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In This Issue
April 19, 2011
Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Andrew Sheeler editor@uafsunstar.com (907) 474-5078 LAYOUT EDITOR Heather Bryant layout@uafsunstar.com (907) 474-6039
The Sun Star Volume XXX Number 26 April 19, 2011 The Sun Star’s mission is to provide a voice for the UAF campus and be a written record where news, people’s opinions, and events (whether extraordinary or ordinary) are expressed honestly and fairly. EDITORIAL OFFICES 101G Wood Center P.O. Box 756640 Fairbanks, AK 99775 Tel: (907) 474-6039 Ads Dept: (907) 474-7540 Fax: (907) 474-5508 www.uafsunstar.com
COPY EDITOR Rebecca Coleman MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Jeremy Smith web@uafsunstar.com AD MANAGER Alex Kinn fyads@uaf.edu (907) 474-7540 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Daniel Thoman distribution@uafsunstar.com ASSISTANT DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Ben Deering REPORTERS Kelsey Gobroski Elika Roohi Amber Sandlin Jeremia Schrock COLUMNISTS Jamie Hazlett Jeremia Schrock PHOTOGRAPHERS JR Ancheta Dillon Ball ADVISOR Lynne Snifka
Tony de Balzo attaches trim to the lower panel of a van door. Del Balzo has been working in the automotive shop since October 2010. Heather Bryant/Sun Star
Check out the Sun Star on Facebook for breaking news and updates!
The Sun Star
This Week Politics Campus Life A&E News Sports Perspectives Editorial Online Crime and punishment UAF style and the economics of being endangered in this week’s science briefs.
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ASUAF has a 20 minute meeting and Nookraker presents 2011 Awards for Awesome.
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UAF GSA shows why silence can be deadly
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Jazz players converge on campus and Lady Gaga annoys the Catholic Church…again.
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The wheels on the bus…and car and van and truck and dump truck go round and round and keep UAF running.
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Parrish West is breaking records and making a name, while women tackle rugby at UAF.
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Weekend Wanderlust takes a trip to the Mat-su Valley and Random Errors writes a flip-obit.
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Guns on campus
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Photos from “I’m going to college,” Elika is still an aspiring something and more photos from Jazz Fest.
This Week
www.uafsunstar.com Fast and the furious
April 19, 2011
Backward driving
On Saturday, April 9, an officer observed a man speeding on Farmer’s Loop Road. The officer pulled the man over and discovered through the Alaska Public Safety Information Network that the 21-year-old driver had an outstanding warrant and had Amber Sandlin violated his probation by speeding. The ofSun Star Reporter ficer contacted the probation officer, who ordered the vehicle to be searched. Nothing was found but the man was taken to jail for All persons referred to in the blotter are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court his warrant. of law.
Around 3 a.m. on Sunday, April 10, an officer saw a person drive backwards through the intersection of Cameron Street (near Sourdough Sam’s) and University Avenue, take a very wide U-Turn and run a red light. The officer pulled the person over for driving strangely and breaking traffic laws. The driver, a 35-year-old man, was found to have “had a few” before attempting to drive home to North Pole. The car was impounded and the man taken to jail for drunken driving.
Ditching
High in public
Sticky situation
On Tanana Loop, an intoxicated driver tried to pass another car and in the pushed the car off the road, also went into the ditch himself on Friday, April 8. The cars were both damaged, although no one was hurt, and a tow truck was called. When the officers arrived to check on the accident they detected alcohol on the breath of the 29-year-old male driver. He was arrested for driving under the influence.
An officer was monitoring a UAF campus dance on Saturday, April 9, when he smelled pot. The officer noticed the smell was stronger on a group of people, and there were signs that somebody in the group was intoxicated. The group was searched and no pot or drugs were found. One person was banned from all university dorms except the one he or she lives in. It was not specified who the student was.
On Sunday, April 10, a resident of Stevens Hall discovered that the key wouldn’t fit in the keyhole. Someone had put glue or some other substance in the lock, vandalizing the resident’s door. The resident was not sure why someone would damage a door, and called to report the damage and lack of room access. UAF police are continuing this investigation to determine who did this.
The 2010-11 term has been a banner year for The Sun Star! Your university paper has taken home a blockbuster seven awards from the Alaska Press Club Conference and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Region 10 awards. The Sun Star and its staff won the following awards:
Alaska Press Club 2011 Conference Best Reporting on crime or courts – Print-Small - 1st Place –The Sun Star The other side of the gulch: Starvation Gulch as viewed by UAFPD – Andrew Sheeler Best Page Design – Print Small - 1st Place – The Sun Star The Arctic Ocean: 1000 possibilities and perils – Heather Bryant Best Series – Print Small - 2nd place—The Sun Star Bush Science: Bringing labs to rural students –Molly Dischner, Mark Evans, Keane Richards Best Arts Coverage – Print-Small - 3rd place – The Sun Star Visiting artist sees Holocaust as personal -- Jeremia Schrock Best Humor – All 3rd place – The Sun Star Hess Village annexed by Hell – Andrew Sheeler
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Region 10 Awards Best Affiliated Web Site - First Place: Sun Star Online Online Sports Reporting First Place: Tracking the 200- by Jeremia Schrock As your award-winning paper, we will strive to continue providing you with the highest quality content every week. Thank you for your support!
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Science Briefs
Compiled by Kelsey Gobroski Sun Star Reporter
Cosmonaut celebrated Fifty years ago, humans sent one of their own into space. Russia hails Yuri Gagarin as a cosmonaut hero. Gagarin’s successful mission in 1961 teetered on precarious as problem mounted upon problem from takeoff to landing. After being shot into a potentially lethal orbit, Gagarin weighed 30 pounds too much in his spacesuit, and he landed 370 miles off target. - Discovery News
Scientists see slippery spill results Researchers returned to the decimated ecosystem surrounding the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The April 20, 2010 explosion killed 11 people and allowed more than 4 million barrels of oil to pump into the Gulf of Mexico. Although the most memorable photos of last year include pelicans and oil-caked shorelines, the greatest loss may be in the species-rich depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Oil had never been spilled so far below the surface. Cleanup efforts collected a quarter of the oil, whereas much of the leftovers combined with plantlike phytoplankton to form a curious slop. BP expected the oil to float, but microbes digested any lighter components, so leftover oil lost buoyancy and sank. - Nature News
Economics endanger wolves For the first time since the installation of the Endangered Species Act, Congress directly removed an animal from the endangered species list. Wolves in Montana and Idaho are now managed by their respective states, rather than federally. In the past, as with the Tennessee snail darter, Congress indirectly stunted federal jurisdiction over habitat by authorizing development. The removal came in the form of the new Congressional budget. The sciences with heaviest cuts include $49 million from climate change, $438 million from sustainable energy, $638 million from the Defense Department’s environmental cleanup, and $997 million from the Environmental Protection Agency’s water and pollution treatment. - New York Times
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April 19, 2011
Politics
ASUAF Weekly Update
Nookraker
Jeremia Schrock Sun Star Reporter
...of the Year
The following notes are from the April 17 senate meeting, held in the Alumni Lounge.
Jeremia Schrock Sun Star Reporter Every term, UAF presents various students, staff and faculty with “of the Year” awards in honor of their service to the university. The student senate gives out annual awards for best staff and faculty member, while the Wood Center hands out employee of the month awards. UAF as a whole grants such diverse prizes as the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award for Outstanding Graduating Senior Woman and the Alumni Achievement Award for Business and Professional Excellence. We are a campus that loves awarding excellence and it is in that same spirit that I present to my readers the 2011 Nookraker Awards for Awesome. Best Actor: Hadassah Nelson is the best actor UAF has at present. I use the word actor because “actress” implies something less than a “real” actor. The list of shows Nelson has acted in is extensive, with her best role (yet) being as Valentina in “The Bay at Nice.” Also, be sure to check her out as the Queen of Sicilia in Stephan Golux’s “The Winter’s Tale,” which debuts this Friday, April 22! Best ASUAF Senator: Robert Kinnard III has worked tirelessly during his time on the senate. He is always available for discussion (whether in person or over email), spoke on behalf of student concerns in Juneau, has put forward numerous senate bills (including one which provides students with free ID cards) and is now chairing the Elections Board. He’s worked his ass off and deserves recognition. Best Drink at the Pub: Moose’s Tooth Raspberry Wheat. It’s a raspberry-based beer and it’s only ever on tap. I really can’t say more then that. Best Wood Center Employee: Julene Loudermilk, the administrative assistant who is always fun to be around and who is a great conversationalist. She is helpful and will always let you in to your office when you forget your keys. Best Technology Guru(s): It’s a twoway tie between Robert Hale in OIT and Jeremy Smith at the Sun Star. According to an incredibly confidential source, Hale is helpful, understanding and always shows concern for the students that work in his department.
The Sun Star
Present:
Smith is the man behind the Sun Star’s website. He is largely to thank for making the site as award-winning as it is. He updates it, organizes it and makes sure every photo we run looks snappy. Without Smith, the website would not be nearly as amazing as it is. He, in all honesty, deserves his own category. Best Graffiti Art (That Makes a Statement): The pimp-hat wearing Nanook spray painted outside of the Wood Center that says “Pay Yo Fees Bitches.” Funny AND factual. Best Graffiti Art (Just Because): The face of Elton John that was plastered around Gruening last summer. As classy as the man himself. So, really classy. Best Place to Take a Nap on Campus: 6th Floor in the Rasmuson Library. Those chairs are comfy, am I right? Best Coffee: The St. Nickerdoodle that the Polar Perk makes almost every morning. It’s made by the North Pole Coffee Roasters Company and is just delicious. Best Librarian: Paul Adasiak of the Rasmuson Library is ridiculously helpful. Not only is he helpful and happy, but he has this great idea for setting up library help desks all around campus. Seriously. Best Intramural Sport: Women’s Rugby. Why? Not only is rugby one challenging (and wicked cool) sport, but because we’re at a college campus in Alaska that has a women’s rugby team. Oh, and because if we ever played a UAF vs. UAA game of Red Rover they would TOTALLY be on my side. Best Sport on Campus to Play with a Broom and Cape: Quidditch. Speaking of which, check out my article next week on Spring Fest’s newest (and most phantasmagorical) idea yet! You get to run around with a cape on your back and broom between your legs. You know you want to (read my article, that is). Jeremia gives his opinion on university, state and national issues in the Nookraker: a weekly political column which tackles issues relevant to Nanooks both at home and abroad.
Arthur Martin, Mary Strehl, Robert Kinnard III, Chelsea Holt, Dillon Ball, Ryan Duffy, Jennifer Chambers, John Netardus and Josh Cooper.
Website issues: The ASUAF website is down. Sen. Duffy stated that he has meeting scheduled with the ASUAF Executive Office, Sabra Phillips, to discuss the website. He added that it would be “bad if one of the few forms of public outreach [remains] unreliable.” Sen. Martin put forward the idea of letting the Sun Star take over the website since they have a reliable web director. Sen. Cooper stated that the senate should hire their own web director.
Senate Chair report President Carvajal vetoed no legislation.
Executive Committee report Committee chair Sen. Chambers stated that her committee had made very few amendments to the budget. She added that they would have a special meeting to discuss the budget during the upcoming week.
Gruening signboard ASUAF presidential nominee Monika Kunat expressed her concern that the ASUAF signboard in Gruening was outdated and unprofessional. Duffy stated that
he “ may just go there and tear it all down.” Updating the signboard is no ones official job, Duffy said. He added that the Organizational Director had volunteered to update it.
Seiler removal Chambers moved to remove Sen. Hollie Seiler from the senate due to accumulated absences. Sen. Cooper seconded the motion. Sen. Kinnard moved to table it, stating that precedent had been set to notify senators who were up for removal, adding that it was “common decency” to do so.
Travel grants awarded SB 176-022: Student Travel Award Spring 2011 awarded $3,500 to the following students: $900 to Isaac Thompson, Amanda Mertes, Craig McKenzie, Allan Spangler, William Coleman and Maura Sateriale. $450 to Wyatt Rehder and Ryan King. $600 to Christiana Wright, Ryan Sanders and Lisa Stowell. $900 to Andrew Chamberlain and Maggie Matheson. $650 to Amanda Barnard, Daniel Martolano, Brianna Brefczynski, Jene Fricks-Culbreath, Travis Fricks-Culbreath and Tiffany Terry. Travel grants go toward reimbursing student travel for projects ASUAF supports. Since the legislation pertained to money, the vote was by roll call. It passed by a vote of 6-0-2.
The Sun Star is looking for next year’s editors and reporters. If you are interested in being part of the voice of UAF, apply soon. We are looking for a copy editor, layout editor, and reporters and photographers.
If you are interested go to uakjobs.com, posting # 0061866 Be a part of the award winning UAF Sun Star! Check us out online at www.uafsunstar.com
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April 19, 2011
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Campus Life
April 19, 2011
A & E Briefs
Compiled by Elika Roohi Sun Star Reporter
Paparazzi tail Bieber in Israel Justin Bieber went on tour to Israel recently. The young pop star comes from a Christian background and said he wanted “the chance to walk where Jesus did” in a tweet. Bieber is having some problems with paparazzi though. “You think paparazzi would have some respect in holy places,” Bieber said. “They should be ashamed of themselves.” Frustrated, Bieber tweeted that he was just going to stay in his hotel for the rest of the week. -BBC
Not intended to be a factual statement Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl is at the receiving end of one of Stephen Colbert’s jokes. Kyl made a remark that abortion is well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does. This turned out to be incorrect: abortion is 3 percent of what Planned Parenthood does. Kyl’s office released a statement clarifying that what Kyl said was “not intended to be a factual statement.” Since then, Colbert has been posting some not-so-factual statements about Kyl on Twitter using the hashtag #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement. “Jon Kyl once ate a badger he hit with his car,” Colbert tweets. Colbert did clarify though that was not intended to be a factual statement. -CNN
The Book of Joel is a no go
Actions are louder than words Day of Silence at UAF Elika Roohi Sun Star Reporter On Friday, April 15, at 5 p.m. the members of the UAF Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) converged in Constitution Park and broke their daylong vow of silence with a scream. The Day of Silence is a silent protest for those who have been harassed for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Every year, participating people take a vow of silence between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on April 15. “Everyone who participates has a story,” said Nicki Karl, the secretary of the GSA at UAF. “It might not be their story, it might be someone else’s. But everyone has a story.” The first Day of Silence was in 1996 on the University of Virginia campus. That first year, more than 150 students participated, and everyone involved with it thought it to be a great success. The Day of Silence has been around at UAF for several years, and many new people participate each year.
Alyssa Dunehew Sun Star Reporter
-Boston Herald
Lady Gaga versus The Catholic Church
-huffingtonpostentertainment.com
This year, the Fairbanks Freethinkers joined the GSA outside the Wood Center. The Freethinkers acted as the voice of the GSA when students had questions about what was going on. “I know we’re supposed to be silent on the Day of Silence,” said Justin Heinz, the president of the Fairbanks Freethinkers. “But it was nice to talk and explain it to people.” Students paid a lot of attention to the table that the GSA and Freethinkers manned outside on April 15. “I think we did a good job raising awareness,” said Stuart Ravn, a member of GSA. “There were no hecklers.” The GSA hasn’t had to face too much outright harassment, according to president Arvia Glass. “Sometimes our flyers get taken down,” Glass said. “Annoying stuff like that.” According to Don Foley, the dean of students, there are usually only one or two reported cases of harassment towards LGBT youth a year. “We’re very fortunate,” Foley said.
When issues do come up, UAF tries to take measures and separate the students to avoid further problems. “I haven’t personally witnessed anything,” Glass said. In addition to organizing the Day of Silence every year, the GSA provides a welcoming environment for those who feel unwelcome elsewhere. They hold meetings every Friday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge. “We have group get-togethers,” Glass said. “The occasional fundraiser.” This year was Glass’s first year organizing the Day of Silence, and under her direction, the GSA attracted many students with their silent protest against the harassment of LGBT youth. “I think they do a very good job trying to educate the populace,” Foley said about the GSA’s organization of the Day of Silence. “Let’s learn to be accepting. We don’t all need to agree, but we certainly need to find a way to have a civil dialogue.”
UAF Jazz Fest brings young dreamers to campus
Billy Joel was working with publisher HarperCollins to produce an autobiography. The book was supposed to reveal previously unknown secrets about Joel. It was supposed to hit bookshelves in June, and has already been written and edited. However, Joel gave HarperCollins their $3 million dollars back and decided not to go through with the book. “It took working on a book to make me realize that I’m not all that interested in talking about the past,” Joel said.
Gaga’s love affair with controversy continues with her most recent single, “Judas.” The second single released for the “Born This Way” album expected to be released in May, “Judas” features Gaga as Christ’s “hooker prostitute wench” Mary Magdalene who falls in love with Judas. The song has drawn criticism from The Catholic League and Gaga’s creative director threatened to quit in protest.
The Sun Star
North Pole High School senior Nick Brenner stands to play a solo at the 2001 Jazz Festival’s final concert on Saturday afternoon, April 16. Brenner was part of the High School Honor Band that played at the Davis Concert Hall. April 16, 2011. Alyssa Dunehew/ UAF Sun Star
Smooth trumpets, jazzy sax tones, and thumping bass notes filled the Davis Concert Hall on Saturday afternoon, April 16, for the 2011 Jazz Festival’s (also called Jazz Fest) final concert. The High School Honor Band was the last to play, directed by Professor James Bicigo, preceded by the Showcase Choir, directed by Kate Hammett-Vaughan, and the Middle School Honor Band, directed by Karen Gustafson. The students from these ensembles come from all around Alaska and are picked to participate based on their performances in their music classes at their own schools. To a member of the audience it might appear that members of the High School Honor Band had been rehearsing for weeks. Harvey Ruth, an 11th grade trombone player from West Valley High School was eager to inform that they barely practiced. “There was a mini rehearsal this morning, but we had only looked at one of the tunes- the rest were new,” Ruth said. “We looked at ‘Mood Indigo’ yesterday, but the rest we didn’t look at until 9 a.m. this morning.”
This didn’t seem to faze Ruth, who’s been playing the trombone since 6th grade, but has only been in jazz band since last year. “I enjoy a lot of more modern styles of music, like rock, and I realized it all stemmed from jazz,” Ruth said as his reason to join jazz band. He is taking classes at UAF, is graduating early from high school and plans to major in music. Of course, being in an honor band isn’t just for music majors like Ruth. Nick Brenner, a senior from North Pole High School, plans to be a mechanical engineering major. For him, music is a love but mostly a hobby. “It takes a lot of connections to make it in music, a lot of work, and putting yourself out there,” Brenner said. “I feel like I click better with engineering.” He is fascinated with the thought of conquering space, and wants to help design and build new spacecraft. Brenner, who plays the saxophone, received the 2011 Food Factory Fine Arts Scholarship, and is attending UAF in the fall.
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News
Keeping up with UAF’s fleet is a full-time job Heather Bryant Sun Star Reporter Everyday, dozens of UAF vehicles move around campus. Blue shuttle buses transport people across campus. Heavy equipment clears snow away. Vans, cars, trucks and SUVs carry university employees around as they do their jobs. It takes many wheels to keep the university in working order, and these wheels are all under the purview of Sarah Mousseau. Mousseau is the transportation manager. She is responsible for monitoring the fleet of vehicles owned by facility services. The fleet is made up of more than 300 vehicles varying from lawnmowers to boom trucks and front loaders. They vary in location as well as size, with vehicles in Nome, Fort Yukon, Bethel, Kodiak and Galena. “We have a pretty good assortment, and we try to maintain the things we need the most,” Mousseau said. “We have a pool of vehicles for the university to rent when they need it. Biology field trips and geology field trips, they rent a lot.” Professor Chien–Lu Ping works with the Alaska Geography Field Studies program, taking students from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay to see the landscape transitions. Access to vehicles that can handle the demands of the Dalton Highway is important. “There’s a limited number of cars allowed to go on the haul road because of conditions,” Ping said. “Without those vehicles we couldn’t do it.” Ping cites the loading capacity, reliability and expediency of renting the vehicles from the university as
Students board a shuttle bus at the Wood Center bus stop March 25, 2011. Heather Bryant/Sun Star
the main perks of the program. Part of keeping UAF’s fleet of vehicles in good working order is the full service garage at facility services. Four mechanics and a student, who handle everything from tune-ups to repair, staff the garage. “We’re the automotive shop, there’s an electrical shop, an HVAC shop and a plumbing shop and a warehouse,” said Andrew Gale, a mechanic. “We have our own carpentry shop. We’re like our own little mall and campus is our customer.” Gale moved from Michigan four years ago for a job at UAF. As a light duty mechanic, he works mostly on the assortment of vans, trucks, SUVs and cars that come into the shop. However, he often finds himself stepping in to help wherever needed. “If I see a student’s having an issue or something’s wrong, but that’s just my personality, I’m more than willing to help
out and see if I can get them going again,” he said. Tony del Balzo, a junior and criminal justice major, has been with the automotive shop since October 2010. Del Balzo said he has been picking up skills since he started in the shop. “Everybody can use mechanical skills,” del Balzo said. “People don’t realize how many vehicles the university has and how much goes into maintaining them and keeping the school running.” The shuttle system is the most visible visible part of the UAF fleet to students. The routes log hundreds of miles each week, transporting students, staff, faculty and visitors around campus. Todd Smith, the Shuttle Supervisor, has been with the university since February 2007. Before that, he worked a variety of automotive jobs, received his Automotive
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Service Excellence (ASE) certification. Now he is responsible for the seven buses and 14 shuttle drivers who make up his department. Smith points out that a common misconception about the shuttles is that it’s easy to change routes or add routes. Currently, there are just enough shuttle drivers to cover the current routes. Adding another route would involve hiring more drivers and buying more shuttles. The shuttle buses cost approximately $250,000 a piece and are custom built. It takes about two years, from design to completion, for the university to get one. The current set of shuttles was built in 2006, so it’s not likely they will need to be replaced anytime soon. Jay Bean started at UAF in fall 2008. Bean, 21, is a geology major who uses the shuttles when it’s cold out. “I really like the shuttle program because it is easy to use and the drivers are really friendly,” Bean said. Smith keeps track of ridership information for each of the shuttles. “Our numbers are consistently going higher and higher,” Smith said. During the first week of classes, the week of Jan. 24, records show that there were more than 11,000 rides on the shuttles. A ride is defined as a person taking the shuttle from one stop to another. That number is an increase of almost 2,000 rides from 2010. “We try to, every once in a while, stand back and we’ll look and see if there’s a bigger need somewhere, so we can put the shuttles to better use,” Smith said.
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April 19, 2011
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Sports
April 19, 2011
West recognized for outstanding season player, transferred to UAF from Highland Rebecca Coleman Sun Star Reporter Community College in Freeport, Ill. for the 2009-10 season. He led the team in scoring his first year with Alaska, and then spent the 2010-11 season smashing school and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) records. Throughout the year, West broke two UAF records that hadn’t been touched since the 1967-68 season: the single-game scoring record (West picked up 43 points against St. Martin’s on Jan. 20) and the season scoring average (27.2 points per game). Both records were initially set by Milo Griffin. West’s 43-point game landed him a spot in Sports Illustrated’s Feb. 7 issue. West set three GNAC records this season, as well. He achieved 13 games this season with 30 plus points, seven April 9, 2011 is officially known as consecutive games with 30 plus points, and Parrish West Day in the Fairbanks North Star two consecutive games with 40 plus points. Borough. Borough Mayor Luke Hopkins, He landed GNAC Player of the Week honors Fairbanks Mayor Jerry Cleworth and North twice, and led the GNAC and NCAA Division Pole Mayor Douglas Isaacson signed the II with 27.2 points per game. All of West’s accomplishments earned decree at a reception held at the JP Jones Community Development Center on April him the honors of being the Ron Lenz National Player of the Year, a Daktronics 9. First Team All-American, a 2011 Reese’s West, a senior and UAF basketball
Division II College All-Star, and the 2010-11 NCAA Division II Player of the Year for men’s basketball. At the reception for West, the majority of the UAF men’s basketball team was in attendance, as well as about 30 other friends and fans who wished to congratulate him for a fantastic season. Tilmon Taylor, the president of the Fairbanks chapter of the NAACP, presented West with a ceremonial gold pan. “He’s a team player, and we felt it appropriate for the NAACP to recognize him,” Taylor said. In his two years with the Nanooks, “you never heard [West] say ‘I’m the greatest,’” said UAF head coach Clemon Johnson. “It was always about the team for him.” This was evident in West’s speech at the end of the evening. He thanked his teammates and asked the audience to give them a round of applause. “Thanks for giving me the chance,” he said. “I guess it’s time to move on now, but I will come back.” “I’d like to thank Parrish West for allowing me the opportunity to coach him,” Johnson said. “You (West) put Fairbanks on the map for us.”
Hookers essential to winning scrums on the pitch UAF women’s rugby team preps for SpringFest Rebecca Coleman Sun Star Reporter Sophomore Katie Griffin is a hooker. Not the street-walking kind; the tackling kind. Griffin is on the UAF women’s rugby team, where she plays a position called the hooker. This is her first semester as a rugby player. UAF has had a women’s rugby team for about three years. Technically, it is a club sport, but they would love to become an official collegiate sport one day, said captain Rachel Schwanke, a grad student. For now, they are trying to get the word out about their existence and generate interest among the women at UAF. “It’s an awesome sport because it incorporates players of all different types: big, small, tall, and short,” Griffin said. “I used to do ballet, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m better built for rugby. There’s a position for everyone.” Both Griffin and Schwanke agree that rugby is great for its stress-relieving effects.
“I love tackling people,” Schwanke said. “It’s a huge adrenaline rush.” “It’s really great stress relief, running into people,” Griffin said. Rugby is similar to football, but there are no forward passes allowed, only backward. Also, there are no blocks, and you can only tackle the person with the ball. To score a try (similar to a touchdown, but worth five points instead of six), a player has to carry the ball into the try zone (similar to the endzone) and touch the ball down to the ground. When the ball goes out of bounds, it is thrown back into play, like in soccer. There is only a scrum – reformation to restart play – after a penalty. Schwanke is the scrum half, which is essentially the quarterback. Griffin’s position of hooker is responsible for hooking the ball backwards towards the team during a scrum. One of the most noticeable differences between rugby and football is that rugby players don’t wear pads.
For people interested in playing but who think it sounds confusing, “we’re welcoming to anyone who’s willing to play,” said Kayla Hackman, the self-appointed social chair of the team. “We have lots of skilled players who are willing to teach, and we have lots of social events. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with us?” she said laughing. Schwanke appreciates the camaraderie of the team, and of the sport in general. “It really doesn’t matter where you go, when you meet a rugby player, you’re instantly connected,” she said. The women’s rugby team practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at the SRC in preparation for their first game. They will take on a team from Anchorage – not UAA – on Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m. during SpringFest. “We’re not so serious that we don’t have fun,” Hackman said. “But we want to win because winning is fun.”
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Sports Briefs
Written by Rebecca Coleman Sun Star Reporter
Bump, set, smash! Intramural volleyball Team Smash Bang Fusion played like a well-oiled, three-piece machine when they bumped, set, and spiked their way to victory against Team Warriors on Thursday, April 14. They dominated their opponents 25-16 for the first game of the best-of-three match. Their superior spikes, well-placed sets, and unreturned serves gave them the edge, even though they only had three teammates to the Warriors’ five, and the Warriors could substitute their players. Game two saw great volleys and impressive serves from both sides, but the Warriors fell just short of victory. Smash Bang Fusion took the game 25-22, winning the three-game match in two.
Balls in action: Intramural dodgeball Team King of Battle was hoping for a war against Team Bloodbath & Beyond on Thursday, April 14, but the Bloodbath was MIA, giving the Kings an automatic win. However, they didn’t let their lack of opponents keep them from getting their game on. The ROTC-comprised team grabbed a few random bystanders, including the referee, and threw and dodged with all of the intensity of a real game. Colored balls flew everywhere, and players hit the floor as they kept from being hit. King of Battle fully utilized their practice opportunity, but they didn’t take each other too seriously, as there were continuous smiles and joke trash talking.
Sweeping the ice: Intramural broomball Slipping and sliding all over the ice, Team Mickey’s was able to edge out Team OG’s 1-0 on Thursday, April 14. Through a series of spectacular passes, the Mickey’s were able to score the lone goal of the game. The OG’s nearly came back with a goal of their own, but the Mickey’s goalie got control of the ball just before it passed through his legs. The Mickey’s dominated the game and kept the ball in the OG’s zone, keeping the OG’s goalie on his knees. The OG’s made a good effort trying to get a goal, even when facing the difficulty of back-to-back penalties late in the game.
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April 19, 2011
Perspectives
The Sun Star
Weekend Wanderlust Discover the ‘hidden’ valley Jamie Hazlett Sun Star Columnist Heading north up the Parks Highway from Anchorage, one encounters the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. For many people, it’s just another leg of the journey to Anchorage or the Interior. Fear not, fellow traveler: fun and interesting things to do abound in what locals refer to as “the Valley.” The true measure of a destination is its food and drink. The Last Frontier Brewing Company, situated within sight of the Parks Highway, offers a selection of delicious local brews, as well as a variety of low-priced and delicious dishes. Although there has long been a brewery on this spot (it was previously the home of the Great Bear Brewery Company), this new establishment is still working out the kinks. Be patient, and your taste buds will be amply rewarded. Another great Wasilla restaurant is Piccolino’s, a Greek and Italian spot that features one of the best wine lists in the state and is located directly off the highway. If you love driving by the reindeer pens on campus, the Palmer Musk Ox Farm is the place for you. Yes, you can see these guys here in Fairbanks, but the Farm offers you a chance to get more up close and personal than most research facilities can offer the public. Go during the spring when the muskoxen are shedding their underfur (commonly known as qiviut) and you might get a chance to handle some of the rich, raw substance that sticks to the grass and fences around the Farm. Nearby Hatcher Pass is a hiker’s paradise. Possibly the best part about the Pass is that the road loops from outside of Palmer and comes out in Willow, which means you can easily make this a side trip on your way back to Fairbanks without adding more than three or four relaxing hours surrounded by the peaks of the Talkeetna Range. From Archangel Road, on a clear day you can see down the valley to Anchorage, some 50 miles distant. Summit Lake is a great place to toss down a blanket and have a picnic. Stop by the historic gold mining area of Independence Mine to check out early 20th century buildings and industrial techniques. Attempting the road
over the pass is not advised in the winter when the road is not maintained and caution should be used on some of the curvier sections even in the best weather. The hills make for great sledding and snowmachining in the winter, and the area is popular in summer with parasailers as well.
Finally, there are some phenomenal views to be had by driving around the area. Follow Knik Goose Bay Road (locally known as KGB) out of Wasilla toward its end for glimpses of the Knik Arm, part of Cook Inlet. For a touch of the absurd, keep your eyes open for a long-ago beached boat perched in the middle of a field of high wild grass. Travel from Hatcher Pass toward the Glenn Highway along Palmer Fishhook Road for sweeping agricultural fields bordered by the jagged ridges of the Chugach Mountains; this drive is especially romantic during late summer nights when the low sun presents a play of alpenglow across the few remaining patches of high-altitude snow and the forests below them. Those who prefer to view the everlooming mountains in other ways should climb aboard the Ferris wheel at the Alaska State Fair towards the end of August. Bring a camera and someone you love. Many Alaskans pass through the MatSu Valley without ever stopping to enjoy the area. Don’t miss this gem nestled between the ocean and the mountains – next time you’re headed south, save a little time and let the Mat-Su surprise you.
Jeremy Smith Sun Star Columnist
End of the Flip A friend said that they kept hearing that you can’t buy the Flip video camcorder anymore, but that they are still for sale in stores, and wanted to know what gives. For folks who don’t know, the Flip was one of the first affordable, ultra-portable video camcorders. It was created by Pure Digital Technologies and was marketed in CVS/Pharmacy stores as the “Pure Digital Point & Shoot” video camcorder in May of 2006. The original camera was about half the size of a DVD case, had a 2x digital zoom and a pop-out USB connection for quick and easy uploads. Along with decent battery life, and a sub $200 price tag, it was entirely flash-memory based; eschewing the then standard tape- or disc-based recording systems. There was a single button for starting and stopping recordings and another to control the zoom. It was a simple two button affair that just about anyone could use with nearly no instruction. In 2007, Pure Digital Technologies changed the camera’s name to Flip. New versions supporting HD recording and direct YouTube uploads flooded businesses. At the time, I was working for a local office supply store and spent a few hours running around the store taking the camcorder through its paces. It was rugged, extremely fast and ridiculously easy to use. Granted, you couldn’t really zoom in without adding digital artifacts, and the microphone was pretty lackluster, but you sure could accurately capture someone buying a palette of copy paper. Cisco, the networking company behind the Linksys brand, bought the Flip name
and related technologies back in 2009. They revamped the line again with larger capacities and photography options, all at the historic low price. The good times couldn’t last forever though. Cisco just announced that they were going to close down the Flip division. This means that you can still buy the Flip stock that is sitting in stores, but there won’t be any more made. Tech outlets have been guessing about the reasons behind Cisco’s cancellation of the Flip. Mashable.com suggested that video cameras, “[are] as good (if not better) on modern smartphones” and that “phones have a built-in data connection and can upload video directly to the web.” In an interview with NPR, PC Magazine’s Lance Ulanoff echoed the sentiment that smartphones were the Flip’s downfall. “Why would someone carry a dedicated camcorder when they already have one on their phone?” There are other options on the market that can fill the portable video camcorder niche, but the Flip was one of the first and most successful. At the 2011 Alaska Press Club conference, I learned about a reporter who covered this year’s Iditarod Sled Dog race. He used his Flip camcorder to capture comments and interviews with mushers as they entered checkpoints. The content was wildly popular according to his newspaper’s web team, and it shows a slick professional use for the now discontinued video camcorder.
Jeremy talks and takes on technology at gpfault.org.
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Editorial
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April 19, 2011
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UAF doesn’t need a ‘Second Amendment remedy’ Human beings don’t like feeling powerless. We like to imagine that we can do anything, as long as we’re ready for it. When a tragedy happens that costs the lives of dozens, hundreds or thousands of people, it’s perfectly natural for us to believe “if only.” If only pilots had been allowed to carry guns, the tragedy of Sept. 11 would have been averted. If only teachers at Columbine or students at Virginia Tech were armed, the only deaths would have been of the would-be mass murderers. It’s natural to believe that, but it’s wrong. This rationalization is occurring across the country. Just months after a shooting rampage left six dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized, the Arizona House of Representatives passed a bill that allows citizens to carry a gun while on the public sidewalks and streets of public universities. This is despite the fact that 70 percent of Arizona residents oppose such a law, according to the right-leaning pollster American Viewpoint. The state of Utah goes a step further, allowing guns inside classrooms and dormitories. Cheering on such terrible decisions are editorials such as the one UAA’s The Northern Light printed on March 29, entitled “Americans’ right to defend not a casual privilege.” The editorial lauded the Arizona decision, but said that it wasn’t going far enough. It went on to make the fallacious argument that, “Sweeping gun legislation has not produced a society with less violence. On the contrary, it has produced a society where mass murder takes place in schools around the country where citizens are unable to defend themselves.” Such laws and beliefs fly in the face of reason and undermine campus law-enforcement agencies across the country. These are law enforcers who actually train in the use of firearms in emergencies. According to the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), there is “no credible evidence to suggest that the presence of students carrying concealed weapons would reduce violence on college campuses” based on research performed at Johns Hopkins University. The fact is would-be heroes are more likely to get themselves shot than they are to save anybody. Take the example of Joe Zamudio. A Slate.com article written by William Saletan called “Friendly Firearms” talked about Zamudio’s response to the Tuscon shooting this past January. When Jared Loughner opened fire on Rep. Giffords and others, Zamudio heard what was going on and decided to take action. With his gun readied, he turned a corner and saw a man holding a pistol. Zamudio yelled at the man to drop his gun, and came within split second of firing. The problem is the man with the gun wasn’t Jared Loughner but the person who had disarmed him. Zamudio didn’t fire, but later said, “So, I mean, in that short amount of time I made a lot of really big decisions really fast. … I was really lucky.” That’s the thing. It was luck. It could have easily gone much worse. Maybe the next time some citizen decides to administer vigilante justice it will go worse. Police officers and soldiers train extensively on the use of weapons. They train constantly, throughout their careers, and there are still cases where they accidentally kill innocent bystanders. The average citizen is simply not equipped to make the kind of split-second, life or death decisions we expect soldiers and cops to make in the line of duty. Outside of the rifle team, there is simply no place for guns on our campus. Period. The students, staff and faculty of UAF do not have the expertise or experience level necessary to use a firearm accurately and responsibly in the event of an emergency. This isn’t a Second Amendment issue. Although the University of Alaska is funded by the state, it is a private entity that is allowed to restrict weapons on its premises. To paraphrase, your right to carry a gun ends where my right to a safe campus begins.
Andrew Sheeler Editor-in-Chief UAF Sun Star