September 25, 2018

SEPTEMBER 25  OCTOBER 1, 2018

A&E

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

SPORTS

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Annual anthology, “Understory,” accepting work from all majors

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

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Matt Bruneteau joins UAA hockey team as assistant coach

Denali National Park road lottery

Red Zone: They came forward. Then what?

A look into the effectiveness of Title IX offices at the University of Alaska after the Office for Civil Rights review

By Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org

PHOTO BY CHASE BURNETT

By Chase Burnett

features@thenorthernlight.org

Denali National Park: A wild expanse covering over 6 million acres of pristine wilderness.

Home to the tallest peak in North America, the park is the embodiment of the Alaskan spirit.

During the summer season, travel on the 92.5-mile park road is limited to mile 15. After this point, personal vehicles are

thenorthernlight.org

not allowed, and all travel must be done by park bus. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, however, adventurous visitors could drive the park road unobstructed. The growing popularity of Denali created an overwhelming amount of traffic for the park rangers to manage.

In 1990, the park instituted a road lottery. Over the course of several days, 400 vehicles each day are permitted to drive the entire length of the park road.

A separate day for military was later added. Unlike during bus

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travel, drivers can stop wherever and whenever they like, save for a few sections of narrow road next to sheer cliffs. This freedom allows visitors to stop for frequent wildlife and take the time to appreciate the diverse landscape.

Applicants enter in May and winners are selected in June.

Entry for the road lottery takes

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UAA received 86 Title IX reports from July 2017 to June 2018; none of them resulted in disciplinary action. At UAF, the numbers were even further divided with 218 reports and three sanctions. Eight cases at UAA and 15 cases at UAF meet requirements for further action.

A Title IX or Violence Against Women Act report includes sexual or gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual contact, dating or domestic violence, stalking or retaliation.

The University of Alaska releases Title IX scorecards that include information on complaints made to the Title IX offices at the UA campuses. The scorecards also overview deadlines the university must meet under the Voluntary Resolution Agreement, a contract UA signed in February of last year.

The signing of the VRA fol-

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lowed an Office for Civil Rights compliance review of the university’s handling of Title IX cases.

“The university entered into the contract because there was an investigation. [OCR] did find areas they felt the university needed to improve, and so this kind of formalizes that,” Chief Title IX Officer Mary Gower said.

In a letter to UA President Jim Johnsen, the OCR wrote that the university system had “violated Title IX” with respect to its response to sexual harassment complaints. In particular, the OCR states that the university’s processing times were too long. “[During the 2013-14 academic year] UAF’s case processing time averaged 122 days and the longest time was 567 days; UAA had an average of 97 days and the longest case took 403 days, and UAS provided only one investigative record to OCR for a case that took 125 days. Investigations required less time in 2014-2015, with averages ranging from a high of 155 at UAF to 58 at UAA,” the letter states.

Jessie Wattum, a student at UAF, had submitted a report to the UAF equivalent of the Title IX office in 2016 for a sexual assault she says she experienced on residential campus.

SEE RED ZONE

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NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

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Three senior administrators resign following API investigation

By Marie Ries

news@thenorthernlight.org

Alaska Psychiatric Institute Director Ron Hale and two other senior administrators with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services announced their resignation on Sept. 14 following a report on working conditions at the institute.

Anchorage attorney Bill Evans conducted the independent investigation into employee safety and workplace retaliation in cooperation with Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth. The DHSS published the findings of the report on Sept. 12.

The report found the institute to be an unsafe work environment for its employees.

“Through the course of the investigation, it became evident that multiple interrelated problems plague the operation of API and contribute both directly and indirectly to the legitimate perception of an unsafe... work environment,” Evans wrote in his report.

Cultural disagreements over the use of restraints and seclusion are the “largest single issue” to the safety of the work environment at API, according

to the report. There is a major divide at API regarding the issue of patient safety weighed against employee safety.

“A large segment of the staff believe that QI [personnel involved in quality improvement] and the administration are being overly zealous in protecting patients and thereby reducing the staff’s ability to maintain safe control of the units,” Evans said.

The report also found that the disagreement results in a major percentage of the staff feeling “unequipped to properly handle a dangerous patient.”

Other prominent problems include ineffective scheduling practices, the frequent use of oncall workers, the qualifications of nurse assistants and the lack of an intensive care and admitting unit.

The investigator, however, did not find proof for allegations of organized retaliation or hostility toward staff members who spoke out about safety issues at API. Evans interviewed 46 union and DHSS representatives, as well as current and former staff members of API between March and June of 2018. Positions ranging from psychiatric nurse assistants to top level administrators

were considered.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Occupational Safety and Health had already voiced concerns about the institute’s work environment in 2014 and 2017.

API already underwent a plan of correction following those citations, Katie Marquette, communications director at DHSS, said in an email. Additional training and safety equipment were provided.

The hospital also recognized that additional nursing positions were needed to maintain safe staffing levels. After the resignation of the three administrators, DHSS Commissioner Valerie Davidson has now announced Duane Maynes as the new CEO of the institute.

When asked about the safety of current API patients at a press conference, Davidson expressed trust in the care of its “incredibly dedicated” staff.

“I actually would feel comfortable [as an API patient right now],” Davidson said.

Still, she recognizes the need to resolve the safety issues at the institute.

“There is much work that needs to be done to address both employee safety and patient

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

safety at API,” Davidson said.

“We are committed to significantly changing the work environment at API... This change can only happen with the full support of API staff.”

The DHSS announced a series of planned changes, including efforts to a new range of behavioral health treatment services across the state. Plans for an increase of psychiatric nursing positions are underway.

“Last session, Governor Walker requested and the legislature approved $3.1 billion for

20 new psychiatric nurse positions and competitive salary increases for nurses at API,” Marquette said.

In cooperation with the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, the DHSS will evaluate the feasibility of a separate institution specifically for patients with a history of crime or exceptional violence.

The full report on the investigation and the planned changes can be found at dhss.alaska.gov.

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

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RED ZONE: Retention problems increase processing times Continued from cover “Title IX drug their feet the entire time,” Wattum said. “This is where I’m really bitter actually. So Title IX says... it’s supposed to be resolved in like 60 working days or something, and my case wasn’t even resolved until six months later.”

The most recent UAA scorecard states that 73 cases were closed within the 60 day guideline but eight were closed after 60 days. At UAF 197 cases were closed within 60 days and 11 were closed after a greater period of time had passed.

Changes in Title IX Leadership Last spring, UAA held open forums for the position of director of the Office of Equity and Compliance and Title IX coordinator. Human Resource Services Director Ron Kamahele had been leading the Office of Equity and Compliance in an interim capacity since September of 2017.

Three people were brought in for open forums with the UAA community including Patrick Shipwash, who was later hired to be a misconduct investigator at UAF, and UAA Title IX Investigator Sarah Childress.

The Daily News-Miner reported that Shipwash was found responsible for sexual misconduct at Pellissippi Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Shortly after the misconduct allegations were reported, the UA General Counsel released a statement on checking references. Shipwash is longer at UAF. Childress, who was appointed to the Title IX position, said there were several things that

needed to be fixed within the Office of Equity and Compliance at her open forum in the spring. One of her biggest goals was preventing re-victimization of people who reported sexual misconduct.

“I talked to three separate women in the past two weeks that have come to me in tears because they have to answer the same questions over and over and over again with each different entity,” Childress had said at the open forum. “They’re being asked these questions by UPD, they’re being asked these questions by Residence Life, they’re being asked these questions by STAR, and then they don’t want to talk about it anymore. They don’t want to tell their same story over and over again.”

At her forum, Childress also said she would like to see, “a structure to that office, written expectations, protocols. We have a huge retention issue in that office, as I am the only one in the office at this point.”

Retention Problems Increase Processing Times Kamahele said there are several reasons why a report takes longer than 60 days to process, including the complexity of the case, semester breaks, and reaching out to all the parties involved. Some of the remaining reasons deal with problems in retention: not enough staffing and turnover that causes someone else to restart an investigation.

Childress and Prevention and Education Coordinator Bridget Coffou have been in the office the longest. They both started in June of 2017.

Since Childress was appoint-

ed, she has worked to address some of the concerns she voiced at her open forum.

“We are creating expectations for ourselves, creating processes, documentation, data across the board,” Childress said in an interview this month. “We are also, I would say, changing the face of the office. We are really trying to increase visibility.”

The office went from a staff of three to an office of five this year including a social work intern. Two new staff members were hired this summer: Deputy Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator, Neil Best, and Deputy Title IX and Civil Rights Coordinator, April Stahl.

Retention problems can be attributed to what Kamahele calls the “fairly isolating” nature of working in Title IX. “We’re dealing with highly confidential, very sensitive, but very traumatic type situations,” Kamahele said. “I mean we’re dealing with people who’ve experienced horrible things. We have to be strong so that we can help those people, but there is this secondary trauma. I mean the Title IX workers themselves, it’s like you still feel something.

And there’s nobody you can talk to.”

Kamahele said the majority of the work done by the office is rarely recognized. While the office is responsible for investigating reports, the majority of the job is giving students resources or accommodations. The scorecards presented to the Board of Regents this year reflect that sentiment by stating “total number where resources/referral were offered” instead of total number of reports.

Many Title IX reports do not result in an investigation or

Title IX INVESTIGATION STEPS

1. Party makes a report.

2. Reach out to the victim.

3. If victim does not want investigation, do a gatekeeper analysis of the harms to the community and proceed with findings.

4. If an investigation is started, the office will collect evidence and talk to all the parties involved.

5. The office will make a finding of responsibility.

6. If a person is found responsible of a Title IX violation, they will be disciplined. If they are a student, it will be by the Dean of Students. If they are an employee, it will be by Human Resource Services.

GRAPHIC BY LEVI BROWN

a sanction. Gower said reports will not result in a sanction if the report is not a Title IX violation or the report is not in the jurisdiction of the university. The latter includes incidents where a student reports a sexual assault committed by someone who was

not connected to the university.

Records obtained from the OCR show that 10 complaints of discrimination against the university have been made to the OCR directly between 2012 to November of 2017.

Compensation review finds faculty salary competitive, executive salary below market median

By Marie Ries

news@thenorthernlight.org

An analysis of the compensation in the UA system found that faculty and staff receive competitive salaries in comparison to the market median. Executives are being paid below the market median, according to the review.

External analysts from the insurance brokerage firms Lockton and Gallagher, conducted the review. The Board of Regents presented their findings in the Board’s meeting on Sept. 13.

Christopher Fallen, professor for space physics at UAF and chair of the UA Faculty Alliance, observed some initial skeptical reactions among faculty.

“The presentation indicates preparation to raise executive compensation following several years of essentially no increases to compensation for all employee classes at UA,” Fallen said. “Of course, this raises a lot of challenging feelings because many faculty do not feel competitively compensated.”

Fallen names the high cost of living in the state as one of the primary reasons.

Faculty salary in the UA system is within a close range of the market median, according to the presentation; two-year faculty place about 3 percent above and four-year faculty are 1.5 percent below the market median salary.

The market median salary and methodology were not specified in the presentation. They were not made available for faculty to assess the appropriateness of the study findings and techniques.

UA executives receive salaries about 13 percent below the median salary, the study found.

The report did not consider the cost of living for the analysis; instead, the consultants used a geographical metric called “cost of labor.” This metric, however, was not well defined in the presentation, Fallen said.

Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya, UAA professor for finance, said at parts of the study are “suspect” due to a lack of transparency. “[The consultants] find that faculty is well-compensated, that staff is well-compensated and executives are not — on what basis?” Bhattacharyya said. “I need to see a report, not a Powerpoint presentation.”

Bhattacharyya thinks that an increase in salary would be important to attract and retain faculty to UAA. “The natural consequences [of not increasing faculty salary] will be that people will look for other jobs,” Bhattacharyya said.

“And faculty strength has been declining, which is what you would expect.”

Other faculty reactions showed more confidence in the findings of the presentation.

“Another less widely held view is that the presentation showed that UA is, when measured by average compensation alone, being fiscally responsible while striving to be as competitive as possible,” Fallen said.

“This is consistent with Regent Davies’ observation during the meeting that it was essentially policy that UA executives be compensated at below market rates.”

The Board of Regents policy states that the “university’s total compensation package will facilitate staff recruitment and retention.” Faculty salary must be analyzed at least once every five years.

UA Human Resources is currently facilitating a comprehen-

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

sive compensation review at the direction of President Johnsen.

This larger effort also includes a pay equity review across the university system. The analysis is already underway and expected to be completed in December.

It targets the effects of elements such as gender, age, ethnicity and tenure track on pay differentials.

“This objective appears very well received among faculty and, as Chair of the UA Faculty Alliance, I wish that this had been the focus of the compensa-

tion presentation,” Fallen said.

He is confident that the UA Board of Regents and the faculty union UNAC will collaborate to resolve occurring issues with compensation.

“I trust that UA will... transparently work with UNAC on addressing compensation inequity among faculty across the system and in ensuring that compensation is truly competitive,” Fallen said.

The presentation can be found in the Board of Regents agendas under alaska.edu/bor.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

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DENALI: 92.5 miles of wilderness Continued from cover

PHOTOS BY CHASE BURNETT

place in September, a time when fall colors dominate the park. The deep reds and vibrant yellows in Denali are some of the most beautiful in the entire state. Conditions and seasons change rapidly in the park and light; overcast skies have even transitioned into blizzard conditions over the course of a few hours.

In most, if not all national parks in the lower 48, visitors can travel the entirety of park roads in their own vehicles. Because of this, national parks often see standstill traffic during the peak tourism season. The road lottery represents a uniquely Alaskan experience.

I was fortunate enough to drive in the park once in 2017 and twice this year. Denali has reinforced my love for Alaska.

Those who win the road lottery and drive the park road leave with a profound sense of appreciation for the state and all that it contains. The scale of the park is hard to put into words. Driving

on a single lane road, thousands of feet above a massive river bed, is something you must experience to truly believe.

Mile 85 is home to Wonder Lake. Appropriately named, the lake sits only 26 miles from the mountain and reflects the Alaska range when calm. Between Wonder Lake and the end of the road is Kantishna. Kantishna holds several lodges and private cabins. Among those cabins is Fannie Quiqley’s. An early mining pioneer in 1905, “she was respected for her outdoors skills, cooking and harsh way of speaking,” according to a plaque in her cabin. Before the establishment of the park, these early pioneers called what is now a protected area recognized around the world, home.

At the end of the road is a small, unassuming sign. It simply reads: “End of the Road Mile 92.5 Denali National Park and Preserve.” It is a symbol of the incredible opportunity to experience a truly wild place unlike anywhere else.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

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A month of cultural Becoming appreciation financially $avvy

By Caleigh Jensen arts2@thenorthernlight.org

The end of September marks the start of the $avvy $eawolf $eries put on by Financial Literacy at UAA. The series consists of three workshops centered around budgeting, credit and loans, which aim to educate students on financial topics.

Starting with Stretching Your Dollar, followed by Credit... the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and wrapping up with The Loan Zone, the hour-long workshops build off each other and are presented once a week for three weeks. The fourth week restarts with the first workshop.

Each workshop in the series begins at the same time and in the same location as the one prior and are presented four times over the course of the semester.

Laura Zamborsky, financial literacy coordinator at UAA, created the workshops back in 2014. Over the years, she has worked to make them as accessible to students as possible. They are offered at a variety of times, on different days of the week and in multiple locations in order to accommodate for the busy lives of college students. Zamborsky encourages participants to try to not only attend one workshop, but to “complete the series” by attending all three.

“The worst thing that could happen is that you already know some of the information. Whether you know nothing or think you know everything about the topics, students usually leave with some new bits of information,” she said. “That’s why we do it; it opens up that thought process.”

Sonya Stein, director of UAA Financial Aid, oversees the $avvy $eawolf program and is a big advocate for the workshops. For her, they are an opportunity to pass down the knowledge she gained over the years to new students.

“Students in their final years always say ‘I wish I knew this information earlier,’ and I can’t help but think back to when I was in college,” Stein said. “I would’ve made a lot of financial decisions differently if I had known the things that I do now. I don’t want students to make the same mistakes I did or that I see other students making.”

Joseph Hopkins, information adviser

in admissions, helps to spread the word of the workshops to new students at the university. He hopes to give them any resources they need to make informed financial decisions throughout their college careers.

“The sessions assist from the admissions process to the diploma,” Hopkins said. “They all tie together and help students be fully aware of their benefits.

Sometimes there [are] little details that can make all the difference.”

Along with gaining knowledge on practical topics, the $avvy $eawolf $eries offers many scholarship opportunities to participants. An administration scholarship is given to a number of students who attended one of the three workshops, and a completion administration scholarship offers a chance to win a larger amount of money to those who “completed the series.”

Emma Lawal, a sophomore at UAA, was one of last semester’s scholarship recipients, which assisted her in paying fees for both the summer and fall semesters of this school year.

“I got a lot out of the workshops… and I won the scholarship offer… which was beyond words a huge blessing,” Lawal said in an email. “Students should attend… because to be honest, we don’t completely know everything about loans, credit and saving.”

Stretching Your Dollar, the first workshop in the $avvy $eawolf $eries, begins on Sept. 27 from 1-2 p.m. in the Lyla Richards Conference Room, or Student Union room 103. The following week, Credit… the Good, the Bad and the Ugly will take place on Oct. 4 at the same time and location. The series will wrap up with The Loan Zone on Oct. 11.

For more information on each workshop and a calendar of the events, visit the Financial Literacy page on the UAA website, or contact Laura Zamborsky at (907) 786-6149 or uaa.financial.literacy@alaska.edu.

PHOTO BY JAY GUZMAN

Members of the Latino Student Union, Anthony Cole, Javier Acuña and Kelsey Hernández help to host several events at UAA for Hispanic Heritage Month.

By Caleigh Jensen

arts2@thenorthernlight.org

The Latino Student Union is hosting a wide variety of events in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The events began in mid-September and will continue until Oct. 18, featuring many activities from movie nights to cooking classes.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a national celebration that recognizes the cultures and histories of countries from Latin, South and Central Americas. Many of the countries have independence days within its time span, which represents a “big time of transition,” says Latino Student Union President Kelsey Hernandez.

Hernandez joined the club on a whim and now, a year later, is playing a major role in making the events within Hispanic Heritage Month possible.

“I went to one meeting and felt at home,” Hernandez said. “I decided this was something that I loved and wanted to give my heart, soul and time to.”

The Latino Student Union partnered with many other organizations, including the Anchorage Concert Association and the Multicultural Center, to bring the month of events to life. With the events ranging from fun and laid back to education-oriented, Hernandez hopes that there will be “something for everybody.”

Natalie Irvine is the secretary of the Latino Student Union. She sees the events within Hispanic Heritage Month as an educational experience for students.

“A lot of people have a stereotype of Mexican culture, but there is so much more to it,” Irvine said. “There are so many countries out there that get left out, and we want to make sure that they get the proper attention.”

Samuel Prieto, vice president of the Latino Student Union, moved to Anchorage from Mexico City when he was 8 years old and learned English as a second language. The events within Hispanic Heritage Month have been both self-fulfilling for him and an opportunity to give back.

“It is really rewarding seeing the effect you have on the community. It gives you a sense of self-accomplishment,” Prieto said. “You’re making campus life more exciting and it’s a great feeling.”

Many Latin countries are represented by the members of the Latino Student Union, including Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. However, Hernandez emphasized that students do not need to have a Hispanic connection to attend their events or join the Latino Student Union.

“It’s not about what you are, it’s about who you are… you just have to have that same joy and love of wanting to learn about a culture,” she said. “You might just find another community that you didn’t know you belonged to.”

Coming up next in Hispanic Heritage Month is the Fireside Chat with Flor de Toloache and Agave Azul. The event features performances from an awardwinning, all-female mariachi band along with a local mariachi. Fireside Chat takes place begins at 5 p.m. in The Den on Sept. 27.

The following week on Oct. 5, a movie night featuring Coco, the animated story of a young musician who seeks out his great-great-grandfather in the Land of the Dead, will take place in the Student Union cafeteria. The movie begins at 6 p.m., and snacks and refreshments will be provided.

On Oct. 9 from 6-8 p.m., a celebration will take place in the Multicultural Center honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Native Student Council, partnered with the Latino Student Union, will host games and teach about both Hispanic and Alaskan Indigenous tribes.

Salsa & Ceviche Night will wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 6-8 p.m. in The Den. For $7 as an individual or $10 as a couple, participants can make salsa and ceviche to take home. All supplies will be provided.

For more information and details on upcoming events, visit the Latino Student Union’s organization page on the UAA website.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

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A ‘transition year’ for UAA’s dance program

By Malia Barto

arts@thenorthernlight.org

The dance program through the Department of Theatre and Dance is going through a few changes.

Before the fall semester started, it was made known that assistant dance professor, Brian Jeffery, resigned from his position. This change is making the dance program “take a hit” in a few places.

Dance classes are still being offered, though the Department of Theatre and Dance Chair, Dan Anteau, said they’re being “micromanaged,” and the department will most likely be “restructuring” the program for a better fit.

Previously, the department would put on two dance shows in the year: “Dance in Performance” in the fall and “New Dances” in the spring. Jeffery was the main creative director behind the performances, and now that he is no longer working at the university, theatre and dance faculty and dancers wanted to make sure something was still offered.

UAA’s Dance Club decided

to step in and put on the performance this fall while things get sorted out in the Department.

“There is no threat to the [Department of Theatre and Dance’s] dance program; the dance minor is very valid, the degree in theatre with an emphasis in dance is still very safe,” Marissa Citro, Dance Club vice president, said. “The dance department still exists. It’s just this kind of weird [time] — we’re calling it a ‘transition year.’”

The Dance Club is already rehearsing for their November show with auditions having already taken place during the first week of the fall semester.

Instead of “Dance in Performance,” the show will now be called “UAA Dance Club Student Showcase.”

The show, which runs Nov. 8 - 11, boasts 23 dancers and five student choreographers; the club is looking at having some special guests be a part of the performance, too.

The ticket sales, which will be $10 each, will go back to support the club. Changes in venue for the performances will occur. Instead of utilizing the theaters in the Fine Arts Building, the club will be putting on

PHOTO BY SAM DAVENPORT

Assistant dance professor, Brian Jeffery, resigned from his position at UAA before the fall semester started. Dance classes are still being offered, but the department will most likely be “restructuring” the program for a better fit, Dan Anteau said.

their show on in the Professional Studies Building’s dance studio.

“It will be a little different with the lighting aspect of things and the theatre feel, but we’re going to dress up the PSB to make it feel as close to a theatre feel,” Marlee Hughes, Dance Club treasurer, said.

Since it is a student-run club, the girls are working hard to balance their scholastic work, the club and putting on the perfor-

mance, altogether in their everyday lives. “[The performance is] a labor of love like nothing before.

It’s purely made of the love that we have for this entire program and each other and our dancers,” Stephanie Andrus, Dance Club secretary, said.

Andrus, Citro and Hughes are three of the five student choreographers.

The faculty in the Depart-

ment of Theatre and Dance are looking at this opportunity positively as well.

“To a certain extent, their carrying this on is partially a really good training ground for any arts-based student who will someday likely graduate and often times try to run their own company,” Jill Flanders-Crosby, dance professor, said. “So in a sense, it’s an educative experience as well, and it’s one that, right now, is working fairly positively.”

The Dance Club has support and help from Flanders-Crosby, Anteau and other dance members in the community, including UAA alumni.

“It’s exciting watching the dancers from Dance Club. They have really stepped up to put this concert on and, by all accounts, it’s going to be a pretty spectacular concert,” Anteau said.

It is still being decided what the following semester will look like. The search for someone to fill in Jeffery’s spot is in the works, though it is uncertain how long it will take.

For more information on Dance Club, visit their Facebook page, UAA Dance Club, or reach out at uaadance@gmail.com.

‘Understory’ accepting creative written works for 2018-19 edition

By Malia Barto

arts@thenorthernlight.org

Another year, another anthology in the making. For many years, the English department has put together an “annual anthology of achievement” of creative works from UAA students called “Understory.”

“Understory” is currently accepting creative written works from prose to poetry to plays for their 2018-19 published edition.

Even videos can be submitted and, if chosen, the link will be published in the book. There’s also a category specifically for creative nonfiction and photo essays that pertain to the topic of race, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

Students from any major are encouraged to submit their work. The only criteria that must be met is being enrolled in three or more credit hours in undergraduate studies at UAA. Three English majors, Karen Nelson, Megan Medo and Alex Bako, are in the beginning processes of putting together “Understory.” Nelson and Medo are the interns for the project, and Bako, a former intern, is sticking around to help the two other

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

The UAA English Department’s yearly publication, “Understory,” is a collection of work from students all over UAA’s campus.

women make sure the process goes smoothly. Two English professors, Ronald Spatz and David Bowie, are also a part of the process by overseeing it. The interns are in charge of reading through all the submissions, helping choose the best ones and editing them, whether it’s technical or small grammatical er-

rors, with the author’s approval.

“I’m looking forward to learning more about [editing] and reading everyone’s work — that’s fun,” Medo said.

The amount of work that gets published varies by year. A few years ago, the submission acceptance was about 1 in 5, but last year all but about 10 pieces of

work were published. It depends on how many get submitted and the quality of the work. The final paperback with the collected works is published in the spring.

For submissions, there is no limit on how many can be submitted, except for a max of five poems. Plays and videos are limited to no longer than 10 minutes

in production length. The creative nonfiction and photo essay are capped at 7,500 words or less. When submitting, the writer’s full name and student ID is required in the subject line of the email, but that is all the identifying information that is needed.

“The goal is to evaluate the work without the author’s name in it, [to have] no bias,” Bako said.

Nelson, Bako and Medo all said to “go for it” if students are thinking about whether to submit or not.

“We’re not in the business of telling you you’re a good writer or you’re a horrible writer,” Nelson said. “We’re in the business of supporting you in your writing.”

On Friday, Sept. 28, from 4 6 p.m., Understory will be holding a new event in the Campus Bookstore. A few writers who had their work published in the 2017-18 book will read their work at the event.

To be considered for the 201819 anthology, submit work to understorysubmissions@gmail. com by Tuesday, Oct. 30.

For questions, email Bowie at dbowie2@alaska.edu or Spatz at rmspatz@alaska.edu.

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

| 07

Who to look out for this hockey season

By Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org

As the 2018-19 UAA hockey season is just days away from beginning, the team has made a complete makeover to their player and coaching rosters. However, several familiar faces will be picking back up after previous successful seasons.

SINCLAIR Eric Sinclair returns to the team after an impressively successful freshman year, yielding him WCHA All-Rookie, Krampade All-American Scholar and GNAC FAR Scholar-Athlete. A defenseman for the team, Sinclair was the only Seawolf to play in all 34 games. Despite his defensive role, he still managed to tally two goals and four assists for the team, contributing six points throughout the season.

ERB-EKHOLM As a junior, Nicolas Erb-Ekholm was the highest-scoring Seawolf on the team.

His contributions included eight goals and seven assists during the total 28 games he played. Erb-Ekholm managed many accomplishments with only minor setbacks; he had just two penalties over the season for four minutes.

XAVIER As a standout freshman, Jordan Xavier was one of the highest-scoring players on the team. As a forward, he put in time in 30 of the 34 total games during the sea-

son. Overall, he managed to accumulate four goals and seven assists to contribute 11 points for the team. This put him as the top scoring freshman on the team. In addition, Xavier was also named Krampade All-American Scholar honoree.

RENOUF TWINS Proving themselves as valuable members of the team over the last two years, the Renouf twins return for their junior season. Nathan and Jonah have been prominent forwards: both Ontario locals added to the tally of points for the team.

Nathan spent time playing in 22 games to score two goals and five assists while Jonah played in 24 games to score three goals and 11 assists. Together, the twins put out 21 points for the Seawolves. Both were named to the WCHA Academic team and named WCHA Scholar-Athletes. Nathan and Jonah both appreciate playing hockey together and look forward to another season together. “Having the knowledge that someone has been through exactly what you have been through, and through anything, you know you can lean on them for support,�

Nathan Renouf said.

CLAEYS Taking over for previously acclaimed goalie, Olivier Mantha, Brody Claeys will be the potential full-time goaltender for the Seawolves. The Manitoba local got a brief feel for collegiate goaltending during his freshman year in seven games.

In that time, Claeys had a .898 save percentage and 42 saves, a season high, in a game against Minnesota State.

UA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination.

08 | SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Newest coaching addition to the UAA hockey staff

By Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org

After threats of program cuts, minimal success and dismissing of previous coaches, UAA hockey head coach Matt Curley is aiming to build a strong coaching staff.

With a complete turnover of the hockey program in recent months, Curley added yet another strength to the team leadership. In early September, it was announced that Matt Bruneteau will be joining as an assistant coach.

Bruneteau joins the Seawolves with ample experience in the sport. Not only does he have expertise as a competitive player, but he also has experience as a coach. Bruneteau also brings his knowledge through a variety of subjects he pursued in his college years.

He attended and graduated from Lake Superior State with a variety of degrees and majors: a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and an associate degree in health and fitness with minors in psychology and coaching.

Additionally, he spent his collegiate years juggling competitive hockey.

“I attended a boarding school, Shattuck St. Mary’s, for high school,” Bruneteau said. “After this I played junior hockey in the NAHL and USHL before playing college hockey at Lake Superior State University (3 years CCHA, 1 year WCHA).”

After his amateur season came to an end, Bruneteau continued on to professional leagues.

He briefly played in the East Coast Hockey League for the Fort Wayne Kom-

ets and the Greenville Road Warriors. He continued into the French League to play for Strasbourg Etoile Noire for two years.

After retiring from his professional and competitive years of playing hockey, Bruneteau transitioned into the realm of coaching.

“I started coaching for Stevenson University [an NCAA Division III team] for two years before moving to Anchorage,” Bruneteau said.

At Stevenson University in Pikesville, Maryland, Bruneteau learned some valuable lessons and skills that he hopes to bring to UAA to incorporate into his team.

It was there that Bruneteau helped start the program and get the team up and running. For two years he helped build the team and program, eventually leading them to the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship. They finished off the season with an 11-8-7 record.

“To improve each day, in hockey, your mentality plays a key role, whether in coaching or as a player. Over the course of a season, you experience many different emotions,” Bruneteau said.

These are things that Bruneteau has experienced first hand, both as an athlete and coach. In his competitive days, he helped lead his team as a captain gaining valuable leadership that built a deeper understanding of the sport.

“Learning how to control [your emotions] to maximize your individual potential or help others can play a substantial role in a team’s success,” Bruneteau said.

Based on his personal knowledge, experience and education, Bruneteau felt he was making a great decision by coming to UAA.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UAA ATHLETICS

Matt Bruneteau will be joining UAA’s hockey team as an assistant coach. The team’s first game is against Simon Fraser on Sept. 28.

“Talking to the rest of the coaching staff at UAA made it an easy decision for me to move to Anchorage. I feel that the staff is the right fit for what UAA needs right now,” Bruneteau said.

Despite the negative history and fleeting success that has put the UAA hockey team in a position to be cut before, a complete turnover of coaching staff might be a positive change for the program.

“The UAA hockey program has a lot of positive things going for it, because of this I see no reason why the program doesn’t have a chance to make improvements over time,” Bruneteau said.

Curley also felt as though UAA was a great fit for Bruneteau and that his skill set would be a great addition to the team.

“As an inaugural player of the new WCHA, Matt [Bruneteau] understands the competitiveness of our league and the challenges that are associated with playing in it. As a former captain, he brings a sense of leadership and dedication to our program along with the work ethic and responsibility that comes with that position,” Curley said.

Bruneteau, Curley, the remaining coaching staff and the UAA hockey players will kick off their new season at the end of the month. The Seawolves will battle Simon Fraser on Sept. 28 in Eagle River.

For the full schedule, roster, and more, visit www.goseawolves.com.

Former UAA athlete becomes assistant coach

By Emily Medina

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

For those who keep up with women’s basketball at UAA, you may remember the starting center from last season, Sierra Afoa. Former student and athlete, she is now the new assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at UAA. Before graduating with a degree in social work, Afoa played on the women’s basketball team throughout her four years at UAA. Although she didn’t expect to get into coaching, she has had experience through the camps she and the rest of the team hosted during her time as a player.

Her dad is also a coach for volleyball at a local high school and her sister is the associate head coach for the women’s basketball team.

“It’s kind of in my family,” Afoa said.

“But I was leaning more towards the social work aspect of things. It’s kind of a surprise to everyone, I think.”

Throughout her four years on the team, Sierra Afoa’s sister, Shaina, was an assistant coach at the same time. Shaina Afoa is still coaching, so it is clear to see that there is a new dynamic sister-duo in store for the women’s basketball team.

Sometimes, Shaina gave Sierra a harder time than others, but it was because she had such high expectations.

“My first year... it was hard to figure out that, like, relationship and then by my senior year it was fine,” Afoa said. “I think we were all treated equally. I think she just had super high expectations for me.”

It is typical for individual athletes or sports teams as a whole to have a pregame ritual. In case you were wondering about any pre-game rituals Afoa had, she would “always listen to the same exact

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

Sierra Afoa, former member of the women’s basketball team, is now an assistant coach for the Seawolves. She coaches alongside her sister and former player, Shaina.

song before every single game for four years.”

As far as the 2018 season goes, preseason training started at the beginning of September and consists of conditioning three times a week, individual skill development and weights three times a week.

“We keep them busy,” Afoa said.

The first official day of practice will be in mid-October as they prepare for their first game where they’ll be traveling to North Carolina to play Duke University.

Despite her new job as assistant coach, Afoa still plays basketball in her free time.

“I play at a women’s league at the YMCA with both of my sisters,actually,” Afoa said. “Then there’s a couple of girls that graduated from UAA that are on my team like Jenna Buchanan, Christina Davis... And then, it’s like a lot of girls that my sisters played with in high school, so we’re just like the ‘retired team.’”

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

| 09

Leave UAA alone Abolish the criminal

By Robert Hockema

opinion@thenorthernlight.org

Despite our university’s diverse and non-traditional student body, students around campus tend to have one thing in common: UAA was not their first choice.

Countless students came here because their first-choice college would have put them in debt or because their parents forced them to go to save money. It’s no wonder why everyone here loves complaining about UAA: a significant portion of the student body is dispassionate and resentful of the fact that they’re here in the first place.

In fact, we love complaining about UAA so much that we turned their promotional campaign, UAAmazing, into an ironic hashtag. Ticketed for a minor parking violation? #UAAmazing. Got sick from the food in the Commons? #UAAmazing. Angry about wasted money on skybridges? #UAAmazing.

It’s not that UAA doesn’t have its issues. Budget cuts continue to pose challenges and have depleted student services, wrecked university departments and raised tuition. Residential campus feels like a rip-off. Academic, health and social services are confusing and decentralized. The campus is inefficiently spread out, forcing us to drive class-to-class, or even venture into town to find the University Center. I could go on, but at the very least it’s suffice to say that UAA has a lot of work to do.

However, to consider UAA as a desperate, least-desirable, tool of last resort is a mistake. Instead, UAA should also be considered a top-choice university for students graduating high school in Alaska.

First of all, UAA students looking for academic excellence should have little to complain about. We’ve got our fair share of lazy, incompetent professors — so does every university, including ones that charge tens of thousands more in tuition per year. What we seldom acknowledge is that we’ve also got some of the most talented faculty in the country. From award winning political science professors that have been elected to international councils to justice professors that have argued in front of the Supreme Court, UAA undoubtedly attracts quality teaching.

Impressive faculty aside, there aren’t many academic departments and programs that fail to match up to other public universities our size. Besides, unless you’re sold on what you’d like to do for the rest of your life, your undergrad is relatively inconsequential in the first place.

Next, there’s campus involvement. I can’t begin to tell you how sick and tired I am of hearing that there’s “nothing to do around campus.” UAA has 170 campus clubs and six Greek Life organizations registered, all of whom constantly hold meetings, events and activities for students to participate week-to-week.

There’s something for everyone at UAA, whether or not you’re a fierce advocate for reproductive rights at Generation Action or an avid knitter at Chronicles of Yarnia.

If student clubs aren’t your thing, UAA is also home to a host of formidable sports teams and academic opportunities, including our award winning women’s basketball team and our internationallycompetitive debate program.

There’s plenty to do here. The problem is that we’re so busy complaining about how futile UAA is that we fail to see the opportunities that are actually available.

Lastly, our relentless pessimism makes us unnecessarily critical of many of UAA’s services. For instance, everyone has a bad story about Parking Services issuing a frivolous ticket. Point taken. However, it’s a bit bizarre that we complain about how there’s “no parking.”

Hot take: is there no parking available, or are we simply too lazy to use the parking garages and walk a few minutes to class?

To be clear, it’s not that UAA is the shining university on the hill. But we need to change the way we evaluate UAA. If you’re for an Ivy League education, you won’t find it here. But for roughly $20,000 a year, we’re getting far more than we take for granted: a quality institution full of opportunity and excellence.

disclosure statement for UAA employment

By Ben Edwards

opinion2@thenorthernlight.org

The University of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer — unless you have a criminal conviction. If that is the case, then UAA joins countless other employers in the systemic discrimination against convicted people.

Currently, any applicant for UAA employment who admitted having a prior conviction is subjected to an extra hurdle in the hiring process. This hurdle takes the form of an email, and it requires the applicant to write out what they did and why their employment, if selected, will not adversely affect UAA. The written response must be detailed and supported with official court documents.

The requirement is invasive and humiliating. Although the applicant has 15 days to produce a satisfactory response, the selection process for the job will continue as normal. This means that applicants without criminal convictions are more likely to be selected, while the convicted applicant wrestles with this extra hurdle.

It doesn’t matter if the convicted applicant is more qualified for the job. It doesn’t matter if it was a little shoplifting misdemeanor from adolescence. If you answered “yes” on the criminal history webpage, then you will get dragged through the mud before UAA blesses you with employment. It is time for UAA to remove this extra hurdle and judge applicants solely on the basis of experience and performance.

UAA implemented this criminal disclosure requirement with good intentions. UAA Human Resources has a prerogative to support a diverse and quality workforce through effective applicant screening. Providing tools to weed out dangerous gangsters is understandable in a general sense.

As with many good intentions, however, reality ends up singing a different tune. The truth is, dangerous gangsters do not apply for UAA. MS-13 doesn’t seek out professorships in the far north and Anchorage’s methamphetamine traffickers do not dream of working the ticket booth at a Seawolves sports game. That leaves people with lesser convictions.

According to the State of Alaska’s criminal offense records, the most common crimes are traffic-related misdemeanors such as drunk driving, reckless driving or driving with a suspended license.

There is also a plenitude of crimes categorized as “nuisance,” which includes disorderly conduct, trespassing and mischief. Environmental crimes include lit-

tering, fishing and hunting violations.

These three categories are the most likely to show up on an applicant’s criminal disclosure statement to UAA. None warrant dragging the applicant through an extra hurdle.

Supporters of UAA’s current screening regime would insist that the intention is only to identify applicants with theft or violence convictions. This is still problematic. For example, a shoplifter is not necessarily a kleptomaniac. But that is exactly what UAA’s criminal disclosure requirement inadvertently assumes. This needs to be understood even in the context of violent crime. A bar fight could turn a person into an assault or battery felon, but it is not reasonable to assume that person will be violent in all other instances. Applicants will have already served their time or paid their dues when they apply for work. UAA needs to stop assuming that each convicted person is a habitual offender.

If the written criminal disclosure requirement is eliminated, UAA will still be able to satisfy its responsibility to maintain a safe work environment. The emphasis must be placed on the interview process and the quick investigation of employee misconduct. In the interview, the university department doing the hiring must be equitable. Hiring managers are especially vulnerable to discriminatory bias.

The New York Times reported that hiring managers nationwide are complicit in intentional and unintentional bias against applicants with criminal convictions. Given that inconvenient reality, UAA’s hiring managers would serve their mission of impartiality better if they never knew about the applicant’s run-ins with the law. The second point that UAA should focus on is the quick investigation of employee misconduct. There could be a situation where a university employee engages in inappropriate behavior, of any degree of severity. UAA’s ability to investigate and take proportional action on that will be the basis in which we judge a safe work environment. In other words, the security of a workplace is better served by investigative action and transparency than it is by locking certain applicants out because of their histories.

Several municipal and county governments around the United States have adopted “Ban the Box” legislation, which prohibits employers from asking about criminal records. Alaska may or may not be ready for that. But UAA needs to take the first step towards a more equitable future. UAA needs to abolish its criminal disclosure requirement.

10 | OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Save vultures, not pandas

GRAPHIC BY JIAN BAUTISTA

By Ben Edwards

opinion2@thenorthernlight.org

The giant panda is a cherished animal worldwide. It is the pride of China, the symbol for the World Wildlife Fund and a popular attraction for any zoo. It is not hard to see why. Pandas are fat, clumsy, adorable animals with visually distinctive fur. But cuteness comes at a high cost.

All pandas are exclusively owned by China, so zoos in other countries have to rent each one for at least $1 million annually. That doesn’t include the cost of maintaining a satisfactory enclosure and importing a constant supply of bamboo.

The government of China does not disclose its exact expenditure on panda conservation, but this year’s financing of a $1.6 billion sanctuary in Sichuan province gives a hint at what kind of price tag comes attached to these beloved Oreo bears.

Donors haven’t been dissuaded from panda conservation either. The WWF continues to emphasize pandas in its donation campaigns, even though the species is no longer endangered.

Juxtapose this with vulture conservation efforts. Four of the five vulture species endemic to Asia are classified as critically endangered — the highest threat category short of extinction. The oriental white-backed vulture on the Indian subcontinent experienced periods of near total extinction with several of its flock colonies already functionally extinct in northwest India.

The cause is unmistakably human.

Indian farmers continue to use the antiinflammatory drug Diclofenac on cattle, which is highly lethal to vultures who later consume the carcasses of those cattle. Poachers have killed entire flocks to keep them from swarming deceased elephants and rhinos. Non-Governmental Organizations, such as Save Vultures and Bird Life International, are working to conserve vultures. But they have experienced difficulty obtaining donations, media sympathy and government cooperation for one major reason: vultures are ugly. Really ugly. More specifically, their carcass-munching evolutionary behavior tends to unsettle people. Hollywood even propagated the myth that vultures patiently circle over the famished cowboy in the desert as he shakes his fist at them, while declaring he ain’t dead yet.

Panda conservation does not have to be mutually exclusive to vulture conservation. However, we should acknowledge two important observations: eco-donations are a finite resource, and humans are flawed in how they allocate it. In regards to the first observation, there is clearly an over-investment in pandas and an under-investment in vultures. The individual and corporate donors for these two efforts have the same rationale: they think species X is intrinsically valuable and must be protected.

However, the extreme disparity between panda and vulture fundraising validates the second observation about flawed allocation. Humans are not donating on the basis of a species’ utility in a given ecosystem. If they were, the plight of vultures would occupy the attention of

activists worldwide. Instead, donations are made with a subtle undertone of selfishness. Pandas are pleasing to us and therefore we protect them.

The truth is, vultures are a far better species than pandas. The importance of their role in the decomposition process cannot be understated, especially in Hindu India where deceased cattle are religiously safeguarded from human consumption. Nature’s avian clean-up crews break down carcasses much faster than other decomposers. This accelerated decay process helps prevent the spread of diseases like anthrax, rabies, tuberculosis and botulism. Additionally, vultures are preferable to carcass competitors, such as wild dogs, because vultures pose no threat or nuisance to humans.

The modern vulture is also a fantastic product of evolution. Their digestive system is highly effective at processing rotten flesh, much of which would devastate the stomachs of other animals. Their diet is the most sustainable in the world. For as long as there are animals, there will be carcasses. Vultures are not endangered because of any flaw in their biology — rather, human interference is to blame.

Pandas are a different story. As a species of bear, they still have meat-processing intestines and carnivore teeth. For some reason, however, their fearsome ancestors ended up in bamboo-rich lowlands and never left. Evolution traded their predator agility for a 99 percent bamboo diet. Bamboo is, coincidentally, extremely low in nutrition. The giant panda’s bear guts process very little of the plant intake, which means the animal has to compensate by munching down 26-84 pounds of bamboo every day.

This produces a troubling quandary for conservationists: any increase in panda populations will correlate with a decrease in bamboo forests. Mo’ pandas, mo’ problems. In fact, China’s remaining bamboo forests are already at risk from excessive logging. If a zoo keeps one panda for just one year, it will have to purchase a minimum of 30,660 pounds of bamboo from loggers. Multiply that by the approximate 300 giant pandas on loan from China, and you have a global demand for 9.2 million pounds of bamboo each year. On top of all this, pandas are notoriously slow to reproduce and are neither prey nor predator in any significant way, meaning they play no role in the cycle of life.

Conservationists and donors have to recognize the giant panda for what it truly is as a species: adorably flawed. We can still stabilize their population, but that effort must not come at the expense of more important species, like vultures. That is exactly what is happening right now. Every dollar that goes to feed a panda could have gone to save a vulture. Every biologist studying a chubby bear that lays around all day could otherwise be studying our vanishing decomposer birds. The over-investment in panda conservation is increasing their numbers, an unsustainable practice that is egged on by zoo managers who see them as tourist attractions. The under-investment in vulture conservation will result in the continued extinction of one flock colony after another. When the last vulture dies, we may be wondering where we went wrong.

CONTACT

THENORTHERNLIGHT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

| 11

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. The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.

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