the competition, the women asked someone to take a group photo of the contestants.
“One of their contemporaries took a shot of them and then handed the phone back,” said Mitchell. “No time for any sort of tricks. No time for photoshopping.”
“When we all looked at the phone, there was a woman in a white dress standing behind all of the bodybuilders who had not been there when the picture was snapped.”
While some of these supernatural occurrences are basically harmless, not all of them are.
There is an aggressive spirit that haunts the auditorium – one that likes to push women with long, dark hair down the stairs.
When the Wendy Williamson Auditorium hosted the Miss Alaska Pageant, Mitchell witnessed the spirit torturing a contestant.
“A beautiful young woman was standing on the landing,” recalled Mitchell. “Suddenly she pitched forward and fell down the stairs to where two other women were waiting for her.”
After making sure she was okay, the other contestants began to make fun of her. They told her she needed to practice walking in high heels. But the young woman wasn’t walking when the fall occurred. She claimed someone pushed her.
“The most chilling thing was the next night when it was the evening gown portion of the competition,” said Mitchell.
“Her gown was backless and on either side of her spine was a bruise in the rough shape of a palm, as though someone had struck her on each side of the spine very abruptly and with great concussion.”
Between the strange building design, pictures that just won’t stay on the wall, mysterious photobombers and seemingly hostile incidents, there’s something odd about the Wendy Williamson Auditorium.
IMAGE COURTESY OF IMDB Poster for The Creator.
UAA hockey splits series against the Air Force Academy
After securing a strong 3-1 victory over the Air Force Academy Falcons, the Seawolves fell short the second night, losing 4-3 in overtime.
By Avery Williamson sports2@thenorthernlight.org
UAA hosted a two game series against the Air Force Academy Falcons on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Avis Alaska Sports Complex.
The Seawolves kicked off the series with a win in the first game, with thirty-three saves by goalie Jared Whale helping carry UAA to victory.
Less than seven minutes into the first period, Whale already made six saves. A few seconds after his sixth save, Aiden Westin connected with the puck to give the Seawolves the lead.
The rest of the first period featured many Seawolf shots, but no goals. UAA entered the second period leading 1-0.
The Falcons started the second period aggressively, taking 15 shots in the first seven minutes. Whale was able to stop each attempt though.
With a little less than 12 minutes left in the second period, UAA’s Gunnar VanDamme headed to the penalty box for boarding.
With the Falcons in the power play, the Seawolves locked down on defense. However – four seconds before the penalty ended –the Air Force Academy scored.
The Seawolves didn’t let this phase them. Four minutes after the Falcons’ goal, Matt Allen
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scored for UAA.
The rest of the second period was scoreless.
With seven minutes left until the final buzzer, Maximilion Helgeson extended UAA’s lead and concluded the scoring for the night. The Seawolves won 3-1.
“I thought we had a good start,” said head coach Matt Shasby in a press release by GoSeawolves.com.
“It was great to see Westin get on the board. Air Force made a good push in the second, but we found a way to have the lead going into the third. We did a good job closing it out. Jared Whale gave us a chance in the end. We will have our work cut out for us tomorrow.”
Shasby was right about having their work cut out for them. Though the Seawolves took an early lead, a late comeback by the Falcons led the visitors to victory.
The second game began with Seawolf dominance. Only 38 seconds into the game, Ben Almquist scored the lone goal of the first period, giving UAA an early 1-0 lead.
Almquist connected with the goal once again just under five minutes into the second period, extending UAA’s lead.
Three minutes later, Helgeson found the goal, scoring his fourth goal of the season. The Seawolves led 3-0.
With just under three minutes left in the second period, Ben Anderson was sent to the penalty box for boarding. This gave the Air Force Academy a chance to score.
Forty-five seconds after the visitors started their power play, they found the goal, scoring their first point of the night.
Heading into the third period with a 3-1 lead, a Seawolf win seemed probable. However, the Falcons weren’t ready to accept defeat.
Less than two minutes into the final period, a Falcons player was sent to the penalty box.
However, the Air Force Academy was still able to find the goal, scoring their first short-handed goal of the night. Five minutes later, the Falcons connected with the goal again, tying the game with about 12 minutes to go. Neither team was able to score before the final buzzer, so the teams headed to overtime.
One minute into the fiveminute sudden death period, the Seawolves entered a power play. However, their 4-3 advantage didn’t keep the Falcons from scoring.
The visitors found the net,
scoring their second short-handed goal of the night and securing a 4-3 victory over the Seawolves.
“I thought we played our best 38 minutes of the year to start,” Shasby told GoSeawolves.com.
“Then we gave them some life with the late power-play goal in the second. We didn’t come out to finish the job in the third, and they took advantage.”
The Seawolves head to Pennsylvania this week to take on Penn State University on Oct. 26-27. Head to GoSeawolves. com for live stats.
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SPORTS
Seawolf volleyball defeats Nighthawks in front of over 3,000 fans
After losing the first set, the Seawolves rallied together to defeat the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks.
By Avery Williamson sports2@thenorthernlight.org
Seawolf Volleyball hosted a “Pack the House” game on Oct. 14 against the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks with hopes of breaking the NCAA Division II attendance record set by the University of Nebraska at Kearney this September.
Although they failed to top the 4,003 fans Nebraska packed into their sports complex, the Seawolves didn’t walk away from the night empty handed.
The Seawolves were able to draw an impressive 3,280 fans and grab a 3-1 victory over the Nighthawks.
The Seawolves got off to a rocky start when the Nighthawks came back from a 21-17 deficit and won the first frame.
However, strong gameplay in the next three frames helped secure a UAA victory.
In the second frame, the teams had an intense battle, ty-
ing the game six times. The Seawolves then gained a lead that the Nighthawks could not overcome, winning the frame 25-21.
Though they led 6-3 in the third frame, multiple errors by the Seawolves allowed the Nighthawks to take the lead –although UAA eventually took it back.
It was a tight battle to 25, with UAA winning the frame by only two points. The Seawolves now led the game 2-1 and needed to win just one more frame to take the game.
UAA dominated the fourth frame, quickly taking a 9-1 lead over the Nighthawks.
The Seawolves never let the visitors get within five points of
their lead, and they won the final frame 25-16.
In a press release for GoSeawolves.com, head coach Stacie Meisner said, “We had a tough loss in the first set, however, I think the crowd really helped us get back on track and keep our energy at a high level throughout.”
“Our defense really stepped up in the final three sets, extending some long rallies that we eventually won.”
The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center on Oct. 19 where they’ll take on the Simon Fraser Red Leafs at 7 p.m. Head to GoSeawolves.com to see the UAA volleyball team’s full schedule.
After hard-run race, UAA Men’s Cross-country fails to clinch victory at championship in Anchorage
With a strong men’s team and home field advantage, there were high hopes for a win at this year’s championship, but Western Washington out-performed the Seawolves.
By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org
It was a chilly Saturday morning at Kincaid Park on Oct. 21. That’s where the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference held their cross-country championship on Saturday.
With strong performances this season, the UAA men’s team was looking to clinch a championship win. Unfortunately they were bested by Western Washington and took the number two spot.
It was no easy victory for Washinton, though, as both teams were exhausted by the race, panting visible breath in the cold air and sitting down to recover just beyond the finish line.
Hosted by UAA, the championship brought nine other colleges to compete in Anchorage. This marks the first time in several decades that UAA hosted the GNAC cross-country championship.
The women kicked off the championship in the morning, and the men raced after.
There were clear blue skies and a breeze out of the north when the women lined up in the Kincaid Park stadium to start their race.
Temperatures were still below freezing when the starting gun went off, sending the women off to run a double loop course totaling six kilometers.
The women pounded the frozen ground as they charged up and down the trails of Kincaid Park.
The double loop brought the runners back through the stadium and past cheering fans who had turned out to show their support.
UAF’s Kendall Kramer took victory in the women’s race. According to an article in the Anchorage Daily News, she said many of her family members were able to come from Fairbanks and watch her compete.
“A bunch of people drove to see me and I’m very grateful, so
I definitely wanted to put on a good show for them.”
Western Washington took first place for women’s teams over all, with a total of 49 points.
The points are totaled by adding up the placing of the top five runners for each team. The team with the lowest score wins. If a team runs additional athletes, their placing is not added to the score, but they can push other runners down in the standings.
The fastest UAA female was Nell Baker, coming in 5th place overall. According to goseawolves.com, “she earned allconference and GNAC Newcomer of the Year honors for her efforts.”
Baker spoke with The Northern Light in an interview and talked about her performance while running the course.
She said it’s probably one of the hilliest courses she’s ever run.
“It beats you up a little bit, but it’s a pretty … fun course. I’ve kind of equated it to a BMX pump track … You’re up and down, and you’re turning, but it’s really really fun, it feels kind of like a little roller coaster.”
She described the uphill stretch of the race that took the runners back toward the finish line as “brutal” — a 90-foot upward elevation change over just one mile.
The climb topped out over the tunnel south of the stadium before turning back to the north and bringing the runners home.
Baker said that the team gave special attention to that section as they practiced over the semester – practicing passing each other while heading up the hill.
She said that it’s the first time that the team had run the course with frozen ground and that the harder ground meant that they were running the course faster than they expected.
Baker said that this race restored a lot of her confidence. Last year she had a post-hip stress fracture that kept her from running.
“I have been struggling [the last] nine months to find a ver-
sion of the runner and competitor that I used to be before that injury. And I was trying to find peace in thinking maybe that side of me is gone and I’m going to have to be okay with that, but [at Kincaid] I felt like I haven’t felt in a very long time running … and it was just such a joy to feel that again.”
Baker said she will continue to run the rest of this season, followed by track and field this spring, and finishing with another season of cross-country next fall.
UAA’s women’s team came in 5th overall – which according to previous reporting in The Northern Light was an achievement for them.
Last year the women’s team placed seventh in the GNAC championship.
The rest of the scoring Seawolves for the women’s team are as follows: Tressa Wood in 29th, Sofija Spaic in 31st, Avery Willamson in 35th and Monica Ruelas in 37th.
After the women’s race, the men took their turn on the course. The men’s course also consisted of a double loop; though, it was longer at eight kilometers.
About halfway through the race – just before completing their first loop – UAA’s Cole Nash held first place, leading the front runners.
But by the time the men were coming in for the final stretch, Nash had fallen back to third place with some distance between him and the two leaders.
John Corona of Central Washington was in the lead as he and Kevin McDermott ran the end of the race. McDermott ended up overtaking Correa and claimed first place for Western Washington.
Correa came in second and was followed by Nash in third. Nash won GNAC last year.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, Nash wasn’t running at peak performance for this race, quoting him as saying “I knew I wasn’t 100% going into this race, so I was going to
hang with (the top pack) as long as I could and score as little of points as I could for the team.”
The rest of the scoring Seawolves for the men’s team placed as follows: Michael Zapherson in sixth, John Peckman 11th, George Payne 13th and Ty Elliott 18th.
Western Washington won with 37 points and Anchorage came in second with 51 points. Western Washington also came in first last year.
The men’s team was looking for a win though. The ADN reports that associate head coach Chas Davis said, “I’m not going to mince words, I’m not going to lie, the goal from the beginning was to win a team championship
today.”
But – according to goseawovles.com – Davis is happy with the performance of both teams, especially given the comeback from the pandemic.
“Yes we are thrilled with the women placing fifth and happy with the men finishing - both program bests since at least 2019. But knowing what went into those performances is the reward and the story of a radically changed team.”
Up next for the Seawolves will be the NCAA regional championships in Monmouth, Oregon on Nov. 4. For more information and updates, visit goseawolves.com.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Nell Baker led the Seawolves Women’s team, coming in 5th place overall.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOSEAWOLVES.COM.
Seawolves celebrate a point over the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks.