September 16, 2014

September 16, 2014

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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Alaska Airlines Center grand opening events

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Pigeon dating sim game entertains with a twist

Regents rescind UA president’s $320k bonus

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org A $320,000 retention bonus intended for University of Alaska President Pat Gamble was rescinded Sept. 8 through a Board of Regents vote in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In a closed meeting, the Board of Regents voted 9-1 to rescind the retention bonus.

“Before taking a vote, they individually voiced support for UA President Pat Gamble,” the university stated in a press release. “But many agreed with him that the incentive’s timing was unfortunate in light of current and expected budgetary constraints and could hurt his effectiveness.”

This comes after the Board of Regents gave Gamble a contract extension in June, which included a $320,000 bonus if he stayed until 2016. Some community members expressed outrage regarding the announcement.

In response to this, Gamble said in a press release that while the Board offered the bonus with good intentions, it was difficult to justify to the public.

“It comes at a time when higher education nationally is undergoing rapid change, as students and parents expect greater results, more efficiency and more accountability from public colleges and universities,” he said. “The retention incentive has

courtesy of the office of the president

become a negative distraction at a time when there is a great need for all levels of the university community to pull together.”

This led to a closed-doors meeting in Fairbanks where the bonus was ultimately rescinded.

“I’d like to put this issue to rest, and for myself, my administration, all of our campus leaders and the regents to focus on the tough tasks ahead, moving the University of Alaska into a stronger, more efficient and highly effective student-centered institution that is worthy of the highest expectations of Alaskans,” Gamble said.

USUAA meeting discusses student affairs

Photo by James R. Evans

USUAA Vice President Jolaine Polak addresses student government Sept. 12 during a meeting in the Student Union’s Lyla Richards Conference Room.

By Stephen Cress

news@thenorthernlight.org

Last Friday USUAA student government held its general assembly meeting in the Lyla Richards Conference Room in the Student Union. The two primary topics discussed were “Resolution 15-01” and “Bylaw 15-02.” Resolution 15-01, a proposal that would affect the class schedules of students and faculty, was voted on and passed 8-0-2.

Under the passed resolution, UAA would change its class scheduling system to a threeper-week rotation, meaning a Monday/Wednesday course would also meet on Fridays. The shift is intended to provide students with more opportunities to participate in clubs, organiza-

tions, and extracurricular activities that operate on a Mon/Wed/ Fri schedule.

The shift will also add a “J term,” or a winter semester after the fall, and will provide additional course options for those wanting to enroll in the summer semester.

The next major issue discussed at the meeting was Bylaw 15-02, an amendment that would equalize the process for students wanting to join USUAA as senators.

USUAA Vice President Jolaine Polak said there are 12 available seats in USUAA for students to join.

Senator Dylan Lance raised the point that USUAA “needed to balance the need to fill the seats and the scrutiny of who we have to fill those seats.”

Senator Samuel Doepken said

facebook.com/northernlightuaa

it was important for USUAA to have a wide representation of the student body and for students to genuinely want to fill their positions as senators.

According to senior Joe Lurtsema, a prospective candidate for USUAA, “There is no reason USUAA should be hard to join. Requiring a two-thirds vote for candidates to join could make the process harder.”

Bylaw 15-02 was voted 10-00 to be tabled until next general assembly meeting.

The Sept. 12 general assembly meeting also covered upcoming events such as Howlapalooza, the Green & Gold Gala and the Homecoming dance.

USUAA student government general assembly meetings start at 3 p.m. Fridays in the Student Union.

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Residence hall posters raise sudent awareness

By Jacob Holley-Kline arts2@thenorthernlight.org

Workers with Title IX have partnered with Residence Life and the UAA Alcohol, Drug and Wellness Education program to distribute informational posters around campus.

There are three different posters. Residence Life posters contain general residence hall policies including drug and alcohol stipulations, along with information about Title IX; a smaller flier dedicated solely to Title IX; and a series of posters under the Consent is Sexy Campaign, sponsored by Title IX and ADWE. “Right now students are most susceptible to being victims of sexual violence,” said Title IX investigator Stephanie Whaley.

“So we’re trying to get our numbers out there and let them know that we’re here for them.”

The first six weeks of school are known as the “Red Zone.”

Freshmen are more likely to be victims of sexual violence in this timeframe than any other time of the year.

Title IX has been on campus for three years and Whaley hopes that these posters will help increase their visibility while providing information about sexual assault.

To circulate posters, Whaley and the Title IX team handed them out to staff and professors during training sessions held earlier in the year as well as residence hall resident advisers.

“If there’s sexual violence on campus, it’s likely to be in the

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residence halls,” Whaley said.

Title IX and ADWE partnered last April for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault month. With the beginning of the Red Zone, ADWE and Title IX sought out a gender- and race-neutral campaign.

“We really wanted to reach all of our student body,” said Amanda Murdock, Alcohol, Drug and Wellness Educator.

“We have such a diverse population, even in age.”

Murdock, Whaley and their respective teams discovered the Consent is Sexy Campaign.

“Consent is Sexy” is a “sexual rights awareness campaign” which promotes “respect, consent and open discussion” and counters all forms of sexual violence and gender discrimination, according to the Consent is Sexy Campaign website.

“Consent is Sexy can really reach anyone … any sort of relationship, any sort of ethnicity,” Murdock said.

In addition to listing information about Title IX, posters in Residence Life will highlight eight to 10 of the most frequently violated and important residence hall policies.

“We’re just one part of the university’s goal of making sure everyone on campus is educated on Title IX,” said Residence Life director Ryan-Jasen Anders Henne. “We’re trying to go that one step further … to make sure students are aware and understand the policies and their responsibilities.”

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Color-coded flags on the grass in Cuddy Quad represent members of the suicide prevention support system.

Suicide prevention is more than just a week Fighting the stigma through education

By Valerie Hudson

features@thenorthernlight.org

It is no secret that Alaska lands in the top percentile of suicides per capita nationwide.

“Suicide is not an Alaska problem, nor a problem isolated to one demographic of people. This is a nationwide issue that is preventable,” said Amanda Murdock, UAA Alcohol, Drug and Wellness Educator.

So what can be done to prevent suicide?

A great way to work toward the prevention of suicide is to be able to recognize signs of suicide and know resources that can help those who are struggling.

“One of the major signs of someone contemplating suicide is the giving away of prized possessions,” said Barb Franks.

“For example, if you have a friend and they have a favorite sweatshirt — whenever you see them, they are never without that particular sweatshirt. But one day they suddenly give that sweatshirt away — that would be the time to have a conversation with them regarding if they are contemplating suicide,” Franks said.

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Photo by Adam Eberhardt

Campus Resources • Student Health and Counseling center: 907-786-4040 Rasmuson Hall, Room 116

• Psychological Services:

907-786-1795 Social Sciences Building, Room 225

• Dean of StudentS Counselors: “There are a number of resources for all levels of crisis, whether it’s you, someone you know or even just someone you see struggling,” said Lizzy Donovan, licensed professional counselor.

When one finds themselves or someone around them in need of help, there are multiple resources on campus and around the community.

Donevan said suicide and depression — which is a risk factor for suicide — are everyday realities, and awareness for those issues should extend just beyond a designated week.

“It’s just we designate that time to raise awareness — create hopefulness, educated people. But really, especially living in Alaska, these problems persist year-round,” she said.

Whether one is experiencing a personal problem or is sensing risk factors of suicide in a loved one, there are resources to contact for help. Every life is valuable and there are people to help, no matter the problem or issue that’s going on.

907-786-6158 Student Union, Room 204

• University Police Deptartment: 907-786-1120 Edward Short Hall, Room 114

Community Resources • Alaska CaREline crisis Intervention Hotline: 24-Hour Crisis Hotline: 877-266-4357 Text: ‘4help’ to 839863 Chat: www.carelinealaska.com

• Anchorage Community Mental Health CrisiS Line: 907-563-3200

• Veterans Cri s i s L i ne : 1-800-273-8255, press 1 Chat: www.veteranscrisisline.net Text: 838255

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

RED ZONE: Bystander ethics

What to do if one witnesses sexual assault

By Valerie Hudson

features@thenorthernlight.org

“If you see something, do something.”

This a commonly known phrase when it comes to what a bystander should do if witnessing a sexual assault. But what does “do something” truly entail?

“In the event of witnessing a sexual assault, the first course of action should be determined by safety for both the victim and the witness. This should also include calling the police as well,” said Anchorage resident Becca Shier.

The instinct to help others comes naturally for some. Breana Fejes, a UAA student, did not hesitate to say that she would step in to help a victim. However, not all people are as comfortable.

“We really encourage people to step in do something if they see something that they don’t think is right or that they don’t agree with — and that, of course, covers sexual assault and power-based personal violence. The difficulty with that is it’s not always easy or safe to step in,” said Julie Dale, member of the Community

Education and Prevention Team at Standing Together Against Rape, or STAR. If the environment is not safe but one would like to help, there are ways to intervene without putting oneself in harm’s way or making matters worse for the victim.

“One of those ways would be to delegate that task to somebody else,” Dale said.

For example, if one is at a bar, he or she can alert a bouncer or bartender of suspicious behavior. On campus, individuals can report suspicious activity to the University Police Department.

“There also are resources for those who witness an assault and find themselves traumatized by the events that occurred,” Dale said.

There are people who think that stepping in can’t make a difference or that the next person will do something. However, the more people that act, the better the chances are to end sexual assault.

Resources for witnesses of sexual assault • S TA R Cr i si s Lines :

Local: 907-276-7273 Statewide: 1-800-478-8999

• Nat i onal Do mestic V io lence H otl in e: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Save these numbers in your phone!

• U n i versi ty P o li ce DepA RTMENT:

Emergency? Call 911.

To report an on-campus incident: 907-786-1120.

• D ean o f S tude nts: 907-786-1214

• S tude nt H ealth & Co unselin g: 907-786-4040

‘Academic’ trail hiking to ease a tired mind ... or something like that

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

By Evan Dodd Contributor

I’m taking a backpacking course to compensate for my attempt to take my two hardest courses in college during the same semester. As a sort of a “field test” to ensure that no one seemed likely to perish on one of the three-day trips, we did a short 10-12 mile hike to test the waters. Not only did no one die, I came away with possibly the most favorable impression of any UAA course I’ve ever taken.

Firstly, the diversity of students in the course was perhaps the most staggering feature of the trip. Rather than my normal peer group of deadpan business students, clothed in the ill-fitting remnants of a raid on the discount suit rack at Burlington, this course actually seems to be filled with engaging, interesting people with a broad array of interests. The demographics range from social workers to ex-military, pilots to exchange students, and from outdoor leadership professionals to a lone economics student desperately trying to stall his

degree.

As someone who’s been using environmental courses to offer a reprieve from the monotony of all the rest, this backpacking class has been my saving grace this semester.

The trip got off to a rough start for me, as I had the sweet privilege of discovering that someone from Templewood 7 or 8 had shot out of their garage and dented the side of my car. By the way, you heartless son of a cardestroyer (my foul language is unfortunately constrained in this column), I’m about to own a new, undented car.

And if this happens again then, so help me, I will park it in the offender’s living room at Mach 5.

Anyway, I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was to hike in the rain after waking up early to re-attach broken plastic bits to the side of a damaged passenger door.

Things began looking up afterward. We all showed up, bleary-eyed and clutching coffee like it was a winning lottery ticket. We signed some basic paperwork about medical histories and probably signed over the last bits of our souls that UAA hadn’t taken yet.

But we didn’t care. We were just thrilled to be off.

Our original destination was located in the Chugach range behind Eagle River in an area called Hanging Valley, which we were assured was less ominous that it initially sounded. I say “original” destination, because despite being well-versed in map-reading and all carrying compasses, we instead opted for the “power hike

in a straight line for five miles” technique and missed the trail junction. Choosing to highlight our adaptability rather than our planning acumen, we continued on to Symphony Lakes rather than backtrack.

The rest of the hike proceeded without incident, which was pleasantly surprising given the entire valley was covered in fog, giving us an approximate visibility of none. No injuries, no constant complaining, not even the dreaded question of “does anyone have an extra (insert forgotten gear here)?” — and on the way back we even were able to locate the trail we should have taken in the first place.

For me, the biggest surprise was the group itself.

Given that my girlfriend consistently describes me using words like “cantankerous,” “antisocial” and “not a people person” with a heavily sarcastic tone, I think it’s safe to say that I’m not generally a fan of group activities. However, I was surprised to actually find a group of like-minded individuals that just want to leave the city, find something impossibly steep and far away and then hike it for the better part of a weekend.

So now, as I write this frighteningly close to my deadline, I’m looking at a frame backpack leaned up against an ass-high pile of gear in the middle of my room. By the time this column runs, we’ll have completed our first three-day backcountry trip, which will either provide material for another column or will turn this one into an impromptu final memoir. Either way, it’s painstakingly clear to me that taking this course was one of the best decisions I could have made — a sentence I never thought I’d send to print.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

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

These are his stories.

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Weeding through Ballot Measure 2

By Klax Zlubzecon

Translated by George Hyde If you’re anything like me, you’re absolutely sick of those voter registration people standing around campus.

Nothing against them — I’m sure they’re nice people, and considering voter turnout statistics these days, they do have a noble and just cause.

But for those of us who do vote regularly, they amount to little more than the political equivalent of wandering minstrels, bothering passersby for signatures and street addresses, and threatening to show off their whimsical lute skills if people don’t give them that. (I may have that last bit wrong.)

As I said, though, they do have an admittedly good reason to be out and about bothering people.

The 2014 elections are coming up, and while the senatorial and gubernatorial races are exciting enough, the one topic on everyone’s minds is Ballot Measure 2 — which, like the last ballot measure we discussed (which is dead), I will abbreviate as BM 2.

BM 2’s premise is pretty simple, yet controversial: it will allow people 21 and older to possess, consume, sell and grow marijuana. In addition, it will tax marijuana sales pretty heavily, at $50 per ounce sold.

Marijuana is a pretty strange thing. Folks in favor of BM 2 say it’s not as dangerous as alcohol, but it still has an effect. It pretty much kills any and all motivation for anything. And while there’s still research to be done, what research has been done points to smoking marijuana having a lot of the same effects as smoking tobacco — perhaps not as addictive, but still dangerous for your lungs.

But then again, if smoking is out at UAA, then I guess that includes marijuana anyway. Really, if anyone is going to be smoking marijuana in Anchorage, it’s going to be in his or her own home.

A major argument against BM 2 claims that legalizing marijuana will change our social norms and perceptions, creating a wildly different Alaska than before. I’m not sure how true that exactly is. You can bet that most, if not all, businesses

will outlaw marijuana on their premises no matter if this initiative passes or not. Same goes for schools, hospitals, prisons, behind the wheel and yes, UAA. I’m not convinced that there’s going to be this massive cultural shift with the legalization of marijuana.

A lot of people in support of BM 2 compare marijuana to alcohol, which is an ... interesting comparison, to say the least. They say that marijuana is less lethal than alcohol, and that it makes people less aggressive. That’s true.

But as I said earlier, marijuana serves to mellow people out. I’d say it definitely has as much of a psychological effect as alcohol, if not more so. For ambitious people like George — or pretty much any college student, for that matter — marijuana can be lethal in that regard. Marijuana is pretty much the enemy of ambition, the Moriarty to ambition’s Sherlock.

It’s not addictive, though, so maybe it’s not as bad, but I don’t know. The amount of research on the physical and psychological effects of marijuana — that is to say, very little of it – is concerning.

So until it becomes legal, who’s to say?

There is one more issue to discuss in BM 2, though, and it’s a massive one: taxes.

Yes, I didn’t make that earlier specification about taxes lightly. Businesses will have to pay a pretty penny in order to sell marijuana, and 50 bucks per ounce sold is a gigantic expense.

That’s going to make marijuana very expensive in Anchorage, but I know all too many people who would put up with that price anyway as long as it’s legal. And supporters also say that that could be a crucial monetary resource for our government.

Being a newspaper columnist, I’m obligated not to say whether or not it’s a bad thing. But, if this article motivates you to vote, go and do it! Those wandering political minstrels are here for a reason, and it’s an important reason. And while they’ll keep bothering you after you give them what they want, it’ll still do you, your community and your future intergalactic rulers good to participate.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

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‘Operation Self-Expression’: Veteran art therapy

By Jacob Holley-Kline arts2@thenorthernlight.org

With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars a new generation of veterans are emerging.

While many veterans need psychotherapy, the confidentiality of such exchanges breeds suspicion in fellow soldiers, according to New York Times deputy editor James Dao. To combat this, Sierra Mills, counselor in residence with the Dean of Students Office, has started a veterans art therapy group.

They meet from 1-2:30 p.m. every Friday in the Student Union Leadership Lab. “This is a huge need for this population, for social connectedness, for selfexpression,” Mills said.

As Mills learned more about military culture, she recognized the difficulty veterans face in asking for help.

“It’s not like, ‘Something is wrong, you need this,’” Mills said. “This is a place for (veterans) ... to feel safe and express themselves.”

According to a study by Rand Co., 50 percent of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder don’t seek help, and of the half that do receive treatment, only 25 percent of them receive adequate treatment.

Knowing this, the U.S. military has taken steps to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness in combat veterans. In 2009, the Defense Department revised military security questionnaires so that prospective soldiers with a history

of mental ailments do not have to report it, according to Monitor senior editor Sadie F. Dingfelder.

Discharged soldiers are screened to ensure mental wellbeing before returning home.

“Most guys in the military know to answer ‘no’ to all these questions,” said student Brock C. Tucker. “Just to say that they’re fine because it could affect their career.”

Tucker is a second-year clinical psychology doctorate student, student clinician at the Psychological Services Center and Iraq War veteran.

While Tucker stated he never felt he needed any therapy, his time with fellow soldiers in the barracks offered an opportunity to help others with their transitions.

“Everybody was going through the same thing,” Tucker said. “We all reacclimated together.”

Tucker hopes to help Mills with coordinating the art therapy group. While no final plans have been made, they have emailed each other with the hopes of future collaboration.

In hopes of attracting more veterans, Mills wants to rebrand the Veteran Art Therapy support group. While she has some ideas, nothing is final.

“Learning more about military culture, I’d like to change it to something like ‘Operation: Art’ ... or ‘Operation: Self-Expression,” Mills said. “Just to use that (military) language and not make it about therapy, even though that would be the benefit.”

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

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GAME REVIEW

‘Hatoful Boyfriend’ is pretty coo

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org This game is a Japanese visual novel and dating simulator where nearly every character is a pigeon. Literally. That’s really all you need to know.

Okay, maybe I should elaborate a bit more.

“Hatoful Boyfriend” takes place at the Saint PigeoNation Institute, a prestigious high school for birds. The protagonist is a human girl who is attending her freshman year at this school.

It’s her goal to find love with one of the many attractive birds at the school, often in weird, comedic and dramatic ways.

As you may have gathered by reading that last paragraph, “Hatoful” is a pretty silly game.

It’s very self-aware, and while it has its dramatic moments, it’s usually funny and full of jokes.

Aside from the fact that nearly every character is a bird, the story is nothing to really write home about. The characters stick to the typical anime or visual novel archetypes; there’s the absent-minded professor, the

childhood friend, the shy kid in the library, the wealthy snob and even a rowdy biker.

In addition to the characters following typical archetypes, the overall story sticks to conventions for each of the paths.

In fact, the different branching paths generally share the same overall events, with only a few different scenes and slight variations on familiar scenes to separate them from the rest. There’s always an awkward first class, a hike to the park, a trip with a special somebird to the Tanabata festival — veterans of the visual novel genre should be familiar with this already.

So aside from the bird gimmick, “Hatoful” doesn’t have much to offer, does it? Well, there is one more reason to pick “Hatoful” up, and unfortunately, it’s a spoiler.

After all of the normal paths are complete, a special secret path becomes available that changes everything. It provides a sinister context to the entire game’s events, all while still retaining a strange sense of humor and an uncharacteristic amount of heart, drama and even horror.

While the first two-thirds of “Hatoful Boyfriend” are pretty generic — at least, without considering the avian cast — the last third makes up for it in the best possible way.

Players who are willing to part with $10 and about two or three hours to get to the good part will be very pleased, but there will be some who will be put off by the waiting time.

Hopefully the novelty of a dating sim with pigeons will last long enough until then.

Game: “Hatoful Boyfriend” Developers: PigeoNation Inc, Mediatonic Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux Genre: Visual Novel Release Date: Sept. 4, 2014

+Hilarious premise, at first +Incredible twist near the end -Characters are archetypes we’ve seen before

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, September 16, 2014

FOREIGN FILM FANATIC

‘Snowpiercer’ is a ride worth taking

By Jacob Holley-Kline arts2@thenorthernlight.org

“Snowpiercer” might be the sci-fi masterpiece of this generation. Really. It’s that good.

Following a near productionhalting dispute between Harvey Weinstein and director Bong Joon-ho, the movie looked like it might never see the light of day.

After some backhanded dealings by the Weinsteins, the “Snowpiercer” ad campaign was almost totally nixed and it was given a limited release before being put on video on demand.

Despite projections, it made an unprecedented $6.5 million from video on demand alone.

Based on the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige,” “Snowpiercer” takes place 17 years after a failed experiment to counteract global warming leaves the earth a frozen waste, the globe spanning train, “The Rattling Ark” houses earth’s last survivors. The poor live in the caboose and the rich in the front.

The hesitant Curtis Everett (Chris Evans, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”) leads a revolt to dethrone the nobles.

Curtis leads this world with brooding ferocity. Edgar (Jamie

Bell, “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 2”), the world-weary Gilliam (John Hurt, “Hercules”), the maternal Tanya (Octavia Spencer, “Get On Up”) and the drug-addicted father-daughter duo Namgoong (Song Kang-ho, “Thirst”) and Yona Minsu (Go Ah-sung, “Elegan Lies”) march alongside him.

Acting as an agent for the megalomaniacal train president, Wilford (Ed Harris, “Pain & Gain”), Mason (Tilda Swinton, “Only Lovers Left Alive”) taunts the poor into submission.

Every performer brings his or her A-game — especially Evans, whose climactic monologue is wrenching and horrifying all at once. Spencer, in particular, is excellent in every scene, but Hurt has a serene magnetism that elevates his otherwise typecasted role.

Each actor believes in his or her role and character, and director Joon-ho trusts them and the audience to put the more obscure pieces of the story together.

And what a story it is.

“Snowpiercer” is arresting from the first minute. It’s immediately evident that the train is its own universe — a microcosm with class separation and social tensions. The turns come relentlessly and the twists are dizzying. The movie wastes no time

DRINK REVIEW

in getting where it needs to go.

By the time viewers step in, Curtis’s plans to take the train have already been set in motion.

This gives the narrative a sense of momentum that doesn’t let up until the final frame.

On the downside, shots of the outside world are dodgy at best.

Thankfully, the movie mainly focuses on the inside world.

And despite the shocking brutality of the inside world, “Snowpiercer” has a wry sense of humor. One absurdly bourgeois look from Mason is enough for a chuckle. With this tongue-in-cheek sensibility and Joon-ho’s characteristic style, the movie becomes something special.

“Snowpiercer” is a fast-moving vehicle that never lets up.

The story is original, the acting exceptional and the style impossible to resist. If the viewer has a ticket to ride, this is one train he or she won’t want to miss.

Title: “Snowpiercer” Director: Bong Joon-ho Release date: Aug. 1, 2013 Country: South Korea

Starbucks green tea latte not worth health benefits

By Valerie Hudson

features@thenorthernlight.org

Over the summer I fell head over heels for iced green tea and the mixed drink version green tea lemonade, both from Starbucks. But as the weather grew colder and colder it just didn’t seem right to stick with the iced version of my new favorite drink.

Enter the green tea latte. While many of the healthy habits I had adopted over the summer fell to the wayside, I had a renewed faith that this one habit I could keep. But while I sat in the drive-thru, there were already a number of warning signs that this may not be the drink for me.

The first sign: Somewhere between me ordering at the mic to pulling around the corner to retrieve the drink, the barista that took my order had gone on break and

failed to actually log the order in. Nevertheless my order was quickly placed once the mistake was realized.

Sign two appeared when I got my hands on it. The cup was half-filled with foam. Still I brushed this off, thinking perhaps the foam was an important component to the drink’s flavor.

However, the flavor itself was another can of worms. Sure, it was the iced green tea I fell in love with, but it was also mixed with a hint of dirty socks and milk that may have been left out a little too long.

The presentation sealed the deal that this just isn’t for me. Even with the health benefits, when I removed the lid the color of the liquid inside can only be described as battery acid green.

My final verdict is get your health benefits elsewhere and avoid this disaster in a cup.

PEOPLE

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Alaska Airlines Center opening week events

Photos by Adam Eberhardt

Alabama Shakes lead singer Brittany Howard performs at the Alaska Airlines Center Saturday night.

Evan Phillips of The Whipsaws opens for the Alabama Shakes.

UAA Concert Board member Daniel Jost introduces The Whipsaws and Alabama Shakes before the concert.

Spirit greets people at the Food Truck Rodeo at the Alaska Airlines Center before the drive-in movie Friday, Sept. 12.

Customers wait in line at A.J.’s Famous Bar-B-Que truck outside the Alaska Airlines Center during the food truck rodeo.

The Alaska Airlines Center set up for the Alabama Shakes concert Saturday, Sept. 13.

PEOPLE

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HOT TOPIC

“Do you use cloud storage? If so, what concerns do you have about security?”

Kainoa Quezon-Vicente

Dakota Lee

“I do use cloud storage. I really have no general concerns involving cloud storage security. For me, it’s relatively secure for me to use.”

“No, I don’t use cloud storage. I don’t trust many things important to me to be saved somewhere intangible to me. Concerning security, it is probably one of the easiest things to get information from.”

Mechanical Engineering

Undeclared

Jordon Flake

Elementary Education

“I don’t use it because I doubt the security of it, and I believe my data would become easily accessible to others.”

Hot Topic Questions, photos and Comments compiled bY George Hyde

NOT ALL ONLINE CLASSES ARE CREATED EQUAL! Choose the right online class.

KPC is known for offering the best online classes in the state of Alaska, and our students are letting us know!

At Kenai Peninsula College, quality is our top priority. Our students’ experiences speak for themselves...

KPC

“Wonderful class − wonderful teacher. Well organized. It was online but it rivaled in−person classes. It just goes to show that online can be just as good as in− person if it is thought out and well planned.”

“I didn’t even know an online experience could be that dynamic and interactive. The experience took learning from home to a “This online course has whole new level!” worked well for me because of my work schedule on the North Slope. I can work ahead when I’m at home and that’s a huge reason for my current success with these online classes.”

WWW.KPC.ALASKA.EDU 1 (877) 262-0330 The University of Alaska is an AA/EEO employer and educational institution

OPINION

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OPINION

STEM field is oversaturated, insecure The idea that we need to allow in more workers with science, technology, engineering and math — also known as STEM — background is an article of lies among American businesses and the political elite.

Along with my colleague Karen Zeigler, a Center for Immigration Studies demographer who authored “Is There a STEM Worker Shortage?”, I have analyzed the latest government data and found what other researchers have found: This country has well more than twice as many workers with STEM degrees as there are STEM jobs.

Also consistent with other research, we find only modest levels of wage growth for such workers for more than a decade.

Both employment and wage data indicate that such workers are not in short supply.

Reports by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the RAND Corporation, the Urban Institute and the National Research Council have all found no evidence that STEM workers are in

short supply.

After looking at evidence from the EPI study, the Public Broadcasting Service entitled its story on the report “The Bogus High-Tech Worker Shortage: How Guest Workers Lower U.S. Wages.” This is PBS, mind you, which is as likely to report skeptically on immigration as it is to report skeptically on taxpayer subsidies for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

RAND’s analysis looked backward in time and found, “Despite recurring concerns about potential shortages of STEM personnel ... we did not find evidence that such shortages have existed at least since 1990 (24 years), nor that they are on the horizon.”

In the March issue of The Atlantic, demographer Michael Teitelbaum of Harvard Law School summarized literature about STEM in an article titled “The Science and Engineering Shortage Is a Myth.”

“No one has been able to find any evidence indicating current widespread labor market short-

ages or hiring difficulties in science and engineering occupations that require bachelor’s degrees or higher,” Teitelbaum said in the article.

Teitelbaum is one of the nation’s leading experts on STEM employment. He is the former vice president of the Sloan Foundation, which is a philanthropic institution essentially devoted to STEM education, and he is the author of “Falling Behind? Boom, Bust, and the Global Race for Scientific Talent,” published by Princeton University Press.

In looking at the latest government data available, my coauthor and I found the following: In 2012, there were more than twice as many people with STEM degrees (immigrants and native-born) as there were STEM jobs — 5.3 million STEM jobs vs. 12.1 million people with STEM degrees.

Only one-third of individuals native to the United States have a STEM degree and have a job work in a STEM occupation.

There are 1.5 million native-

born Americans with engineering degrees not working as engineers, as well as half a million with technology degrees, 400,000 with math degrees, and 2.6 million with science degrees working outside their fields. In addition, there are 1.2 million natives with STEM degrees who are not working.

Meanwhile, less than half of immigrants with STEM degrees work in STEM jobs. In particular, just 23 percent of all immigrants with engineering degrees work as engineers. Of the 700,000 immigrant STEM workers allowed into the country between 2007 and 2012, only one-third got a STEM job, about one-third got a non-STEM job and about one-third are not working.

Wage trends are one of the best measures of labor demand. If STEM workers were in short supply, wages would be increasing rapidly. But wage data from multiple sources show little growth over the last 12 years.

We found that real hourly

wages (adjusted for inflation) grew on average just 0.7 percent a year from 2000 to 2012 for STEM workers, and annual wages grew even less — 0.4 percent a year. Wage growth is very modest for almost every category of STEM worker as well.

So if there is a superabundance of native and immigrant STEM workers and little wage growth, and STEM immigration already exceeds the absorption capacity of the STEM labor market, why are there calls to allow in even more? The answer, put simply, is greed and politics.

These businesses that want more immigration would get more workers to choose from, holding wages in check — i.e., low — and increasing their bargaining power over employees.

Republicans and Democrats listen to their corporate donors in the business world and respond by promising to increase STEM immigration even further. They are all traitors.

L.J. Hodgkinson Orange, Texas

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Choose Your Country of Service in Today’s Peace Corps Information Session:

Live, Learn and Work Overseas University of Alaska -­‐ Anchorage Tuesday, September 23 12 to 1 p.m.

Rasmusson Hall, Room 220

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Stephanie Nys will discuss the new shorter application process and how applicants can now choose their assignment and country of service using our updated interactive website.

Life is calling.

How far will you go?

College sports are Roman circuses College sports abound with scandals involving brutality and the exploitation/abuse of young adults. They are the Roman Circuses of higher education. Universities meanwhile advertise themselves as being on the front lines of intelligence, integrity, and ethics.

What rot. In a time of dwindling scholastic revenues, colleges choose to squander vast

sums of money on the “chosen few” of the empty fantasy that is intercollegiate athletics. This is done at the expense of the rest of the students, who are trying to better their lives (often on their own) through a college education. 21st century universities need to end intercollegiate athletics - they are a stain on higher education.

Thomas H. Morse

WANT YOUR OPINION HEARD? Dear Editor...

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO EDITOR@THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

855.855.1961 | www.peacecorps.gov

COMICS

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