Federal government revokes University of Alaska Anchorage student visa
By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org
The federal government revoked a UAA student’s visa, according to a communication from University of Alaska President Pat Pitney.
Pitney wrote, “This week, we learned that the federal government has revoked visas for four individuals affiliated with UAA — one current student and three recent graduates in post-graduation training — without prior notice.”
The communication was emailed to UAA community members on Monday, April 14.
The Northern Light reached out to the University of Alaska to find out if any of the impacted individuals have been ordered to leave the U.S.
University of Alaska spokesperson Jonathon Taylor responded by email.
He wrote, “If the revocation includes a change in immigration/student status in SEVIS (the federal Student and Exchange
Visitor Program), there is generally no grace period for the requirement to depart from the U.S.” Taylor did not provide any details of if
the SEVIS status for the impacted individuals had changed. Taylor encouraged people impacted to consult an attorney.
“Since everyone’s situation is unique, we continue to encourage impacted students to consult an immigration attorney to get advice on their specific circumstances,” he wrote.
According to guidance from the University of Alaska, revocation of visas normally happens under extreme circumstances and revocation does not necessarily mean that affected students need to leave the country or stop their studies at UAA.
The guidance states that if a visa is revoked, “You may continue to live in the U.S. and study at your educational institution of record so long as you maintain your applicable student eligibility materials, such as your I-20 or DS-2019 form.”
The guidance continues, “Visa revocation itself does not result in deportation, but if your visa is revoked based on your alleged actions or activities, you may be at a higher risk for further immigration action.”
Dept. of Homeland Security sued for terminating UAA graduate’s visa
The ACLU of Alaska filed a lawsuit to protect the rights of a former UAA student who studied under an F-1 visa
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and the Nations Law Group filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on April 23. The lawsuit was filed to protect the due process rights of former UAA student Jean Kashikov, who recently had his student visa terminated, according to the ACLU of Alaska.
The ACLU of Alaska wrote that Kashikov’s practical training period was unlawfully and abruptly terminated by the Department of Homeland Security without valid reason or notice.
A temporary restraining order has also been requested against the defendants — U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons — to provide Kashikov immediate protection.
Photos: Stand Up Alaska protest
By Alex Luangasa cartoons@thenorthernlight.org
Stand Up Alaska organized a peaceful protest on April 19 coinciding with nationwide protests. Stand Up Alaska is a 501(c)(4) organization to promote social welfare by raising awareness of systemic injustice and civic engagement. Participants gathered at Town Square Park at noon and marched westward down 6th Ave. to the Peterson Tower where the offices of Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski reside. They then later marched east on 5th Ave. back to Town Square Park and concluded around 2 p.m. Chants like “Stand Up”, “Fight Back” and honking from passing cars were audible.
According to the lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Alaska, the document alleges that Kashikov’s Fifth Amendment due process rights were violated because he was not given an opportunity to contest the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to terminate his visa status.
In an interview with The Northern Light, Kashikov said he is originally from Kazakhstan and began studying at UAA in 2019.
Kashikov said he graduated from UAA in 2024 and is on temporary work authorization granted to international students with F-1 visas studying in the U.S.
Kashikov said he received an email about his visa status change from UAA’s international student advisor David Racki on April 10.
PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
The seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
PHOTO BY ALEX LUANGASA Stand Up Alaska provides resources and information.
PHOTO BY ALEX LUANGASA A person holds a sign referring to checks and balances.
PHOTO BY ALEX LUANGASA
Public opinion message forms were provided to be sent to Alaska state senators.
International student purge strikes UAA
The termination of a UAA student’s visa echoes a pattern of federal crackdowns on international students studying in the U.S.
By Alex Luangasa cartoons@thenorthernlight.org
On April 14, University of Alaska President Pat Pitney sent an email to the UA community stating that four individuals affiliated with UAA had their student visas revoked by the federal government.
One of those four individuals was Jean Kashikov. On April 10, he received a notification about his visa status from International Student Services. The email wrote that his record was marked as “terminated” by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP.
SEVP tracks and monitors schools, exchange visitor programs, and F, M and J visa-receiving nonimmigrants during their enrollment in education and stay in the United States.
F-category visa allows study at an accredited college or university, whereas M-category for vocational training, lastly Jcategory are for individuals to participate in work or study exchange programs.
The Department of Homeland Security maintains this information using the web-based system, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE website. SEVIS also provides a mechanism for student and exchange visitor status violators to be identified
so that appropriate enforcement is taken, according to the ICE website.
In an interview with The Northern Light, Kashikov said he had three charges filed against him three years ago while in another state. He said there was no conviction and the judge dismissed all charges.
Kashikov’s statement about his prior charges correlates with students in other states whose visas have allegedly been revoked due to traffic stops and dismissed cases.
Students who have publicly voiced their political concerns on the Israel-Hamas conflict are also being targeted. Examples include students like Rümeysa Öztürk who wrote an op-ed at Tufts and Mahmoud Khalil who was a lead negotiator during the Gaza Solidarity Encampment protest at Columbia.
They called on their respective universities to divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel, according to the BBC.
On Jan. 25, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14188, titled “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.” It reaffirmed the previous Executive Order 13899 to “ensure robust enforcement of Title VI” by adopting the working definition of anti-Semitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance — or IHRA.
Executive Order 14188 cites
the increase in antisemitism post Oct. 7, 2023, to use all available and appropriate legal tools to prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic behavior.
It also calls for a review of all court cases against or involving higher education institutions post-Oct 7, examination of Title VI cases in K-12 education related to antisemitism, and recommendations for higher education institutions to understand the grounds for inadmissibility under Title 8, section 1182, to monitor and report activities by foreign students and staff.
A fact sheet published by the White House called for the removal of resident noncitizens who violate federal, state and local laws. The document also states that the federal government will “deport Hamas sympathizers and revoke student visas.”
Kashikov said he had never made public political statements prior to termination of his visa. He began going public with his story to media outlets after his visa was revoked.
Kashikov said he felt depressed about having his visa revoked and unsure of what to do.
The ACLU of Alaska has since filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to protect Kashikov’s due process rights.
The Northern Light editor Murat Demir contributed to this report.
Native Student Services reorganization timeline
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Native Student Services, or NSS, is located in Rasmuson Hall Room 108. According to its website, NSS is a place where “students can receive academic, advising, and cultural support.”
This article will provide a timeline for the organization’s developments over the last six weeks.
On March 19, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Deanne Woodard sent an email to the UAA community. Woodard wrote that reorganization within Student Affairs would take place on July 1 to improve fiscal health.
NSS and Multicultural Student Services will be moved under Community and Belonging, which currently comprises Student Organization Services and First-Year Experience.
Woodard wrote “we will update the names of these areas to the Indigenous and Rural Student Center (IRSC) and the Multicultural Student Center (MSC).”
Following this email, students began to circulate rumors on social media that NSS was being shut down.
On March 27, Woodard sent another email focused on addressing those concerns. Woodard again cited budget as reason
for the name change and reorganization.
Woodard wrote that the IRSC will continue to provide the same services as NSS, and NSS will remain in the same location. She wrote that the organization will remain independent, and would not be combined with other organizations.
Following the March 27 email, The Northern Light was informed that the Party for Socialism and Liberation had become involved with students advocating against the reorganization.
Michael Patterson, organizer for the Party of Socialism and Liberation Anchorage said, “PSL is going to help the organizers,” referring to students protesting the reorganization.
The Northern Light reached out to Deanne Woodard for comment on the situation. On March 28, Woodard provided a written response stating that meetings have been held monthly since August 2024 across UAA to monitor department deficits.
In the response, Woodard also said Student Affairs appeared to be on a negative fiscal trajectory last fall, prompting her team to devise methods to get Student Affairs on track with their budget allocation.
Woodard wrote that the process for Student Affairs’ reorga-
nization and subsequent name changes began early in the university’s fiscal year, ahead of the Board of Regents’ motion requiring the removal of DEIrelated language from publicfacing documents.
On April 3, students and community members protested against the reorganization outside the UAA Consortium Library.
On April 10, Woodard sent an email to the community that stated NSS was still open. She wrote that NSS is still operational, with academic advisors available from 10 a.m to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
The email acknowledged the elimination of staff positions and the reassignment of Community and Belonging staff. Woodard wrote that two full-time NSS staff would be on site starting July 1, despite the changes.
Woodard wrote that a combination of Community and Belonging staff and Chanshtnu Council members are putting together a survey for feedback from students.
On April 24, an email was sent to the UAA community from NSS. The email addressed events taking place at NSS and the Cama-i Room, located in Gorsuch Commons. The email also highlighted several opportunities, including student staff positions at the Cama-i
and a
Room
summer internship at the
First Alaskans Institute.
PHOTO BY SCOTT HOBBS
PHOTO BY ALEX LUANGASA Collection of flags in the Multicultural Student Services office.
Protesters disrupt Turning Point USA campus event
UAA police removed a protester during a TPUSA event on conservative values
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Turning Point USA’s UAA chapter hosted “Campus Crashers” at the UAA Student Union on April 17. The event was interrupted by two protesters and prompted a police presence.
TPUSA’s “Campus Crashers” is co-hosted by political activist Stephen Davis and Olympic athlete Anthony Watson, who engage in discussions about conservative values on college campuses. The Northern Light interviewed both guest speakers before the event.
Watson said they want to demonstrate that people can have differences of opinion and engage with each other respectfully in the same space.
Davis said, “We can have disagreements, we can have, you know, clashing ideas, if we can be civil and just talk. That’s how we get our country back on track.”
As the guest speakers began their talk, the crowd of approximately 25 attendees cheered.
During the first 10 minutes of the event, one protester who was posing as an attendee cheered “yeehaw” several times as Watson spoke, prompting other attendees and TPUSA organizer Aaron Barker to confront him.
When the protester continued to shout, UAA Event Security asked him to leave.
After being escorted out, he joined another protester in the balcony above the event who was holding a sign that read
“ALT RIGHT ALL WRONG.”
The protester holding the sign was asked to leave by TPUSA prior to the beginning of the event due to his history of disrupting the organization’s tabling events, according to Barker.
The man wearing the cowboy hat continued to shout from the balcony above the event, prompting approximately six university police officers to arrive.
Following a conversation, police escorted the protester out of the Student Union.
Barker informed The Northern Light that the protester wearing the cowboy hat was with the Marxist-Leninist political organization Party for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage — or PSL
Anchorage.
The Northern Light reached out to PSL Anchorage for comment on the incident.
PSL Anchorage spokesperson Michael Patterson said, “An
organization that cares about free speech called the police on a student for free speech. TPUSA serves Trump’s far-right billionaire agenda, and they should meet opposition at every turn.”
UAA students form pro-Palestine group
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Students created a pro-Palestine club at UAA called Anchorage Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine. Organizers said the club’s main purpose is community education and advocacy for Palestine.
Club President Colby McMichael spoke to attendees during the club’s first official meeting on April 24 at the Professional Studies Building.
He said the club was officially recognized by the UAA Club Council after last-minute efforts to meet the semester deadline for club recognition.
McMichael mentioned the potential risks of working with the organization.
“We need to make clear that if you’re here on a visa, there’s a good chance this puts it at risk, and it’s up to you to decide what level of risk you’re willing to take,” he said. McMichael explained this risk after mentioning the four UAA students who recently had their visas revoked by the U.S. federal government.
Attendees also discussed plans to host educational events, collaborate with climate and human rights groups and attend Campus Kickoff in the upcoming school year.
Chancellor Parnell showcases historic archive
Items on display included a copy of the Alaska State Constitution
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Chancellor Sean Parnell hosted a showcase of items from the Alaska Leaders Archive in the UAA Consortium Library on April 3.
The event featured speeches from Ted Stevens’ daughter, Lily Stevens Becker and former Alaska State Representative Willie Hensley.
Parnell introduced the event with an overview of the scope of the archive. UAA’s Consortium Library houses documents and other items from over 130 leaders from the state.
Parnell described the collection as documenting the lives of community, elected, business, nonprofit, health and Indigenous leaders.
“All of their archives tell the
story of our people and our place that we love, but they also need to be accessible to more people,” said Parnell.
Parnell said that about a year ago, the Ted Stevens Foundation gifted the UAA and APU Consortium Library with the Ted Stevens Collection, totalling over 4800 boxes. According to Parnell, approximately 75% of this collection has been processed so far.
Parnell said the Ted Stevens Foundation is a primary fundraiser for the project, with the university serving in a supporting role.
This partnership has resulted in federal appropriations totaling around $19 million, along with an announced gift from ConocoPhillips Alaska totalling $1.5 million to the university and $500,000 to the Ted Stevens Foundation.
With the Board of Regents approval, the state legislature has been asked for $2.5 million to finish the match on federal funds donated to the Alaska Leaders Archive.
Between asks and donations, the university is nearing having the money necessary to complete Phase One of the project. Phase One plans to renovate the Consortium Library to make archives accessible.
Parnell said the goal of the project is to preserve the knowledge of leaders from the past for leaders of the future. The chancellor also said he hopes as the project is finished, more classes and capstone projects will make use of the archives.
Parnell said the scope of the archives is immense, especially following the donation of the Ted Stevens Collection to the archive.
Information ranging from the inception of the rural health system, Ted Stevens’ role in the Camp David Accords, primary source documents from the creation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and more are contained within the archive. Stevens Becker and Hensley echoed the importance of the archives, as well as personal anecdotes about the senator.
The archives will be housed on the third floor of The Consortium Library and open to the public once renovations are completed and documents are processed.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR Police officers speak with a protester wearing a cowboy hat following a disruption during the Turning Point USA event at the UAA Student Union.
PHOTO BY TAYLOR HECKART
A sign for the Professional Studies Building, where Anchorage Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine held its first official meeting.
PHOTO BY SCOTT HOBBS
A combined set of notes from Ted Stevens’ work on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Thousands attend downtown Anchorage protest
By Hannah Dillon managing.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Northern Light spoke with “Hand’s Off!” protesters on April 5 in Town Square Park.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, thousands of protesters lined the sidewalks while chanting and displaying signs in opposition to recent Trump administration actions.
Mary-ellen Lambert was a protester dressed as the Statue of Liberty. She held a sign reading “Hands off our civil liberties! We demand: due process, humane conditions and no El Salvador.”
Lambert said “Well, I come to all of the protests because everything he’s doing is wrong in
my book, but I can’t even sleep at night for the way they snatch up people, no due process.”
“If they can do it to one of us, they can do it to any of us.”
Lambert said the people of the U.S. do not have much power alone and benefit from standing together.
“We’re all stronger together.”
Protester Jill Rush said her reason for protesting is due to, “all of the freedoms being taken away, that are being bastardized.”
“I’m so happy to see so many people out here,” she said.
Protester Barbara Hendricksen waited at a stop light as the majority of the protest marched away from town square.
“I fear for the survival of my country as we know it. And if
we don’t all show up and speak out and do everything in our power, we will lose our power,” said Hendricksen.
“And I’m unwilling to stand by and let that happen. And I’m gratified to have as many people here that feel the same.”
As vehicles passed protesters, a cacophony of horns rang throughout downtown streets. While cars waited at stop lights, drivers rolled down their windows and expressed their support of the protesters.
Another national protest took place downtown on April 19 with nearly the same turnout as the previous protest. According to Stand Up Alaska event organizer Erin Jackson-Hill, the next scheduled protest will be on May 1.
USUAA election results
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Union of Students of the University of Alaska Anchorage — or USUAA — held their general election on April 15 through April 16. Students were able to vote for one president and vice president ticket, senators and
delegates on USUAA. Students also elected Concert Board, Green Fee Board and Media Board members.
A total of 147 students voted in the election, with final counts certified by student Taylor Heckart and Associate Director Zac Clark.
The president and vice president ticket of Arel Gutierrez and Emily Hufford were elected
with 80 votes. Jason Ritter and Andi Bryant received 49 votes.
Macchelssy Dinganga received 95 votes and was reelected as a senator on USUAA.
Two delegates were elected from the College of Health. Fortune Dinganga received 88 votes and Jessica Derocher received 92 votes.
Nejima Dubed received 99 votes and was elected to the
Students and communists protest changes to UAA Native Student Services
Protesters faced UPD security presence and a counterprotest from the conservative organization Turning Point USA
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Approximately 50 students and the Party for Socialism and Liberation protested outside the UAA Consortium Library on April 3 in opposition to recently announced changes to Native Student Services.
UAA Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Deanne Woodard announced in an email on March 19 that Native Student Services and several other programs will be renamed and “reorganized” to consolidate resources and reduce redundancy.
The protest took place as UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell and the Ted Stevens family hosted a public viewing of historical archival artifacts inside the library. UPD event security personnel were observed near the
library doors.
In a statement to The Northern Light during the archive viewing, Parnell said that despite the name change, the academic programming and support will remain the same for students who choose to engage.
Protest spokesperson and Alaska Native UAA student Mars Kashevarof spoke to The Northern Light at the protest.
Kashevarof said the protesters disagree with the university’s decision to make changes to Native Student Services.
“We’re gathered here to show our support to keep Native Student Services as it is, and to support the staff and the community they’ve created,” said Kashevarof.
“Native Student Services is basically like a home away from home,” said Kashevarof. “It’s all
culturally grounded, like a community of people who are like you and who know you, and are willing to understand you.”
The Party for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage — a Marxist-Leninist political organization — co-organized the protest with the students, according to Kashevarof.
Aaron Barker, a UAA graduate student and counterprotester with Turning Point USA, was sitting across from the protesters.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what they’re really protesting other than promoting socialism,” said Barker.
“I don’t agree with their ideology or their viewpoint,” he said. “They have a right to be here and express their opinion — I’m not going to step on their right.”
According to Woodard’s email, Native Student Services will be renamed to Indigenous and Rural Student Center effective July 1.
report.
The Northern Light editor Scott Hobbs contributed to this
PHOTO BY HANNAH DILLON
Mary-ellen Lambert dressed as the Statue of Liberty at downtown protest.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR
Students protest in support of Native Student Services outside the UAA Consortium Library.
Concert Board. Louis Jovanovich was reelected to the Green Fee Board with 105 votes.
Mariam Hall was elected to the Media Board with 107 votes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UAA.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
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Molly M. Carver
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Lynciemae A. Adams
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Colette C. Boulet
Madison J. Bouwens
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Nakaiah Carattini
Jada E. Carroll
Lyric M. Carter*
Erica A. Christopherson
Erin N. Dodds
Grace C. Dunn
Fatima Espinoza
Kyle Gavino***
Emily N. Goffredo
Frank A. Grubbs*
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Allie J. Hellman*
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Adda R. Johnson*
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Mallory J. McCarter**
Kadence M. Pettibone
Leslie R. Pridgen Jr.
Jesus Rodriguez***
Astrid Stav*
COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COL -
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Dr. Ray Weber, Dean
BACCALAUREATE DEGREES
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Communication
Selma A. Bojorquez Casagranda***
Christina A. H. Ezell***
Victoria S. Hollingshead**
Eunice Lee
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Applied Technologies
Leadership
Hamilton C. Cox***
Casandra F. Drones
Nathan Gates*
Maxwell G. Jacobs
Ronald D. Korsman*
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Angel Reyes*
Adam Taylor
Gavin W. Turner*
Arran R. Underdahl***
Aviation Technology
Aidan M. Adams***
Christopher M. Bare
Christopher S. Boehnlein***
Samuel M. Carson***
Bryan K. Coffey*
Paul C. Cvancara
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Kaitlin A. Norton*
Scott H. Petersen***
Haley L. Rogers*
Jackson O. Theobald
Construction Management
Rayn L. Aaberg
Stephen Autry
Florim Hajdari
Christina M. Lien
William Marstall
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Lucas M. Sosa
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ASSOCIATE DEGREES
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Air Traffic Control
Arseny N. BlomrozChoulguine*
Mikayla J. Heilig
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Trinity A. Straughn***
Dasal***
Joseph A. Hathcoat
Jenson E. Seifert
Serena K. Stout*
Automotive Technology
Arthur S. Bonglo Jr.
Paul Miller**
Zachary A. Parcell
Aviation Maintenance
Technology
Elijah J. Corwin*
Jordon Eckles
Justin Garrison***
James R. Lee
Noah M. Newstrom
Amanda C. Pratt
Computer Systems and Networking Technology
Austin Huntley***
Jacob I. Kerr
Ryan Leaders*
Justin M. Sutherland
Construction Management
Oleg V. Malyk*
Andrew R. Schultz
Culinary Arts
Staci J. Gillilan***
Paislee G. Harbour
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Occupational Safety and Health
Kenneth Barnhart*
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Professional Piloting
John P. Bailey***
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Rafael De Jesus Alameda***
Mariah J. Mahoy
Technology
John O. Egbejimba
CERTIFICATES
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Jeremiah R. Goodwin
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Graduate School
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Rachel M. Nill MASTER OF SCIENCE
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Kathleen M. DeMichele
Daniel Jones
UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE
Dr. Ray Ball, Dean
University Honors College Scholars are students who have completed all of the requirements of their disciplinary college and of their University Honors College academic program for a Bachelor degree. University Honors College Associates are students who have completed all of the requirements of their disciplinary college and of their University Honors College academic program for an Associate degree. University Honors College Scholars and Associates are wearing a green and gold twisted honor cord, plus an additional gold honor cord signifying traditional Latin honors. † Global & Multicultural Studies Track, †† Leadership Track, ††† Research & Creative Activity Track
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BACHELOR OF ARTS
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Psychology
Hannah R. Huber †† **
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Chemistry
Eugene H. Mulinde ††† *
Natural Sciences
Bryce N. Inman ††† *
Steven M. Cherry ††† ***
Eugene H. Mulinde ††† *
Psychology
Jasmine M. Jones †† ** Rexhebije Kadriu ††† ****
Monica R. Bustillos †††
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC POLICY
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Economics
Nathan T. Healy †† ***
Marketing
Biodun W. Ajakaye ††
Accounting
Kareena Bathija †† **
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Mechanical Engineering
Sebastian K. Reed ††† **
COLLEGE OF HEALTH
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Health Sciences
Marcela Bonifasi ††† **
COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Communication
Selma A. Bojorquez Casagranda †† ***
UNIVERSITY HONORS ASSOCIATE
COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE
Emily Young
ASSOCIATE DEGREES
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK
Breanna Barber***
Joyce A. Brooks*
Tamia Y. Bunton*
Andrew R. Teasley***
Architectural and Engineering Technology
Lilliana-Kimberly N.
Cruz
Shannon Meredith M.
Owen P. Merrill
Adam M. Morris
Noah M. Newstrom
Amanda C. Pratt
Njord Rota
Kevin L. Shunk
*Cum Laude, ** Magna Cum Laude, *** Summa Cum Laude
UNIVERSITY HONORS SCHOLARS
Culinary Arts
Staci J. Gillilan † ***
By Sage R. Robbins
Commencement doesn’t recognize all students
Satire column: ‘Right Answers Only’
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Commencement. The pinnacle of student achievement.
Walking up the ramp, receiving your diploma and waving to your family is an unforgettable moment in the lives of so many.
So why do most students not get adequately recognized?
Looking at past UAA commencements, I realized something: Commencement, in its current form, doesn’t recognize everyone. Only two students get the privilege to speak, while everyone else just gets their name read off and a photo with their diploma.
It’s time that UAA stopped playing favorites and recognized all students equally. Commencement doesn’t recognize all students, and that needs to change.
Starting out small, every graduate should get their own walkout song. Gone are the days of students getting in line to walk up. Instead, each student who has worked hard to graduate gets their moment to strut up the ramp to their song of choice.
From “Fat Juicy and Wet” to “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” graduates should get to have any song of their choice play as they
walk onto the stage.
Once they get onto the stage, it’s time to recognize every achievement of the student, starting with extracurriculars.
Any club or organization involvements will be read off, along with positions the student served in.
Leadership is leadership, whether it’s serving on USUAA or being the vice president of a sudoku club on campus. Students committing their time and energy to leadership roles on campus deserve to be recognized.
Following extracurriculars, students should be recognized by every faculty member they ever interacted with. Whether they spoke to a student once in a parking lot or taught them multiple classes, every interaction has a major impact on students.
Faculty also remember every interaction they’ve had with every student ever. Professors should come up with a personal anecdote for every graduate they’ve come into contact with.
Once a graduate has been recognized for their leadership and by professors, it’s time for their own speech.
Every graduate should get at least five minutes to speak. It’s important that graduates get to speak on whatever topic
they please during their speech. Whether they’re graduating with a 4.0 or a 2.0, they’ve worked hard and earned the right to yap at the podium.
Following every rousing speech given by graduates, they should be recognized for their academic experience. Not justWWW the degree they settled on, but every major they bounced between up until that point.
Is the NBA one big catch-22?
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Since its inception, the NBA has evolved substantially. Trends have ebbed and flowed; team philosophy has shifted. And now, more than ever, fans and the media are complaining about the product.
This season alone, all fans heard was there were too many threes, foul calls and the game is running longer. You would also hear that a season average of a triple-double isn’t enough to win MVP anymore — thanks for that nugget Stephen A.
Now fans are complaining that not enough fouls are being called during early stages of the playoffs. They’re realizing that teams can’t just shoot lots of threes and win at will. Otherwise, the Celtics would have swept the Magic and secured Game 3 of their series.
So who’s causing all this confusion and contradicting opinions?
The answer is Big Media. Beyond the cop-out of blaming sports debate shows, I want to look a bit closer.
If you were to turn on ESPN and there wasn’t a game on, there is a chance there’s a GOAT debate happening. In fact, it feels like that’s all they talk about on sports shows anymore. Especially now that “Around the Horn” is getting axed.
But it’s this constant comparison to the old that keeps it fresh in people’s minds. It makes people question whether Lebron would be the scoring leader if Jordan played today and shot lots of threes.
It’s the moving of goalposts that you see across sports that diminishes the dominance and talent of players at all eras. This isn’t limited to basketball either.
T.J. Watt will forever have an asterisk next to his sack record that is shared with Michael Strahan. Strahan did it in 16 games, while Watt had it in 17.
Talking heads love to point out differences in eras or games played to invalidate achievements or claim one era is better than another. In reality, eras aren’t better or worse, they’re just different, and you can’t really compare across them.
Big men who couldn’t hit a
three dominated in eras that favored the two-point shots and size. Mobile guards that are accurate from beyond the arc are now dominant because the primary method of scoring is the three-point shot.
Just because it’s the primary method, doesn’t mean it always works, nor does it mean that players are less talented than they used to be.
If refs call fouls frequently in the regular season and playoffs, games will naturally run longer and fewer teams will play physically in the postseason.
On the other hand, if refs don’t call as many fouls during the regular season and playoffs, the game will evolve again.
You’ll likely have more physical players who can take some shoving but still shoot threes. You’ll also see the revival of more physically imposing centers.
In either case, the rules need to be enforced, or not enforced, consistently. Otherwise, viewership will continue to decline, and soon no one will care about who wins the Finals or who Stephen A. plans on voting for in the MVP race.
College is a journey, and no one knows what they’re going to be studying on the first or fifth attempt at selecting a major. It’s important that students are recognized for their achievement of navigating a Docusign every time they wanted to switch studies.
Finally, when receiving their diploma from university administrators, a live band should be playing “Pomp and Circum-
stance.” Students should network with important people until the song concludes, at which point they can walk back to their seat. Opponents of these ideas will say that commencement would run for days if these changes were made and that ceremonies can’t go for that long. I say that students have worked hard deserve the maximum recognition for their achievement.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NBA VIA WIKIPEDIA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.
Current commencement ceremonies put too much attention on oldheads like this guy and not enough attention on the students. I’m sick and tired of it!
Privatization of education and the literacy crisis
‘Just Sociology Tings’ is a column dedicated to discussing sociopolitical issues
By Nahla White columnist2@thenorthernlight.org
Anyone who is currently studying law or has considered pursuing a career in the legal field probably knows how expensive having such goals is. Just to show how expensive it can be, I’d like to introduce anyone who isn’t familiar with Westlaw Legal Research to the website.
Westlaw is a legal database that provides everything from state and federal statutory law, cases, common legal precedents and secondary sources. As UAA students, we have access to Westlaw Campus Research, which is specifically tailored for legal students here at the university.
Outside of any connection to a government agency, academic institution or law firm, Westlaw is a subscription based service that starts at $136.80 a month for primary law for just one state!
If you’re like me and have bills to pay, you’d probably see that price and already be looking for alternatives. Of course, you can always individually search for the aforementioned information through state and government websites, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that there’s already a free alternative in the form of Casetext.
Even though I have access to Westlaw through the university, I would often use CaseText for quick searches — utilizing its better formatting.
I wouldn’t have to worry about the site automatically logging me out after five minutes of inactivity, and the load time was much quicker between pages. It became a comfortable alternative when I didn’t have time to go through the entire process of logging into Westlaw through the Consortium Library — which you have to do every time!
So imagine my surprise and dismay when I tried using CaseText this past week only to find that the site had been entirely shut down.
Anytime I tried to click the old link, it would redirect me to a Thomson Reuters page that promotes a generative AI system titled: “CoCounsel.”
This was how I found out about Thomson Reuter’s acquisition of CaseText in 2023 and its gradual phasing out of the old company’s free resources in favor of an AI assistant that’s only accessible through a subscription. I was pissed.
The exorbitant costs of higher educa-
tion coupled with the fact that institutions refuse to make it more accessible has plenty of consequences for lower-income and working class people — a population that has been growing exponentially for years.
While the United States Census Bureau declared that about 36.8 million people were in poverty in 2023 — about 11.1% of the population — determining poverty is much more complicated than that. The poverty line for a single person household in Alaska is $19,550 a year.
When taking out the annual cost of rent for an average Anchorage apartment — $1,200 give or take — you’re still only left with a little over 5,000 dollars to handle car insurance, groceries, gas, electricity, water, savings and recreational activities.
No one should have to survive like that, and it’s not like making $1,000 more is going to make much of a difference.
If you do make more, however, then that automatically disqualifies you from various types of state and government aid.
We have a system of calculating poverty that grossly undermines the experiences of people who don’t fit within those specific guidelines, leading to more people experiencing financial instability than is actually reported.
Because of this, quality education and learning is inaccessible to a vast majority of Americans. I don’t think it’s much of a coincidence that this is occurring in the midst of a nationwide literacy crisis.
Nearly 23% of adults in the U.S. have “low” performing levels of literacy as of 2023, according to the National Center
For Education Statistics.
The center defines basic literacy as the skills “necessary to perform simple and everyday literacy activities.” This includes being able to “read and understand information in short, common place prose text” as well as “simple documents.”
Having so many adults falling behind under these standards points to a number of external factors, with socioeconomic status — SES — being a huge one.
An article written by Maren Blanchard of the Michigan Journal of Economics explicitly discusses how a person’s SES status affects their literacy and reading comprehension.
In the article, she states that “being born into a low SES likely means one will attend a school with lower levels of funding, creating a learning environment that is not as strong as their middle or upper class peers.”
It’s no secret that schools with lower funding lack access to adequate resources and materials. That leaves schools with student populations far outnumbering their teachers, not enough books for supplies to go around and no counselors or resource options for students that are struggling — all of which are just a few problems out of many.
Without the resources needed to succeed, students tend to fall behind in their studies, which in turn leads to deficient literacy rates. Studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics back this up as well.
A compilation of this data, created by Sean Reardon, Rachel Valentino and Kenneth Shores — a professor and two doctoral students in educational admin-
istration at Stanford University — points out how “low income eighth graders are roughly five years behind high income eight-graders” regarding basic literacy and comprehension. This trend is reflected across all age groups.
Throughout history and across all civilizations, education has always been reserved for the wealthy, with general education becoming a cultural norm shortly after the first industrial revolution.
A population that lacks literacy and comprehension skills is easy to manipulate and control. Our elected officials understand just how powerful a tool education is, and their attempts to keep those resources away from the impoverished and minority populations is only another way for them to keep their political and economic power consolidated.
Don’t let this be all doom and gloom though! There are plenty of ways to resist. The attention economy is powerful, and so much of our literacy crisis is also reliant on how short our attention spans are.
If reading physical books is difficult, try finding the audio versions of your favorite books on YouTube. Listen to podcasts and video essays about topics that you normally have a hard time paying attention to. Visit the public libraries around Anchorage, if you have the means to do so, and try to see what resources are available to the community.
Taking back power is a slow process. Change will never happen overnight. It takes a long-term, collective effort to reach the desired results, and it won’t happen until we decide to make it happen.
TikTok becomes China’s gateway to U.S. sales
By Cee Xiong advertising1@thenorthernlight.org
Videos about China’s factories and prices have been trending on TikTok. These videos have exposed luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, Gucci and Birkin.
Prices have skyrocketed, stock markets are declining and U.S. buyers on TikTok have found ways to buy products for cheaper prices from Chinese influencers.
For example, Lululemon’s leggings cost only $5 to $6 from Chinese factories. In contrast, U.S. and other Western countries charge higher prices to consumers.
The new trend is not just about consumer goods. According to The Economic Times, TikTok trends also underscore a
larger issue in the trade war between the U.S. and China. It feels like a reflection of a much bigger geopolitical strategy, with China intentionally using its manufacturing power to handle the ongoing trade war.
With the increased flow of China’s manufactured products on TikTok, it’s entertaining to watch China’s influencers reveal the prices of luxury products.
However, the prices appear too good to be true. We don’t know what lies behind Chinese manufacturers and their products. Influencers revealing factory prices does not mean consumers are paying the same prices seen in viral videos.
Cheap products that go viral on TikTok might not be safe or worth the hype. But it is entertaining to see big brands and the ongoing trade war become the punchline of viral jokes.
NFL draft grades
Which teams got better, which teams stayed the same, and which teams are still the Dallas Cowboys?
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Spring is a difficult time for fans of the NFL. There’s no real football — no the UFL doesn’t count — until September. With nothing better to do, fans pore over every minute of college film, hoping to find their team’s next Tom Brady hidden in a sea of busts.
This grade of various team drafts is focused on two factors — did teams get what they need, and did they overextend to get it?
Starting off with a team that got some of what they needed, the San Francisco 49ers did their best Bill Belichick impression and focused largely on defense.
While they definitely needed to address their defensive line, picking defense through most of the fourth round was not the best move.
The draft would have been a good time to load up on second and third round offensive talent in preparation for Brock Purdy’s contract ballooning. Instead, it
looks like the 49ers might be joining my Patriots in purgatory.
Another team that got what they needed but still raised some eyebrows is the Cleveland Browns. Aside from trading out of the No. 2 pick, they drafted two quarterbacks in late rounds.
They definitely added some talent on both sides of the ball, but if the Browns had one need since the Deshaun Watson fiasco, it’s a good quarterback.
A room featuring Watson, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders does not inspire confidence for a solid season.
The Las Vegas Raiders finally have good talent coming out of the draft. The team needed more options for Geno Smith to throw and hand off to, as well as more protection.
With that in mind, they targeted offense throughout the draft. Since they drafted starting-caliber players early, later round picks should have time to develop on a Raiders roster that looks to improve on their results from last season.
Another team that got what
they needed, when they needed it, is my New England Patriots. The Patriots have been allergic to drafting offense in early rounds for years. This year, offense was their main focus through the first two days of the draft.
They drafted multiple talents for revamping the offensive line, got a scarily accurate kicker and patched holes on the rest of the team. They also drafted defensive back Kobee Minor as Mr. Irrelevant — the last pick of the draft — who will undoubtedly be the second coming of Ty Law.
Finally, a team that leapfrogged everyone and got their players, the Jacksonville Jaguars. New team general manager James Gladstone made a name for himself with the Rams by selecting versatile talents that became household names — think Puka Nacua as a recent example.
He traded up to get Travis Hunter at pick No. 2 and drafted versatile playmakers for new head coach Liam Coen to plug and play wherever he sees fit.
Biggest NFL draft surprises
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The NFL draft is typically a spectacle of trades, reaches and chaos. While this year’s draft wasn’t filled with as much drama as others, there were still shocking moments.
Starting with something that was predicted but still surprising was the Cleveland Browns trading down from the second overall pick. Analysts had projected they would take Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, and it seemed absurd to think they would trade out of that spot.
Instead, in a draft that featured few trades, the biggest one happened upfront. The Jacksonville Jaguars only gave up their first round selection next year to trade up and get their player, which feels like a steal compared to what teams commonly have to give up to trade up.
It feels like the Browns could have squeezed Jacksonville for more, considering they are in desperate need of additional draft capital to help rebuild their
team.
Considering that they haven’t had a first round pick since 2021, this was a golden opportunity to make up for missed years in the draft or horde for the future, and they didn’t do either of those.
There were also teams who made head scratching picks. The first two were close together, with the Carolina Panthers drafting Tetairoa McMillan at eight and the Chicago Bears taking Colston Loveland at ten.
Both players were seen as top two prospects at their positions — wide receiver and tight end, respectively — but the strength of their position class wasn’t that strong.
Both players play at positions the two teams needed filled, but it felt like they could have picked the best players available or traded down in the first round. Then, they could have drafted players at those positions at proper draft value in the second and third round.
Another two big draft reaches were on defense. First was the Atlanta Falcons trading a future
pick to get back into the first round and draft James Pearce Jr. Second was the Buffalo Bills taking T.J. Sanders at pick No. 41, a player who wasn’t projected within any analyst’s top 75.
Both teams added talent to defensive lines that sorely needed it, but fans are now expecting these players to fix issues on their team immediately, not in five years, since they traded up to get them.
Finally, quarterback was a hot topic of discussion going into the draft. Everyone projected Cam Ward at number one, after that, no one knew what would happen.
The most unexpected pick was the Giants trading back into the first round to take Jaxson Dart.
I have faith in Brian Daboll’s ability to be a quarterback whisperer, but they could have waited for Dart to fall to them at the top of the second round or later.
Then, as people were freaking out about Shedeur Sanders falling out of the first round, Tyler Shough was taken by the
Saints in the second and everyone lost their minds. A 26-yearold with injury concerns over Shedeur? Have general managers lost their minds?
The answer is no. Despite sliding all the way to the fifth round, it’s just indicative of how teams evaluate talent and personality. Sanders may have some talent, but he really only showed flashes in Colorado’s offense.
And beyond that, he’s shown some concerns with personality
and leadership ability. Flamboyance is one thing, but immaturity is another. If you want to be a top pick as a quarterback, you need to interview, which Sanders did not do.
It doesn’t surprise me that he fell out of the first round — or all the way to the fifth. It just shows that anyone who took a quarterback early probably could have waited until later picks, and talent still would have been there.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NFL VIA WIKIPEDIA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Tell TNL what you want in the paper
As H.G. Wells once said, “Adapt or perish.”
The Northern Light wants to know what our readers love, what they hate and what we can do to keep evolving as a student newspaper.
To help facilitate that feedback, we made this form to get suggestions from our readers.
If you have a column you want to see return to the paper or news you want us to cover, respond to this survey so we can write what UAA wants to read.
TNL wants your summer story ideas
Alaska is full of things to do in the summer. So many things, in fact, that we here at The Northern Light can’t keep track of them all.
We’re seeking input from UAA and the community for what we should cover this summer.
If you have an activity or event that you want covered, fill out this form and we’ll do our best to cover it.
STAFF CONTACTS
3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508
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PHOTO BY LAUREN DORMAIER PHOTOGRAPHY
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Editor
FEATURES
Photos: Anchorage Museum honors history of dance in Anchorage
By Justin Cox multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org
For First Friday on April 4, the Anchorage Museum hosted “Anchorage Dance History: Connecting Generations” to honor dancers who influenced Western dance beginning in the 1950s. The event included slideshows honoring 17 past dancers and their dance companies, with their friends or family members describing their history and contribution to dance in Anchorage. The event included performances by Anchorage-area dance companies or students.
Anonymous whistleblower sounds alarm on Save NSS movement
‘NSS is not the only place that serves all Native students’ — anonymous source
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Northern Light interviewed a UAA employee who worked closely with Native Student Services — or NSS. The source asked to remain anonymous due to fear of backlash from students and administrators.
Save NSS is a student organization that formed to oppose the reorganization of NSS under Student Affairs. The group has called for staff to be retained and for the reorganization to be halted.
The source said they saw an organization chart for the newly reorganized Community and Belonging program, which included two full-time staff positions at the Indigenous and Rural Student Center — or IRSC.
This is contrary to claims made by the Save NSS petition, which alleges that academic advising will be dismantled by the change.
In an email with Executive Director Kim Morton, The Northern Light was
provided an organizational chart matching the one described by the source. According to Morton, the two positions that will be working at the IRSC are the Associate Director of Community and Belonging and the Belonging Coordinator.
The source said claims surrounding a name change prompted by the Board of Regents motion are untrue. This was confirmed in a written response from Deanne Woodard to The Northern Light.
However, the source said a name change has been considered even before this fiscal year. “If you go back to the 2017 Diversity Inclusion Action Plan, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Alaska Natives and Diversity Jeane Breinig suggested renaming Native Student Services,” said the source.
The source said the Save NSS student petitions claimed UAA was taking away “the only safe space created by, with, and for Native students” is false.
As confirmed by Woodard, the source said NSS isn’t going away. The source also said NSS is not the only space and service for Native students on campus.
The source cited the Alaska Native, Indigenous and Rural Outreach Program, the Cama-i Room and Alaska Native Studies as some of the programs available to students.
The source also said students’ claim that NSS is losing its independence under the reorganization is untrue.
The source said Community and Belonging is already overseen by Student Affairs, which previously had authority over NSS. No independence is being lost by the move, according to the source.
The source said they would like to see data on how many students NSS served and mentioned that the student sign-in document at NSS could accurately identify the number of students the organization serves.
The source also said that the claim made by NSS and UAA that they are raising Native student enrollment is false. This is corroborated by the 2024 ANSI report.
According to the report, 12.6% of students attending UAA were students of Indigenous heritage. That number dropped
Video: UAA dance: One year later
By Justin Cox multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org
In April 2023 everyone thought that the dance program at UAA was done. UAA performed a farewell performance at the Anchorage Museum and Jill Flanders Crosby retired. Then, with community support and support
from the Atwood Foundation, dance was back in the Spring of 2024. One year later, Term Assistant Professor of Dance Katie O’Loughlin tells The Northern Light how relaunching the program has progressed.
by 1.6 percentage points. The number of graduate students of Indigenous heritage peaked at 12.7% in fiscal year 2020. Now, it’s down 3 percentage points. After having a six-year graduation rate of 22.1% in fiscal year 2019, that number is now down 5 percentage points.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX
A member of Pulse Dance Company performs an excerpt from “Grey Matter.”
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX Momentum Dance Collective performs “Reflections.”
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX Sofia Pennino performs “Kitri Variation” from Act III of “Don Quixote.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF UAA
Board of Regents nominees address senate and student concerns
‘If it’s not an emergency, we need to hear from our stakeholders and the public.’ — Regent Karen Perdue
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
On April 2, the Senate Education Committee held a hearing to address bills and consider appointees for the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
The Northern Light interviewed the two nominees, Karen Perdue and Christine Resler via email.
Perdue wrote that there are a few challenges the University of Alaska system is facing, such as enrollment decline, financial stability and financial aid.
She wrote that enrollment across the UA system has declined over the last decade but has started to rebound. Perdue wrote that it is essential for the Board of Regents to help recruit and retain more students to keep academic offerings strong.
Perdue wrote that her priority is twofold with financial stability. Federally, she aims to preserve grants and research work that total more than $200 million for the UA system. At the state level, Perdue wrote that the number one priority is funding staff and faculty salaries and benefits.
Perdue wrote that a similar approach is being taken for financial aid.
She wrote that a major focus at the state level has been alerting students to the increased Alaska Performance Scholarship.
Perdue wrote that it is essential for the board to maintain these programs, as federal financial aid for the UA system will total over $50 million a year.
New guidance routinely arrives from the federal government about DEI and higher education. Perdue wrote that the information is a lot for administrators and staff to keep up with, but they’re working to understand it and determine what is actionable.
Perdue wrote that the board takes information from experts at the university before determining what actions need to be taken.
“If it’s not an emergency, we need to hear from our stakeholders and the public,” wrote Perdue. “Of course we need to adhere to the Open Meetings Act in doing so.”
Resler wrote that a challenge facing the UA system is uncertainties about federal funding.
She wrote that federal actions cannot be ignored due to the $200 million of federal funding that UA receives.
She also wrote that she sees opportunity in raising enrollment and graduation rates.
On April 14, Pat Pitney informed the UA community that four individuals affiliated with UAA had their student visas revoked.
Perdue wrote that international students bring a different worldview to campus life and coursework. She wrote that she is concerned for students who are lawfully in Alaska and are being unfairly or erroneously targeted.
Resler wrote that international students enrich universities through their unique perspectives, cultural exchange and academic engagement. She wrote that visa revocations raise concerns about the stability and support of international students at UA.
“Working with university leadership and federal agencies to clarify visa policies and ensure compliance while protecting students’ rights is a priority,” wrote Resler.
Resler wrote that responses
to federal DEI guidance require a balanced approach. She wrote that responses must respect legal obligations while upholding UA’s commitment to inclusivity and nondiscrimination.
Resler wrote that she plans to ensure that new guidance and implications are reviewed and assessed with reference to Title VI and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.
Resler wrote that the Board of Regents was compliant with the Open Meetings Act during its February 2025 session. She wrote that this compliance was
achieved in multiple ways.
She wrote that the meeting agenda included notice of an executive session discussion, but the board made no decisions during the executive session.
Following the session, a regent brought a motion to the floor, which the Chair opened for discussion and a vote.
If confirmed by the State Legislature, both Perdue and Resler will serve on the Board of Regents until 2033.
Dying to learn from UAA’s human cadavers
The Northern Light tours UAA’s anatomy lab with Dr. Sarah Beam
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Northern Light toured UAA’s anatomy lab under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Beam, an assistant professor of medical education for WWAMI — a collaborative medical education program involving six universities, including UAA.
Beam met The Northern Light outside the secured doors of the anatomy lab, located in the UAA Health Sciences Building.
Inside the doors, visitors are faced with two rows of cold, steel gurneys. White, humanshaped bags lie on each one.
Beam sat in her office and explained that she began teaching at UAA’s anatomy lab in July 2024.
She said she became interested in the field when she took an anatomy course during her undergraduate degree and enjoyed it enough to become a teaching assistant.
Beam’s interest led her to complete a doctoral degree in anatomy at Ohio State University. Her dissertation focused on best teaching practices, which involved the development of a training program for undergraduate teaching assistants.
“I really like to ignite a spark in students,” said Beam. “The anatomy lab can be kind of scary sometimes — I like to make it
a very relaxed and comfortable environment.”
Following the brief conversation, the tour of the lab began.
The lab provides a venue for students in undergraduate, Doctor of Occupational Therapy and Doctor of Medicine programs to learn from real human bodies known as donors.
Beam said the lab’s donors are individuals who donated their bodies to science and education through the University of Washington’s Willed Body Program.
She said the donors go through an embalming process to preserve the bodies, similar to a funeral home, before being flown up to the lab.
“I’m not a blood-and-guts kind of person — that’s why I didn’t want to do the clinical side of things,” said Beam. “And so now, apparently, I can’t do blood — but I can do guts.”
Students interact with the donors in a number of ways depending on their level of education.
“The occupational therapy students — they’re dissecting,” said Beam. “I split them up into three groups, and they’re doing the dissection for whatever area of the body that we’re on.”
She said the undergraduate students learn on the donors that the medical students or the occupational therapy students have already dissected.
Students are also provided
guest lectures from members of the local medical community.
“I invite physicians from the community, which is really great because my training is not clinical-related at all, just on the anatomy,” said Beam.
Beam demonstrated her instructional skills during the tour, teaching The Northern
Light about the anatomy of several donors.
“You can see the dura mater that covers the brain … you can see the vasculature on it and the nerves,” Beam said while identifying parts of a donor’s brain. “They had that cerebral angiopathy, and I believe they had a stroke as well.”
Her expertise in anatomy and enthusiasm for teaching were unmistakable.
The lab currently has 10 donors for students to learn from. According to Beam, the university typically hosts the donors for one year, after which they are sent to be cremated and returned to their families.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALASKA PUBLIC MEDIA
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR
A human skeleton model at UAA’s anatomy lab.
Professors continue speaking out against DEI censorship
Removal of language related to diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI, has been the focus of many UAA writing professors since the board’s motion
By Hannah Dillon managing.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Board of Regents passed a motion on Feb. 21 requiring all University of Alaska campuses to remove public-facing DEIrelated language.
The Northern Light interviewed UAA writing professor Toby Widdicombe about the assessment and removal of DEI-related language. Widdicombe has been a professor for 33 years.
Widdicombe said DEI is a continuation of the 1960s civil rights movement and is valuable to have in the curriculum.
Widdicombe said, “So I was a little surprised, obviously, that the Board of Regents chose to agree to the government’s request order.”
Widdicombe said he was unsure if there was discussion before the motion’s approval and if the motion was listed on the meeting agenda.
The motion was created in executive session and passage was not on the agenda, according to previous reporting by The Northern Light.
Widdicombe questioned the administration’s decisions on banning DEI-related language. Widdicombe said the Trump administration considers DEI “abhorrent,” and he doesn’t understand why.
Widdicombe said he understood the board’s position, as the threat of losing federal grants could prove difficult for UAA to handle.
Although Widdicombe understood the decision, he said, “I wish they’d been less hasty.”
He said there was no value in making the decision so quickly, as it unsettled staff, faculty and students.
“The federal government wanted to see how much protest would be directed at something which is important, but not significant enough to change political policy,” said Widdicombe.
Widdicombe said he believed the motion passed by the Board of Regents was a reflection of a broader issue within the board.
He said while members of the board are upstanding business people, he would like to see members with more under-
standing of the university and no one should serve more than four years.
He said while members are qualified, Governor Dunleavy chose political appointees. Wid-
dicombe added that he would like to see a difference in the hiring process of board members and to amend the educational qualifications to be a member of the board.
Senators worry about DEI censorship at University of Alaska
‘If they’re not going to work, why fund them?’ — Senator Jesse Kiehl
By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
On April 2, the Senate Education Committee held a hearing to address bills and consider appointees for the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
The Northern Light interviewed Senator Jesse Kiehl, Senator Gary Stevens and Senator Löki Tobin, who serve on the committee.
Senator Kiehl represents District Q, which includes Juneau and the University of Alaska Southeast campus.
Kiehl said that, as long as he has served on the education committee, he has always asked nominees about their vision for UAS. At this hearing, he said to have been told the campus was pretty; which Kiehl said was not a smart answer.
He said that, of the two regents the committee was reviewing, Karen Perdue was not at the board’s DEI motion vote, while Christine Resler was. Kiehl asked Resler, “after the Board of Regents gave control of the University of Alaska to the federal government” if there was any red line.
Kiehl said Resler’s answer to the committee boiled down to saying that times are hard. He said he was unsettled by Resler not identifying that there was a line and it had been crossed.
“Why have a Board of Regents then? What’s the point?,” said Kiehl.
Kiehl said that, due to short committee hearings, nominees for the board often communicate with senators about issues with relevancy to that senator.
Kiehl said he had two conversations with Perdue about various issues, but hadn’t heard from Resler before or since the confirmation hearing.
Kiehl said he has an issue with the DEI motion because it is surrendering leadership of the UA system to the federal government.
He said he encourages people on any side of the political aisle to think about both what might come next from the Trump administration, and what may come after.
He said it’s important to imagine how a president someone is unfavorable toward would run the UA system. Kiehl said most people would not want the board’s approach to continue into the future.
Kiehl is also chair of the Senate’s Finance Subcommittee for the university. He said cuts made to the budget were largely related to the state’s fiscal situation. However, Kiehl said the subcommittee also took a major reduction in the regents’ budget separate from the fiscal situation.
“If they’re not going to work, why fund them?” said Kiehl.
Senator Stevens represents District C, which includes the island of Kodiak.
Stevens said he was satisfied with the answers given by nomi-
nees at the committee hearing. He said he was pleased to have such highly qualified people who want to serve on the Board of Regents.
Stevens said he retired from the university in 1999, and since then he’s paid attention to the university budget and issues. He said it’s crucial to have quality universities in Alaska.
Stevens said he was interested in the nominees’ opinions on preserving research. He said he is concerned with the impact of the new administration and a possible loss of funds for the university.
Stevens said he has no complaints about the Board of Regents’ motion, but he was concerned to see the board give so much control to the federal government. He said he hopes the board can maintain UA’s independence while continuing to receive grants that are vital to the university.
Stevens said he’s impressed by universities like Harvard working to preserve their independence. He said a major reason for their independence is their ability to withstand fiscal crackdowns that UA isn’t as equipped for.
“You can’t give up to bullies, but we don’t want to harm the university either, so I’m not critical of the board at all,” said Stevens
Senator Tobin represents District I, which includes downtown Anchorage.
Tobin said she values the con-
tributions of Regent Perdue, but was left disappointed by Regent Resler.
Tobin said Resler’s lack of understanding of the Executive Branch Ethics Act and her disregard for freedom of speech of faculty, students and staff were beyond disappointing.
Tobin said she has concerns about the current status of the UA system.
Tobin said she had doubts about her continued engagement with the university she loves and values. She added that it is regrettable the regents have made herself, students and faculty feel this doubt.
Tobin said she lacks confidence in the Board of Regents to put the academic integrity and freedoms of faculty and students over the will of the federal
government. She said Regent Resler’s comments during the hearing cemented a lack of faith.
Tobin said she is proud to represent the historic Black neighborhood of Alaska, and that it is her obligation and honor to carry the voices of those she represents to Juneau. She said diversity, equity and inclusion make the nation stronger, and she will continue to challenge efforts to diminish and ignore the history of Alaska and the United States.
“I will not stop fighting to build better institutional systems that address the historic wrongs that have hurt people of color in Alaska,” said Resler.