January 31, 2012

THENORTHERNLIGHT

03 January 31, 2012

Student create outdoor gear rental site soon to hit the web

Opinion

06

McDonald: Turkey weakening secularism

A&E

B3

TNL reviews ABC’s “Once Upon A Time”

University of Alaska Anchorage

Sports

B4

2011 Shoout Champ Murray State surprises nation

www.thenorthernlight.org

Seawolf gymnasts happy, not complacent

By Ashley Smith Contributor

The Seawolves’ gymnastics team has the skill, attitude, and determination to come out on top of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference and from the looks of it they are vaulting towards that goal.

The UAA gymnasts are averaging about the same scores as they did last season at this point, however, they recently took 2nd place at a tournament in Towson, Maryland. Earlier in the year, they tumbled past the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons for two home wins.

Despite the early signs of success, UAA has yet to put together a full meet that lives up to their goals.

“We’re running a little over two points short of where we want to be,” said UAA Head Coach Paul Stoklos. “We just have to do what we’re doing in practice in front of the judges.”

Even if the Seawolves are not averaging above 190.00 yet like they would like, various team members have posted head turning scores and the whole team has been working through mostly minor injuries.

Although injuries are no stranger to the sport of gymnastics, UAA’s team has had untimely ones this season according to Coach Stoklos.

The Seawolves lost one of their newest members when freshman Chelsey Baker badly injured her knee in the Green and Gold Intra Squad meet.

Most of the other injuries have been minor like a pulled muscle, a jammed knee, and an extremely sore elbow from a bad fall in the first meet.

The team is working through the pain and focused on improving after full recovery.

“If you try a difficult skill on beam and crash on the beam it is going to hurt,” said Stoklos. “Best way to avoid injuries is to be in the best shape possible, use drills to prepare the athlete to perform the difficult skills and rest when needed.”

After recovering from an injury last year, UAA sophomore gymnast Melissa Doucette recently received the co-Gymnast of the Week for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after she delivered back-to-back solid performances in Maryland and Towson. Doucette posted career, and UAA seasonhigh, all-around scores in the

tournaments with 38.375 and 38.400, respectively. She also set or tied career-high scores on the bars (9.65), floor (9.775) and balance beam (9.375).

The MPSF also recognized Doucette for earning the best averages in the conference for all-around with 38.131 and for vault with 9.631 throughout her last four meets.

“This year she is really kind of coming into her own,” Stoklos said. “She’s been really hungry and aggressive at trying to bring her score up and I think she has her eye set on breaking the all-around record.”

UAA’s all-around record of 39.125 was set by Dominique Ingram at the MPSF Championships in 2004.

Ingram was also a national champion that year in both Vault and Floor excersizes.

Other Seawolves proving that they are worth their weight in green and gold are freshmen Jeanette Conrad and Morgan Cook. Conrad has posted high all-around scores in Maryland on Jan. 20 with a 37.025 and on Jan. 10 on home turf against SUNY Cortland with a 37.700. Cook also scored well in Maryland on Jan. 20 with an all-around score of 36.225 and earned the high score on balance beam in the Jan. 10 meet. Conrad and Cook joined Doucette in the Top Five All-Around scores in Maryland on Jan. 20.

“Freshmen are really pumping up this team right now, sometimes you don’t know what you will get with the incoming freshmen but when you look at who is posting the scores so far this year the freshmen are doing very well,” Stoklos said.

Senior Kathleen Mantell stated that she thinks just getting over 190.00 is the toughest part and once the Seawolves break that barrier as a team it will be easier to maintain that higher average.

“As a whole, I think we’re really doing good and we’ve come together as a team,” Mantell said. “We should have the whole team back really soon and we’ll be able to concentrate on getting and keeping our score higher.”

The Seawolves will take their can-do attitude to Denver, Colorado on Feb. 4 for a meet against the Denver Pioneers. It will be another chance to gain steam as the team looks to capture its ultimate goal come March.

UAA freshman Jeanette Conrad has stepped in to help the Seawolves in the early going of an injury plagued season thus far.

Bedbug incident at dorms eradicated

By Teresa Kennedy News Editor

Resident buildings at UAA have

witnessed five separate incidences of bedbugs over the past three years – two of which occurred this month.

Bedbugs were found in a North Hall dorm room and in a room in Main Apartment Complex (MAC) 1 at the beginning of the semester – an occurrence “not uncommon, because a lot of people travel over Christmas,” said Jody Inman, the Associate Director of Housing.

The minor flare-up of the night crawlers at the beginning of the month has been eradicated, according to Housing Management.

Eagle Pest Control was hired to

apply high-heat treatment intended to dehydrate and kill the bugs in the infested rooms. Dogs used to detect the bugs will return in a month to ensure the treatment worked.

Inman detailed that such measures would be taken for any student that suspected they might have nighttime visitors snacking on them.

“When it happens, we bring Eagle in and they bring the dog,” Inman explained. “If they do have them, then we’re going to have them evacuate the room and we’re going to have the heat treatment come in.

Its expensive but it’s the best way to solve this problem. A month later, after the treatment, we come back in with the dog to make sure.” Inman stated that 96-97 percent of the time, the canine inspection is accurate.

Randy Beuter, owner of Eagle Pest Control, says that early detection and reporting are key to exterminating the bugs. According to Beuter, the heat treatment is the best way to kill bedbugs and does not advocate for using pesticides.

“The absolutely worst thing anybody can do is use the insect bombs,” Beuter said. He further explained using pesticides in any way not intended

Two cases of bedbugs were reported in North Hall and MAC 1 over the last month. . Photo by Sam Rice

is a felony.

“Say there is a product called BugB-Gone. If it does not say for use on a bed, you can’t use it on a bed,” Beuter stated. “Pesticides also tend to cause bed bugs to scatter,” he added.

Betty Fenn, Director of UAA’s Student Health and Counseling Center, addressed the health issues of using insecticides on an informational blog on SHCC’s website.

“Cases of flu-like symptoms have been reported after indoor use of insecticides in homes and schools with misapplication or failure to fully ventilate the rooms after application,” the post explains. “Symptoms of insecticide poisoning may include headache, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, loss of appetite with nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea.”

From 2003 to 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 100 illnesses related to insecticides used for killing bedbugs in only seven states, according to CDC’s website. One death also occurred in North Carolina after overuse of an insecticide.

Inman states that despite the rise seen in bedbug cases across the nation and Alaska, the situation remains under control on UAA’s campus.

“The bedbug situation is primarily that they are being carried up here,” he said. “They are not in abundance.

We’re not going to have them in every single MAC.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2:

photo Courtesy of Michael Dinneen/UAA Athletics

Features

02

TNL

News| January 31, 2012

BEDBUGS: While Inman explained preventative measures, such as advocacy plaques in each dormitory, were too expensive, education and awareness are a large part of bedbug control Housing is implementing.

“One of the things that we tell people is that education is the biggest thing behind these things right now,” Inman said. “It’s trying to help people understand that these things can be anywhere.”

Inman believes paranoia is often present when people become concerned about bedbugs.

“Bedbugs are like mosquitoes.

They are pests. When people think of them they assume, ‘Oh my god we have this problem and it’s disgusting.’ I mean bugs are bugs,” Inman said.

“There’s a certain amount of fear people have about these things,” he explained. “But you may not have them. You want to be careful about mass hysteria.”

Even with hasty complaints, Housing remains concerned, according to Inman.

“Each time we have an individual case, we’ll look at it and test it, and take care of it.”

In the meantime, UAA’s bedbug problem is taken care of.

“They’re gone,” Inman said.

News briefs Alaska Airlines retiring meal tray prayer cards

SEATTLE (AP) — After 30 years of giving passengers spiritual words to reflect on while they eat their meals, Alaska Airlines is retiring the prayer cards from their meal trays.

Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the decision was made after hearing from customers who preferred not to mix religion with transportation.

She says the cards began as a marketing ploy to differentiate the regional airline from its competitors. The cards offer a rotating message of different psalms from the Old Testament.

For a long time, the airline got more positive comments than negatives ones. But lately, opinion has shifted.

Egan says the decision was made out of respect for all of their customers.

The airline sent an email to its frequent flyers on Wednesday explaining the change. It will take effect Feb. 1. ing our economy and stopping energy production and domestic manufacturing throughout America and put Americans to work.”

Event: Lynn Schooler book signing Juneau’s Lynn Schooler will be in Anchorage for a signing of “The Blue Bear.” The award-winning non-fiction book about Schooler’s relationship with renowned Japanese wildlife photographer Michio Hoshino was adapted for the stage and is being performed locally by Perseverance Theatre. Hoshino’s widow, Naoko, will also attend the event. Saturday, Feb. 11, noon- 2p.m., Barnes & Noble, 200 E. Northern Lights Boulevard, free.

1 of Alaska’s own gets nominated

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Ben Grossmann wasn’t up at 6 a.m. when the 84th annual Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday. The former Alaskan had been up late caring for his 1-year-old daughter.

But Grossman, who now lives in Los Angeles and was a visual effects supervisor for the film “Hugo,” knew something was up when the phone began ringing and he started getting emails and Facebook posts.

Grossmann was one of four nominated for best visual effects for their work on the Martin Scorsese-directed film about an orphan who lives in a Paris railway station.

Grossmann grew up in Delta Junction and Fairbanks and attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He worked as a photojournalist in news and television.

He plans on attending the Oscar ceremony Feb. 26 in Hollywood.

New position connects Honors College and CCEL

By Teresa Kennedy News Editor

A New Year and a new semester, also finds UAA’s Honors College with new leadership.

Dr. Judith-Owens Manley was appointed Interim Associate Dean of the College on Jan 9 and will be handling the advising, curriculum planning and programming for the college. Owens-Manley holds a Ph.D. in social welfare and is the current Director for the Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL).

Dr. Ronald Spatz, the Dean of the Honors College, selected Owens-Manley after observing her excellence in the CCEL. “She’s proven herself to be an outstanding scholar and a studentfocused administrator-- the ideal combination,” Spatz said Owens-Manley first came to work at UAA in August of 2010 after working as the Associate Director for community research at Hamilton College in New York. Her experience at Hamilton College and her work in the CCEL is what makes her an asset to the Honors College, according to Spatz.

In a press release distributed to the campus community on Jan10, Spatz stated the new position “Will allow the CCEL and the Honors College to align two of the best high-impact practices that have been found to make a difference in higher education – undergraduate research and community engagement.”

The emphasis upon community engagement stems from her social work experience and own difficulties receiving an undergraduate degree. She started college at Western Michigan University and quickly found out it was not the experience she was looking for.

“When I got there, I really was just lost in that huge environment,” Owens-Manley recalled. She would like to focus on giving students more of an opportunity to find their niche within UAA and believes the Honors College would be able to do that.

“I think there’s a lot of students who come in who could really

find a home in honors and don’t really know that it’s there or don’t know that they could be a part of that – don’t really realize what it could offer them,” she said.

OwensManley and Spatz hope that the combined leadership will not only benefit their two programs, but also the University as a whole. Both speak of an “honors perspective” that could influence all students in a Dr. Owens-Manley speaks at an event for the Center for Community Engagement and Learning in September 2010. positive way.

“I’m intrigued she said. Despite her relief at as to how we might expand what being able to concentrate on one having an Honors program does job, Owens-Manley will still be for everyone,” Owens-Manley holding two leadership roles in said. administration while holding a Although holding positions in faculty appointment in the School both the CCEL and the Honors of Social Work.

College could create initial Even though the work might administration problems, both be a heavy load, Owens-Manley programs are excited at the union. is still passionate about what she “I think in the long run, once does and how she contributes to we get the minor problems worked UAA. out, it will be better. It will give “I think there’s two things I’ve us a longer reach across campus,” brought to the University. One is said Amber Lee, the AmeriCorps an understanding of how to work Campus Coordinator for the with the community because CCEL. Spatz also believes the that’s really the setting I came two positions are complementary from before higher education,” and that Owens-Manley will be Owens-Manley explained. “And able to handle leadership in both the second thing is just a set of organizations. skill for getting people to work “I think that this administration together, for understanding how alignment actually makes clearer to work with group – social the vision of the Honors College. workers just manage things in a Bringing this team together shows different way and are all for group what we hope to accomplish,” he communication.” stated.

“I’m really interested in how to Juggling two jobs is nothing keep creating that community of new for Owens-Manley. While Honors students so that it really is working at Hamilton College a place to belong.” she also held a private practice Efforts to make Owensfor social work. She gave up the Manley’s position permanent are private practice when she moved already underway. to Alaska and is glad to be able to focus solely on the University.

“I worked two jobs for so long, its been kind of freeing,”

Say What?

Alaska woman, 85, uses shovel to fend off moose

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- An 85-year-old Alaska woman used a grain shovel to fend off an agitated moose that was stomping her husband.

George Murphy says his wife saved his life.

The Anchorage Daily News says the 82-year-old pilot, who flew for three decades for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, was hiking with his golden retrievers near the Willow airport Friday. He saw the moose and dove in the snow, but the moose started stomping him.

His wife, Dorothea, who is 5 feet tall and weighs 97 pounds, grabbed a big shovel and hit the moose in the body and head.

She ran for help, and Murphy was rushed by medical helicopter to an Anchorage hospital. He was in good condition Monday with a gash to his head.

3-inch nail removed from Ill. man’s brain

OAK LAWN, Ill. (AP) -- Dante Autullo was sure he’d merely cut himself with a nail gun while building a shed, and thought doctors were joking when they told him what an X-ray revealed: A 3 1/4-inch nail was lodged in the middle of his brain.

“When they brought in the picture, I said to the doctor `Is this a joke? Did you get that out of the doctors joke file?’” the 32-year-old recalled. “The doctor said `No man, that’s in your head.’”

Autullo, who lives in Orland Park, said he was building a shed and using the nail gun above his head when he fired it. With nothing to indicate that a nail hadn’t simply whizzed by his head, his long-time companion, Gail Glaenzer, cleaned the wound with peroxide.

“It really felt like I got punched on the side of the head,” he said, adding that he continued working. “I thought it went past my ear.”

While there are pain-sensitive nerves on a person’s skull, there aren’t any within the brain itself. That’s why he would have felt the nail strike the skull, but he wouldn’t have felt it penetrate the brain.

Neither he nor Glaenzer thought much about it, and Autullo went on with his day, even plowing a bit of snow. But the next day when he awoke from a nap, feeling nauseated, Glaenzer sensed something was wrong and suggested they go to the hospital.

An X-ray was taken a couple hours later. And there, seeming to float in the middle of his head, was a nail.

Doctors told Autullo and Glaenzer that the nail came within millimeters from the part of the brain that controls motor function, and he was rushed by ambulance to the other hospital for more specialized care.

FEATURES

03

UAA students launch rental site Xin nian kuai le: for outdoor gear exchange

By Ashley Snyder

connection with their heritage.

They set up events and host Xin nian kuai le, or happy celebrations to bring the culture new year in Chinese. For much not only to those far away from of the world, the celebration of home, but for those who are new years occurs only one day; interested in experiencing them.

January 1. However, the Chinese “I am not Chinese but I am culture celebrates the coming really interested in their culture. of a new year with 15 days of Having these events open to festivities. With each year comes students of all nationalities is a new bought of celebration, based really exciting,” said student on a theme of an ancient animal. Allyson Peterson.

Last year was represented by tù, Even though the month has the rabbit. This year marks the come to an end, there is still one year of the long, the dragon, which more festivity that the Chinese is a positive symbol in the Chinese Alaska Association with UAA culture, meant to bring a good is hosting in honor of the year of prosperous year. the dragon; the Chinese Lantern “Ancient Chinese people called Festival on Jan 31. This marks the themselves the descendants of 15th and final day of new years Dragon and a lot of architectures celebration. are cared with dragon.

“For the Lantern This was because in Festival, people the past, people make lanterns believed that with redthe dragon colored paper controlled to suggest water and if prosperous like they’d pray, fires. Lanterns the dragon also mean would take family reunion care of them and people and give also eat “Tang them enough Yuan” (a kind water for a of sticky rice rich crop,” said dumping wrapped Graphic By Vicente Capala Annie Ping up and have Zeng, director sweet fillings of the Confucius Institute at UAA. inside),” said Zeng. “For this year, Leon Cheng has lived in Beijing Jiaotong University sent Alaska all his life, but his family out a performance troupe to give still celebrates the new year as performances in some American they would if they were in China. cities, I think this is a good “Being far away from it all is opportunity for our students to get hard, but my family and a group to know a bit about the Chinese of other families come together to culture.” pay our respects in every way we Displays of martial arts, filled can,” said Cheng. “We cook food, with musical melodies, with light candles, pray, remembering dancers flowing across the stage. our elders and those who have The hanging of lanterns is meant come before us.” to help wayward spirits find their The Chinese Alaska way home.

Association, created in the mid The lantern festival will be 1970’s, helps Chinese families held on Jan. 31 from 7-9pm at living in Alaska maintain a social Northwood Elementary school.

Features Editor

By Alden Lee

Paul Davidson, CEO; Linda Janes, COO; Richard Graves, CTO; (Not pictured: Ryan Nixon, front-end programmer) Photo by Pat Brooker

For those looking to grab affordable outdoor equipment in a non-sketchy manner, pay attention to this website.

GearSpoke, an online rental service scheduled for electronic life in mid-February, allows renters to upload pictures of equipment and gear for potential buyers to comb through. Users have the opportunity to interact with the renters, establishing a sense of connection and trust before any exchanging is undergone.

Everything from Therm-a-Rest pads for $5 a day, mountain bikes at $50, fishing nets for $20 and camping backpacks for $8 will soon available on GearSpoke.

And while sites such as Craigslist operate in a similar user-supplied inventory system, GearSpoke has a more integrated process.

“The difference between GearSpoke and Craigslist is we handle the monetary transactions, and there’s a lot more trust features added in there,” said Paul Davidson, GearSpoke CEO. “You can really get to know the person you’re going to be dealing with. I think of it more like couch surfing—it’ll be successful because there’s a lot of things built in that allow you to get to know the person and trust them.”

From its conception stage to its final preparations for launch,

GearSpoke has been entirely UAA student-run. It began last March, at a UAA-hosted event called 3-Day Startup Alaska. Students spent a three-day weekend brainstorming, creating and implementing a technology-based business.Twelve people joined the event, and all decided to center their efforts on a single business plan: an online rental service.

“We were looking at ideas for companies and we were like, okay, what is Alaska good at?

What’s unique to Alaska that we could do really well in this environment?” said Davidson.

“And we were like—you know, outdoor equipment. Equipment rental would be perfect.”

Five members of the team took GearSpoke to UAA’s Statewide Business Plan Competition.

With over 70 business applicants participating, stress levels rose accordingly with the competitive field.

“There were nights where we were out in the Learning Resource Center until two or three in the morning, writing up drafts,” Davidson said. “We were finishing up the business plan like right before we had to turn it in, and we had no time because it was finals week.”

Despite the rush, the team took second place in the competition and earned themselves $2,500.

Assistant Features Editor

These winnings were devoted to revamping GearSpoke over the summer, preparing for an official launch in the new year.

Of the original members, four remain: Davidson, who assumed the role of CEO and took heavily to marketing campaigns and business strategy; Linda Janes, COO and marketing guru for the company; Richard Graves, CTO and technical guru, responsible for much of the website design and programming work; and Ryan Nixon, the front-end programmer and website interface assistant.

Both Davidson and Janes are now in UAA’s Master of Business Administration program. Graves and Nixon are working on their undergraduate degrees.

“I saw this opportunity and was hooked,” said Graves, a computer science major. “Most school projects don’t ever go to anything, so I figured I’d donate my time to this instead and try to actually make something out of it.”

The four have been intensively dedicating their time in preparation for GearSpoke’s launch. The programmers are focusing on fixing last minute website bugs and improving the interface; Davidson and Janes are spreading the marketing net far and wide.

“So far we’re social media type of intensive, and very word of mouth,” said Janes. “We’re in the beta stage right now—you can go ahead and upload your items; however you can’t interact with other people and you can’t rent out. So we’re stuffing the shelves at this point.”

There are a few competitors for GearSpoke, although none hold any monopoly power over the fairly new concept of the online gear renting business.

“The community part of ours [gives us an edge],” Graves said. “We want to be able to let people talk to the person before they rent the item, before you even pull money out—get to know the person. Hopefully it’s what will make GearSpoke a success.”

The website is set to launch Feb. 12. GearSpoke is on Facebook, and also at www.gearspoke.com and www.gearspoke.net.

04

TNL

features| January 31, 2012

Isn’t he adorable when he’s vomiting all over himself?

What’s the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol anyways?

By Kate Lindsley Contributor

The “good” cholesterol you’re talking about is actually a highdensity lipoprotein (HDL), and the “bad” cholesterol is a lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL). Big words for small molecules. These lipoproteins are made in the liver and packaged differently, which results in different densities. Both of them are lipids packaged with proteins to transport fat around the body.

The HDLs are normally regarded as healthier because they have a protective effect on blood cholesterol levels, while LDLs have a clogging effect because they’re puffier.

The reasoning behind this is that HDLs and LDLs have different responsibilities. HDLs bring fat from body tissues to the liver, while LDLs circulate through the body and distribute fat to cells that need energy.

So what does that mean in your diet? The thing that most people don’t known is that only foods from animal sources can have cholesterol. Mostly, that means eggs, milk products, and meat.

But just because a food is high in cholesterol doesn’t mean it will raise blood cholesterol levels.

Actually, dietary cholesterol doesn’t play too big of a factor in blood cholesterol. It’s all about the saturated fats. These are found in most milk products like cream and butter, and in un-trimmed meats.

Here’s looking at you, prime rib.

Therefore, if you’ve been warned by your doc to lower blood cholesterol levels, it’s more effective to cut out saturated fats than cholesterol. So, I’m giving eggs their reputation back: they are a cheap source of protein and vitamins. Plus, they’re accepted by some vegetarian diets. Viva la omelet!

Another good way to lower cholesterol is by eating plant sterols. Just because it sounds like steroids doesn’t mean you’re going to bulk up and grow facial hair. They’re plant oils, like olive oil, vegetable oil and canola oil. There’s plenty more variety (with different ratios of Omega-3 and Omega-6’s), but those three are cheapest and most readily available at Fred Meyer’s or Carrs.

On that subject, plant oils are the “healthy fats” that are quite the buzz in the media lately. They’re like Will Smith in the 90’s—and his kids now—getting all the fame, and for good reason. But more on that next week.

By Danielle Halley Contributor

We’ve all seen them: cocktail or beer in hand, sophisticated, confident swagger with a semicocky upturn of the mouth that makes them irresistible to most.

However, slowly but surely by the end of the night they become your worst nightmare: the amazing conversation you had moments earlier becomes a slurry concoction of cuss words and sexual innuendos, none of which are comprehensible to anyone but the one speaking them, and that swagger you found so attractive earlier now becomes a drunken concentration of “right foot, left foot…fall.”

While there is always one of these in every crowd and they tend to be the conversational topic of post-Saturday nights out, what happens when those characters actually end up being someone’s significant other? What if they were yours?

“David” was someone I normally wouldn’t date but had been willing to try out nonetheless.

Not necessarily confident in himself, I found his quirky personality traits endearing and like most budding relationships, I became increasingly excited to show off the physical reason for the consistency in my “good mood.”

The night of introduction was also a girlfriend’s 21st birthday, which in hindsight was probably a bad idea.

Making it a girls’ night out, we celebrated by barhopping around Anchorage, starting our evening at the ever popular downtown bar “The Pio,” where David was to meet us. What I expected to be a night of jealousy-infused introductions and merriment of celebration turned into an increasing-by-the-hour night of embarrassment.

David, (who also had said he would not be drinking period), had apparently started his night early and by meeting time was already feeling the effects of his onetoo-many cocktails. He decided it wouldn’t be a 21st birthday celebration without drinks and by drinks, he meant rounds of Jaeger bombs. Utter shock and unpleasantness began to creep into the faces of my girlfriends as David drunkenly egged us on to take the shots.

After much protest from my friends and fueled by his inebriated state, David, dropped the tray of six cocktails onto the floor. Normally I do not take such antics lightly but for the sake of saving face in wake of my friend’s special night, I managed to find David’s more ‘sober’ friends

and have them escort him away before any more embarrassing afflictions could ensue. Although I had heard from mutual friends earlier on in our relationship that David had a tendency to be less inclined to handling his alcohol well, especially in the depths of social events, I was too blinded by my increasing affection for him to take any heed of these warnings with anything less than a grain of salt.

These situations, however, can increasingly become a problem if not handled correctly. My solution? Talk to your partner.

Communication, in my opinion, is the key to every successful relationship. However, do not—I repeat, do not—nag. You can drink and have fun, but don’t overindulge—no one likes a sloppy drinker. Heed this advice and get your crap together!

OPINION

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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 5,000. The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy, or parenthood.

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05

Turkey’s transition away from secularism

By Daniel McDonald Contributor

Turkey is often looked upon by the West as a model state for other predominantly Muslim nations.

It’s a functioning democracy with a strong economy, and its citizens enjoy wide array of freedoms relative to other nonWestern countries. Turks are free to practice any religion they choose, and they can voice their grievances with the government, which they do quite frequently.

I had the opportunity to travel to Istanbul last summer, which is Turkey’s largest city and home to nearly 10 million people. The city is full of Greek, Roman, and Ottoman historical sites, the most famous of which being the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), which is preserved as a museum in viewing distance of the Blue Mosque.

Istanbul even won “Europe’s Leading Destination” at the World Travel Awards in 2010.

The architecture is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly, the streets are clean, and the shops are bustling. And yet at the same time are growing concerns over the direction Turkey is going in.

Prior to Rick Perry dropping out of the race, he found himself

at the center of controversy for condemning the Turkish government during the Fox News South Carolina debate.

He was asked whether Turkey should continue to be a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) despite its Islamist leadership. Perry answered: “When you have a country that is being ruled by, what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then yes. Not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it’s time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it.”

Although this was an obvious gaffe by Perry, who doesn’t appear to be very knowledgably when it comes to foreign affairs, there is a grain of truth in it. But in order to understand why some analysts are concerned about the future of Turkey, it’s important to know its past.

What we know today as the Republic of Turkey was forged out of the rubble of WWI under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, who was later granted the title of “Atatürk”

meaning “father of the Turks.” He fought a war for independence against the occupying Allies from 1919-1921, and in victory, established a modern secular state based on six principles: Republicanism, Nationalism, Populism, Statism, Secularism, and Revolutionism. He went on to impose regulations on Islamic clothing, making it illegal to wear the Hijab inside government buildings or universities. He replaced the Arabic script with a Latin alphabet for the Turkish language, and barred Islam from being at the center of Turkish public life. Most importantly, he allowed equal rights and opportunities for all citizens, including women.

Until recently, secularism has been enforced by a strong military, but changes in the demographic makeup of Turkey have had a major impact on the Turkish identity. The secular Turks adopted dismally low Western birth rates, while the Islamist factions have continued to multiple.

The results have been landslide election victories for the Justice and Development Party (AK) in the last decade, headed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Turkey has become the world leader in imprisoned journalists, ahead of even China. He has also made

disparaging remarks about Atatürk on the commemoration of the former leader’s death, saying the holiday was “Much ado about nothing.” Moreover, the Prime Minister is on record as having said he wants to “turn all our schools into Islamic religious schools.”

Erdoğan’s worldview is impacting Turkey’s foreign policy as well.

He recently praised the racist, genocidal, terrorist organization Hamas, calling them “freedom fighters,” which has soured the historically friendly relationship between Turkey and Israel.

One would assume that many of Erdoğan’s outbursts would galvanize opposition to his party; however, the Turkish economy is growing at a phenomenal rate due in large part to free market reforms, and so the population is largely content.

Islamists armed with free markets, a truly frightening combination.

Yet despite the current electoral dominance of the AK party in Turkey, it is certainly still a nation to be admired. Unfortunately, the freedoms which have made the country great are under siege. As a Westerner, I can only hope that Atatürk’s dream of a modern, secular Turkey will continue to live on. The trends, however, are troubling.

NDAA not as bad as media portrays

By Brett Frazer Contributor

For the past several weeks, one of the most trending topics on Twitter was the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. While casually perusing my Twitter feed, I noticed several panicked tweets discussing how Obama acquiesced to military brass and authorized the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial. After glancing at some major newspapers, I noticed the same portents. The media and Twitter would have us believe that the Obama Administration has become a veritable “Big Brother,” preparing to send secret police into our homes to arrest us at a moment’s notice and suspend our due process rights. Indeed, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero recently said in an agency press release that “[President Obama] will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law.” Rhetoric like this exaggerates the threat of the NDAA and mischaracterizes Obama. While the language contained in the NDAA is cause for concern, the apocalyptic narrative told by major media outlets is misleading. In fact, the new NDAA creates a fantastic opportunity to actually preserve civil liberties for American citizens.

The NDAA is nothing new.

The NDAA is a Federal law that has been enacted every year for the past 49 years to specify the budget and expenditures of the U.S. Department of Defense. More

recently, the NDAA has been used to specify how the Department of Defense will engage in counterterrorism activities. This year, Congress sought to ensure that the treatment of suspected terrorists remained under the purview of the laws of war, rather than criminal law. Congressman and military leaders included two new sections in the 2012 NDAA that authorized the Armed Forces to engage with terrorists as enemy combatants, rather than criminals.

The first section ostensibly allows the military to indefinitely detain, without trial, any “belligerent persons” who “aids al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities with the United States.” Congress is trying to ensure that the War on Terror is under the purview of the military, not the criminal justice system.

In reality, what this first section might do is grant the Executive Branch explicit authority to allow the military to detain enemy combatants and try them in military tribunals rather than in civilian courts. The Senate rejected an amendment to this section that would have exempted American citizens. Okay, so this seems a little scary. However, the second section contradicts the first section, and convolutes what the military is actually authorized to do.

The second new section states that “[this Act] shall not be construed to affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of the United States citizens, lawful resident aliens of

the United States, or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States.” This clause restricts the scope of the new law. Additionally, the reach of the NDAA is restrained by how the courts currently interpret laws dealing with the detainment and prosecution of enemy combatants.

The relevant “existing law” the second section refers to is the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF, passed in the weeks following September 11, 2001 (this is the act that gives the President authority to use the military to carry out the War on Terror). This means that the new law is subject to current interpretations of the AUMF. In other words, the NDAA can’t actually do anything new without profound and implausible changes to settled understanding of the AUMF. This is significant for a couple of reasons. First, the courts have not interpreted the AUMF in a way that would allow indefinite detention without trial. Indeed, the Supreme Court has already answered the question of whether an American citizen labeled as an unlawful enemy combatant may be indefinitely detained without any form of due process.

In 2004, the 8-1 Supreme Court decision in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld ruled that “due process demands that a citizen held in the United States as an enemy combatant be given a meaningful opportunity to contest the factual basis for that detention before a neutral decision maker.” The Court went on to argue that a citizen’s private

interest demands that due process of law be preserved even when the citizen is an enemy combatant of the United States.

For any President seeking to lock away American citizens and throw away the key, the presumption of due process will be tremendously difficult to overcome. The near unanimity of the decision demonstrates that the Court is hardly glib about due process rights. Decades of Supreme Court decisions have articulated a powerful precedent in favor of preserving due process rights for U.S. citizens. The presumption of due process rests so heavily in favor of citizens’ interests that it’s hard to imagine the indefinite detention of a US citizen without a trial.

If anything, the NDAA provides an opportunity to reaffirm the legal system’s commitment to due process. Should any President attempt to detain an American citizen without trial, their attorney would demand a writ of habeas corpus, citing Hamdi as precedent.

The courts would almost certainly respond by granting due process rights, further entrenching the presumption of due process in our legal system.

The NDAA is not as scary as people make it sound. Under the current understanding of the law, it cannot be used to indefinitely detain an American citizen without trial. If a future President tries to exercise this tenuously established authority, then the Courts will prevent him or her from doing so.

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January 31, 2012 the northern light’s sports & entertainment section

Shihan: bringing poetry to UAA Former National Poetry Slam Champion dishes on his experiences

thenorthernlight.org

By Heather Hamilton A&E Editor

UAA celebrates a wide variety of art forms on a regular basis, but one art form commonly left in the dark is the spoken word. That changes this Thursday, Feb 2., when Shihan, the 2004 National Poetry Slam Champion, performs at Arts 150.

For junior English major Joseph Selmont, the president of the UAA poetry club, it’s a refreshing change from other shows the campus has offered.

“I think it’s really amazing that UAA is willing to bring poets like Shihan up as a way to please the student body,” said Selmont. “I think there are a lot of students out there who like poetry, and it isn’t generally a type of event that is put on at UAA.” Shihan himself admits that this is often the case when he visits universities.

“It’s a difficult art form to promote. And as much as I love it, poetry doesn’t always do that well because most people’s reference to it is that brief period in English class when they were forced to read Walt Whitman, or Shakespeare, or Henry Miller or whatever. And the thing about reading is that when you read something that you’re not interested in, your read it in that uninterested voice,” he told The Northern Light in a phone interview last week.

Shihan grew up going to poetry readings whenever he had the chance. He later performed his own work, but finding venues wasn’t always the easiest thing to do, despite living in New York.

“The first time I ever went to an open mike was in ’94, but after that it basically became my weekly church. I went to about

four or five open mikes a week downtown,” he said. “I was taking a bus an hour and a half each way to get to a poetry spot.”

There are many different forms of poetry, from the romance of Lord Byron to the Gothic style of Edgar Allen Poe, and Shihan strives to be just as unique in his writings by reading an eclectic mix of authors and poets and drawing on their influence.

“I got into poetry and writing because I like to read,” he said. “I don’t read only poetry. As a writer, I think the best way to get ahead is to draw from as many [sources] as possible. So just reading poetry books isn’t going to help me as much.”

Of his style and career, Shihan says that one of his greatest achievements is the range of topics his poetry covers - more so than being named National Poetry Slam Champion in 2004.

-Shihan “An accomplishment that I felt every time I went on that show [“Def Poetry”], is that I did a different type of poem, so I didn’t get pigeon-holed into being the person who just does whatever. It’s important to show a range of material.” he said. “So I think that being on “Def Poetry” more than being the National Slam Champion that year when we had a theme, because I do think putting a score to it [poetry] makes it arbitrary. Any five judges any five days can decide they like something else.”

Shihan will be performing at UAA on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7pm in the Fine Arts Building room 150 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at the door are free to UAA students with a valid student ID, $5 for the general public, and $2 for high school students with a valid ID.

“I was taking a bus an hour and a half each way to get to a poetry spot.”

Press photo provided by Shihan

Seawolves tighten up defense, stomp pair of foes Contributor

There was a common theme this past week during the UAA Women’s Basketball games against Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 26 and against Central Washington on Jan. 28. Words like annihilation, demolition and crushing could all be verbs used to describe the pair of home victories UAA earned over their visitors.

The Seawolves steamrolled their way to 79-39 and 80-48 victories against the Crusaders and Wildcats, respectively, and remained atop the conference standings in the process.

However, anyone who witnessed the Jan. 26 game will agree that the Seawolves started out sluggish in the first half.

The first half was a medley of jump ball scrambles and Seawolf fouls, giving the Crusaders quite

a few free throw opportunities to catch up. Northwest hit 8-10 of those opportunities in the last three minutes of the first half, getting them substantially closer to UAA and going into the break at 32-23.

“I thought we started out a little bit slow,” said UAA starting junior guard Haley Holmstead.

“We were relying a lot on our offense to get us started but when we refocused on defense, things turned out good.”

The halftime break helped tremendously, as the Seawolves seemed to come out as a different and much more composed team in the second half. UAA proceeded to make a 17-2 run, showcasing their offense and defense, until Northwest freshman Vanessa Schindler hit a three pointer.

From there, the Crusaders pushed to topple the Seawolves’ ever mounting lead but UAA’s

defensive focus kept them at bay and allowed UAA to run away with the rout.

“I think we were our own opponent in the first half,” said UAA Head Coach Tim Moser.

“So really, it was just our team

Photo by zachary Smith/TNL

By Ashley Smith

gathering themselves, taking a half time break and realizing they didn’t have to do that stupid stuff.”

Not only did the game against the Crusaders represent the Seawolves’ ninth win in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this season, but also put senior forward Hanna Johansson further into the record books by becoming only the second Seawolf to have 100 career wins.

When asked about her accomplishment, Johansson stated that it was a great feeling but she doesn’t care if UAA senior forward Kaylie Robison operates in the low post she breaks former in a 79-39 win over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 26. teammate Nikki

Aden’s record of 110 career wins.

“I just want to get a national championship,” Johansson said.

In their final game of a fourgame homestand two days later, UAA picked right up where they left off against the Crusaders. This time, it came at the misfortune of the visiting CWU Wildcats.

“We started out the game really well; our first 20 minutes were probably the best as a collective group this year,” said UAA’s Assistant Coach Rebecca Alvidrez. “Hopefully we can build on that for the rest of the year.”

UAA’s focus led them to a 32-point lead on Central going into halftime, but not before many felt that the game had gotten too physical, including Central Washington’s Head Coach Shawn Nelson.

Nelson was charged with a

See BASKETBALL page B6

January 31, 2012 | A&E

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Out North welcomes new Anchorage Music Co-op

By Nicole Luchaco Assistant A&E Editor

Thursday night marked a special occasion in Anchorages music community. The Anchorage Music Co-op premiered its 2012 artist showcase, hosted at the Out North Contemporary Art house. The show consisted of a two hour “round robin” performance by three of Alaska’s own: Melissa Mitchell, Emma Hill (paired with band member Bryan Daste) and Seth Boyer.

And for co-founders Laura Oden and Lonny Gransbury, this show was the realization of their longstanding collaborative dream.

“I started thinking about the idea a couple of years ago,” said Gransbury. “I kept seeing really good bands and solo performers but you couldn’t really appreciate them because they were playing in bars.”

Plans for the co-op really got under way this past summer, said Oden.

The co-op defines itself as, “a group of independent musicians seeking to serve and support local artists in their development while creating performance opportunities.”

Along with Gransbury, Oden got to see the pay off of that planning with the presentation

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of the Anchorage Music Co-ops first official show. There are no plans to slow the pace of growth. By January of 2013 Oden and Gransbury hope to have something akin to a “best of 2012” CD for sale, full of musical artists work that has been liverecorded at the monthly sessions.

“I would love to eventually have a store front with a recording studio and café where people could just drop in,” said Gransbury. “Have warehouse space in the back. But that’s years from now.”

At least for now, the co-op officially functions from the Out North contemporary art house and will be featuring a fresh line-up of talent every fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.

“We are just really excited about the prospects of this space, because there hasn’t really been anywhere appropriate for this venue in town,” Gransbury said.

After becoming a member of the co-op, musicians have the ability to perform in these live shows at Out North.

“This gives them extraordinary exposure as an artist and is an atmosphere where their work will truly be heard,” said Oden. “They don’t have to compete with bar chatter.”

Along with exposure to the art

community at large, artists who perform at the shows have their work professionally recorded live, they are given a space to sell their merchandise during the show and their music will be featured on KONR 106.1, the radio station that has recently begun airing from one of Out North’s collaborative groups.

“The co-op is already booked through August,” said Oden.

Out North has been up and running for roughly 28 years, but has not featured music as a primary art form, until now.

“We are looking for a college contingent [fan base]; this is the perfect off campus venue.”

Said Gransbury. “It is close to the college, the shows are for all

ages and it is affordable.”

The co-op’s next show is scheduled for Feb 23 at 7 p.m.; confirmed to perform at this show is local comedian Kass Smiley.

For more information visit www. anchoragemusic.org.

Photo by Marco Carter Emma Hill performs in the Anchorage Music Co-op’s first 2012 artist showcase.

A&E| B3 TV review

TNL

January 31, 2012

drink review

Movie review

Fairytale interupted

By Nicole Luchaco Assistant A&E Editor

The first things to appear on the black screen are these intriguing words: “Once upon a time, there was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know…”

Growing up in America, we were spoon fed Disney movies concurrent with breakfast; and as we grew, learned that in the original Grimm’s fairytales, our darling Cinderella wasn’t as nice as she seemed. So the idea that we could learn anymore about our beloved characters seems preposterous. And yet, for the child inside all of us, absolutely fascinating.

If you have yet to join the “Once” craze, prepare to be enthralled.

ABC original “Once Upon A Time,” the brainchild of Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis both writers from the famed series “Lost,” was originally conceived back in 2004, and is now in its first season. Starring Ginnifer

Goodwin (“He’s Just Not That into You”) playing a determined and feisty Snow White, and Jennifer Morrison (“House”) playing her conflicted heroine daughter. The show centers on a woman (Morrison) with a troubled past, who after being tracked down by her now ten year old birth son Henry (Jared Gilmore, “Mad Men”), finds herself in the strange and isolated town of Storybrook, Maine; where the magic of fairytales may just be real after all.

This show is a “one and done;” after watching the pilot episode it is absolutely impossible not to click the “next” button on your Hulu. The complex story line centers on the people in the present day “real life” of Storybrook and “flashes back” to the fabled Enchanted forest (and their previous magical selves) where all hell is breaking loose at the hands of the jealous queen.

Hat’s off to the casting director; the chemistry in this show is gold. Along with beautiful cinematography, an “enchanting” story line and a wealth of character development, “Once Upon A Time” is a smashing success so far.

A&E Editor

Despite having one of the most unfortunate and unoriginal titles to make it past final edits, “Man on a Ledge” was a surprisingly good movie - when you go into it with low expectations.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington, “Clash of the Titans”) breaks out of prison and plans a heist with his brother Joey (Jamie Bell, “The Adventures of Tintin”) and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez, “Entourage”) to prove that he never committed the crime in the first place. While Joey and Angie fumble with stealing a diamond from antagonist David Englander (Ed Harris, “That’s What I Am”), Nick provides a distraction on the next building over, by threatening to jump off a ledge.

Most of the plot is known from the trailer: man steps out onto a ledge, talks over a wire to two individuals while they suit up for and begin a heist one building over, man asks negotiator what she would do to get back at a man who’d taken everything from her and then man shouts that he is innocent.

Unfortunately, the base plot of the movie is the full plot of the movie.

Other than a few minor twists at the end, the trailer doesn’t hide anything from potential viewers.

However, if you go into the movie expecting all this, it isn’t too terrible. Sure, the acting isn’t top notch, but it isn’t horrendous.

The biggest problem is that the characters are, for the must part, cookie-cutters. They are flat, one-

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Mimosa

By Heather Hamilton

By Heather Hamilton A&E Editor

The mimosa, made by mixing dry champagne and orange juice, is traditionally a brunch beverage.

For such a simple drink, it is surprisingly delicious. One of the many alternate recipes involves V8 Fusion Strawberry Banana.

This version consists of two parts champagne, one part orange juice and one part V8 Fusion. dimensional and lack anything to The champagne doesn’t give off much of a scent, so the nose make them memorable or iconic. is composed primarily of the Viewers will forget all about them strawberry and banana blend in once they leave the theater, but they the V8. Unlike the traditional will snicker or empathize with them mimosa, which is tart and tangy while in the movie. due to both the champagne’s There are a few things that’ll dry aftertaste and the orange make fans of heist movies cringe, juice’s natural flavor, the fruit and like the seemingly horrible choice vegetable components in the V8 of distracting police by standing out (primarily the strawberry), starts on a ledge just one building away the taste buds off with a sweet from where the heist is taking place tingle.

As the beverage makes its (seriously now, any amateur knows way down, the typical tartness to put more distance between a becomes more prevalent. The giant gathering of cops and the flavor is still moderately sweet scene of a crime). in the aftertaste however, which If you want to see a fantastic is a nice difference from the heist movie, rent “Ocean’s Eleven.” traditional drink. It is difficult It has more interesting characters, at first to taste the orange juice, the general plot is more full and the which is overpowered by the heist is far more impressive. But if combination of flavors in the V8, you absolutely need to see “Man on but after a few sips you can detect a Ledge,” rent it from Redbox in a hints of its signature tang.

This drink is best paired with few months. It isn’t worth the ticket breakfast foods, but it also goes price.

Movie: “Man on a Ledge” well with lighter meals such as Genre: Crime, Thriller salads and sandwiches.

Director: Asger Leth Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell Runtime: 102 min.

Drink: Mimosa Fusion Price: Under $10 ABV: 11.5

January 31, 2012 | Sports

TNL 2011 Shooutout champ Murray State is surprising everyone in the nation and it all started here in Anchorage

By Demietrius Preston Contributor

Every year around March, college basketball fans around the nation participate in an age-old activity. Filling out their NCAA tournament brackets.

Some people throw parties in honor of this glorious pastime, while others perform extensive research in an attempt to conjure up the perfectly simulated bracket. Despite these grand efforts, however, one lady/team successfully ruins this improbable dream for millions fans year after year.

Her name? Cinderella.

This year unlike most, Cinderella isn’t waiting until March to emerge from the depths. No, this season she’s making sure everyone is well aware of her presence before the Big Dance by racing to a 20-0 start to begin the new year.

Now standing as the only undefeated team left in NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball, not many people had the Murray State Racers pegged as a top five team in the State of Kentucky, let alone the nation.

But despite the lack of respect, the two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions have managed to continue to defy odds by cracking the top ten last week, even surpassing in-state rival Louisville

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in the process.

Why is this important for Anchorage? For starters, before breaking into the top-25 after upsetting the much-hyped Memphis Tigers on the road back on (?), this same Murray State team actually won The Great Alaska Shootout (in dramatic fashion I might add) in November before an inexcusably empty Sullivan Arena. Their 90-82 double overtime win over Southern Mississippi showed just how deep this team and why their star guard, junior Isaiah Canaan, is on the 2012 NBA Draft radar, if he foregoes his senior year as a Racer.

Many hoops fans would justify their absence from this year’s tournament by claiming there just hasn’t been any quality teams or players in the field since ESPN pulled out in 2007. Considering that teams such as Butler, Gonzaga, Western Kentucky, San Diego State, and St. Johns (all NCAA teams who’ve sent one or more players to the NBA) have all played in the tournament since then I would beg to differ.Those teams have also had next-level talent that showed off their talents on the Shootout hardwood.

Alaskans who’ve tracked Murray State’s ascension from humble Shootout champions to the only undefeated Div. I team in the nation won’t be caught off guard at how Cinderella fares at the Big Dance this coming March either.

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January 31, 2011 | Sports

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BASKETBALL: UAA runs away with two sizeable home wins technical foul while on the bench with a just under two minutes to go in the first half.

“I just told the official that I thought they lost complete control of the game and that it was completely one-sided in terms of it being physical,” Nelson said.

According to Nelson, the officials had to tell both coaches in the second half to pull back a little and that they were going to start calling tighter.

“Yeah, we have to expect that because our conference is very physical,” said UAA senior forward Kaylie Robison. “But I think it makes it kind of fun.”

The Seawolves and Wildcats continued to battle it out evenly in

the final frame of play, matching each other with 32 points.

However, the damage had already been done in the first half, as the Seawolves were able to put it in cruise control and win their fifth straight game.

Despite the physicality, no one was injured and almost every player from both teams got to play.

Moser sent in multiple variations of starters and the bench to really showcase the depth of the Seawolves.

“That’s fun when you get to see everyone in action,” Robison said.

“It’s fun when everyone scores too, it’s a team effort.”

Alvidrez stated how important it was to have a deeply talented

bench, especially when heading into the conference tournament play, which has teams play games back-to-back.

Despite being on the losing end, Nelson was quick to give credit to the play of UAA. “I just want to say that Anchorage is where they should be, they handle every situation very well and it is impressive,” Nelson said.

With just seven games remaining in the GNAC schedule for UAA, they now take their game on the road for stiff tests. They will take on rival Seattle Pacific on Feb. 2 and then Montana State Billings on Feb. 4.

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Top: UAA senior forward Hanna Johansson goes up for a basket against Central Washington on Jan. 28. Johansson finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 80-48 win for the Seawolves. Bottom: UAA junior Haley Holmstead tries to get to the paint during UAA’s 7939 win over Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 26.

Photos by zachary Smith/TNL

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