October 3, 2017

OCTOBER 3 - OCTOBER 9, 2017

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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USUAA responds to presidential action on childhood arrivals

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24th annual festival to be held at the Wendy Williamson, Oct. 12

Athlete protests against racial inequality persist despite opposition

RED ZONE: Mandatory sex discrimination training due by Halloween

UAA student-athletes respond to national controversy

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By Lauren Cuddihy

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

Over a year ago, Colin Kaepernick, who played for the San Francisco 49ers until March of

2017, started a quiet protest that is sparking outrage among athletes and spectators alike.

Athletes across the country are gathering together, supporting Kaepernick’s original protest movement against police brutality and racial discrimination. The outrage has sparked even more interest since President Donald Trump spoke out about the issue in the last several weeks.

In the past, Kaepernick qui-

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etly sat during the U.S. national anthem but began kneeling in order to show more respect for military veterans. In the past, fans have called Kaepernick and his teammates out for showing disrespect to the U.S. and the flag.

“I don’t think Kaepernick is ‘right’ for doing it, but I do believe that he has every right as a citizen of this country to use his platform as a professional athlete to peacefully protest a

cause that is an important issue in our country,” Ashton Pomrehn, a former UAA basketball player, said. “Last year when [he] initially started protesting it was a protest against police brutality and racial inequality.

People have seemed to get that confused with protesting against Trump.”

Kaepernick and his supporters aren’t the first athletes to bring attention to national issues — but all have been criticized at some point with claims that the protest is unpatriotic and that politics should be kept out of sports. However, he is following in the footsteps of many great athletes.

Muhammad Ali used his fame in boxing to oppose the Vietnam War, refusing to enter the armed services. He was denied a boxing license in every state as a result of his protest.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, 1968 Olympic gold and silver medal winners of the 200m, used their wins to stand against racism and injustice by raising their fists during the national anthem. They were expelled from the games.

SEE INEQUALITY

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Team bonding over blood, sweat and sand The UAA alpine and cross-country ski team invites other athletic teams to join their workout tradition at Kincaid Park’s sand dunes

By Karolin Anders

sports@thenorthernlight.org

Earlier this year, Andrew Kastning, associate Nordic ski coach, had the idea of creating a workout for all student-athletes to train together and bond over the experience. When he joined UAA seven years ago, his Nordic ski team joined the alpine team during their annual hill workouts. The experience brought the two teams together, so he chose the sand dunes as an appropriate setting for the event.

“We started running the sand dunes with the alpine team and we immediately saw the team benefits that occurred from it,” Kastning said. “It is rare that we can do a similar or the same workout and all get something out of it. By the end of last year, I thought, ‘We need an event where all student-athletes can

come together that’s not sitting in a meeting, something where we can all work out together.’

The sand dunes are great for that because everyone needs to be quick over a short distance.”

The combined ski team does the workout twice a year: once during the first week of Sep-

tember and the second around a month later. This year, Kastning invited all UAA teams to join them, and hockey’s head coach Matt Thomas and men’s basketball head coach Rusty Osborne replied almost immediately.

“I expected hockey to be pretty fast. I wasn’t sure about

basketball. I knew they would be good runners over short distances, but wondered how they would handle themselves in the sand,” Kastning said.

The teams were divided into

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA BERECZ

By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

On Oct. 31, UAA students will face a scarier prospect than the ghosts and gore of Halloween. What is it? It’s a hold on their account.

Degree-seeking, residential and national/international exchange students are required to complete the mandatory Title IX: Sex and Gender-Based Discrimination Prevention training by the end of the month. Students who don’t complete the training will be prevented from registering for spring semester courses with a hold on their account.

Even scarier than the prospect of an account hold is the topic of sexual assault on campus. Dean of Students, Ben Morton, has worked in student conduct for the majority of his career, and he said one sexual assault is one too many. In September, Morton sent an email to the 12,000 students who had not yet completed the training to inform them that it was mandatory.

“This is mandatory, right, it says that holds could be put on people’s accounts, and I didn’t want anybody to learn about that last minute… I think it’s important to make sure students know about this expectation,” Morton said.

Morton said he hopes the training makes UAA a “stronger community” that knows how to “report and support.”

“I think over time people understand why the university is doing what it’s doing,” Morton said. “Everyone wants a safe campus community, right? Everyone wants an informed campus. Nobody — even the people who’ve called me to say they were unhappy about it being mandatory — nobody has said, ‘No, I don’t care about how safe campus is.’”

Two of the previous institutions Morton worked at also had mandatory sex discrimination training.

“People have said to me, ‘I

SEE TRAINING

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UAA’s hockey, ski and men’s basketball team running hills together at Kincaid Park.

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Chemistry degree now open for enrollment

Department chair works to battle negative perceptions of program after degree suspension in 2014

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

The chemistry department is offering a chemistry degree with an emphasis on biochemistry for the first time since the degree was suspended in 2014. Chair of the chemistry department, Colin McGill, said a shortage of faculty in 2014 made it hard to offer the courses necessary for a chemistry degree. Now, McGill says the department has hired three new tenuretrack professors that make it possible to teach upper division chemistry courses.

“It’s really a great match for students who are tracking towards professional

degrees in medicine and dentistry and veterinary and pharmacy,” McGill said.

“They need a lot of the classes for the professional entrance exams, and they also need a lot of the classes that we offer as upper division electives. We had 108 majors when it was last open and a majority of those were biochemistry options and a majority of those have professional aspirations in fields outside chemistry.”

Enrollment into the degree opened at the beginning of fall semester and McGill said that approximately 30 students have enrolled thus far. McGill said he thinks some students may be hesitant about enrolling because of negative perceptions about the chemistry department.

“I think the hardest part is the perceived instability surrounding chemistry.

There’s —because of all the issues of losing faculty and not being able to replace faculty quick enough and not being able to offer some classes because of that. And the closure of access to the degree,” McGill said. “There’s just a lack of confidence surrounding it, and that was a bit of a perfect storm of retirements and some attrition to other institutions, and one of the realities is filling the faculty positions and positions in general in Alaska is really tricky.”

Patrick Tomco is one of the new tenure-track assistant professors of chemis-

try. He said the reopening of the chemistry degree will be attractive to UAA students who wanted to be chemistry majors while the degree was unavailable.

“I think there were a lot of students that wanted to get as many chemistry classes as they could but they enrolled in the degree program closest to it, but now that there is chemistry available, they’re jumping back in,” Tomco said.

Tomco has also dealt with negative perceptions about the chemistry program.

“When the program was suspended a few years ago, a big reason is we had a lot of faculty attrition and we weren’t able to offer all the classes students would need in order to get a degree in chemistry,” Tomco said. “So it really wasn’t fair to take students on and not give them an opportunity to graduate in four years.

Now that we have more faculty hires now, we have the stability here, so now we wouldn’t open it up unless we thought students could absolutely get it done in four years if they had all the prerequisites.”

McGill said the biochemistry-focused degree will be attractive to students who want to go into medical careers. Alexis Harvey plans on going to medical school after she receives her undergraduate degree, and she is considering changing her degree from pre-nursing to biochemistry.

“A lot of the courses that the degree requires kind of aligns with not only medical school requirements but also would help me with my MCAT prep,” Harvey said. “I think when you have a subject like chemistry or biology that’s so — I mean a lot of it is memorization, it’s not very innate in nature — you can’t just go through it and solve a problem like you can with math... Reiterating that information by taking chemistry courses every semester is something that will kind of ingrain it in you. When you get to that MCAT, if you’re not fully prepared by a MCAT course that you’ve taken, relying on that previous knowledge that you have instilled in you is a plus.”

McGill said the department is now staffed to the point where they can offer a biochemistry degree, but that degrees in classical chemistry are still out of reach because of the small size of the chemistry department.

“If we get our major numbers up back into that 100s zone I could see in the not distant future looking for those other components,” McGill said. “But with a small department, we have enough balls in the air where we need to make sure we are attending to all of those things before we — you want to balance growing quickly with making sure you’re not going too quickly.”

Student government passes DACA resolution Following recent news surrounding the DACA repeal, USUAA urges Congress to protect student “Dreamers”

By Mariah DeJesus-Remaklus mremaklus@thenorthernlight.org

USUAA passed a resolution regarding the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals program during a meeting on Friday, Sept. 22. This resolution, which passed unanimously, states USUAA’s mission to support those who are part of the program and that they are encouraging Congress “to work to find a fair solution that ensures that all students have access to the full range of opportunities the University of Alaska Anchorage provides.”

In early September, President Donald Trump announced the end of the DACA program and urged Congress to seek a replacement before phasing out its protections in March 2018. For the estimated 800,000 young adults that have arrived in the United States illegally and qualify for the program, this could mean deportation.

There are a number of requirements that an individual, or “Dreamer,” must meet in order to qualify for its benefits, such as having entered the U.S. before his or her 16th birthday; currently attending school if not having graduated with a high school diploma; having no felony or significant misdemeanor charges and others.

Nate Graham, USUAA sergeantat-arms, says that hearing news of the Trump administration’s repeal prompted him to take action.

“We came up with a resolution basically stating who’s going to be impacted, the eligibility requirements for the DACA program, as well as mentioning that ending this program will be detrimental to people’s lives that are a part of our UAA student body,” Graham said. “I took this on because I believe that if you’re going to school and you’re paying for school that

you should be able to finish. Ending the DACA program as is right now, students that have been here for a year — there’s a very real possibility that they’ll just not be allowed to attend school anymore and get deported back to a country that they don’t live in or have never really known.”

UA president James Johnsen wrote a letter on Sept. 11 addressed to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young, voicing his concerns about ending the DACA program.

“I strongly encourage Congress to work to find a fair and expeditious solution, one that ensures that all have access to the full-range of opportunities the University of Alaska provides,” Johnsen wrote.

UAA’s Dean of Students, Ben Morton, agrees with Johnsen’s statement and hopes to eliminate the worries that students and their families may be experiencing.

“Given the stakes involved for the students and their families impacted by this decision, I would hope to see a clear path articulated such that students are able to continue with their educational pursuits without the uncertainty that they are currently facing,” Morton said.

The unanimous vote to pass the resolution was a success to Graham, who said that he was happy that his fellow colleagues were willing to advocate for students in the DACA program.

This affirms USUAA’s role in promoting the voices of the student body and ensuring that everyone is represented.

“I was happy to see that everyone was willing to support this and help show their support for this part of the student body I feel is oftentimes marginalized and forgotten about, not given a voice,” Graham said. “I felt like it was a proud moment for us to be able to show that as leaders, we’re standing up for them and we recognize them and their contribu-

PHOTO BY JAY GUZMAN

USUAA gathered on Friday, Sept. 22 to discuss action in response to the repeal of the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Program.

tions to our school and our state.”

UAA has a variety of programs and resources for DACA students, which Morton said can offer support to help them be successful. One of them is the Multicultural Center and E. Andre Thorn, the director, recognizes the uncertainty that people may be feeling. He said that their goal is to provide students the information and help they need.

“We strive to inform students with as much information as possible to reduce the stress and anxiety about these changes, as well as dispelling misinformation that may be in the environment, given the frequent changes to the policies,” Thorn said.

Although Congress and lawmakers are currently working to find a solution to the repeal, Thorn said that the university will still continue to provide resources for students in need.

There has already been a program established involving the Alaska Institute for Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Alaska Immigration Justice Project that will give information

about students’ rights and the changes to the DACA policy.

“I think that many of the students, staff and faculty that I have spoken with about this issue just want to support students impacted by the decision,” Morton said. “While we may not have all the answers since this seems to currently be a moving target... we want to do everything in our power to make our students know that UAA supports them and their academic and personal success.”

Graham anticipates a solution that will continue to allow students to pursue education and citizenship within the United States.

Copies of the resolution were forwarded to Trump, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Murkowski and Sullivan, Young and members of the UAA administration.

While there is still work to be done regarding the DACA program and finding a solution within the next six months, USUAA is hoping to receive a response from Alaska’s members of Congress or even the White House.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

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TRAINING: Holds to be placed on The Edge Update: JBER student accounts by Oct. 31 deadline deployment, U.S. tax plan and Saudi women drivers

By Grant Kniefel KRUA

Continued from cover know because I took the training that I didn’t give consent. I know what consent is and this wasn’t it. I know I was intoxicated, and I know I can’t give consent when I was intoxicated,’” Morton said.

Prevention and Education Coordinator for the office of Equity and Compliance, Bridget Coffou, said the training informs students of their rights.

“I think that Haven [Training] is a really great place for us to start and it’s a really great way to launch into continuing conversations,” Coffou said.

“It’s online so you can go at your own pace… I also think it’s important for students to know that — if for whatever reason they’re uncomfortable with the training or they have past experiences that deal with this type of violence — there are resources for them and there are ways that we can work with them so that they are still getting this information without having to relive past trauma.”

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Bruce Schultz said students who complete the train-

ing will automatically be entered into a drawing to win prizes varying from $1,000 UAA Chancellor’s Scholarships to Alaska Airlines tickets. Students are encouraged to complete the training as soon as possible to be entered in for prizes.

The upcoming drawings are as follows: Oct. 6 • Two students and three of their friends who have completed the training receive Super Priority Registration (November 9) • Two students receive $1,000 UAA Chancellor’s Scholarship • One Alaska Airlines Ticket – good for anywhere Alaska Airlines flies (not including Cuba) Oct. 13, 20 • Two students and three of their friends who have completed the training receive Super Priority Registration (November 9) • Two students receive $1,000 UAA Chancellor’s Scholarship Nov. 1 • Two students and three of their friends receive Super

Priority Registration • Two students receive $1,000 UAA Chancellor’s Scholarship • One Alaska Airlines Ticket – good for anywhere Alaska Airlines flies (not including Cuba) Schultz said the account holds will be automatically placed on accounts, but that students only have to take the training to remove the hold.

“Registration holds will be placed within a day or two of the October 31 deadline,” Schultz wrote in an email. “A registration hold will be lifted once the student completes the online training; the hold lift process will run automatically a few times each day; however, it is not done instantaneously.”

In Oct. 2016, former Chancellor Tom Case announced via email that sexual discrimination training would be mandatory.

At that time, former USUAA Vice President Johanna Richter and President Sam Erickson had no details on how the training would be enforced by the Nov. 23 deadline.

This week in UAA history Two Years Ago: Oct. 2015 Renovations underway for “re-imagined” campus bookstore: The Bookstore spent $1.8 million on renovations that included a new cafe, lighting and carpet.

Getting to know the new Atwood Chair of Journalism: Julia O’Malley was selected to be the 21st Atwood Chair of Journalism. O’Malley held the position for two years before her term ended last year.

Five Years Ago: Oct. 2012 Board of Regents approves construction projects: On Sept.

27, 2012, the Board of Regents approved $123.2 million in renovations for UAA which including a proposal for a new engineering building. The engineering building, now across from the Student Union, is an unmistakable part of UAA infrastructure.

10 Years Ago: Oct. 2007 Professor gets $225,000 to study frog brains: Biology professor Jocelyn Krebs was award-

ed the grant for research on Williams Syndrome Transcription Factor in Xenopus neural development.

Getting to know… Political science professor Kimberly Pace: In 2007, TNL profiled Model UN professor Kimberly Pace. Ten years later, Pace is still running the Model UN program at UAA, Pace said. In an article about last year’s Model UN conference Pace said, “I think it gives students the opportunity to really delve into the international issues. Students are either assigned as a delegate for a country, they are assigned as an NGO, or as a member of the World Bank. They really get an opportunity to look at things in a really deep way. If you are assigned as a delegate, you’re also assigned to a committee.

We try to make it as realistic as possible.”

Way back when: Oct. 1989 UA to face possible tuition increase: Students faced a tuition increase from $3 to $5 per credit every year for three years.

Students at the time who took 15 credits a year would face a tuition raise of 56 percent. In 2016, UA president Jim Johnsen proposed a five percent tuition increase for the 2017-2018 academic year that was approved Nov. 12. In an email, Johnsen wrote, “In April, when our budget outlook was particularly grim, I was prepared to request the Regents amend AY2017’s already approved tuition rates to help offset the general fund shortfall. However, our general fund allocation was raised from $300 million to $325 million, making the tuition adjustment less urgent. I also heard from students and families that introducing a mid-year tuition increase would be a hardship. So, I put that option aside for academic year 2017.”

UA president to retire in July: University of Alaska President Donald O’Dowd from 1984 to 1990, announced his retirement, according to an Oct. 2, 1989 edition of The Northern Light.

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

Local Sixty airmen from Joint-Base Elmendorf Richardson headed to the Middle East to support the fight against the Islamic state.

They will join 20 airmen who were previously sent over to aid and support injured troops from combat zones overseas. Those who deployed on Sept. 26 are made up of both full-time airmen and Alaskans who work full-time jobs in addition to serving. By Sept. 26, most of the 2,100 soldiers with Anchoragebased Fourth Infantry Brigade Combat Team will be headed to Afghanistan, more than the 1,500 originally expected to go overseas.

National President Donald Trump announced a tax plan on Wednes-

day, Sept. 27 that proposes wide reform that has not been seen in decades. The plan details explicit and substantial rewards for the upper class, but lacks defining points for the middle class.

Trump said that the plan would benefit middle-class workers by providing lower taxes, higher wages and better jobs. The tax cut does not have an estimated cost as of the time of publication.

Global Saudi Arabia announced on Sept. 26 that the country will now allow women to drive. The change, which will take effect in June 2018, is the end of a longstanding policy that brought a reputation of the country being an ultraconservative kingdom in its oppression of women. The change was announced on live state TV in conjunction with a media event in Washington.

While ending the policy is expected to be controversial in the kingdom, the move has since received near-universal praise from within the United States.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

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College Cookbook: Crab apple fruit leather

By Victoria Petersen copy@thenorthernlight.org

This time of year offers all sorts of delectable delights that are often growing in our own backyard.

Crab apples, which are small apples that grow from a tree, are very tart in flavor and go well with fall flavors like cloves and cinnamon.

Typically used as a decorative tree, crab apple trees are formidable.

The tree my boyfriend and I picked from offered us nearly 10 pounds of the tiny fruit after 30 minutes of picking.

If you are without a dehydrator there is a way to make fruit leather with your oven. That’s right, foraged fruit-by-the-foot.

This recipe can be experimented with easily by combining other fruits with the crab apples. I suggest blackberries or peaches.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN CAMPBELL

Melee players gather around to watch a match at Tier 1 Cards and Games.

Radical Recreation: All fun and games

Jordan Campbell rises to the top five best Melee players in the state

By Brenda Craig

features@thenorthernlight.org

Ingredients • 4 tablespoons of water • 2 pounds of crab apples • 2 cups of brown sugar • Cinnamon and cloves to taste

Directions 1. Cook down the crab apples in a pot with water, spices and sugar until soft and mushy and the sugar has dissolved.

2. Using a mill, push the spiced crab apples to create a puree. If you do not have access to a mill you can also push the crab apples through

PHOTO BY VICTORIA PETERSEN

a sieve. The puree can also be enjoyed on its own as applesauce.

3. Spread the applesauce evenly over two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheets in the oven for 12 hours on the oven’s lowest setting, no more 210 degrees.

4. Check the oven every few hours or so to make sure the temperature of the oven doesn’t vary as time passes.

5. After twelve hours, take the baking sheets out and let the leather cool.

Once cool, peel the leather off the parchment paper and cut into strips to share.

The Super Smash Bros. Melee scene in Alaska has been becoming popular over the years, beginning with only 10 individuals in a tournament to as many as 50 entrants. Jordan Campbell, history major, has been playing Melee competitively for three years and is in the top five best active players in Alaska.

Melee, created by Nintendo for the GameCube, is a fun, multiplayer game that draws in players with the competitiveness and unlimited techniques.

“Melee is different from other games because it is a game anyone can pick up and play and have fun with, yet has so much depth to it that you can spend years practicing and learning about the game, that there will still be even more things to learn,” Campbell said.

Choosing a main and secondary character on Melee, depending on the technique and style a player uses is crucial for highlighting their strengths. Campbell’s main is Samus because they are a defensive character with high survivability.

His secondary is Marth, because of the fun combinations.

“What makes Jordan’s technique different is how he chooses to approach his matches, the character he plays is typically played in a very defensive style where you are more waiting to capitalize on your opponent’s mistakes as opposed to trying to rush them down,” Brandon Meiners, a close friend of Campbell, said.” Jordan doesn’t play like that, he decides to play his character aggressively, relying heavily on [predictions based on player habits and conditioning].”

This complex game has many options and characters to choose from depending

on a player’s style. Campbell is described to put his own personal play style on the character he chooses, leading him to be very successful.

“Every match with [Jordan] feels like an uphill mental battle because of how many steps he’s already thought ahead,” Patrick Sauve-Brown, a close friend and competitor, said.

The Alaska Smash scene is welcoming, while also containing trash talking and money matches, often leading to lifelong friendships.

“Without Melee, I never would have met many of my closest friends and life would be a lot more boring without them.

Melee has also given me a hobby I have a lot of passion for and something I know I will always enjoy,” Campbell said.

Through Melee matches and tournaments, Campbell has been able to travel the country, meeting new people with the same interests.

“Melee is an incredible game that has helped me meet a bunch of awesome people locally and across the country,” Campbell said. “I have traveled to many events across the U.S. and have had wonderful experiences at these events meeting new people and playing against them.”

Campbell’s positive outlook differentiates his sportsmanship from others.

When most Melee players tend to become frustrated after being defeated, Campbell finds something positive to joke about.

“Melee is an incredible game, and if you have any interest in it, it is never too late to start and I think you would have a ton of fun playing it,” Campbell said.

Players meet up on Wednesdays at the local card shop, Tier 1 Cards and Games, where tournaments are also hosted once a month. They hope to form a club at UAA in the near future.

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Keeping UAA’s a capella tradition alive

By Malia Barto

arts2@thenorthernlight.org

In spirit of homecoming week, UAA’s annual A Capella Festivella will return to Wendy Williamson Auditorium, Thursday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The popular event is organized and hosted by the UAA Concert Board.

Journalism and public communications and biological sciences double major, and Concert Board member, Kelly Ireland, said that this long-time event is a unique experience for everyone. Ireland is a former member of The Northern Light.

“I think a capella is something that’s very different, and not a lot of people are into it, but it’s very cool musical experience,” Ireland said.

Every year, the Concert Board works hard to bring up a famous a capella group as the main performance for the festival. This year, A Capella Festivella will feature The House Jacks, an allmale a capella group who have been featured on NBC’s “The

Sing Off” and during NFL Monday Night Football. They have been a group since the 90’s and Ireland calls them “a pretty solid a capella group.”

Past Festivellas have featured Blue Jupiter, The Exchange and perhaps one of the most wellknown a capella groups currently, Pentatonix. The Board has also had local talent perform in the past during the event.

Though it’s not confirmed who will be performing alongside The House Jacks this year, Ireland said it may include local talent again.

This will be A Capella Festivella’s twenty-fourth year at UAA, making it one of UAA’s longer-kept traditions, and one they hope to keep.

“People that come to A Capella Festivella tend to come back, just because it’s a very neat musical genre and people who enjoy it, like to see it when it comes up to Anchorage,” Ireland said.

UAA marketing major, Adrian Colding II, has attended previous Festivellas and has even performed at one. He has seen

PHOTO BY THE HOUSE JACKS

The House Jacks performing at one of their previous shows. The House Jacks will be live at UAA on Oct. 12.

the Filharmonics, Blue Jupiter and BYU’s a capella group, Noteworthy, when they each came up to perform.

“If you enjoy music, you should definitely check [Festivella] out . . . No matter what kind of music you like, you will find a capella music cool,” Colding said.

He praised the talent a capella groups have of singing on key

without piano accompaniment or any other instruments.

Clara Sanderson has been going to the event with her family for a while and plans to return this year. She has fond memories of the event, saying her son was chosen as a volunteer from the audience one year to go sing a song with the performers on stage.

Sanderson is not affiliated

with the university, but likes the fact that the “community joins UAA students in watching people perform and have fun.”

Tickets are $5 for UAA students with valid ID, $15 for staff, faculty, alumni and youth under 17 and $20 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased at uaatix.com, in person at the Student Union Information Desk or at the door for an extra $5.

The First Friday of fall preview

Experience new art Oct. 6 in downtown Anchorage

By Malia Barto

arts2@thenorthernlight.org

GRAPHICS BY JIAN BAUTISTA

There are more events this First Friday, Oct. 6, in downtown Anchorage to experience new art while supporting local artists and celebrating community.

In the bright Sunshine Plaza, the art gallery and church Heart of the City will continue their First Friday events starting at 6 p.m. With a pumpkin-themed bake-off and Glacier Bowl’s Japanese-Hawaiian cuisine food truck, something yummy can be found to snack on while admiring Amanda Petumenos’ watercolor or oil paintings and listening to Alex Parsons’ jazz music.

Pop-up booths featuring sea glass jewelry and acrylic knits will also be at the event.

Heart of the City’s special event coordinator, Crystal Tillman, stated that starting in January 2018, Heart of the City will start gearing their First Friday events toward the adult crowd.

For the rest of 2017, First Fridays at HOTC will continue to include everyone.

“This coming month, you should attend as a fun outing for the family. Not all First Friday events are child-friendly, but this event will be one where all ages are welcome,” Tillman said.

At the Becky Gallery on 36th and Arctic Boulevard, two artists will be featured from 6 - 8 p.m. Rosemary Redmond’s art is a collection of mixed media titled, “Opposites Attract,” and William Bittner’s first photography exhibit captures nature and unusual surroundings, titled, “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

Artist representative, Kim-

berley Hase, mentioned that there will be an opening reception for the artists, along with some light refreshments. “[The Becky Gallery] is really modern and clean. It’s a great place to see a show because the space is really nice in there,” Hase said.

Artist Kay Haneline will have her paintings featured at the new art gallery, Elevation 314, on East International Airport Road, from 5 - 7 p.m.

The Midnight Sun Cafe will host a “Horror Show,” featuring detailed pencil art from local artist, Thomas Noonan. It will be open from 5 - 7 p.m.

Dos Manos Gallery on West Northern Lights Boulevard will have Cheryl Lyon’s oil, wax and encaustic art inspired by the waters of Alaska on display from 5 - 8 p.m.

Out in Eagle River, the coffee shop Jitters will be holding a reception from 5 - 7 p.m. for Sanjana Greenhill’s photography.

Capturing Alaskan landscapes and cityscapes, the exhibit entitled “Carpe Diem” will be on display for the whole month of October.

At the Anchorage Museum — one of the most buzzing places during First Fridays —events will kick off at 6 p.m., and admission to the museum is free for the night. From 6 - 9 p.m., the Year with a Tree exhibit will be open. The exhibit will show the recording of a single tree from the Eagle River Nature Center, conducted by David Pettibone.

Also happening from 6 - 9 p.m. is the Battle of the Breweries. The 21+ event in the Museum’s restaurant, Muse, will feature lager beers this month from Fairbanks’ Silver Gulch Brewing, San Francisco’s Anchor

Brewing and Soldotna’s Kenai Peninsula Brewing.

At 7 p.m., there will be a lecture by local photographer, David Jensen. He will give his audience a look at his time spent on Alaskan trails with dogs, including his own companion, Layla, who will be joining him at the event.

At 6:30 and 8 p.m., special dance performances by recent UAA graduate, Katie O’Loughlin, will be held.

O’Loughlin, along with another UAA student, Caroline Streff, had the opportunity to travel to Cuba on a research grant earlier this year. They studied dance and poetry, respectively, and are bringing their experience to the Museum through dance and poems. Two shows will be performed; each show will be around 20-30 minutes.

O’Loughlin said that the Museum is estimating around 1,200-1,600 visitors throughout the night. The number of Museum-goers does not faze O’Loughlin, though, and said she is looking forward to the “buzz of energy” that First Friday brings.

“I’m all about experiencing new culture. Whether that’s going to something in your community or traveling outside into a new culture. Just to get the opportunity to hear someone speak or perform, or if it’s seeing their art from a different place, is so important,” O’Loughlin said. “[Art] gives you a new perspective and allows people to communicate in a way they might not be able to, vocally.”

Take a night out downtown to be a part of all that Anchorage has to offer for the First Friday of the fall season.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

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Sharing Alaska’s musical heritage With The Alaska Radio Show and The Alaska Music Archives, Kurt Riemann is working to give regional music its fair share

PHOTO BY AMMON SWENSON

Kurt Riemann operating The Alaska Radio Show and The Alaska Music Archives.

By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org

Kurt Riemann has been collecting music for what seems like forever.

He’s spent decades behind the controls of a recording studio, but he’s not just looking to capture Alaska music. He wants to preserve and share it.

The lifelong Alaskan and owner of Surreal Studios is

working on two projects meant to do just that. One requires a radio, the other, a library card.

Riemann reckons there’s about a one in a thousand chance someone will hear an Alaskan’s song on the radio. While that probability is debatable, there aren’t many options on the dial to hear local artists.

“We’ve got music. Let’s listen to it,” Riemann said.

Since going on air earlier this year, The Alaska Music Show on 106.1 KONR has become the

most likely place you’ll hear local or, as Riemann prefers to call it, regional music.

With eight hours to fill Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.

- 6 p.m., Riemann’s labor of love aims to give regional artists more airplay.

Regular listeners to the volunteer-run KONR might be disappointed the station switched from playing the album “Just As I Am” by Bill Withers 24/7, but KONR is finding its footing again and expanded its content

beyond station manager Jason Sear’s iPod. “Our radio market in Anchorage is pretty drab and boring with the same pop music and the same bad rock music and the same country music and all of that.” Sear said. “So I want to give people the soapbox to come talk about and play what they like.”

The playlist runs the gamut, pulled from Riemann’s massive stockpile of albums. With the shear volume of music available, there are bound to be surprises.

“You listen to this show and you might not like what’s playing right now, but it’s going to be someone different in another minute or two. So it’s an interesting survey,” Riemann said.

While he admits his collection is lacking rap and hip-hop, depending on the time of day Riemann plays anything from folk to metal to Alaska Native music.

He’s also reaching out to artists and the public to send him more albums.

Riemann has been accumulating music in earnest for the last four years and his project, The Alaska Music Archive, has around 1,000 albums spanning the ‘50s to now. Plans are in place to work with UAA’s Consortium Library to catalog and store a collection of Alaska music.

“It’s like preserving lan-

guage,” Riemann said.

The kinks are still being worked out, but Dean of the Consortium Library, Stephen Rollins, said via email that select recordings will be added to the Alaska Digital Archives.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll have some test files soon,” Rollins wrote.

The archive would eventually allow those interested in the music to be able to search the database and access audio, cover art and the metadata associated with the recordings.

“If you’re going to do it, you have to grant access so people can hear it, that’s part of the idea of you’re not just preserving something and burying it,” Riemann said.

Regardless of the genre, Riemann thinks the cultural heritage of historical and contemporary Alaska music is worth saving. Music can be a time capsule of a place, giving insight into the past for future generations. “[I]f you don’t save it, as I like quoting someone else better than me, the toilet of history will take care of it for you and what you’re going to be left with is something you hated now, but there were more copies of it that survived,” Riemann said.

For more information, find The Alaska Music Archive and The Alaska Music Show on Facebook.

The frustrating ‘Huba’ overstates its point

By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

You can’t dress up a movie in artsy cinematography and expect it to connect. The fundamental work of cinema is meant to manipulate space and time, using both to tell a story. Directors Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal know this, but their story is too thin to be interesting. With the sounds of the human body replacing dialogue, it’s an often grating experience that asks a lot of its viewers. It sounds like a simple, sad story.

An old factory worker (Jerzy Gajlikowski) retires from his job and spends his days walking and sleeping. Until one morning, he awakens to his daughter (Joanna Drozda) and grandchild (Wojtek Slowik) in his bedroom. She barely acknowledges him, never once making eye contact. She wastes no time in making the apartment her own. They learn how to live together, but never speak a word.

To call it allegory would be a disservice, but to call it narrative doesn’t feel quite right. It’s somewhere between the two,

making more emotional than literal sense. This can be frustrating at times as Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal’s style is selfconsciously ponderous, like an imitation of a great movie.

To the Sasnals, the space between actions is more important than the actions themselves. It takes the old man longer to sit up in his bed than climb to his feet, for example. The camera is often planted in one spot as a result, and while the fly-on-the-wall effect is potent, it becomes frustrating. Past a point, the movie has said everything it can say.

This idea of family, home and the audience as parasitic is fascinating, changing its host based on need, but by the 10th shot of the daughter eating damp food, it becomes nauseating.

It was a tough movie to watch. I wanted to appreciate it, but I also want to be entertained.

Stimulated somehow. But for the father and daughter at the center of “Huba,” I felt nothing. No real attachment between them is emphasized; they just inhabit space and negotiate their relationship through begrudgingly rearranging their lives for each other.

Watching them move those piec-

es into place can feel torturous, which is likely the point.

It makes sense. “Huba” owes a debt to the Italian neorealists, a movement that focused on the underclass and the use of nonprofessional actors. Movies like this focus on the mundanity of poverty. Routine is an important distraction from dire circumstances, after all. The problem is in this concept’s development on-screen. We don’t see enough of this man’s motivation to make his daughter’s appearance consequential. It’s not that she’s unimportant, she just appears too abruptly to elicit much feeling.

Without that connection, the last half of the movie, which focuses solely on her, overstays its welcome. Keep in mind, this movie is only 69 minutes, but seems like more. The only evocative shot in the movie is the old man laying in the bathtub, cradling his grandchild and staring off. It’s pretty, but comes out of nowhere. It’s power is aesthetic and ends up being a reflection of the movie’s emptiness: it looks like something, but really it’s nothing at all.

TITLE “Huba (Parasite)”

Anna and Wilhelm Sasnal

DIRECTOR

RELEASE DATE Oct. 24, 2014

COUNTRY Poland

GENRE Drama

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

Upcoming exhibit highlights artists’ majors “My College Is…” will feature artwork submitted by students majoring in psychology, business, English and geology

By Ammon Swenson arts@thenorthernlight.org

In the academic world, invisible walls separate fields of study.

Aspiring artists and future scientists are placed on tracks that don’t often converge. That’s why an upcoming art exhibit at UAA hopes to find some common ground between disciplines.

“My College Is…” will feature work inspired by artists’ various majors and will be on display at the Learning Commons in Sally Monserud Hall from Friday until the end of the semester.

The show was organized by Learning Commons employee and The Northern Light contributor Jacob Holley-Kline.

“I’ve always thought that there was a common ground for humanities and science majors and auto majors and things like that to express their passion for their major, because I think that’s where people really connect, is when they share their love of something that’s very important to them,” HolleyKline said.

The dozen or so pieces were created by artists whose fields or study include psychology, geology, English and business. The work ranges from digital art and collage to video and mixed media.

Not expecting to get any submissions at all, Holley-Kline

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABRIELLE BEJARANO

A submission to “My College Is...” by Gabrielle Bejarano, geology major. Bejarano created the piece for the Hatcher Pass Junior Geology Program where she taught students about geology.

was surprised at the response.

He attributes that to keeping the open call for artists simple — artwork inspired by your major.

“I wanted it to be as vague as possible, first of all, to maximize possible submissions, but also because how people express their love for their major comes in many different forms, and I didn’t want to limit anyone who wanted to submit,” Holly-Kline said.

Geology major Gabrielle Bejarano submitted a number of pieces to the show. For her first

couple of years in college, she was torn between pursuing the arts or the sciences. Her mother was an artist and her older sister chose that path too.

Bejarano had been a part of the art scene in Colorado Springs, but it wasn’t the right fit. In the end, the sciences won out.

“I have chemistry with chemistry,” Bejarano said.

Despite choosing geology over art, she uses her skills as an artist to complement her studies. Whether it’s taking notes

and drawing diagrams or using her knowledge of art and science when she’s teaching kids about geology, her artistic side persists.

Not intending to degrade the arts, she thinks that while making art can be cathartic, it’s limited to what the artist chooses to include, and while art comes alive through conversation, the conclusions are often vague or abstract.

“That’s not for me, but with the sciences, especially with chemistry, there’s people hav-

ing like whole careers and one lifetime at a time following a scientific process and it’s not for themselves and it’s not to be cathartic,” Bejarano said. “It’s for a love of the science and hundreds of years later, one person will come along, pull all that information and do something really beautiful.”

There will be an opening reception for “My College Is…” on Friday, Oct. 6 at 12 p.m. in Sally Monserud Hall, room 116.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

Get off the couch!

Art, discussions, live music and more Around town

At UAA “pH: A Novel” with author Nancy Lord What: Author Nancy Lord presents her new book “pH: A Novel” with director of Alaska Oceanic Acidification Network Darcy Dugan. Lord’s book about marine scientists working on ocean warming and acidification issues and the conflicts that arise between them looks at what can happen when academic forces and scientific investigation are at odds. Dugan has worked with scientists to help make sure ocean data is available for informed decision-making through the AOAN. The event will discuss how to better inform the public through arts and sciences about ocean acidification.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Where: The Loft, UAA Bookstore Cost: Free DIY Night: Knot pillow making What: Get knotty with your bad self and go home with a pillow — a knot pillow to be exact. If anything, this do-it-yourself activity can yield a means to muffle your cries of anguish and soak up your tears when finals rear their ugly head. Open to students taking 6 or more credits.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 7 - 8 p.m.

Where: Student Union Cost: Free Mythbusters Panel: Takin’ it to the Streets What: As part of Disability Awareness Week UAA faculty, students and staff who experience disabilities will discuss accessibility and what it really means.

When: Thursday, Oct. 5 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Consortium Library, Room 307 Cost: Free UAA STEM Day What: A day of interactive activities showcasing the opportunities UAA offers in science, technology, engineering and math. Students and faculty have put together hands-on demonstrations meant to inspire and engage attendees.

When: Saturday, Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: ConocoPhilips Integrated Science Building Cost: Free

Williwaw Unplugged: Open mic night with Jared Woods What: Ever wanted a chance to play some tunes at Williwaw? Well, here’s your chance. All styles are welcome and, since it’s an open mic, you never know what you’re going to get. The night is led by local musician Jared Woods. Space is limited so first come, first serve. Signups are from 7:55 - 8:05 p.m. for two songs, or 10 minutes. Ages 21 and up.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.

Where: Williwaw (609 F St.) Cost: Free ACW fourth annual fundraiser and art auction What: Help Anchorage Community Works raise money while having a good time. There will be auctions, live music, food tucks, beer and wine. Music by Evan Phillips as well as Blackwater Railroad Company for their final show in Alaska.

All proceeds go to ACW. Ages 21 and up.

Minors must be accompanied.

When: Friday Oct. 6 from 7 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Where: Anchorage Community Works (349 E Ship Creek Ave.) Cost: General admission $20, VIP $50 KONR Studio Sessions: Bobby & the Concussions What: A live performance by Bobby & the Concussions downtown at KONR’s studio. Part of KONR’s Studio Sessions every First Friday featuring local musicians. Space is limited, so get there early.

The performance will also be broadcast live on 106.1 FM in Anchorage. Want to be on the show? Contact outnorthradio@ gmail.com.

When: Friday, Oct. 6 from 8 - 9 p.m.

Where: KONR: Out North Radio (333 W 4th Ave.) Cost: Free Grand opening of Bivy and First Friday art show What: The grand opening of Bivy, a contemporary art gallery and bookstore specializing in independent publishers.

For First Friday, check out “Denali Thai Food” by photographer and Berlin-based anthropologist Alicja Khatchikian. Her photos show the surprising and sometimes humorous man-made presences against the vast Alaska wilderness.

“Denali Thai Food” will run for the entire month of Oct. When: Friday, Oct. 6 at 5 p.m.

Where: Bivy art gallery and bookstore (419 G St.) Cost: Free What’s so great about Alaska’s dinosaurs?

What: Learn about Alaska’s dinosaurs — what they are, where they’ve been found and what they look like. Presented by UAA geology professor emeritus Anne Pach, co-founder of the Alaska Museum of Natural History. This is a kid friendly event.

When: Sunday, Oct. 8 from 4 - 6 p.m.

Doors open at 3 p.m.

Where: 49th State Brewing Co. (717 W 3rd Ave.) Cost: Free

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SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

| 10

DUNES: Yearly Kincaid Park run incorporates other athletic teams

PHOTO COUTESY OF ADAM VERRIER

One of the four waves of athletes climb their way up the steep side of the dunes at Kincaid Park.

PHOTO COUTESY OF ANNA BERECZ

This is the first year that skiing has invited other teams to join their tradition.

Continued from cover four different waves according to their months of birth, which split up the different sports. The student-athletes raced six intervals on the north side of one of Kincaid’s seaside sand dunes, which are very steep and sandy. Then they raced six intervals on the south side, which is slightly firmer and less steep, but a longer distance.

Tony Naciuk, junior alpine skier, enjoyed the new experience of competing with other UAA athletes.

“There was far more energy in the crowd with the added competitiveness, and it almost made it fun — almost,” Naciuk said. “It is always hard and there is always camaraderie, but having 60-ish athletes to push with is better than 20. I was very impressed with everyone’s fitness levels.”

The 11th and 12th race were made into sprint contests. The three fastest males of each wave and overall two fastest females of the 11th race advanced to the Final Elite Race. In the end, hockey forward Nils Rygaard was announced as winner and King of the Dune.

“The hockey team timed their efforts well,” Kastning said. “We had skiers winning a lot of the long races and a few of the short ones and then basketball started to get into the mix on some of the flatter ones. On the 11th race, hockey just exploded and crushed it. They took a lot of qualifying spots. In the end, they then went 1-2-3 and two Nordic girls took 1-2.”

Sand dune hill sprints are challenging because the soft and deep sand makes it hard to run forcefully. Additionally, the

steep angle over a longer distance causes lactic acid to build up. Lactic acid, which causes a burning sensation in muscles, rises when oxygen levels are lower during heavy exercising.

For many of the athletes, their higher lactic acid levels resulted in nausea. It is a strength, conditioning and mental workout that challenged many of the athletes.

Drew Peterson, senior guard for the basketball team, enjoyed leaving the court of the Alaska Airlines Center to do a workout outside and compete with other UAA teams.

“It can get monotonous doing similar sprint drills on the court every day,” Peterson said. “Doing the workout with the other teams actually made it a lot easier. You don’t think about yourself or your own suffering as much when you’re helping to cheer on the other athletes. I thought as a team we competed hard and had a great workout.”

Kastning hopes to make the sand dune workout an annual event, as he received positive feedback.

“Seeing different sports work hard together was really cool and I think we all gained respect for each other and our work ethic. That is exactly what I wanted,” Kastning said. Everyone was eager to represent their sports well, which upped the level of determination and suffering. But in the end, everyone walked away smiling.”

The dedication and enthusiasm of the close-knit athletic community are replicated in UAA’s athletic teams. They strive for success, not simply for their individual teams, but the entire athletic department. The sand dunes workout at Kincaid was just one example of that.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

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The beginning of a new gymnastics era

UAA’s gymnastics team gathered for their first official day of practice under new head coach Tanya Ho

PHOTOS COUTESY OF GOSEAWOLVES

Madeleine Arbuckle receives instructions from assistant coach Alina Cartwright during a home meet at the Alaska Airlines Center.

By Karolin Anders

sports@thenorthernlight.org

The UAA gymnastics team had been attending open practices on a voluntary basis since Aug. 1 when assistant coach Aline Cartwright returned to Anchorage. Tanya Ho joined the team on Aug. 13, and due to NCAA regulations, the team was not allowed to officially practice together until Sept. 22.

The NCAA’s bylaw article 17 states rules regarding playing and practice seasons. It limits the days a sport is allowed to be in season with official practice times. In-season, coaches are allowed to assign 20 hours of mandatory practice per week.

During out-of-season periods, coaches aren’t allowed to give their athletes any workouts, assignments or structure. In gymnastics, they can only spot their athletes and provide recommendations to prevent them from injuring themselves.

Ho used the team’s first day of official practice for a special event. She required skill tests from all of her healthy athletes.

Skill testing describes a setting similar to a competition scene.

All athletes were required to present their elements on each of their events. That way, Ho and Cartwright got an idea of where

their athletes’ athletic abilities and overall shape after returning from summer.

Freshman all-around gymnast Michaela Phillips was eager to present herself well, but also experienced nervousness going into her skill test.

“Last night, I was trying to prepare myself but I was shaking when I walked into the gym,” Philipps said. “When I got off the beam, it felt like I drank five red bulls.”

Ho, who coached at Sacramento State before accepting the head coach position at UAA, created the event as a motivator for her athletes to workout over summer. A former gymnast herself, she is aware of the fact that longer breaks from practicing gymnastics can result in the inability to perform certain skills.

“We did it because during open practice we can’t give them assignments. We are only here as safety exceptions. So, we wanted to make sure that they are working and have some sort of goal for the first day of practice. So, this [skill test] was their goal. It kind of got the pre-season going,” Ho said.

Team captain Madeleine Arbuckle, a senior all-around gymnast, was excited about the opportunity to test her skills under pressure and took away many positives for her team from the

experience. Arbuckle just added a Tkatchev, or reverse Hecht, back into her uneven bar routine after having recovered from her shoulder surgery in 2016.

“We are still three and half months away from our first actual meet, so I would say this is closer to where we were for our November intrasquad meet last year. I think as a team, we are in a better place. We have a

good foundation to work from and now we just really need to work on a few more upgrades, becoming more consistent and performing under pressure,” Arbuckle said.

For Ho and Cartwright, the skill testing was important to evaluate the gymnastics team’s strengths and areas of improvement.

“We are using the testing to get an idea of our events and how our lineups are,” Ho said.

“We are weak right now on vault and bars and we are stronger on floor and beam. So that helped us realize, ‘Okay, this is what we have and this is what we need to work on.’”

Cartwright agreed with Ho about the team’s great potential on beam and floor.

“Beam was one our best events last year too. I think floor could be very good this year,” Cartwright said.

On beam, UAA produced a new program record of 48.950 during their dual meet against Centenary College at the Alaska Airlines Center on March 5, 2017. Additionally, Sophia Hyderally recorded a new individual school-record and won the beam co-title with a score of 9.925 at the Mountain Pacif-

ic Sports Federation championships on March 18.

Senior Kendra Daniels, known for her beam and floor routines, also feels confident that those two particular events will make a difference for UAA’s gymnastics team this season.

“My floor routine went better than I expected. I finally made a three-pass routine and I have never done that in my entire gymnastics career. Before, I have always done a two-pass routine, so that was exciting,” Daniels said.

To learn new skills is quite a challenge for collegiate gymnasts since it is a sport in which people generally peak really early in their careers. To learn a new and more difficult skill during her senior year in college makes Daniels a strong competitor for the squad.

The Seawolves feel ready to tackle the season under their new leadership, which has high expectations of them.

“We definitely want to improve our team ranking within our conference this season,” Arbuckle said.

The gymnastics team’s Green and Gold intrasquad meet will be held at the Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Co-MPSF champion, Sophia Hyderally, performs her beam routine at a home meet. Hyderally is the school-record holder in the event with a score of 9.925.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

Olympians and UAA athletes host Champ Chat

Through the non-profit organization Fast and Female, amateur and professional female athletes were able to meet for a day of activities and talks

By Lauren Cuddihy

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

For the second year at the Alaska Airlines Center, Olympian Kikkan Randall and U.S. Ski Team member, Sadie Bjornsen, were joined by UAA athletes and hundreds of young girls on Sept. 24. The event, called a ‘Champ Chat,’ was created by members of the Fast and Female organization.

Fast and Female has a presence all over the world, including the United States, Canada and Australia. Depending on the length of the event, either a full day Summit or a half day Champ Chat, the organization has had the opportunity to inspire young girls to continue in athletics and live healthy lifestyles.

For the half day event, Anchorage locals participated in the Champ Chat, which focuses on many different athletic components, like developing skills about staying active and continuing involvement in sports past the age of 14. UAA athletes were able to volunteer at the event and assist in different activities related to their sport.

A non-profit organization originally started by Chandra Crawford over twelve years ago, Fast and Female is now led by Randall and Crawford. Both very successful athletes, Crawford and Randall lead the program in order to create “a positive, empowering environment

PHOTO COURTESY OF YVONNE JESCHKE

Kikkan Randall speaks to the young girls who attended the Champ Chat.

for girls in sports.”

“Staying active is a key component to a healthy and happy life and sports specifically help build confidence, resilience, friendship, work ethic. We know if girls stay involved in sports throughout their life they will be healthier, happier and confident and can be amazing leaders in their communities,” Randall said.

After years of experience in athletics and in professional competitions, Randall has acquired important knowledge and advice that she can pass down to younger girls.

“I have benefited tremen-

dously from my participation in sports. Sports have given me a healthy body, confidence to chase big dreams, amazing friends and opportunities to travel around the world,” Randall said.

A junior physical education major at UAA and a member of the UAA track team, Yvonne Jeschke worked as an ambassador for Fast and Female for the second year in a row.

“I think that Fast and Female was a beneficial event for the girls because they were introduced to a variety of aspects that play a role in continuing active lives,” Jeschke said.

The girls were first joined by Randall, Bjornsen and the UAA athlete ambassadors for small games and ice breakers. Randall, along with several other speakers, discussed the Fast and Female philosophy before breaking the girls off into several groups. The groups were distributed by the ambassadors into specific sport-related activities led by the athletes Jeschke participated in both years and therefore saw the differences that occurred.

“They organized it a little bit different this year compared to last year. Instead of splitting the girls up in two [age groups], we

had all of them together on the basketball court. The ambassadors came from different sports, we had cross country and alpine skiing, ski jumping, basketball, volleyball, hockey, cycling, rock climbing, track and field and gymnastics,” she said.

All the different sports set up a station for the girls to participate in activities. After that, Jeschke said they had lunch and then the ambassadors spoke and gave advice to the girls while they asked questions.

It wasn’t all about sports and activities, though.

“They learned from a nutritionist about proper nutrition for athletes and especially girls in this critical age. It is important for them to know that their body changes and with that, their need for certain nutrients,” Jeschke said.

This event was a significant stepping stone to inspire young girls in Anchorage by working with Olympians like Randall.

They benefited tremendously from “stations featuring agility, relays, team building, human pyramids, nutrition games and a mini-film festival,” Randall said.

The main philosophy of Fast and Female is to “keep girls healthy, happy and active in sports through their teens.”

To learn more about the organization and see pictures and videos of their events, visit their website at www.fastandfemale. com.

INEQUALITY: Protest has broken out over the country by athletes of all levels Continued from cover Jackie Robinson also silently opposed racism by not standing for the national anthem, and wrote in his autobiography that, “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world.”

Today WNBA, NBA and amateur teams all over the U.S. are kneeling with Kaepernick. Even collegiate athletes, such as senior Darrion Gray on the UAA track and field team, are staying informed on the issue.

“It’s supposed to be a protest against the injustice that’s happening in America with the police and the black [population].

However, it seems like the message he [originally meant the protest to be for] shifted from the national anthem to Donald Trump disrespecting the players,” Gray said.

On Sept. 26, Trump took to Twitter and urged the NFL to make a rule against letting players kneel during the national anthem. Trump’s rally against the professional athletes only promoted a more widespread awareness. Now college, high school and club teams all over the U.S. are kneeling with Kaepernick in protest.

As the protest gains more attention, Gray and other athletes noticed the cause may be shifting.

“I guess many of them aren’t kneeling for the original reason they first took a knee for [which is unfortunate],” Gray said.

However, Kaepernick still stands by his original protest and is working to spread a larger message.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color... to me, this

is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” Kaepernick said in a press conference after his first time sitting during the national anthem last year.

While many Americans are against what Kaepernick and other athletes are doing in this protest, there are many others who are in full support of his message.

“Trump is inevitably sending a message to the people that racial oppression and inequality is not a problem in our country,” Pomrehn said. “This is why Kaepernick’s protest is so important. By kneeling, [he] is sending a message that speaks for all the citizens of this country that have to deal with oppression because of the color of their skin.”

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

| 13

Out with the old, in with the new Friends of the Girdwood Skate Park Committee rebuilds aging halfpipe with help from the community

By Brenda Craig

features@thenorthernlight.org

Over the summer, Girdwood Skate Park has undergone many renovations to make the park a better place to skate, bike, scooter and rollerblade. There are now three new vert ramps and a resized rail for beginner riders.

The biggest project to happen this summer was rebuilding the halfpipe, which is 8 feet tall and 24 feet wide. With the help of the local community through volunteer work, fundraisers, grants and donations, this project was able to come to life.

The Friends of the Girdwood Skate Park Committee is a group of skateboarders and non-skateboarders that meet in Girdwood once a month to talk about the budget and new ideas for the skate park.

This project was proposed a year ago after the committee made a priority list of projects that were most needed.

They were awarded a Challenge Grant from the Anchorage Park Foundation in April.

“We, with support from Rasmuson Foundation, awarded Friends of the Girdwood Skate Park a $5,000 Challenge Grant this spring,” Laura Vachula, communications manager at the Anchorage Park Foundation, said. “Challenge Grants encourage community stewardship and partnership to make positive changes in Anchorage’s parks and trails. Recipients of the grant must match the funds with private donations, in-kind services or volunteer hours.”

Since Amy Beaudoin, adjunct professor at UAA and chair of the Friends of the Girdwood Skate Park Committee, was a teenager, she dreamt of building a halfpipe in Girdwood. Beaudoin was responsible for applying for the grant to rebuild the halfpipe.

“It was great having a big dream project to work on together from start to finish. This is something that the skate community can grow with, being the only halfpipe around,” Beaudoin said.

The new halfpipe cost $12,500 in materials and the labor was done by volunteers.

“We received individual donations from Girdwood and Anchorage residents, Alyeska Resort, Municipal park funds and the Anchorage Park Foundation grant,” Beaudoin said. “Blue and Gold Boardshop sponsored a fundraising event last fall at the [skate] park and at Alyeska last winter.

The previous halfpipe was around 20 years old, and was hazardous and unsafe to ride.

“It would have a bunch of nails sticking out and pieces of the boards were coming undone and were so warped and chipped that they became a death trap for catching your wheels on,” Forrest Beaudoin-Mize, natural science major and skateboarder, said. “The top deck was rotting so you could possibly break a hole on the top decking.”

With no hope of renovations, skateboarders would take matters into their own hands and attempt to fix the halfpipe themselves.

“People would try and go screw the boards back in the frame of the pipe. It was so wet and rotten from years of just sitting in water and being buried in snow every winter that screws wouldn’t stay in; you could just pull them out,” BeaudoinMize said.

Before the new halfpipe was built, some were scared to ride the pipe. Building the new halfpipe has made a safe and exciting addition to the park.

“I’m pretty stoked to have a new halfpipe in the skate park. The halfpipe is eight [feet] tall so it’s a good foot and a half taller than the old one, which is cool,”

PHOTOS BY TYLER MARGARET

The new halfpipe in Girdwood in the midst of being rebuilt.

Children in Girdwood enjoying the finished product.

Beaudoin-Mize said. “It’s also built a lot better than the older one, I never really skated the old [one]. Just because it was so sketchy, but now I’m stoked to try and skate the new big pipe.”

After conquering the halfpipe project, there are now discussions of future projects for the skate park.

“We would like to rebuild another vert ramp to fit better and possibly add a corner ramp that matches up nicely to

the pipe,” Beaudoin said. “There has also been a lot of talk of putting a roof on the mini ramp so that we can use it when the weather isn’t cooperating. We welcome all suggestions and ideas for improvements.”

Until it starts snowing, the Girdwood Parks and Recreation Crew will be leaf blowing and sweeping the skate park so riders can enjoy the park as long as they can before winter hits.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

| 14

Letter to the Editor: Alaskans Letter to the Editor: Prescription drug importation say yes to ANWR drilling The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge derstand the trepidation from outsiders; is dangerous for Alaskans (ANWR) is the largest wildlife refuge in the fear that the presence of industry on It’s rare that Republicans and Democrats see eye-to-eye on healthcare reform.

And yet, in early September, Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) each suggested that Americans be allowed to import prescription drugs from abroad to save money.

This isn’t the bipartisan healthcare reform our country needs. The ban on foreign drug importation exists to protect Americans from dangerous counterfeit medicines. Lifting the prohibition might save some patients a little money in the short-term, but those savings would come at an enormous cost to public health.

Many Americans may not realize that drugs imported from abroad aren’t subject to the same strict safety regulations as medicines sold in the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly warned it can’t monitor the safety of drugs sold through foreign pharmacies.

Those drugs are often fakes. As many as one in ten prescription drugs circulating around the globe are counterfeit.

Interpol estimates that these counterfeit medicines are responsible for more than a million deaths each year.

Congress has previously considered legalizing imports from Canada, which may seem like a trustworthy source of medicines. It’s not. The Canadian government doesn’t monitor the quality of prescription drugs sold to foreigners.

Most drugs purchased through Canadian pharmacies aren’t made in Canada, according to a new study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Of more than 100 online pharmacies claiming to be based in Canada, roughly threequarters sell drugs manufactured in other countries. All of the pharmacies sold medicines without requiring a valid prescription.

American patients who fill prescriptions from these disreputable pharmacies have no idea what’s actually in their pill bottles.

Consider one Juneau resident arrested last December for driving erratically. Police found what appeared to be an oxycodone painkiller pill in the man’s car. But lab testing revealed that the 30 mg tablet actually contained fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine.

If Congress legalizes foreign drug importation, such fakes will become commonplace. Opioid deaths, which already comprise 74 percent of all overdose

deaths in Alaska, will spike.

Proponents of drug importation rarely acknowledge these dangers. Instead, they tout the potential savings for patients.

Even this economic argument is far from clear-cut.

An FDA analysis found that five of the seven most prescribed generic drugs were cheaper in the United States than in Canada. For instance, Canadian online pharmacies sell generic metformin, a diabetes drug, for 10 times the U.S. price.

Admittedly, many brand-name drugs are priced differently in other countries.

But these differences are usually the result of price controls imposed by foreign governments. For instance, Canada’s Patented Medicine Prices Review Board caps the price patients pay for the newest medicines.

If Americans were allowed to purchase foreign drugs at artificially low prices — effectively importing price controls — it would hamper domestic pharmaceutical research. Drug companies would have little incentive to fund future medical research if there were no chance to earn a return on their investments.

Pharmaceutical companies are in the process of developing around 7,000 new medicines for conditions like Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, and numerous rare illnesses for which adequate treatments don’t yet exist. De facto price controls would bring many of these projects to a halt. That’s awful news for future patients.

Undercutting the pharmaceutical industry also would threaten the jobs of roughly 4.7 million Americans. Big Pharma CEO’s (such as Martin Shkreli) need to cooperate with Congress and place efforts on affordable pricing and investing towards effective pharmaceuticals. There are solutions to get us there, though this just isn’t one of the safest or smartest.

It’s irresponsible for politicians to promise voters cheap foreign drugs without acknowledging the risks of importation. Flooding the market with hazardous pills of unknown origin would put Alaskans’ lives in danger and undermine scientific progress.

Paul Honeman, former Anchorage Assemblyman representing East Anchorage and retired Anchorage Police Department Lieutenant.

Souces can be found on thenorthernlight. org

America. Spanning more than 19 million acres, it’s an area larger than 10 U.S. states. This vast expanse is home to caribou, fox, bears, and dozens of other species. Much of that land is also home to the Native Iñupiat, and our people have utilized the resources it has blessed us with for more than 10,000 years. One type of those natural resources lies beneath this great land– oil and gas – and lots of it.

The debate over opening ANWR to drilling gained headway nationally in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter set aside less than eight percent of the refuge for potential oil and gas development.

This section of ANWR became known as the 1002 area, after a section of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Since then, Alaskans and the oil and gas industry have fought unsuccessfully to open the 1002 area to drilling, which literally requires an act of Congress. At the same time, lower 48 lawmakers, special interest groups across the country, folks and organizations around the world have waged war on the idea – citing the disruption of wildlife and the pristine Arctic environment.

As ANWR debates occur, the views of the Iñupiat who call the area home are often times left out. The wishes of the people who live in and around the Refuges’ Coastal Plain are frequently drowned out by people who live hundreds and even thousands of miles away. Many of whom have never bothered to set foot anywhere near the Arctic. Well, today is a new day.

Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, an organization with 21 members from across the Arctic Slope region – including members from Kaktovik located inside ANWR – have voted unanimously to pass a resolution supporting oil and gas development in the 1002 area. This is an unprecedented show of unity from the community leaders of the North Slope, those who live in and around the coastal plain of the Refuge, and should send a very clear message to America – we support the development of a portion of the Coastal Plain of ANWR. My fellow Iñupiat and I firmly believe in a social license to operate, and perhaps no other potential project in the history of America has called for such a blessing from local indigenous peoples more than this one.

When oil was first discovered on our land in 1969, the Iñupiat were worried of industry activities and fought hard for self-determination in order to protect our subsistence resources. So, we fully un-

the coastal plains of ANWR could disrupt wildlife and affect America’s manufactured perspective of our land and culture.

However, we also have the benefit of decades of experience working with the oil and gas industry to implement stringent regulations to protect our lands, and the industry has consistently lived up to our standards. Prudhoe Bay, the largest oil field on the continent located 60 miles to the west of the coastal plain of ANWR, has demonstrated for four decades that resource development and ecological preservation can and do coexist in the Arctic.

The 1002 area of ANWR resides in our backyard and is entirely within our homeland, which gives the Iñupiat a unique perspective in the debate to allow drilling there. The oil and gas industry supports our communities by providing jobs, business opportunities and infrastructure investments; and has built our schools, hospitals and provided other basic services most Americans may take for granted. Our region recognizes its importance to our local and state economy, and we believe that development can be done responsibly in a portion of the 1002 area.

We are not alone.

Over the past 35 years, the Alaska State Legislature has consistently passed resolution after resolution supporting the opening of ANWR to drilling. During that same time period, each Alaska congressional delegate and every single Alaska governor has supported responsible development of the 1002 area.

More recently, in January, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced Senate Bill 49 – the Alaska Oil and Gas Production Act – which would allow development of 2,000 surface acres in the refuge’s coastal plain. This proposed legislation served as the catalyst for the Iñupiat people coming together to make an informed, united decision on whether or not to support drilling in ANWR. As Iñupiat, we stand to be unarguably the most affected by oil and gas activity in the Arctic.

Therefore, we have the greatest stake in seeing that any and all development is done in a manner that keeps our land and subsistence resources safe. We know it can be done, because it’s already being done.

Now is the time to open ANWR to drilling.

Matthew Rexford, President, Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017

| 15

A S S O C I AT E D CO L L E G I AT E P R ES S

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

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