April 7, 2015

APRIL 7, 2015

A&E

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

A&E

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THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

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‘Burke and Hare’ offers delightfully dark comedy

UAA theater combines Shakespeare and zombies

APRIL 7 IS ELECTION DAY! MAYORAL CANDIDATE Q&A ON PAGES 2-4 Anchorage municipal election polling places open until 8 p.m.

USUAA general election polling open online at uaa.alaska.edu/life until 11:59 p.m. April 8

PHOTO BY KJERSTI ANDREASSEN

USUAA counters cuts with ‘Harry Potter’-inspired campaign

By Kjersti Andreassen photo@thenorthernlight.org

For the last few weeks, USUAA student government has been running a postcard advocacy campaign to fight back against the state legislature’s threat to cut the university budget.

“I think the potential benefit is huge,” USUAA President Stacey Lucason said. She explained how the cut has moved from $53 million to $35 million to $25 million, and the most recent development being a suggestion of $20 million from the Senate university subcommittee.

“They’re reducing the cut,

and I think a lot of that is people reaching out and talking to their legislators and letting them know, ‘this really is important and we need enough money to be functional. Please don’t cut our legs out from under us,’” Lucason said.

“So I get that this is a challenging year and that there are lots of people with lots of needs,” Lacason added. “But I don’t think the legislators interact with the university as much as some of the other things that are being discussed … I don’t think all the

legislators think about the university as an investment, or think about all of the value that it adds to the citizens of Alaska.”

She argued that this is something many students care about, but they haven’t necessarily had an easy way to express their feelings about UAA to their legislators. So she decided to start the postcard advocacy campaign.

“This way they (students) can write their story in a way that’s easier to access that doesn’t require that you go downtown in the middle of a class day and get up in front of a bunch of people and talk,” Lucason said.

Faculty, students and staff

have all been affected by the news of the university’s imposed budget cuts. When USUAA was campaigning Thursday, professor Jill Flanders Crosby from the Department of Theatre and Dance ran up to the table asking if only students could sign.

“This is our university. This is the future of our state. We have to support our students, we have to support education, otherwise we go nowhere,” Flanders Crosby said, adding that she has worked for the University of Alaska system since 1976.

“When our budgets get cut so drastically, what winds up happening is that pretty soon the

university is run by money. We will only offer what will make us the most money, rather than being about what truly serves the needs of the student. This is about education and what is good for the student — it’s not about how much money you can make.

When we lose our budgets, that’s what begins to happen. I see it happening right now at this university and it’s really sad,” Flanders Crosby said.

Students walking through the Student Union echoed her words.

“I regard education as being a fairly critical element in the

SEE USUAA

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U.S. Universities Debate Championships to be held at UAA

By Jocelyn Stanley arts2@thenorthernlight.org

Many might not know it, but UAA boasts one of the best university debated teams on the planet. The talent of the debate team has allowed UAA host the United States Universities Debate Championship, or USUDC, April 11-13.

Seawolf Debate team member Matthieu Ostrander said it is “a really unique opportunity” to have the university host so many talented competitive debaters.

The USUDC is the biggest

debate competition in the country that hosts only the best of the best at argumentation.

“I don’t know if UAA has ever done something this large,” said Seawolf Debate assistant coach Amie Stanley.

The USUDC website says, “The Seawolf Debate Program has a deep history of involvement with the USUDC.”

facebook.com/northernlightuaa

SEE DEBATE

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHIEU OSTRANDER

USUAA student government members Stacey Lucason, Matthieu Ostrander and Jonathon Taylor are also on the Seawolf Debate team.

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02 NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

AN CHORAGE MAYORAL CAND IDATE PROFI LES

Lance Ahern

Paul Bauer

Ethan Berkowitz

INTERVIEW BY VICTORIA PETERSEN

INTERVIEW BY VICTORIA PETERSEN

INTERVIEW BY NOLIN AINSWORTH

What is your party affiliation, if any?

“None.”

“My party affiliation — I’m an Alaskan Democrat.”

“Republican/conservative.”

How many years political experience do you have?

“I’ve been in service at city and state government for about 10 years”

“Five years of experience.”

“I spent 10 years in Juneau in the state legislature, eight as the Democratic leader, and I ran for congress and governor, silver medalist.”

What goals would you have if you became mayor?

“Primary goal economic development, secondly I would like to improve public safety, and simplify how government works internally.”

“My goal is to put Anchorage first. My priority is job development. I want to focus on tourism, which I believe is the only industry Anchorage really has.

I want to focus on our areas that would help the tourist industry, such as museums, statues, monuments… whatever it is that brings more people. I believe it will enhance job development, and tourism and I’ll do anything to support it. I can’t control oil, I can’t control natural resources, but as mayor I can control tourism.”

“I think we can do a lot to make this community safe, and secure, and strong. Safety; it’s public safety it’s making sure people homes are safe, we had a huge problem with domestic violence and we ought to address those in a comprehensive way. When I talk about security, there is fiscal security that the municipality needs particularly given the state is going through some very uncertain and unstable times and we can stabilize that. But people also need, as individuals, security – like housing is a big issue and if we can make sure people have security in their own lives, that helps springboard them to whatever they want to do. And strength of community has a lot to do with making sure we have the right infrastructure, that we have strong broadband, reliable energy resources, and the educational system is serving the needs, that’s pre-K, that’s K-12, that’s vocational and technical, that’s university. And we need to integrate them all so that as Alaska develops Alaska’s resources, people who are educated here step into those jobs and also as we try and figure out how to solve the problems that we have, we’re developing the intellectual capital to do it right here.”

How do you plan to help UAA? “Well I already am heavily involved with UAA. I serve on the computer science advisory board, where I provide guidance to that department. I created an internship for students in the state department of safety. I would like to build a stronger relationship between UAA and the city.”

“Influence local legislatures to support and vote on funding that involves UAA. “

“Well I think UAA is an important part of the Anchorage community and I think the more you can integrate UAA, APU, and the educational system here, as well as the business community, the government community, there is synergies that happen and we get stronger. It’s like a scrum, a rugby scrum. So the more we can be able to hang together the more we will be able to overcome adversity and advance our objectives.”

Why are you running for mayor?

“For what Anchorage needs, I’m the best candidate. I can help the city make major decisions with major investments. I love the state service here in Anchorage. I think it’s fixable. We have the tools to fix it. I’m running because I want to take these tools and make things better.”

“I am running for mayor because I have the leadership skills, 40 years of management experience, and know how to get things done. Like I said earlier I put Anchorage first.”

“I live here, I mean, I’ve got two kids here. My wife and I have been a part of the community for a long time she was actually a professor here at UAA for 6 or 7 years. I’m invested into the community with various businesses. This is a great place to live and if we have the right kind of leadership, the right kind of vision, we’ll be positioned to do even better in the future.”

What are the top three issues you’d like to address while mayor?

“Economic growth, public safety, and working on the efficiency and reducing the costs of running the city government.”

“Public safety is one of the top priorities as well as job development. I also want to advocate towards the tourism industry. I know a lot of people will look at this and think that these are low paying jobs, but there’s room for growth and opportunity.”

“We need to make sure this is a safe, secure, and strong community and that has to work for everybody, all residents here, regardless of where they came from, regardless of how long they have been here, no matter what their party affiliation. Anchorage has to be a great place for everybody to live, full of opportunities.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EACH CANDIDATE

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

03

AN CHORAGE MAYORAL CAN D I DATE PROFI LES

Dan Coffey

Amy Demboski

Dustin Darden

INTERVIEW BY GEORGE HYDE

INTERVIEW BY KIERRA HAMMONS

INTERVIEW BY KELLY IRELAND

What is your party affiliation, if any?

“Republican.”

“No I’m not.”

“Republican.”

How many years political experience do you have?

“I’m working with the political process as a citizen of the United States of America. Politically, every one of the country is politically involved.”

“30 years plus.”

“I would say five years of public service, two years in elected office.”

What goals would you have if you became mayor?

“Top three, okay? First of all, public safety, and the task we need to achieve with that is community policing, which takes a forced increase. We don’t have a don’t have a large enough police force to achieve that, and by the end of 2016 we should have enough officers to implement community policing. Second is we’re gonna have to deal with chronic public inebriance (sic) in the neighborhoods and on the streets and in our parks and so on, and that’s part a housing issue, part a treatment issue, part a mental health issue … the complexities of dealing with that in tight fiscal times is daunting, so... But somebody’s gotta start addressing the problem and I intend to. And then the third thing is that we’re not building enough homes and apartments and places for people to live in Anchorage. Starting up and assessing existing homes and making people go to the Valley and work in Anchorage and drive back and forth every day... so we’re going to have to address housing issues, and there’s a three-part aspect to that. One is getting as much land as we can from the city, the state, and the federal government, which are large land-owners in town; secondly it’s going to require regulatory change in land-use code. And finally it’s going to take a change in the land and development centers, and permit centers.”

“Boosting morale in the city by engaging you, by opening a recreation center that would be open 24 hours a day that’s accessible for anybody to do something and to appoint responsible department heads that would be rewarded for cost savings and efficiency so when the next dude comes around the budget won’t be erased, they’ll still have some and to involve employees and public citizens in ways we can save money while keeping the force employees.”

“Sound fiscal policy with an emphasis on public safety. Infrastructure and education.”

How do you plan to help UAA? “... It’s a great asset to our town, so we need to engage the university in ways that have never been explored. We’ve got young people looking for job experience, so what about internships? You’ve got guys with Ph.Ds in fields that could very well be of great concern to the Municipal government, like behavioral health, and illnesses, and regular health. ... We need to make sure our sports teams our successful. So there’s more of that available to us, but it takes a lot of work. And you’re gonna have a new president of the university shortly. It’s like having a resource or an asset in your backyard and ignoring it. I don’t intend to do that.”

“I plan on helping the university by working with the students to get involved with their government and to work in conjunction with interested participants to close down the Planned Parenthood on Lake Otis and 40th ... There’s many deaths that transpire in that facility every day and it’s intolerable.”

“I am a UAA alum. I would say, specifically, the best thing we can do is we can work collaboratively and proactively to ensure that UAA has the adequate resources needed for educating the students. From a municipal standpoint, that just means having a good working relationship with the state legislators.”

Why are you running for mayor?

“I’ve got a lot of experience in municipal government, both as a public official and also in the basis of my law career. ... I’ve been in and out of local government affairs for many, many years. So ... when I started this process of running, I looked around and I said, ‘Look at all these issues that we’re facing in the city.’ Are we equipped to handle housing, chronic public inebriance, or public safety, some of which I’ve dealt with and immersed myself in.

They were all challenges that I knew I had a good, solid basis of knowledge on, and in the 17 months between then and now, I knew I’d have plenty of time to educate myself on those matters. So that’s what drove me. And it’s going to be a bit of a daunting prospect with the loss of state revenue sharing and the drop in oil prices, but nonetheless, it’s not like I’m a neophyte.”

“I’m running for mayor so that, there’s a lot of reasons I’m running for mayor. Some of the primary reasons are one) treating the work force with dignity and respect, the police department to work hand and hand with the citizens to be safer, brighter Anchorage and to remove the fluoride from the drinking water, which is a poison and to educate the masses on things that we’ve found to be socially acceptable, like fluoridated drinking water and abortion which are completely not acceptable.”

“I’m running for mayor because I think it’s important to have someone who has a current knowledge of municipal issues. I’m the only current Anchorage Assembly member that’s running. I would say I have a current knowledge of the issues facing the state and the city, and I think it’s very important to have someone who’s ethical, to have someone who has a laser focus on sound fiscal policy, but really focus on the essential (inaudible) of government which is public safety, infrastructure and education.”

What are the top three issues you’d like to address while mayor? (see Question #3 above.}

“Responsible budgets, creating responsible budgets would be one of them. The other one would be public safety and three would be boosting the morale as the city as a whole.”

“No. 1: public safety. No. 2 : maintaining our infrastructure. And No. 3: improving education.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EACH CANDIDATE

NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

05

AN CHORAGE MAYORAL CAN D I DATE PROFILES

Andrew Halcro

Timothy Huit

Jacob Seth Kern

INTERVIEW BY KIERRA HAMMONS

INTERVIEW BY KIERRA HAMMONS

INTERVIEW BY KELLY IRELAND

What is your party affiliation, if any?

“I am a registered Republican. I mean, I’ll go into it a little bit: I’m not really a Republican. ... I’m mainly a Republican because I supported Ron Paul last time.”

“I am a registered Republican.”

“Democrat.”

How many years political experience do you have?

“I served two two-year terms in the state legislature between 1998 and 2002.”

“I’ve been a community activist for probably 25 years, but never actually held office.”

“I’ve ran for city mayor since, I’ve got six, six, six, six, seven, seven, eight, nine, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15 about nine years of political experience campaigning. About 10 years of campaigning experience.”

What goals would you have if you became mayor?

“My first goal would be to make downtown cleaner and safer, and that’s done by improving downtown. … The second one is public safety. I mean, we really need to get more proactive in our neighborhoods … and the relationship between first response and our neighborhoods is critical. … And the third thing is to have a vision for the future. The great future cities in this country are gonna be based on the three Ts— and that’s talent, tolerance and technology.”

“My goals are to make Anchorage a safe city, and to also you, know ... connect the college to the Anchorage community, and have degrees match up to what we have in the community so people want to stay in Anchorage and use their degree here.”

“I would make my machines to give money back to the city. ... Electricity machines, spaceships and cars. Just different electronic devices that I would come up with.”

How do you plan to help UAA? “I think the city needs to get more involved with the university. And the private sector does too. The university is a fabulous facility to grow potential students. … In the legislature between 1998 and 2002, I supported the university. … I always have recognized the importance of the university. … The next mayor has to be a big cheerleader.”

“We’ve tried, in the past, even when I was there — because I’m a graduate of UAA, 2003 — and we tried in the past to connect the university to the community. So I’m going to work hard as a mayor to reach across the aisles and groups and work with the Chamber of Commerce and other people to make that connection — so that our degrees will fit into jobs that we have locally.”

“Giving you money, giving you money for my machines and doing anything you say by the popular vote.”

Why are you running for mayor?

“I’m running for mayor for three reasons. Number one, we need to grow the economy. With oil (prices) … there are going to be some cuts coming and we are gonna have some costs that the local government is gonna have to start to assume that the state is paying for it now. ... So we’re going to have to grow the economy.

The second thing is making the community safer and healthier. And safer — of course, we all know that we’re about 40 or 50 officers short. ... And I think starting to gather minority leaders around the table and say, ‘Okay, how are we work together on problems we recognize or are impacting our communities?’ … And that’s what the community has to do, and that will improve public safety.

Obviously the second part of that is making the community healthier. And you’re really talking about dealing with the inebriated and the homeless problem. … And the third reason I’m running is (because) … there isn’t anyone in the race with my … experience.”

“I’m running for mayor to help my community. I’m running it this time because I believe the education I got at UAA, and my life experiences can address the important issues of homelessness, income equality, and public safety.”

“To make my machines and give money back to the city and the residents.”

What are the top three issues you’d like to address while mayor?

(See Question 3 above)

“Public safety is the No. 1 issue, which includes homelessness. And it’s part of the whole part of the problem of crime, homelessness — is income equality. But, you know, there’s a housing element, and all kinds of things involved in that. It’s a kind of a widespread area there. We’ve got to pull it altogether to make affordable housing and better jobs. New policing strategies is what we need to move towards, community policing.”

“Just giving you money, that’s it, main priority, millions and billions and trillions of dollars to do by ballot and just popular vote and petitions, just mass signatures.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EACH CANDIDATE

06 NEWS DEBATE: UAA teams prepare for USUDC conti nue d f r om cover UAA also makes regular contributions to local debate. The coaches and students consistently make time to contribute to middle school and high school debate programs by judging and hosting debate tournaments. The Anchorage community has now returned the favor in support of the USUDC by funding the competition.

“This event is going to cost a lot of money to put on, but not a single dollar of that came from within the university,” Stanley said.

“Not a penny is being paid for out of student fees … (or) out of money from the state,” Ostrander said. “There are several sponsors who have contributed a substantial amount to making the event a success, and who do regularly to making debate in Alaska a success. The level of support that we’ve seen is just truly astounding.”

Stanley said the coaches have been assigning research briefs on current events to the debaters in preparation for USUDC. In addition to this training, the team runs debate scrimmages against one another during practice. The coaches also have office hours available to help individuals and team pairs hone their skills.

The coaches themselves are not involved with choosing debate topics for the tournament, so it’s important for the teams to stay up to date on the news and on their skills.

“As a team, we all contribute to the collective knowledge of the entire team,” said Seawolf Debate member Jonathon Taylor.

USUDC will host 200 teams, each made up of two people, who will compete in British Parliamentary style debate. The Seawolf debate program will be entering seven teams, including two novice teams — but don’t be fooled by the novice title.

“We’ve taken the top novice speakers awards in regional tournaments,” Stanley said. “We definitely have some high performing teams.”

Taylor said his team made it to the quarterfinals last year. He almost forgot to mention that he received Top Novice Speaker award at his first national debate tournament. His debate partner is Ostrander, who has been to nationals three times.

“I’m a novice — this is my first year debating,” said Seawolf debater Stacey Lucason.

Lucason and her partner have never been to nationals. It’s very expensive to send students across the country and world for tournaments. However, UAA has the chance to enter more competitors at home, like Lucason and her partner.

There were varying opinions on if being on home turf would cause more pressure, but Taylor seemed like he’s not about to let it phase him.

“I think there are expectations,” he said. “I don’t know if I would call it pressure. I’m actually quite excited about it … I see it as more positive.”

The Seawolf Debate Program is thrilled to show off the campus to the debate community, and share what they do with the community and their loyal sponsors.

USUAA: Students stand up to Juneau conti nue d f r om cover development and continuation of a nation or state. A budget cut is not a good thing. There’s a multitude of different options, and we could cut elsewhere in our budget,” student Quinlin Harris said.

Lucason said the campaign was inspired by a trip the coalition of student leaders made to Juneau — and “Harry Potter” as well.

“The general consensus from a lot of the legislators was that this wasn’t important and that students don’t care, and I just didn’t believe that,” Lucason said. One of the Anchorage representatives suggested if they could have a thousand people write a letter, students would actually find some traction in Juneau.

“One of the USUAA senators had read ‘Harry Potter’ and said they do this cool thing where they send one letter, and then they send two letters and then they send a dozen,” Lucason said, citing that as an inspiration for how the campaign has been conducted.

Lucason said USUAA would have done this campaign sooner, were it not for uncertainties surrounding what would actually be cut.

It was not until around spring break that the House announced what cuts they wanted to make.

“If we send it … early in the season, it’s kind of premature and there’s nothing to talk about yet. So we had to wait a little bit. And then there was another week just getting the whole process together,” Lucason said.

Lucason said USUAA’s next step will be a phone campaign, where they help students follow up with their legislators to ask if they’ve received their postcards and reaffirm why it matters.

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

FEATURES My final outdoor class (for now) A well-meaning column rife with clunky metaphors and horrible advice, Orange Rhymes With is the goto place to break the monotony of classes and laugh at someone else’s misfortune.

By Evan Dodd Contributor

Friday marked the last field day of my backcountry ski course with one final trip to Sunburst, in Turnagain Pass, in hopes of a final spring run before the long summer wait.

We weren’t disappointed either, with bluebird conditions and an untouched skin track we had the entire mountain to ourselves for one last hurrah.

With the exception of a spontaneous whiteout at the top of the ridge, which stunted any attempt for a second run, the approach up the slope looked like a Patagonia commercial set against the backdrop of a postcard. Despite the gallon of sweat clinging to my beard acting as makeshift engine coolant I still managed to earn my first sunburn of the year with a grin etched permanently into my face.

Reconvening at the top we evaluated the whiteout, seeing at most eight feet in any direction. Using the tried and true method of “I dunno dude, you wanna just wait and see?” we opted to dig a test pit to check the snowpack and pass the time until the weather moved on. About the time we finished our tests, a window broke in the clouds and we dropped onto the slope one by one ripping into the valley below.

As the elevation dropped so did our speed, with the snow slowly shifting from concrete to a soft cushion to something with the consistency of wet peanut butter, and finally petering out into cold puddles of water topped with the last little islands

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

07

of snowpack struggling to survive just a bit further into spring. And we rode every damn inch of it.

I finally came to a slushy halt in a wet ditch, having ridden my board like a sled in lieu of booting it for the last several hundred feet, while a classmate shot by on a splitboard skittering across the damp grass towards the highway. And just like that the class was over, as if we had somehow made the leap from winter to spring in a single run.

I tend to hike year round, striking a delicate peace treaty with my burgeoning beer gut and am, by most standards, in good shape. But this is the class that broke me. Sea-kayaking is easy, backpacking is just walking with more resistance and ice climbing is soul-crushing but mercifully brief. But tell me to strap a snowboard and 20-30 pounds of survival gear to my back and hike straight up a mountain in snowshoes and you’re going to get a response from me that would make Charlo Greene blush.

But for two and a half months this course dragged our tired asses up and down mountains in Turnagain Pass, Summit Lake, Hatcher’s Pass and everywhere in between. I’ve never sweat more, slept harder or felt more accomplished than after a long day in the backcountry earning our turns.

As a group, there were several lessons we all took away from the experience. One, chairlifts are an invention worthy of the Nobel Prize. Seriously, next time you’re up at Alyeska I want you snag the nearest chairlift operator and buy them a stiff drink after work, because those guys are the unsung heroes of the north.

Second, you never really know a group until you go out in the woods and sweat with them. Every outdoor class I take is filled with people I’d never have the chance to meet in my everyday life, and invariably I end up with a new list of backcountry partners by the end. I don’t know where these people have been hiding the rest of my time at UAA, but they come out of the woodwork en masse whenever the outdoor courses open. It’s worth the uphill struggle just to come away with a trusted group to wander off-grid with from time to time.

As a senior I find myself starring down the barrel of a lot of “lasts.” Last overpriced meal at the Cuddy, last $6 coffee in the Student Union and last baseless ticket from Parking Services. However, I’d hate to think that this was my last outdoor class here.

If there’s one takeaway here, and pay attention because I only publish real life lessons once or twice a year, it’s that you have to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

If UAA is cutting WWAMI, dumping the chemistry department and raising fees and tuition, then you can’t afford to put off your underwater basket weaving course with the expectation that it will still be here next year. Next fall you can take backpacking, seakayaking, river rafting and rock climbing, and I urge you all to do it. Seriously, go ahead, take a stroll out in the backcountry, snap some pictures, write a story — hell, compete for my job if you have to.

At the end of it all you’re only worth what you know and what you’ve experienced.

Here at UAA you’ve got the opportunity to grow in ways you couldn’t imagine, but you’ve got to take that first step out of the classroom. So what are you waiting for?

08 FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

UAA Career Services offers business clothes for students In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper.

These are his stories.

Content ID, and what Google could learn from the Empire

By Klax Zlubzecon

By John Sallee

Translated by George Hyde

Oh, how I’ve been wanting to write about this for a long time.

George has a YouTube channel, where he adapts his game reviews into videos.

He never gets many views, but the way he sees it, it’s more stuff for his portfolio, and it’s more Photoshop and Premiere Pro experience, so more power to him, I guess.

But he lives in constant fear, because as praised as YouTube is for hosting original, creative content, it’s also become something of a dystopian nightmare in website form.

George’s most popular video, by far, is his review of “Metroid Prime Trilogy.” If Google Analytics is to be believed, more people watch that video weekly than the weekly videos he churns out. It’s almost seven times as popular as his second most popular video, which is still pretty popular by his standards.

But those who know the YouTube landscape will know that the “Metroid Prime Trilogy” video is a dangerous one to be his most popular. This is because “Metroid Prime Trilogy’s” publisher, Nintendo, is notoriously anti-YouTube, and will shut videos down should they not follow Nintendo’s specific terms.

Thankfully, this only applies to videos that have paid advertising attached, which George is wise enough not to implement unless his videos get more popular. But for prospective content creators on YouTube who hope to make a living off of the ad revenue – especially those who want to create gaming content, which, conveniently, is the most popular genre of content on YouTube – this represents a real challenge.

Of course, should he find one of his videos taken down, George is in perfect legal standing to protect his content, since it falls into the criticism area of fair use.

But he’s also an independent content creator, and will likely lose any legal battles against any corporate giants that decide that his videos spit on their image.

Really, I can’t complain. That’s what we Slugs do to our subjects. You can’t control a species if you just allow them to say what they want.

But... George is different! He’s family!

Gah! It’s almost like he’s having more of an effect on me than I am on him.

Thankfully, most big game publishers aren’t nearly as ruthless as Nintendo is. Even companies as stereotypically evil as Electronic Arts usually let videos like this slide. But the fact that it can be done is

PHOTOS BY KJERSTI ANDREASSEN

Megan Stahlhut looks through some of the women’s clothes that have been donated to Career Services.

The Professional Clothes Closet in Rasmussen Hall offers free professional clothing to all UAA students.

jsallee@thenorthernlight.org

very alarming.

But something far more sinister arrived on YouTube not too long ago; something that falls out of the hands of big corporations and purely into the hands of fate. I refer, of course, to the dreaded Content ID system.

This is an automated system that scans YouTube videos for infringing content in its database, taking videos down and diverting ad revenue to those who “own” the content. I put “own” in quotation marks because often times, the people claiming the content don’t legitimately own it.

And when they do own it, they often have no qualms with the video, and don’t want it taken down. This leads to a huge number of false positives, and it stands as the best evidence against the automation of copyright takedowns.

Back in late 2013, there was a mass Content ID-induced genocide of videos that rendered tons of accounts deactivated, and tons of videos taken down, before the actual content owners could even respond or apologize. And late last year, game streaming website Twitch implemented a similar system, which in some cases left game developers unable to showcase their own games because a machine told them that they stole the content from... uh... themselves.

There’s a distinct difference between oppressive and stupid. We Slugs are oppressive; we enslave, we conquer, and we improve cultures and species that we believe to be inferior to our own. But we are not stupid. Content ID and YouTube copyright policies, though? Those are stupid. When a content creator can’t show off his own content, or criticize other content because a machine says no, that’s stupid. That’s infringement of rights without a purpose. At least the Slug Empire tries to do something when we stamp out free speech. YouTube’s systems stamp out free speech before they even have a reason to, and that. Is. Just.

Plain. Stupid.

It’s been getting better, but the point is that it should never have been an issue in the first place. So learn from us, Google, and have the stones to have a good reason to find the defendant guilty before proven innocent.

John Sallee Attire for Hire As part of Sustainability Week, UAA will run a professional clothing drive.

The purpose of this drive is to properly aid college students in obtaining jobs and careers. Interviewing is critical to obtaining a job, but imagine someone not even owning a single blazer or tie. The UAA Career Services Center is able to help those students.

The center accepts professional clothing donations, including suits, dresses, heels and dress shoes. Looking sharp is an important part of how one presents him- or herself to a prospective employer.

Jocelyn Weaver, Lead Programming Specialist and coordinator of the clothes drive, thanks all donors for their contributions to the center.

This isn’t the first time the Career Services Center has run this clothing drive.

Despite this, Weaver feels the word has not gotten out yet.

“It’s gotten attention, but with this Attire for Hire event it should be more of an eye- opener for students,” she said.

All UAA students can donate their lightly worn professional clothing or receive interview-ready garments.

“You actually get docked points for not wearing the right clothes during presentations,” said UAA student Megan Stahlut.

Stahlut has been a programming assistant at the Career Services center for two

months now. She has helped setup the previous clothing drive events, which aids her fellow students.

“You really just want to be professional, but buying presentational clothes can be really expensive,” Stahlut said.

In order to properly get the word out that the professional clothes closet is available, the Career Services Center has put together a Career Clothing Fashion show. The theme of the event is to show students the do’s and don’ts of professional clothing. “A lot of college kids can be clueless with professional clothes, especially if you haven’t had an interview before,” said UAA student Kathelen Joosk.

UAA desires success for all of its students, and there are many resources available for those wanting to achieve greater things. The Career Services Center has its professional clothing closet available so no student will ever be without a sharp tie or tasteful dress.

The Professional Clothes donation is Thursday April 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Rasmuson Hall Lobby. The Career Clothing fashion show will be Monday, April 6 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Cafeteria.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.

The Professional Clothes Closet in the Career Services center in Rasmussen Hall offers free professional clothing to all UAA students.

AE &

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

09

‘Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead’ brings zombies to stage

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

PHOTO BY JESSICA PERVIER-BROWN / UAA

UAA student Alex Albrecht plays William Shakespeare in UAA’s upcoming theater production “William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True and Accurate Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague.”

You’ve seen them, no doubt — the posters detailing an upcoming Shakespearean production.

With zombies.

Yes, from April 10-26, UAA Theatre and Dance will perform “William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead,” the conclusion to UAA’s Shakespeare season that previously included shows like “Twelfth Night” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” And what better conclusion than a zombie apocalypse?

The show tells the tale of William Shakespeare in his prime after opening “Henry V,” when a mysterious, zombifying plague afflicts the land. Along with other historical figures from the time, Shakespeare must hold the group together in the freshly redesigned Globe Theater, one of the safest spots from the plague.

As goofy as the premise sounds, show director Tom Skore said “Land of the Dead” gives some historical insight to the relationships between Shakespeare and those he worked with.

“There are a lot of things going on here that are historically factual,” Skore said.

Like other zombie-related works like “The Walking Dead,” “Land of the Dead” is, at times, a study on how the characters react to one another in this time of desperate need. “(Shakespeare) is caring and really tries to keep the relationships he has with his friends afloat in the midst of all the chaos and madness that is occurring in the afflicted-filled London,” said Alex Albrecht, who will portray Shakespeare in the production.

Albrecht first introduced Skore to the play. Albrecht hap-

pened upon it during a visit to Los Angeles, and after Skore decided to direct it, Albrecht knew he had to join the production somehow.

“At that point, I already had a connection to the production because I found it as a point of pride knowing that I’m a giant reason that university decided to do this,” Albrecht said. “I was nervous and was really open to anything that I received, and it just so happened that Tom cast me as William Shakespeare. I’ve been working hard ever since.”

Skore described the tale as a nightmare: a brutal, outlandish and scary vision of a horrifying plague. Many of the scenes will be quite brutal, and there are a lot of fight scenes.

According to Becca Mahar, the show’s choreographer, the first priority was getting the realism of 16-17th century combat down, but after that, the zombies proved to be an interesting feature of the choreography as well.

“The afflicted strike with a brutal efficiency in their choreography, allowing their individual characters to come through, but retaining a cohesive economy of frenzied movement,” Mahar said. “The unafflicted characters respond in kind: economy of defense with no unnecessary flourishes to their combat, using whatever weapons and means are at their disposal to save themselves from mauling and death.”

But as one can expect from such a weird premise, it does lighten up at times while remaining educational and dramatic.

“It’s a great blend of history, entertainment and horror,” Skore said.

“William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead: A True and Accurate Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague” runs April 10-26.

Tickets are $18 general admission; $13 for non-UAA students, seniors and military; and $11 for UAA students.

Riff Raff hits Fiesta Room for mere 20 minutes

By Samantha Davenport arts@thenorthernlight.org

Last Friday Night, the Fiesta Room was filled with concertgoers excitedly awaiting the arrival of Riff Raff, also known as the Neon Icon or Jody HighRoller.

Doors for the show were supposed to open at 8 p.m., but the crowd wasn’t allowed in until 8:45 p.m.

Omega and Baked Alaska opened for the Neon Icon. For Saturday’s 21+ show, Baked Alaska and Dumb Crow opened for Jody HighRoller. Baked Alaska, the definite highlight of the show, performed his popular YouTube hits “I Climb Mountains,” “Free Wi-Fi” and “Grizzly Bear Trappin’.” The rapper’s name is unknown. Baked Alaska was raised in Anchorage and now resides in Los Angeles. His video for “Grizzly Bear Trappin’” features local scenes

Kelly Ireland

editor@thenorthernlight.org

from Center Bowl on Minnesota Drive and the Wyland Whale Mural in town square. During his time on stage, Baked Alaska constantly thanked his fans, also known as the Baked Fam. After the opening acts were over, fans were antsy to see Riff Raff. The crowd kept chanting his name to no avail. Did they lose Riff Raff? Had he even showed up yet?

A DJ tried to fill the air and keep the crowd going as some of the opening acts got on the stage again and tried to get people excited. Nearly 40 minutes later, Riff Raff still hadn’t arrived.

Suddenly, purple smoke clouded up the room and out walked Jody HighRoller. The crowd freaked, shaking the ground of the Fiesta Room, holding their phones out to snap pic-

tures. Unfortunately, his stage presence didn’t last too long.

He didn’t even show up until 11, three hours after the show was supposedly set to start. He saved the best songs (and the ones the crowd actually knew) for last — “Tip Toe Wing in my Jawwdinz” and “Dolce & Gabbana.”

Riff Raff’s 20-minute performance sure wasn’t worth the $38.75 fans paid to see him.

As he left the stage, he said he would be coming out to greet fans. However, this promise seems to have been used only as a distraction to leave. The Neon Icon didn’t even give any shout-outs to fans. One would think the least he could do was say thanks to the fans who suffered through his lackluster performance, but even that seems to have been too much.

PHOTO BY KELLY IRELAND

Baked Alaska was only redeeming quality of Riff Raff’s concert April 3.

10 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

GAME REVIEW

‘Xenoblade’ is still a huge leap for RPGs

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

Upon its 2010 release, “Xenoblade Chronicles” subverted all expectations for the Japanese role-play game, or JRPG, genre. It was almost an anti-JRPG, adapting to design trends from Western RPGs across the coast like “Fallout” or “The Elder Scrolls.” It also featured a story that, on the surface, was standard JRPG fare, but on the inside was much more complex.

It felt like one of the only RPGs on the market that truly felt new, but after just a few months on the market, Nintendo stopped producing the game, and it fell into the pit of rarity and expensive eBay auctions. But now that it’s being re-released for the New Nintendo 3DS, owners of that system should take notice.

“Xenoblade” takes place on two giants: the biological Bionis, and the mechanical Mechonis.

Long ago, the two giants were engaged in a neverending battle, until mutually assured destruction effectively killed them both. However, life began to spread on these giants, and now the inhabitants of their ecosystems continue the fight.

On the Bionis, young inventor Shulk ogles over the Monado, a legendary lightsaber that is particularly effective at killing the residents of the Mechonis, the Mechon. However, when a swarm of Mechon attacks his small town, Shulk learns that the blade chose him, and he sets off to settle the eternal conflict once and for all.

The synopsis will end here because it’s all

ANCHORAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT Exhibition showcases student artwork Closes Sunday, April 12

spoilers after that.

“Xenoblade” manages to play with and/or subvert almost every trope that players typically think of when they think of JRPGs, or even the classic hero’s journey story setup as a whole. No character is exactly as he or she seems and sometimes the main characters may find allies and enemies where they least expect them. It’s a tale full of twists and turns, and it’ll keep players hooked throughout the almost 80-hour adventure.

But it’s not just narrative that “Xenoblade” toys with — it’s the very mechanics of the genre as well. The game takes many cues from modern Western RPGs like “Dragon Age,” incorporating things like fast-travel and a large open map. Side quests don’t need to be returned to the quest-giver upon completion. And Shulk’s Monado can conveniently see into the future, which allows him to see lethal enemy attacks before they happen and plan for them.

“Xenoblade” feels very streamlined because of this. The typical annoyances of the JRPG genre are mostly gone, allowing the game to feel remarkably fresh, smooth and fast, despite the average play-through time.

Until now, “Xenoblade Chronicles” has been very hard to find at a reasonable price, but those who picked up the New Nintendo 3DS earlier this year are in for a real treat. It’s the first JRPG in years that truly feels evolutionary, and with the spiritual successor “Xenoblade Chronicles X” coming later this year to the Wii U, there’s no better time to jump in.

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12 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

‘Sentinels of Steel’ PHOTOS BY KJERSTI ANDREASSEN

“Vestiges of Emancipation,” by Sandra Jane Smith, is part of “Sentinels of Steel,” a collection of three-dimensional art. The collection is on display at UAA until April 17 and can be viewed in its entirety in the Kimura Gallery, located on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building.

“The Reversal of Her Alchemy,” by Sandra Jana Heard, is from the collection “Sentinels of Steel,” with the “Vestiges of Emancipation” visible in the background. According to the artist’s statement, this is one of her “multi-dimensional assemblages” that “reference both the organic and man-made worlds”. The collection can be viewed in its entirety in the Kimura Gallery, located on the second floor of the Fine Arts Building, until April 17.

This diptych is titled “The Hunger of the Fertile Mother” (left) “and the Silence of her Fertile Daughter” (right). According to the artist Sandra Jane Heard’s statement, the two “synesthized female forms” are “presented hanging in a state of antagonism bound between the opposing forces of freedom and restraint, preservation and destruction, vulnerability and invincibility.” The forms are “intended as guardians with their armored abdomens acting as symbolic safe havens” with steel armatures offering “shelter from the collective ills of humankind.” The piece was made using vintage steel tape measures, linen and silk yarn.

Detail from “The Reversal of Her Alchemy” by Sandra Jane Heard. According to her statement, the way the objects are bound is strongly symbolic. “On one hand, it acts as a restrictive predatory force. It is an active expression of the ever-present opposing and dynamic forces of construction and destruction, and ultimately of life and death. Concurrently, it is an attempt to arrest time, to slow the process of losing something precious, and is driven by a desire to preserve and protect. Finally, this action of bonding with yarn is an action seeking to convey the need for connectedness and interdependency, which is critical to the survival and health of our Mother Earth and all forms of life that she sustains,” Heard’s statement says.

A detail from Heard’s piece “Her Primordial Depths Rising.”

13 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

13

ALBUM REVIEW

Darkness reigns in ‘Burke and Hare’

Sufjan shows sorrowful side in ‘Carrie and Lowell’

By Jacob Holley-Kline contributor

Getting by is hard. This adage is so true in the British dark comedy “Burke and Hare” that it drives the titular characters to selling cadavers just to pay the rent. While the “desperate times call for desperate measures” plot is nothing new, the movie manages to deliver laughs.

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1828, two con men up on hard times, William Burke (Simon Pegg, “The Boxtrolls”) and William Hare (Andy Serkis, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”), start selling cadavers to the world-renowned doctor Robert Knox (Tom Wilkinson, “Unfinished Business”). When demand exceeds supply, Burke and Hare decide to make their own business.

Thanks to uncharacteristically tight plotting, the gags come in measured style. Every plot-moving conversation is balanced with a gag — a pitchblack gag, at that. Where other modern comedies play out like loosely edited improvisation, “Burke and Hare” builds its running and character gags from right at the beginning, and not a frame afterward is wasted in keeping them fresh and exciting.

The movie might have one of the best stair-falling gags ever.

The success is mostly to the immense likability and chemistry of Pegg and Serkis. Injecting sympathy into otherwise unlikable historical characters, the two bounce off of each other like true old friends. Every shared glance induces chuckles because of it.

It helps that the movie has a gleefully dark sense of humor. Where else would a body bent in half or a leg amputation be so funny? For the especially dark-minded, blood spills in torrents, but not a drop is spilled without a snicker accompanying it.

The movie does, however, give itself to unnecessary exposition at the end. It doesn’t improve the story at all — it just makes it longer.

Oddly enough, or perhaps not oddly at all, “Burke and Hare” has a biting satirical edge to it.

Capt. McLintock (Ronnie Corbett, “Fierce Creatures”), for example, walks the streets of Edinburgh like a small-town Napoleon without the prowess. In his pursuit of justice, he nearly kills the two trainees with him, blaming them for the mistake later.

Movies, especially comedies, are at their best when the main cast is strong and the supporting cast is stronger. The secondary characters here manage to make as much, if not more, of an impression on the viewer as the main cast. No performance falls short in “Burke and Hare.”

All these gears work together with a mechanistic efficiency, guiding viewers from one laugh to the next. With Pegg and Serkis as guides, the ride proves to be dark and hilarious. Save for some fat at the end, the movie’s plot is lean. At a tight 91 minutes, “Burke and Hare” is a racket worth getting in on.

TITLE “Burke and Hare”

COUNTRY United Kingdom

DIRECTOR John Landis

RELEASE DATE Oct. 29, 2010

GENRE Dark Comedy

By Kierra Hammons

content@thenorthernlight.org

There are times in life that are confusing and alienating — and only years later do the proper words come to adequately describe them. This manifests in Sufjan Stevens’ seventh studio album, “Carrie and Lowell,” named after his mother and stepfather.

Every corner of the album is personal — from the vintage photo serving as the album cover, to the private, honest lyrics and Stevens’ at-home recording.

Nothing comes in excess here, and each song is stripped down to let the vocal emphasis of the production shine.

At first, the lyrical honesty in Stevens’ double-tracked stereo vocals is dizzying. It’s not often an artist delivers such brutal honesty throughout a whole album, and the short 44 minutes of “Carrie and Lowell” is saturated with it. This is not a show of technical prowess. Instead, it is a reconfiguration of what it means to make music.

Beyoncé can belt up and down scales, Prince can play more than 20 instruments and Shakira can dance. Sounds, fashion, video, choreography dazzle modern music consumers, and this has become the norm. But Stevens eschews all glamour and instead uses only his simple guitar, piano and subtle atmospheric synth to deliver the core of music — poetry and melody — without any extras.

The album begins as a cry out

to his mother, a drug-addicted woman who appeared only sporadically throughout Stevens’ life and died in 2012. “I forgive you mother, I can hear you / and I long to be near you / but every road leads to an end,” Stevens sings on the first track.

This introduces an album that is melancholy, recounting the bittersweet haze of Stevens’ youth. Singsong rhyming and masterful allusion recount the artist’s childhood in staggering detail. The holy and sacred collide throughout the album, especially in “No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross,” painting a perfect picture of the spiritual confusion that death often inspires.

The album falls short in variety, with songs often hovering around the same vocal range and musical key. Vocal harmony is sparse in the album, with most songs featuring layered recordings Stevens’ voice singing the same parts in unison. Only one track dares to venture into a triple meter, and the same track is the only song that peels off the double-track.

Given this, the album risks repetition. But at a slim 44 minutes, the narrow vision is forgivable and can be better seen as a meditation.

For those who want a glimpse into the somber heart of Stevens, this album will deliver an authenticity that any fan will treasure. But for those who are looking for the upbeat tunes of Stevens’ past repertoire, this somber study of emotion might only shine in the subdued mood of a quiet car ride one rainy afternoon.

ARTIST Sufjan Stevens

LABEL Asthmatic Kitty

ALBUM “Carrie & Lowell”

RELEASE DATE March 31, 2015

GENRE Indie Folk

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SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

15

Alaska Airlines Center fitness room hours not enough

By Nolin Ainsworth

sports@thenorthernlight.org

PHOTO BY ADAM EBERHARDT

UAA students living in the residence halls have expressed concern over the accessibility of the new student fitness room in the Alaska Airlines Center.

The fitness space, located in the northwest corner of the building, is a convenient 10-minute walk for UAA students in campus housing. It offers a fresh and clean feel to students working out, an environment more conducive to drawing students off the couch.

“Instead of going once or twice a week (to work out), I probably go three to four times, said Hayleigh Stephens, Residential Hall Association president. “It is more supportive of a healthy lifestyle, and I don’t think anyone would disagree that we want residents to be healthier.

However, the center is only open on the weekdays to students, limiting the flexibility of a given student’s workout schedule.

“You have to go everyday if you want to work out five days a week, since there is no option for the weekend when students are most free to work out,” said Stephens.

To gauge student interest of the issue, RHA polled residents, placing a sheet of paper in each of the three residence halls. The poll said, “Would you like the Alaska Airlines Center Fitness Room to be open on weekends?” and lines below for student signatures.

Soon, all three sheets of paper were filled with signatures, totaling well over 100.

The recreational sports branch of UAA Athletics, who supervises both the Wells Fargo Sports Complex and AAC Fitness Room, confirmed they are aware of the student concern and are optimistic about a solution in the future. The specific reasons about why the fitness room is closed on weekends could not be discussed in public.

The Student Recreation center at the Alaska Airlines Center has inconvenient hours for students.

Land of the Dead: A UAA DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE & DANCE MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

William Shakespeare’s

A True and Accurate Account of the 1599 Zombie Plague

April 10 - 26, 2015 Friday/Saturday at 8pm Sunday at 3pm

Tickets at UAATix.com

by John Heimbuch

“William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. Original Art by Sarah Snyder UAA is an EEO/AA employer and educational institution

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

17

EDITORIAL

Still ‘Doing it for Duir’: What it means to be a leader

The late Seawolf Mabil ‘Mo’ Duir provides lasting inspiration 2 years after his passing

By Kierra Hammons

content@thenorthernlight.org

On April 6, 2013, likely the most wonderful person I’ve ever met was stabbed to death.

He was a friend, a son, a brother — and he was a Seawolf. I believe I was one of the last people to see him, and I want to tell you my story — his story, what happened in his final minutes.

The day was strange. There was barely any snow on the ground when I woke that morning, but when I left my office at 6:06 p.m., there was snow everywhere. On my way to the bus stop, I texted a photo of the weather to my friend out of state to show him how odd Alaska weather is.

The snow was collecting in dense piles on my head, and the buses were running monumentally late.

My phone died at 6:42. A few minutes afterward, a car on the farther side of the twoway stopped in the middle of the road and the window rolled down. The driver’s face turned and looked right at me.

It was a guy named Mabil Duir. We called him Mo. He wrote for The Northern Light from time to time and frequently stopped by to visit the staff.

He asked, “Hey, are you okay? Do you need a ride?”

Although I was cold and snow was piled visibly on my head, I didn’t want to hassle him. So I said no.

Mo said okay, and he flipped a U-turn and went in a new direction. He drove off and was stabbed less than 20 minutes later.

Just 20 minutes later. And he was pronounced dead exactly 45 minutes after that.

I didn’t find out until about 4 p.m. the next day. I was standing at a bus stop to go to work

and saw it on my phone’s news feed.

This can’t be real, I thought.

And my mind went back to just 21 hours before, when he asked me if I needed a ride. I rarely accept rides, just because my refusal to drive is a personal choice and I don’t want to bother anyone else with the choices I privately make. Is it pride? I’m unsure.

My body flooded with scalding what-ifs.

I blamed myself for a year afterward. Memories of his funeral followed me for weeks — the sight of his mother at the funeral remains burned on my brain. Mo had come from Sudan as a refugee, and in refuge he found more danger. His mother’s first steps on American soil were to mourn her lost son; she could barely stand as crippling sobs thundered from her frail body at the memorial service.

The effects of his passing rippled through UAA. We all felt it because we all knew him.

There was no way you couldn’t have. He was driven. He had so many ideas and not enough hands to grab at them.

Mo exemplified what it meant to be a leader and a friend. He said hello to strangers. He offered help to those who didn’t ask for help. His mind was exploding with ideas and solutions for how to help several groups of people. He petitioned and wrote letters to bring attention to the issues that he felt were important to UAA and the Anchorage community.

The memorial service held for him at UAA drew a crowd that the Student Union could barely contain. The north and south cafeterias were packed with people. Music played in

his memory, and students, staff and faculty all spoke of his legacy. The second floor railing was tightly populated with people looking down on the event, and local news took photos.

Not long after, USUAA student government passed legislation to form the Mabil Duir Leadership Scholarship, which awards five $1,000 scholarships to student leaders each semester.

Though it’s been two years since Mo’s passing, his memory still lives on and inspires us to be leaders every day in our own way. Positive change does not always require the might of movers and shakers — it can also flourish slowly in a kind smile or gesture. Mo was not content with just “getting by” at UAA. He wanted to make Anchorage, and the world, a better place by the time he was done here.

And that he did.

The last thing Mo ever did for anyone was an act of kindness. And I am honored by our brother’s spirit to have shared in that moment.

PHOTO BY MEGAN JAQUISH

Mabil “Mo” Duir holds a mic at a talent show. His hobbies included poetry.

It snowed heavily April 6, 2013, the day of Duir’s death.

PHOTO BY KIERRA HAMMONS

OUR MISTAKE

By Kelly Ireland

editor@thenorthernlight.org

Where will your Wolf Card take you?

907.343.6543 www.PeopleMover.org

On Wednesday April 1 Senator Lisa Murkowski held a listening session at the Student Union Den with students about sexual assault and safety on campus.

The event was to be media free.

The Northern Light attended the event. The reporter in attendance took an audio recording that was later deleted. None of the details of the meeting will be used in reporting the story.

We want to emphasize that we truly and deeply care about the issues that were discussed during this meeting and that we want to do our absolute best in

covering these topics. We ourselves have tried to start discussion and educate students about sexual assault and issues related to Title IX in our series called the “Red Zone.”

The Northern Light staff would like to sincerely apologize for attending. The event was to be media free to allow students to be open about sexual assault and safety on campus. It was not our intention to violate the privacy of the students who attended.

We are now aware that by attending this event that we have

violated the privacy of these students and we are sincerely sorry.

We merely wanted to observe so we could broadly write and address the issues that were discussed. The reporter who went intended to be there only as an observer.

As Executive Editor I feel solely responsible for the reporter being there. I sincerely apologize for any grief our reporter has caused and for the violation of privacy. Our intention was only to observe the event and not to violate the privacy of those there.

18 OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

EDITORIAL

WWAMI program possibly to be cut by legislature

Legislature’s efforts to ‘trim the fat’ will be hurtful to the health of the state of Alaska

By Michael Jurasek mjjurasek@alaska.edu

A few weeks ago in another effort to “trim the fat” in the State’s finances, the House passed a budget that targets education funding. The programs affected range from pre-k to post-graduate and are damning to Alaska’s future. I’m here to speak to the latter with a concern that cutting Alaska’s partnership to the University of Washington’s Medical School through the WWAMI program would irreversibly damage Alaskan healthcare.

Established in 1971, the WWAMI Medical School allowed 10 Alaskan students

the opportunity to complete medical school through the University of Washington at a subsidized rate. These subsidies took the form of loans the student was responsible for paying back after completion. With time, the program expanded, now allowing 20 students to complete nearly all four years of school in Alaska with loan forgiveness programs for those who decided to practice in the State.

On March 12, the House passed a budget with cuts proposed by the Finance Subcommittee on Education and Early Development. Included in these cuts was WWAMI. The proposed cuts would phase-out the program over several years with no guarantee of return.

I’m writing as a pre-med student at UAA. I am one of many students who have looked forward to acceptance into WWAMI as a vector to a career in medicine. I will be graduating this spring and I intend to apply to medical schools this fall. WWAMI has been my goal and I am not alone in this aspiration. With me are dozens of students who have studied voraciously, shadowed diligently, and have worked without tire to have a chance at going to medical school in the state we love. In tail are dozens more underclassmen and high school students who have participated in summer programs and summits to prepare for the application to WWAMI. The ability to complete medical school

in the State I have grown up in has been the most enticing component of my medical school comparison. Additionally, WWAMI has evolved to become the premier program for rural and family practice medicine in the nation. These factors make the House’s decision a complete mystery. I understand that the State’s financial gap means that tough decisions need to be made. I do not understand why this means that a valid, efficient, and successful investment in Alaska’s future needs to go.

Please consider writing your representatives in the Senate about this issue. You can find them at http://akleg.gov/senate. php?sort=district

OPINION: OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAM

Does the student vote matter? Bad decisions, good intentions?

By Chase McCavit

chasemccavit@yahoo.com

sean.marshal.ak@gmail.com

I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one who thinks UAA has made some questionable judgments as of late.

From the funding of a 6 million dollar bridge while the chemistry major gets cut, to the construction of a debatably irrelevant sports complex worth far more than that (yet is strangely missing an ice rink for our largest collegiate sport), one has to wonder: who is approving these decisions? Is it one person, or a group effort? Imagining the dialogue behind some of these moves doesn’t leave me any less baffled, albeit temporarily amused. Students complaining about price and lack of parking?

Let’s remove yellow-permit spots while we build a new platinum-only garage!

Students just voted to bring back the outdoor rec program using additional fees from THEIR OWN tuition? Let’s ignore that and essentially veto it for the second time! Students need more places to exercise on campus? Let’s build a giant sports complex and reserve the decent gym hours for athletes only, while we take out the existing equipment at the Commons!

Now while I can see that the parking situation has a substantial profit involved and therefore has little chance of improving (even though there are three times more general permits than parking spots, and you get TICKETS FOR LITERALLY ANYTH — sorry, perhaps another time), what I don’t understand are how the easy choices are getting botched like the outdoor rec program.

I mean really, Vice Chancellor Schultz? All you had to do was sign the thing.

We are young, active adults living in Alaska; of course we want an outdoor recreation program. Maybe that proves my point though: if the University actually wants to please its students, they need to change more than a few things.

We need better representation in these big decisions, or some at least some new blood in the top brass.

I hear murmurings across campus of problems that have relatively simple solutions, all UAA needs to do is open their ears and remember the actual point of this establishment: a quality education experience.

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You might have heard that the outdoor recreation program at UAA has been dropped. This program was intended for the students of UAA to participate in outdoor activities unique to Alaska. Last semester students took the time to vote on the existence of the Outdoor Recreation program.

As anticipated, students throughout the university voted on the issue and overwhelmingly won.

When the students voted yes on the ballot they agreed to add a fee for outdoor recreation to their student fees in return for UAA providing qualified guides/ instructors and equipment to students looking to participate in safe, supervised adventures in Alaska’s backcountry.

The last step in the process was for Bruce Schultz, the vice chancellor of student affairs of UAA, to sign off on the program. To the astonishment of the students the vice chancellor refused to approve the program.

His reason? Because he thinks there is too much risk involved in outdoor activities.

This is a terrible excuse if you ask me.

Did the vice chancellor ever think about the good that would come from this pro-

gram?

With the outdoor recreation program students can explore while being under the safety of a trained professionals showing the students how to manage the minimal risks placed in front of them. This program allows students with similar interests to bond with each other. Additionally, many students want to explore Alaska’s backcountry but they do not have the recourses to do it on their own.

This program would provide them with these resources including transportation gear and experienced guides. These are just a few of the benefits that would come from this program.

UAA already owns the gear needed to run this program; including kayaks, white water rafts, dry suits, tents, sleeping bags, snowboards, skis, and much more equipment. The existing academic program even has a bus to provide transportation for students to and from activities. Plus, with the extra money coming into the program from the student fees the program would have plenty of money to sustain its self. Failing to enact this program is not saving UAA any money because the money has already been spent.

I can only hope that someone who genuinely cares about the students of UAA will read this letter and make the changes necessary for the Outdoor Recreation program to restart.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

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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.足足足

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