January 15, 2019

JANUARY 15 - JANUARY 21, 2019

SPORTS

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

OPINION

PAGE 5

UAA gymnastics takes on ISU in first competition of 2019

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

PAGE 7

How to make politics less exhausting

‘Bigger than hockey’: Alaska Warriors Hockey brings together veterans and awareness

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON HARKER

Alaska Warriors Hockey playing at the McDonald Center in Eagle River.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON HARKER

The team at 2018’s USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival.

By Malia Barto

arts@thenorthernlight.org

Alaska Warriors Hockey is coming to the Sullivan Arena with the Seawolves.‌ Warriors Hockey is a hockey league under USA Hockey specifically designed for military veterans of any branch who have a disability or are injured from their service. ‌ The league was started under Challenge Alaska, a non-profit organization in Anchorage that focuses on sports, recreation and education for those with disabilities and for the community, as well.‌ Word of mouth from players helped make the team so

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big. The league was brought to life in Alaska in 2017. Though only two years old, the team has grown to 70 players and is still expanding. ‌ “It’s been cool that the guys are making connections and building that bigger social network through the program,” Brandon Harker said. Harker is a therapeutic recreation coordinator for Challenge Alaska. ‌ “When [players] found out about our program and that they could play with other disabled vets that understood them, that were going through similar experiences, they had similar stories, that became like a draw for them, like ‘oh, these guys get me, they know me,’” Harker said. ‌

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With a large number of veterans and current military members in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska, it seemed like a “natural fit” for something like Warriors Hockey to be brought to Alaska. Challenge Alaska received a grant from USA hockey and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, to start a Warriors Hockey program, one of five programs across the country chosen for a start-up grant. Challenge Alaska is the state representative of disabled hockey; their other programs include Alaska Avalanche Sled Hockey team and Alaska Avalanche Special Hockey team. ‌ In June 2018, the VA released a data report showing that, on average, 20 veterans die by sui-

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cide per day in the U.S. Programs like Warriors Hockey aim to bring together those who have served the country and who are going through comparable situations while bringing awareness to the alarming statistics and encouraging community with one another.‌ “It’s bigger than hockey,” Harker said. “The VA is trying to get away from opioids and pain meds so they’re trying to find healthy alternatives to keep people active and healthy, and those can have long-term effects exponentially.” ‌ Some of the players have been away from hockey for a while and are now getting back into it; some have never played before. The team made it to nationals, placing second in the B division at the USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival in April 2018.‌ “For me, the Alaska Warriors is a place where I feel like I belong. It replicates the camaraderie and unit-like cohesion that a lot of veterans miss after leaving

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the military,” Nathaniel Gostelli wrote in an email. ‌ Gostelli served in the U.S. Air Force for six years and has been playing on the Alaska Warriors’ team since January of 2017.‌ UAA Seawolves Hockey is now partnered with Alaska Warriors Hockey, like a “brother” team, according to Harker. ‌ The team will be a part of “Warriors Weekend” at UAA’s home games against Michigan Tech, Jan. 25-26. Sports fans can skate and meet the Seawolves hockey team and the Warriors after Saturday night’s game.‌ “In hockey, you all speak the same language … so it’s cool to have that connection with the Seawolves team and our team and help spread the word at the games,” Harker said.‌ For more information on Alaska Warriors Hockey and other disabled hockey teams, visit ChallengeAlaska.org and click “disabled hockey” under the programs tab.‌

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FEATURES

A winter welcome to the new year Photos by Chase Burnett

FEATURES

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SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

04

Men’s basketball hosts first game of 2019 against Western Oregon

By Emily Medina

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

It’s been over a month since the last time the men’s basketball team hit the court and junior Niko Bevens knows that the team is ready to come back strong after losing the past two games.‌ “I believe this break has benefited the entire team because we were able to decompress and rest so we can put more energy towards practice,” Bevens said.

Practices have been really good so far. The team has been very focused and willing to put in the extra work to get better. Right now, the coaches have been focusing on how we can improve defensive schemes and maintain our offensive strengths.”‌ Bevens still holds the record for most 3-pointers made, as well as most minutes played.‌ Similarly, guard Brennan Rymer is familiar with the defensive techniques needed when going up against the Western Oregon University.‌ “Western Oregon will be a team that gets up and into you with full-court pressure the whole game,” Rymer said.

“They’re looking to wear you down defensively and get out in transition to get there points.”‌ Rymer has scored the most points in three games and has had the most rebounds for two games.‌ Prior to the game, the men’s basketball team had a tied record of 5-5 for wins and losses at that point of the season.‌ The full-court pressure, previously mentioned by Rymer, was evident from the start of the game. UAA was winning by two points throughout most of the first period, with a few moments when the roles were reversed and WOU was winning by two points.‌ The Seawolves were able to break ahead by four points with only eight minutes left in the first period. Their momentum continued and they were soon ahead 24-17 after five minutes.‌ Tyler Brimhall ended the first period with nine points out of the 31 total. WOU, on the other hand, was trailing with a final score of 22.‌ Brimhall continues to hold the No. 1 spot for rebounds, defensive rebounds, steals, free throws made, free throws percent, field goals, scoring and

PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY

Sjur Berg has the highest field goal percent as well as the most offensive rebounds. This was his fifth game in a row in which he scored a double-digit amount of points as well as a new career-high with a total of 16 points.

scoring average.‌ WOU was able to bridge the gap at the beginning of the second period by scoring eight points within the first four minutes.‌ UAA had their ninth foul, almost double the number of fouls from WOU, with only 12 minutes left in the game.‌ The Seawolves fought to

keep their lead as the score became 43-42. However, their momentum picked up once again and WOU soon trailed behind by four points.‌ WOU racked up their share of fouls, eight by this point, and had over 10 by the end of the game.‌ Both teams were fighting for the win throughout the entire

game and always had the viewers on the edge of their seat.

UAA’s hard work paid off and they came out on top with a final score of 61-57.‌ The men’s basketball team went against another team from Oregon, Concordia University, on Jan. 5 at the Alaska Airlines Center.‌

‘The green machine:’ how Jenna DiFolco describes the ski team

PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY

Alpine skiers Didrik Nilsen, Tony Naciuk, Georgia Burgess and Li Djurestaal placed within the top-10 at the Eldora Giant Slalom.

By Emily Medina

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

UAA’s Nordic ski teams recently traveled to Vermont to compete in the U.S. Nordic National Championship.‌ Leading the way for

the women’s team in the 10-kilometer race was Michaela Keller-Miller with a time of 34:54, which landed her the 54th spot.

Close behind with a time of 34:58 was Jenna DiFolco.‌ DiFolco comes from a family of cross country

skiers in Fairbanks and was 2 years old when she put on her first pair of skis.

Since she’s been doing it for so long it’s no wonder that she has her pre-race routine down pat.‌ “Before every race, I always eat eggs, toast and a banana with peanut butter

on it for breakfast,” DiFolco said. “I arrive at the race venue listening to a playlist I’ve made specifically for race day and continue to do so as I ski the course at a leisurely pace.

Then I come back inside to change into a dry shirt and put on my race suit, take out my headphones and get back on the trail for some short, fast intervals to get my heart rate before starting.”‌ Comparatively, leading the way for the men’s team in the classic 15-kilometer race was JC Schoonmaker, who held on to spot number 60 with a time of 45:33. Because of his performance, Schoonmaker is now an alternate on the U.S. Ski Team for the World Junior Championships.‌ The second Seawolf to cross the finish line, Tracen Knopp, placed in at 140 with a time of 48:29.‌ Both men and women’s alpine ski teams competed in the Colorado University

Invitational on Jan. 9.‌ Prior to the invite, the teams competed in Colorado at the giant slalom at RC Regional Qualifier.

Didrik Nilsen was a runner-up the first day with a time of 1:52.16 that made him the second fastest on the field.‌ The following day Sky Kelsey had the third fastest time of 1:56.53, which put UAA on the podium despite the weather challenges.‌ Following close behind was Tony Naciuk, who had a time of 1:57.08.‌ “One of the best parts of competing in Colorado is the sunny weather,” Naciuk said. “The majority of the time it’s sunny, warm and windless outside, however, this trip is proving to be different in that the weather has been terrible. The last two days were [Fédération Internationale de Ski] races, which are basically warmup races before our college races starting tomor-

row and we got five inches of snow and 80 mph wind gusts.”‌ Besides the unexpected weather conditions, there is another major difference between Alaska and Colorado skiing that is even more challenging.‌ “The most challenging part of competing in Colorado is the elevation,” Naciuk said. “Here we are competing at 9,000 feet and live at 5,000 feet, whereas in Alaska we compete at 1,500 feet and live at sea level. This takes a higher toll on our bodies than many of our competitors that live at higher elevations.”‌ With that being said, the ski teams are still having an impressive start to the season. UAA faced their next competition on Jan. 16 as they travel to the Montana State Invitational.‌‌‌

SPORTS

05

Gymnastics team hosts Illinois State for the first meet of the season

By Emily Medina

sports2@thenorthernlight.org

UAA’s gymnastics team finally had their first competition of the season this past weekend, hosting Illinois State University.‌ What should’ve been their second meet became their first after the annual Green and Gold meet was canceled last month due to damage from the 7.0 earthquake.‌ The extra time off, however, did have a few upsides.‌ “Practice has been really fun over the break,” Alonso said.

“It’s nice to be all together because sometimes during the semester people have to come early or leave early because of classes, but right now everyone is in the gym at the same time, which is great. We’re able to spend more time together both in and out of the gym, making our team a lot closer.”‌ Competing for the first time in over a year, junior Louisa Marie Knapp is feeling more confident than ever about her and the team’s performances.‌ “My last competition was in March 2017, and I have had six

PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP HICKEY

Isabelle Fox competed in all four events on both Friday and Sunday which earned the team 76.950 points in total.

surgeries since then, so I am just very excited to get back on the competition floor and help my team to succeed,” Knapp said.

“In Germany, I competed on the international elite level which is very different from college gymnastics...I learned a lot over the past two years and I am excited to hopefully show my full potential this season.”‌ UAA kicked off the weekend

with a 4.25 point loss against the visiting team despite their best efforts to come out on top.‌ Isabelle Fox competed in all four events and had the highest score in both vault, 9.625, and floor, 9.800.‌ Sophia Hyderally placed first among the other UAA gymnasts with her bar routine, which resulted in a score of 9.700, only .050 behind the highest scorer

overall from ISU, 9.750.‌ Hope Nelson had a similarly high score for the UAA gymnasts with her beam routine, in which she scored 9.750.‌ Although these scores sound nearly perfect, ISU had a higher score in every category except for floor.‌ After one day off, the two teams came together on Jan. 6 for the second half of their meet.

As always, the gymnastics team started the meet with their usual ritual.‌ “A little ritual out team does before meets is we’ll hold hands in a circle before we walk out and say a quick prayer,” Alonso said. “If we are at a home meet, we’ll gather around the Seawolf logo on the floor and put a foot on it.”‌ Part two of the meet against ISU had similar standings for the vault routines, as every gymnast scored above nine points.‌ UAA improved their overall score for the bar routine portion, which put them ahead by 2.575 points halfway through the meet. They continued that momentum to the end and led to their first win of the season.‌ When compared to their first score on Friday of 188.725, UAA improved by 3.625 points on Friday, which made the final score 192.350.‌ ISU fell short in the second meet with a final score of 189.275.‌ UAA competed against Brown University at the Alaska Airlines Center the first weekend before school began with some success against Brown.‌‌

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019

06

Trump is wrong to pull out of Syria

By Robert Hockema opinion@thenorthernlight.org

Over the past 20 years, the American public has lost its appetite for fighting wars. After 9/11, the U.S. has pursued a series of costly, deadly and arguably unnecessary interventions. Bush’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, for instance, remain some of the most unpopular wars ever. Despite Obama’s promise to end America’s penchant for running into conflicts, he continued our presence and added a few more countries to the list of places we were bombing: Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan, just to name a few.

The lack of public support for intervention explains Trump’s decision to pull all 2,000 troops out of Syria. It appeals to

a persuasive sentiment – one that despises perpetual involvement in wars with no end in sight. Yet, the irony behind the decision to pull out is that it will likely guarantee that we stay longer than we originally intended.

In a tweet sent out the same day as the announcement to withdraw, Trump said that “we have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” Indeed, the U.S., along with its coalition partners, has made great strides – all but one percent of ISIS’ territory remains.

However, the fight against a terrorist group is about more than eliminating the space that they control.

More important is eliminating their ability to launch attacks and destabilize a country. A report from the Pentagon suggests we’re far from reaching that goal.

As many as 17,100 fighters remain in Syria, and nearly 30,000 are in Iraq. For context, that is the same number of militants ISIS had at its peak strength in 2014.

If we pulled out now, we could risk giving ISIS the space it needs to regroup just as it is at the edge of defeat. In a Washington Post forum, Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said “we’ve got to complete the training of local forces that can prevent ISIS from coming back.” Without U.S. airstrikes and constant support to pivotal groups

like the Syrian Democratic Forces, ISIS may take advantage of the break in fire and execute a comeback.

This is hardly a hypothetical scenario.

Trump himself criticized the U.S.’ decision to take troops out of Iraq, as it allowed for a vacuum to be filled by terrorist networks, one of which eventually became ISIS itself.

Beyond the military aspect, a pullout could inspire a wave of ISIS recruitment. It’s important to recognize the power ISIS’ propaganda campaigns have had. Unlike other militant groups, ISIS crafted a careful social media and messaging strategy that has successfully riled up anti-Western sentiments and persuaded disenfranchised young people to join their movement. This explains why they’ve taken so long to beat: support for their movement is rooted in a fundamental ideology.

Given that, think about the message pulling out sends to those who have resented America’s presence on the ground.

ISIS can easily paint the pullout as a victory for their group and an admission of inferiority by the U.S., thus strengthening ISIS more. It fits directly into the false narrative they’ve been trying to spin: ISIS is winning, Western imperialism is losing.

If Trump’s goal is to end our military commitments when the mission has been

completed, exiting Syria is the wrong answer. Leaving Syria will only allow ISIS to become stronger, meaning that we’re going to have to return to fight them when they do. The best thing the U.S. can do is commit to a full and absolute defeat of ISIS. To do so, the U.S. needs to do two things: First, it must keep its troop presence to continue keeping ISIS cornered. U.S. forces should also continue training local groups like the Syrian Democratic Forces and regional militaries to help continue the fight without us.

Second, it must ensure that Syria becomes a stable place following the end of the civil war. There are millions of civilians who have lost everything, including their homes and the communities they once knew. Whatever becomes of Syria must give people the opportunity to live with dignity. If the Syrian government doesn’t, terrorist organizations and rebel groups will offer pay and a place to sleep in exchange for their recruitment.

Nobody likes war, but we entered Syria with an intent to finish a mission. The integrity of the U.S. lies in our ability to see through the goal of ensuring peace and stability – leaving before the job is done jeopardizes not only our credibility but the livelihoods of those who are suffering on the ground.‌

Chief’s Corner: An introduction to a monthly update

By Interim Chief Beckner‌‌‌‌ University Police Department

Welcome to the University Police Department Chief’s Corner. This monthly column will provide you with UPD updates, information about upcoming events, crime prevention tips and answers to questions you may have.

As the Interim Chief of Police, I encourage you to stop by our office in Eugene Short Hall, Room 114, or feel free to stop and talk with our university police officers as you see them around campus. Your University Police Department currently consists of 13 full-time state of Alaska certified police officers, six certified communication officers and one fiscal officer.

Let’s get to know each other so that we can work together to make UAA a safe place for everyone. UPD is always here to serve the Seawolf community. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A look back at 2018 I think the 2018 event most people will talk about is the Nov. 30 earthquake that struck Southcentral, affecting UAA students right before finals. Can we say stress? The university responded brilliantly, and five days later we were back in business. I am proud to say that UAA showed its resilience by how we worked together in a crisis; it is a credit to the institution.

The fall semester brought UPD out to the Student Union and the Gorsuch Com-

mons for events sponsored by the Dean of Students Office and Residence Life.

Events like these are important to help us meet the community we serve.

UPD also offered Rape Aggression Defense classes last year, and with the newly formed partnership between UPD and Student Affairs, we will be able to offer more opportunities to enroll in this class. You can find information about RAD courses on UPD’s homepage at uaa.alaska.edu/upd. Follow our Facebook page for further details on upcoming community events and class offerings.

Safety tips As we start the new semester, remember to download the UAA Safe App, from the App Store or Google Play. The app gives you access to features such as vir-

tual safe walk, as well as links to many campus resources offered such as Student Health and Counseling, the Care Team, Dean of Students and Title IX. The first couple of weeks of the semester are often hectic. Remember to keep your belongings with you. Don’t leave personal items lying around unattended.

It may say spring semester, but we have several more months of snow and cold ahead, so drive with care, and don’t start your cars and leave them unattended with the keys in the ignition.

Send any questions or comments to uaa_updchief@alaska.edu.

Welcome back, and we will see you around campus!

CONTACT

07

How to make politics less exhausting

By Robert Hockema opinion@thenorthernlight.org

As the new year rolls in, so are announcements from prospective candidates for the 2020 presidential election.

Elizabeth Warren has already thrown her hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination. She’ll likely be joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. On the Republican side, speculation is being fueled about candidates like Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Jeff Flake challenging President Donald Trump. ‌ It’s official: campaign season has begun. ‌ But wait — didn’t the 2018 midterms just happen? And aren’t we only two years out of the 2016 presidential election? Isn’t the 2020 election more than a year and a half away?‌ American election cycles are some

of the longest around the world. By the time the 2016 election had happened, the presidential cycle had already gone on for over 500 days. Emma Roller notes in The New York Times, “we could have instead hosted approximately four Mexican elections, seven Canadian elections, 14 British elections, 14 Australian elections or 41 French elections.” ‌ What makes our elections so long?

There are a few unique parts of U.S. elections that incentivize them to drag on so long. ‌ For starters, electoral terms are baked into the U.S. Constitution, meaning we know exactly when an election will happen. The presidency is up every four years, with senators and representatives up every six and two years, respectively. ‌ Contrast that to parliamentary systems like Canada’s, which call elections only when the government dissolves. The vote following dissolution is held just months afterward. ‌ The consequence of America’s fixed elections is that because the game begins early, everyone begins preparing early.

With a timetable for when their next shot to run for a seat is, interest groups and politicians begin gearing up years in advance. They raise money by sending annoying email blasts asking you to donate.

Political action committees begin sending out nasty ads and sponsoring toxic, one-sided political posts on social media.

This acclimates us to a negative political culture and drains us of our energy before we even begin researching candidates. At some point, we become resentful of the

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The first is the hardest to change: revise the Constitution. America is not a parliamentary system, but we could learn from their short election cycles. Doing something as simple as consolidating the primaries that happen to a period of one month rather than six would be a good start. If all the primaries began in June rather than March, that would place the conventions in August and the general election in November. That would severely limit the number of primary debates and campaign stops, which would help reduce the constant exposure to the election season. ‌ Additionally, we could change the way the media covers the election cycle. Perhaps the most excruciating part is being inundated with ad after ad after ad, all of them attacking candidates using ad hominem, below-the-belt character assassination. Namely, we could regulate large news companies and TV networks by reducing the amount of time they’re allowed to run the ads we all hate and cap the time they can spend covering elections. ‌ Some might see that as a limitation of free speech, but stopping the 24-hour news cycle from breeding apathy is more important if it leads to better democratic outcomes. ‌ Democracy is predicated not just on people’s right to vote, but on people’s willingness to participate. Jam-packing the primary process and adjusting the way politics is covered in the media are just a few ways we can start giving Americans the democracy they deserve. ‌

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Multimedia Editor Christian Cielo ccielo@thenorthernlight.org

Executive Editor Levi Signe Brown (907) 786-1313 editor@thenorthernlight.org‌

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Managing Editor Cheyenne Mathews cmathews@thenorthernlight.org‌

Advertising Manager Meida Cen admanager@thenorthernlight.org (907) 786-6195‌

Copy Editor Caleigh Jensen copy@thenorthernlight.org

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Media Adviser Paola Banchero‌

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process because it asks so much of us. ‌ If we don’t become resentful, at the very least we become bored. Candidates spend more than a year on news shows, eating food and giving stump speeches at state primaries, and slinging mud at each other during painful-to-watch presidential debates. At some point, it’s hard for anything to jump out and motivate us to get involved in the election. After a few months, the election-season jitters ware off and the apathy sets in. We become desensitized to politics because nothing about it is special, just burdensome and exhausting.‌ Another factor contributing towards the long election season is America’s quirky primary process. Not only is there a general election to pick the candidate you want to win, but there’s a preceding election called a primary that decides who will participate in general in the first place. The dates for primary elections are scattered across the calendar with some happening as early as March and as late as September, but it means voters have to endure two different elections. When the time comes to pick the big winner, most people just want to get the whole thing over with. ‌ Not to mention, packed in between presidential election seasons that essentially begin 19 months before election day are midterms, local assembly and mayoral elections, ballot initiatives, special elections and so on so forth. ‌ The obscene length of the American election cycle makes politics exhausting.

Luckily, there are a few things we can do.‌

Administrative Adviser Zac Clark‌ Administrative Assistant Allie Hartman

Sports Editor Lauren Cuddihy sports@thenorthernlight.org‌ Opinion Writer Robert Hockema opinion@thenorthernlight.org Opinion Writer Ben Edwards opinion2@thenorthernlight.org

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