November 19, 2019 by The Northern Light

NOVEMBER 19 - DECEMBER 2, 2019

A&E

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

EVENTS

PAGE 3

The Rocketry at UAA Club reaches for the stars with a baseline engine project.

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

PAGE 5

Gaming, costumes and a night of dancing come together at the Cosplay Dance.

UAA | University Art Analysis - “Inflorescence” is mirror magic By Gabby Vance arts1@thenorthernlight.org

“Inflorescence,” a mirrored sculpture, has called the front of the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building home for the past two years. Heath Satow unveiled the sculpture at a ribbon cutting ceremony in June of 2017. ‌ Satow, who lives in California, creates 3D public artwork. He attended the School of Design at North Carolina State University and apprenticed at Clearscapes, a sculpture firm in North Carolina. He graduated in 1991 and was placed in charge of the sculpture studio at the firm. ‌ “Inflorescence” was commissioned as part of the Percent for Art in Public Places program. The Alaska Legislature passed the statute in 1975 requiring 1% of the capital construction costs for public buildings to be used for art installation. ‌ “The mirror-polished stainless steel facets of each ‘seed,’ ‘atom’ or ‘cell’ create little individual paintings of the world, each one interpreting the same world around it, but each one unique in what it shows us,” the sculpture’s description on Heath Satow’s website said.‌ “Inflorescence” was inspired by the patterns of sunflowers,

PHOTO BY YOUNG KIM

The sculpture “Inflorescence” sits on the west side of campus in front of the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building.

Satow said on his website. The statue has over 1,500 individual pieces, giving the artwork a unique, multi-mirrored effect. ‌ The geometric shapes and spirals throughout the piece are characteristic of the Fibonacci sequence found in sunflowers, one of the most famous mathematical formulas often found in nature. Satow sent designs for the sculpture to his engineering consultants in Los Angeles, and

they responded with 80 pages of calculations, according to his website.‌ “With the [ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building], I wanted something that would relate across all the sciences and a lot of times that seems to boil down to math,” Satow said in an interview on July 19, 2017, with UAA’s Green & Gold News. “You’ll find that’s a common thread through the sciences.” ‌

Satow intended “Inflorescence” to be interactive as well as interesting to observe. The sculpture reflects the viewer and the surrounding environment. The artwork also includes interactive lighting sensors that make the lighting on the piece warmer or cooler depending on how many people are interacting with it.‌ “The viewer can walk directly inside the piece, seeing

their own reflection multiplied hundreds of times,” according to Heath Satow’s website. “The interior becomes self-reflective — interpretations of interpretations.” ‌ A unique aspect of art is how subjective it can be depending on the viewer’s perception. ‌ “I believe that art pieces on UAA’s campus provide a unique opportunity for Alaskan artists to showcase their abilities,” senior political science major Hunter Dunn said. ‌ Roy Franklin, a freshman business management major, noticed the sculpture while walking around campus the first few weeks of school.‌ “It looks cool, but I never really understood the meaning behind it,” Franklin said.‌ The most distinguishable quality of “Inflorescence” is the mirror-polished finish that allows the viewer to see themselves and the surrounding environment duplicated at thousands of angles. ‌ “I like the reflections,” Koby Wightman, a freshman psychology major, said. “I think they are cool.”‌ For more information on “Inflorescence” and other sculptures by Satow, visit his website publicsculpture.com. ‌

PHOTO COURTESY OF TED KINCAID

POLAR BAZAAR

Buy handmade. Meet Alaska makers.

Shop a curated mix of handmade products by established and emerging Alaska artisans. Meet Alaska authors at the ReadAlaska Book Fair and discover Alaska’s zine scene at our Creative Copy self-publishers event. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri-Sat, Nov. 29-30 Free museum admission

Come to know the true North anchoragemuseum.org

Museum members save on special events. Join today!

thenorthernlight.org

facebook.com/tnlupdates

@tnl_updates

youtube.com/tnlnews

soundcloud.com/tnlnews

& AE

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Guitar Studio recital to perform a night of classical guitar music By Gabby Vance arts1@thenorthernlight.org

UAA students and community members are invited to attend a free event to delight their senses with classical guitar music from different eras and countries.‌ The UAA Department of Music is hosting its semesterly Guitar Studio recital on Nov. 22 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The recital is in the Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building.‌ The recital program features songs from Spain, South America and other parts of the world. It also includes different time periods, such as Baroque and Renaissance.‌ The guitar recital provides an opportunity for individuals enrolled in private lessons at UAA to present their work. Alumni, high school students, community members and many current UAA music majors are featured in the event.‌ “Throughout the semester, [private lesson students] work on a variety of different pieces

[either for] technical purposes or interpretational reasons,” Armin Abdihodzic said. “In conversations with students, I might propose that it would be nice to work on some Spanish pieces and sometimes I just give them helpful pieces.” ‌ Abdihodzic is an assistant professor in guitar and manages many of the music ensembles at UAA. He is also the instructor for the private guitar lessons at the Guitar Studio.‌ Abdihodzic began the Guitar Studio recital two years ago not only to be entertaining for viewers but educational for the performers. He says the students are able to practice stage presence, become accustomed to crowds and seniors can practice for upcoming performances. He collaborates with students on song choice, recommending songs based on educational value and style. ‌ “I’m playing a variety of pieces since I’m getting ready for my senior recital,” Nicole Niemann said. “[Seniors] are required for our recital to have baroque, classical, romantic and

contemporary pieces.” ‌ Niemann is a senior music education major at UAA and is performing in the Guitar Studio recital on Friday. She is taking advantage of this opportunity to practice the pieces she has been preparing for her upcoming senior recital, a required component of her music education concentration.‌ Alexander Salov, an adjunct professor of Japanese, has been teaching at UAA since 2005. He plans to perform three pieces in the recital. Salov has played guitar on and off for the past several years and has performed in the Guitar Studio recital multiple times. ‌ “I’m grateful that we have such a great program at UAA,” Salov said. ‌ The Guitar Studio recital takes place on Nov. 22 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the music department’s Facebook page. ‌

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UAA WEBSITE

Armin Abdihodzic, assistant professor of guitar, is the instructor for private guitar lessons at UAA.

UPD report: Nov. 4-11

Nov. 5: Illegal camping in the Cottonwood Lot. Non-injury accident in the Central Parking Garage. Theft in the Bragaw Office Complex #3. Nov. 6: Driving under the influence on Elmore Drive. Nov. 7: Warrant service in the Seawolf Sports Complex. Nov. 8: Attempted theft in the UAA/ APU Consortium Library. Theft in the Alaska Airlines Center. Traffic accident in the Short Lot. All information is provided by the University of Alaska Anchorage Police Department.

& AE

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Hitbox Review: Undertale — Puns can’t remedy shallow characterization

GRAPHIC BY MICHAELINE COLLINS

By John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org

Undertale begins with the player character falling down a hole to the underground, the home of the monsters. The player must find a way to return to the surface. Along the way, they’ll encounter many monsters, some less hostile than others. Whether the player decides to kill or spare the monsters is entirely up to them. It’s possible to complete Undertale without killing anyone. ‌ Developer: Toby Fox‌ Artist: Temmie Chang‌ Initial release date: Sept. 15, 2015‌ Platforms: PC [played], Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch‌ Price: $9.99‌ Humans versus monsters is a classic role-playing game premise. Undertale asks: “What if humans were the real monsters?” If this twist on the formula sounds familiar, it might be because The Witcher games have

also largely been about cruel and greedy humans in comparison to blood-thirsty monsters. Quick-to-judge humans are the antagonists of Undertale too, except The Witcher games arguably explored the theme better through their excellent writing. The same can’t be said about Undertale. ‌ Undertale’s exposition comes from unengaging readable plaques on walls and shallow character dialog. If a character isn’t blatantly leaning into their one-note personalities, they’re cracking unamusing puns. Of course, jokes are very subjective and are going to depend on the player’s sense of humor, but they definitely didn’t land for me. ‌ When the player is engaged in combat with a monster, their soul, represented by a small red heart in a 2D box, will appear on screen with four options. The player can fight, act, use an item or use mercy to spare the monster. Fighting will activate a timing-based minigame to determine how much damage the player’s attack will do to the enemy.‌ The “act” action is a non-

lethal way to interact with the monster. The player might have the option to pet a dog in a suit of knight’s armor or flex at a bodybuilding seahorse. Once the player has pacified the monster using the “act” option, they can spare them. ‌ After the player selects and performs their action, it’s the monster’s turn. They’ll almost always attack the player, which begins a shoot ‘em up game inside the heart box. Dozens of patterned projectiles can be fired at the player’s soul at once. The player has to dodge them to avoid taking damage.‌ The shoot ‘em up combat is pretty challenging. I died multiple times to every boss. Since there aren’t any difficulty modes, this led me to kill almost every monster, even if I empathize with them. Killing is the only way to earn experience and level up, which increases the player’s health and how much damage they can take. This cycle kept me from engaging further in Undertale’s core conceit. Not having difficulty modes is also prohibitive to players who may not be particularly good at shoot ‘em up games, but want to experience the story. ‌ The player spends a lot of time in the interaction and combat menu, so it’s unfortunate that Undertale’s retro art style is boring to look at. There are areas that look a little more visually appealing, such as the aptlynamed town of Snowdin, which is blanketed in snow. However, most of the time the player is going to be looking at some variation of white and black during the combat. ‌ On a more positive note, I loved the combat music, which reminded me of the wild battle music from Pokemon games. There’s a surprising variety of genres, such as chiptunes and swing. Anyway, back to the negatives.‌

SCREENSHOTS BY JOHN NOVOTNY

Some in-game moments caused the Hitbox reviewer to question if he was in a sleepdeprivation-induced fever dream.

There is some charm to be found in Undertale, such as this happy dog dangling from a rope, but not much.

I experienced numerous technical issues I encountered playing on PC. Here’s a list:‌ The game launches in a small window. The player must manually set the game to fullscreen by pressing F4 every time they launch it. There is no mouse support. The player must use the arrows, z, x and c keys by default to navigate in-game and in the menus. I couldn’t use a controller because the character would continue moving after I let go of the analog stick. This didn’t happen in any other game during further testing. There’s no way to adjust settings after the player saves for the first time and creates a save file. The player can’t exit the game through a menu. They must use the alt+F4 command

Occasional crashing to desktop. Fix: disable the Steam overlay.‌ I appreciate what the twoperson development team of Undertale was able to deliver. The simple moral choice of killing or sparing enemies is a great way to emphasize player agency and cause them to question their actions. Why are they killing these creatures? Why does it feel good to do so? ‌ Examining humanity’s worst tendencies is still a relatively unique proposition for video games, especially when the core gameplay reflects that theme. It’s just difficult to ignore the fact that other games, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, provide a more captivating experience for only a couple of dollars more. ‌

Rocketry at UAA Club provides hands-on experiences for members By John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org

Rocketry is about designing, building and launching rockets. While model rockets are intended more like toys, the rockets launched by collegiate clubs can be dozens of feet tall and reach altitudes of 45,000 feet.‌ The Rocketry at UAA Club has about 15 active members. Most members are mechanical engineering students, along with a few electrical engineering majors, Forest Sparks, a club member and senior mechanical engineering major, said. ‌ Current club president Walter Nagel said the club is very welcoming to people of all experience levels.‌ “People come in all the time with no experience, [they] get involved and get their hands dirty. You learn a lot,” Nagel said.‌ The club also offers opportunities to work on projects that are similar to real-world conditions, Sparks said. ‌ “When you’re doing an en-

gineering problem out of a textbook, you’re given a lot of things to solve the problem. In real life, you’re not, there’s a lot of trial and error,” Sparks said. “It gives students who might not have had an internship… real-world experience so that when they do graduate and are ready for the workplace, they understand it’s not all just tabulated in charts.”‌ Working on a real-life project looks good on a resume Antonio Won, the previous club president said. Some previous club members have taken jobs at major aerospace companies such as SpaceX, which is making advancements in reusable rockets, and Alaska Aerospace, which operates a spaceport on Kodiak Island. Won also interns at The Launch Company, an Alaskanbased engineering company that provides consultation services to aerospace companies. ‌ The Rocketry at UAA Club is currently building a trailer to test a baseline engine and perfect “the timing sequences for propellant flow throughout the piping and instrumentation,” ac-

cording to a design board for a liquid bi-propellant feed system created by Won and Ben Kellie, CEO and owner of The Launch Company. The feed system is one small step on the way to building a completed 10-meter tall rocket.‌ The club is planning to testfire the engine at the Alaska Aerospace spaceport in Kodiak in December Nagel said. ‌ They are also working to identify hundreds of small parts donated by Swagelok, a gas and fluid system components manufacturer, so that they can determine which of them they could use as part of the engine.‌ “[Swagelok] sent us 200-300 little parts and... a big spreadsheet of all their parts [but] they didn’t include any information about them. They just [included] the product code,” Nagel said. “I have a team of engineers basically decrypting all these product codes so that we have a spreadsheet of what each part actually is. That’s something you would not have learned anywhere [else].”‌

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UAA ROCKETRY FACEBOOK PAGE

Members of the Rocketry at UAA Club pose in front of three of their completed rockets in 2016.

The biggest hurdle for the Rocketry at UAA Club is funding. The club focuses on securing funding from small businesses and must approve their grant requests through UAA, Sparks said. ‌ “[Funding is] a huge inhibitor, a lot of [the parts we need] cost lots of money,” Sparks said.‌

Nagels said that the club has invested more than $20,000 of dollars into their current project.‌ Utpal Dutta, an associate professor of civil engineering and the club’s faculty adviser, is

SEE ROCKETRY

PAGE 4

& AE

Rocketry: Continued from page 3

an affiliate member of the Alaska Space Grant Program. He helps the club write grant proposals and secure funding. ‌ “I just try to make it much more competitive [for the club], put some proper language [into the proposals] and make the proper budget. Since I am in the committee, I have a little influence [over] them to try to get this funding. ‌ The Rocketry at UAA Club’s ultimate goal is to compete in the Friends of Amateur Rocketry Mars Launch Contest which is co-sponsored by the Mars Society. The contest challenges students from colleges around the country to build

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

a rocket and reach an altitude of 45,000 feet. There are two $50,000 prizes. One prize is awarded to the team with a bipropellant fueled rocket and another to the team with a rocket powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen. ‌ “If one team can achieve both goals with the same rocket, they will win both prizes,” Mark Holthaus, director and treasurer of Friends of Amateur Rocketry, said on the company’s website.‌ The club sent two members to observe the competition in 2018, Dutta said. ‌ “I sent them to see how things are so that based on [their observations], they can prepare and make the design,” Dutta said. “They went there, they learned something and… now it is their turn to actually participate in the competition. I am hopeful that they can do it.”‌ The Rocketry at UAA Club is open to everyone of any experience level to join. ‌ “We’re more than happy to get anyone involved who’s up for it,” Nagel said. ‌

PHOTO BY JOHN NOVOTNY

The baseline engine was cut out of a solid piece of 6061 aluminum, and a 3D-printed cross-section (right) reveals what the inside of the engine looks like.

If you’re interested in joining the Rocketry at UAA Club, email the club president, Walter Nagel, at wsnagel@ alaska.edu or attend one of their meet-

ings to learn more. The club meets every Friday at 5 p.m. in the Engineering and Industry Building, room 101. ‌

EVENTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Fall 2019 Singles Night provides inclusive cosplay fun

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA SWAYNEY

Unlike other Singles Night dances, the Cosplay dance incorporates gaming as part of the event.

Students make their way from the gaming area to the dance floor when they hear the “Sailor Moon” theme.

Avery Vellais, a psychology major, poses in front of the photo station at the Cosplay dance dressed as a guardsman from Warhammer 36.

Spirit the Seawolf joins the event and breaks out into dance.

Adrianna McCoy, a marketing major and the organizer of the Mario Kart competition, attended the dance dressed as Princess Peach.

The dance floor is empty during the first half of the dance as students partake in the gaming area.

By Christina Swayney features2@thenorthernlight.org

UAA students and the Anchorage community enjoyed a night of gaming and dancing at the Cosplay Dance in the Student Union Den on Nov. 14. The dance was sponsored by The UAA Anime Club, Esports Club and The Student Activities and Commuter Programs.‌ For the first portion of the dance, DJ Spencer Lee spun music while over 30 dance-goers enjoyed gaming on the many TV monitors in the den. Attendees then gathered on the dance floor around 8 p.m.‌

Cosplay was this semester’s Singles Night dance theme. Singles Nights are held every semester, giving students a chance to mingle and enjoy a night of games, music and dancing. Each event features a different theme, including Grease and galaxy. Event tickets were complimentary for students and the event was opened to the public as well. ‌ “There [was] a healthy mix of people in cosplay and not dressed up at all. I think it’s great and people are here just to enjoy themselves,” Corey Miller, Students Activities coordinator, said.‌ The event featured a cosplay costume

contest, Mario Kart Competition, free Polaroid photos, pizza, Monster Energy drinks and Nerd Trivia.‌ Adrianna McCoy, a marketing major and the organizer of the Mario Kart competition, attended the dance dressed as Princess Peach. She enjoyed how many attendees participated in the gaming, as well as the diversity of people attending.‌ “It’s nice to see all these people here enjoying this event, especially people who normally don’t play video games,” McCoy said. ‌ When the theme song for “Sailor Moon,” a popular Japanese manga series, played, dance-goers gathered onto the

dance floor, forming a circle. Then, they broke into dance formation as “The Macarena” played.‌ Philip Jacob, a dental assisting major, was dressed as “Gloomy Bear,” a character from a Japanese toy company. During the first half of the event, he couldn’t wait to see how the second half turned out.‌ “I’m excited to see what the rest of the night will be like. It has been really fun so far and that’s why I’m here, just to have fun,” Jacob said.‌ Miller said the Cosplay Dance was a success. ‌ “People [were] playing video games and having a great time,” Miller said.‌

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Men’s basketball wins two games with same score during weekend competition By Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org

The UAA men’s basketball team traveled to California for a two-game weekend against San Francisco State and Sonoma State. In an ironic outcome, the Seawolves added two wins to their record with a final score of 81-69 during both games.‌ Senior guards Jack Macdonald and Tyrus Hosley led the offense during the first game on Nov. 15, accumulating 20 points and 11 points, respectively. Senior forward Niko Bevens also contributed 14 points. Cumulatively, UAA shot 48% from the field.‌ The night started out slow with the Seawolves earning just 32 points in the first half, in comparison to the 49 they accumulated during the second half. In contrast, the Gators scored 27 and 42, respectively.‌ Defensively, Hosley led the team with nine rebounds, followed by junior forwards David Riley and Oggie Pantovic with six and five, respectively.‌ “We did a much better job in our team defensive concepts, which kept us in the game until shots started falling. We also got

contributions up and down the lineup, which we needed,” Head coach Rusty Osborne said.‌ Overall, the Seawolves produced better averages than their rivals in free throws, with an 85.7% average compared to the Gators’ 58.8%. UAA also excelled in field goals, with a 48.3% average versus 46.4%.‌ However, San Francisco State excelled in 3-pointers with 33.3%, while the Seawolves ended with a 25.9% average.‌ Osborne was satisfied with the results of the first game.‌ “I thought this was a great step forward for this group. We used last week to identify what would be best for this team and made some adjustments both offensively and defensively. I am proud of them for fighting through the first half when we missed quite a few shots,” Osborne said.‌ The Seawolves returned the following night on Nov. 16 to compete against Sonoma State.‌ In contrast to the previous night, Bevens led the offense with 15 total points. In addition, the Seawolves scored almost equally in both halves of the game, with 37 and 44 points, respectively. Sonoma State started off slower than UAA with 29 points in the first half and 40 in

PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY

Senior guard Jack Macdonald accumulated 20 points during the Nov. 15 game against San Francisco State.

the second.‌ Along with Bevens, sophomore guard Tobin Karlberg contributed 11 points, while Pantovic managed an additional 10.‌ The offensive efforts of the Seawolves led them to a 90.0% free-throw average for the night, excelling over Sonoma State’s 69.2% average.‌ “This was a great team win,” Osborne said. “We had guys step up again in crunch time. Everybody contributed in some

way, whether it was scoring, defense or facilitating the offense. We can now get a good 10 days of practice in and correct some weaknesses.”‌ Defensively, Brimhall and Pantovic led the Seawolves, accumulating six rebounds each, while Riley and Hosley managed five each.‌ “I think we learned that we play very hard; the effort was great in both games. Obviously, there are still many things we

can work on and fix, which is kind of what we’ve been going through [during practice], but I really think we have a good group and look forward to where we are headed collectively,” Macdonald said.‌ The Seawolves have an extended break of 12 days before returning to competition on Nov. 29 and 30 against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Seawolf volleyball overtakes conference leader By Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org

The Seawolf volleyball team started their away weekend competition against Great Northwest Athletic Conference No. 4 Western Washington on Nov. 14. In a long, highly competitive night, the Seawolves overtook the Vikings in a 3-2 win (23-25, 22-25, 25-23, 27-25, 16-14).‌ Both teams are ranked in the top-five for NCAA Division II West Region standings. Western Washington is second, while UAA is fifth.‌ Playing without their leading offensive player, Eve Stephens, the Seawolves had to step up and take charge.‌ Senior outside hitter and previous GNAC Offensive Player of

the Week Vanessa Hayes led the offense by accumulating 17 kills for the night, while junior middle blocker Kayla McGlathery trailed with 13 kills and a 42.3 percent kill average. McGlathery also managed five blocks, all occurring in the fifth set.‌ Junior middle blocker Jalisa Ingram also aided both the offense and defense during the night, hitting a .333 average and accumulating five blocks.‌ Junior middle blocker Vera Pluharova and freshman outside hitter Hannah Pembroke also managed eight kills each.‌ However, the individual offensive achievements would not have been possible without sophomore setter Ellen Floyd’s consistency. She accumulated 43 assists during the game, along with 14 digs and four block as-

sists.‌ The Seawolves’ win broke Western Washington’s 39-match home winning streak.‌ Head coach Chris Green was thrilled with the turnout from the night. “I can’t express how proud I am of this group tonight. Absolutely everyone stepped up tonight and played with a ton of confidence,” Green said. “Vanessa [Hayes] was hitting for a poor percentage at one point but she stuck with it and came through with some huge kills at the end, and Kayla’s [McGlathery] block was absolutely huge in the fifth.”‌ UAA continued their away competition against No. 4 Simon Fraser.‌ In another highly-competitive game, the Seawolves came

PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY

Sophomore setter Ellen Floyd accumulated 43 assists, 14 digs and four block assists during the Nov. 14 game.

out with a second win for the weekend (25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-16).‌ The Seawolves’ offense saw the return of Stephens after missing the previous two matches. She led the offense with a total of 22 kills during the night, with a .420 average. In addition, Hayes kept her high-hitting position with 13 kills, along with nine digs.‌ Leading the defense, junior defensive specialist Anjoilyn Vreeland accumulated 16 digs, aided by her defensive specialist partner Talia Leauanae with 12.‌ Simon Fraser came close in each set, but the Seawolves outhit them .222 to .120 and outblocked them 15-9.‌ “Our team has responded impressively to a lot of adversity the last couple weeks, and this

match was a microcosm of that. When we were down late in the first two sets, we showed nice poise and were able to reverse the momentum. It’s terrific to have Eve [Stephens] come back with such a dominant offensive performance as well. This should give us a lot of confidence going into our last home matches next week,” Green said.‌ After the weekend competition, the Seawolves held their spot as No. 2 in the GNAC with a 15-3 conference record and a 20-6 overall record.‌ The UAA women’s volleyball team will return to competition on Nov. 21 and 23 for their final regular season matches against No. 11 Saint Martin’s and No. 7 Seattle Pacific.‌

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN SERWOLD OF WWU ATHLETICS

The women’s volleyball team celebrates after a win against Western Washington on Nov. 14.

CONTACT

Letter to the editor

As Alaskans, we all care about education and workforce training. Our state is both very large and very small, which can make providing timely, highquality education and training a significant challenge. In order to help meet these challenges, the University of Alaska Anchorage works closely with local industries to constantly align our programs. ‌ In UAA’s Community & Technical College, or CTC, for instance, we offer one, two and four-year degrees in highdemand areas such as aviation, hospitality, construction, safety, computer technology, automotive, diesel and welding. Each program has its own volunteer, industry advisory board. These individuals provide guidance on

equipment and curriculum, offer internship and job opportunities to our students and provide valuable advice and support.‌ We also recognize that partnering with K-12 and regional training centers, such as Alaska Vocational Technical Center, or AVTEC, and with the military, is vital. In the past four years, we have expanded opportunities for public school students to earn college credit for their career and technical education coursework, signed credit articulation agreements with a variety of local training providers and created several targeted “cross-walks” that allow our service members to receive academic credit from their aligned military training.‌ In UAA’s CTC, most of the programs require hands-on education. To ensure our students have access to the highest quality training, we work with local industries and a number of generous individual donors who provide us equipment for training purposes. Where possible, we are also finding ways to deliver training to rural areas. Recently, we received a charitable grant to purchase portable welding simulators, allowing us to partner with our regional campuses to offer welding training in remote regions of Southcen-

STAFF CONTACTS Multimedia Editor Jennifer Lincoln multimedia@thenorthernlight.org

Executive Editor Caleigh Jensen (907) 786-1313 editor@thenorthernlight.org‌

PR & Events Coordinator Joey Carreon events@thenorthernlight.org

Layout Editor Jason Herr layout@thenorthernlight.org Arts & Entertainment Editor John Novotny arts@thenorthernlight.org‌ Arts & Entertainment Reporter Gabby Vance arts1@thenorthernlight.org‌ Sports Editor Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org‌ Features Reporter Christina Swayney features2@thenorthernlight.org‌

PHOTO COURTESY OF DENISE RUNGE

Denise Runge is the dean of the UAA Community and Technical College.

even in lower populated areas. At this time, we work closely with numerous small and medium-sized businesses, such as automotive dealers and restaurants, to extend the benefits of apprenticeship to them and their employees.‌ We are also working closely with colleagues from UAF and UAS. In many of these career fields, the training received at any of our campuses statewide is aligned so students can take a few classes or a certificate on one campus, use those credits toward completing an associate at another and finish with our fully-online bachelor of science in applied technologies leadership program. This is another way students can experience our “earn-and-learn” model.‌ Reducing the time and cost to earn a credential, while expand-

ing the overall opportunities for Alaskans to earn certificates and degrees, results in overall cost reduction without sacrificing quality. The UAA CTC aims to build Alaska’s workforce and foster student success through quality education and technical training. But we cannot do this alone. We are grateful to all of our partners and welcome new opportunities to collaborate.‌ Denise K. Runge, Ph.D., is dean of the UAA Community & Technical College, where she teaches classes in the UAA bachelor of science in applied technologies leadership program. Married, with two adult sons, Runge moved to Alaska in 2015. She has more than 25 years of experience as a faculty member and a higher-education leader.‌

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

3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508‌

Managing Editor Mary Ryan content@thenorthernlight.org‌

tral Alaska.‌ Our faculty represent a diverse mix of backgrounds. Most have years of industry experience in addition to one or more academic degrees and many hold nationally-recognized certifications. For example, our faculty in automotive technology are all Automotive Service Excellence, or ASE, certified master mechanics.‌ Our current projects focus on helping Alaska expand opportunities for apprenticeship. With support from the Technical Vocational Education Program, or TVEP, funding and a national grant, we recently received approval to serve as a sponsor of Registered Apprenticeship, a program of the United States Department of Labor. Registered Apprenticeship is an “earn-and-learn” approach, making it possible for the UAA CTC to partner with employers to provide classroom training and oversight, while the employer provides on-the-job training, salary and benefits. In other cases, we align, verify and provide academic credit for training delivered by industry.‌ The apprenticeship model allows us to collaborate, rather than compete, with industry and training partners on a relatively small scale, one that can work

Graphic Designer Michaeline Collins media@thenorthernlight.org‌ Marketing Representative Krizelle Solidum marketing@thenorthernlight.org Media Adviser Paola Banchero‌ Administrative Adviser Zac Clark‌

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 2,000. 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.

N OT I C E O F N O N D I S C R I M I N AT I O N The University of Alaska is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution. The University of Alaska does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, physical or mental disability, status as a protected veteran, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, parenthood, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, or other legally protected status. The University’s commitment to nondiscrimination, including against sex discrimination, applies to students, employees, and applicants for admission and employment. Contact information, applicable laws, and complaint procedures are included on UA’s statement of nondiscrimination available at www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination.

L E T T E RS A N D CO R R E C T I O N S P O L I C Y The Northern Light encourages readers to express their views in the newspaper. The Northern Light reserves the right to reject or publish any submission, online or in print. Letters to the editor can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum length for a letter to the editor is 250 words, and 150 words for letters specifically endorsing candidates for federal, local, or university office. A letter to the editor is written by someone who does not have authoritative knowledge on the subject they are discussing. Contributors are restricted to one published letter to the editor per month. Opinion pieces can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum length for a contributor’s opinion piece is 450 words. Contributors are restricted to one published opinion piece per month. Opinion pieces written by staff of The Northern Light are limited to 800 words. An opinion piece that is published in The Northern Light should be written by someone who has authoritative knowledge on the subject they are discussing. Letters and opinion pieces are subject to editing for grammar, accuracy, length and clarity. All letters and opinion pieces must include names, major and/or group affiliation and contact information for verification purposes. The Northern Light will not publish anonymous letters or pseudonyms. Requests for corrections can be sent to editor@thenorthernlight.org. Print publication is subject to accuracy and available space. All corrections are posted online with the original story at www. thenorthernlight.org. The deadline for submissions is the Friday before publication at noon, no exceptions. The Northern Light newsroom is located on the first floor of the Student Union Room 118.