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January 3rd, 2023

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JANUARY 3 - FEBRUARY 6, 2023

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

A&E PAGE 3

SPORTS PAGE 5

Hitbox Review: ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,’ ‘Tears of the Kingdom’

Governor’s Cup returns to Alaska

UAA to open first college Orphaned polar bear cub pride center in Alaska rescued and transported A project that’s been a long time coming, LGBTQIA+ Seawolves will now have a dedicated to the Alaska Zoo space to explore and express their identities. By Taylor Heckart new3@thenorthernlight.org

UAA’s student union will soon be home to the historic first college pride center in the state. The UAA Pride Center is something that students, staff and faculty have been asking for, for a long time, said Multicultural Student Services Director Sara Caldwell-Kan. “UAA is, like most places, a very heteronormative, cis-normative, patriarchal institution and trying to explore and learn about your identity in some of those spaces feels really challenging,” said Caldwell-Kan. Even for those who are not exploring, it can be hard to find spaces where their identity is fully embraced, said Caldwell-Kan. Caldwell-Kan said that when students come to college, having people and places that affirm their

identity affect whether they decide to remain at that college and is correlated to student success. The creation of the Pride Center didn’t happen on its own. Instead it’s the result of a large push of LGBTQIA+ affirming programs and groups at UAA. When Caldwell-Kan was hired in 2021, her position as director at Multicultural Student Services was changed to also focus on LGBTQIA+ students in

addition to her other roles. Since then, some Multicultural Student Services initiatives have included trainings on pronoun use in the classroom, faculty development on LGBTQIA+ success, lavender graduations and the creation of Rainbow Initiatives, which creates LGBTQIA+ events on campus.

SEE PRIDE

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Progress pride flag by Paul2520, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By Carlee Christensen arts1@thenorthernlight.org

An orphaned male polar bear cub was observed roaming around Prudhoe Bay on Nov. 24, according to a press release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent a team of polar bear program biologists to assess the situation, who determined the approximately 11-month-old male bear should be removed from the wild population for his own welfare and concerns for potential human-bear conflict. David Gustine, with the Fish and Wildlife Service, was quoted in a press release saying: “The decision to remove this bear from the wild was not made lightly … Removing a bear is not a good outcome for the individual or the wild population, but we felt it was the best course of action in this situation.” Given that the bear’s

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ALASKA ZOO.

The polar bear cub that was found near Prudhoe Bay.

young age — polar bear cubs in the wild stay with their mothers for up to 2.5 years — it will not be returned to the wild. The cub was transported to the Alaska Zoo however it is not on public display. It was determined that the cub will remain under observation and be provided care according to the animal’s immediate needs. The bear has overall good health with a few concerns, such as being underweight and small

lacerations on its upper lip. Future determination on the long-term care of the animal will be made by the Fish and Wildlife Service after considering all options. The last time a cub was rescued was in 2013 when a male cub — Kali — was orphaned in Point Lay and was initially cared for at the Alaska Zoo, later transferred to the Saint Louis Zoo.

Public and private funds unite to grant $1.5 million to the UAA School of Social Work By Kyle Ivacic news2@thenorthernlight.org

The UAA School of Social Work recently received a major funding boost in the form of a $1.5 million grant by public and private donors. The announcement of the funds was made on Giving Tuesday, which fell on Nov. 29 this year. According to a written press release by Thompson & Co. Public Relations, the funds “will significantly increase enrollment capacity; establish a pathway to licensure for graduates; add faculty and staffing; and offer continuing education to maintain clinical licenses.” With this new funding, the School of Social Work will have an increased capacity to invest in students who will go on to work in the field. Recover Alaska, an thenorthernlight.org

Anchorage-based nonprofit, helped to secure the grant by facilitating communications between the university and donors, including Premera Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alaska, Providence Alaska, and Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. Recover Alaska provided funds as well. In the press release, these donors expressed the need for an expansion of social worker employment to achieve the long-term goal of elevating the entire Alaskan community. Other contributing donors were the Rasmuson Foundation, Southcentral Foundation, the Municipality of Anchorage, and the Alaska Department of Health. According to the press release, UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell expressed gratitude for the grant, saying, “UAA is grateful to receive the necessary

resources to expand enrollment capacity for the School of Social Work, and thankful to the community partners who worked to make this happen.” As with several donors, Parnell said that workforce demand is up for social work professionals. In the press release, Recover Alaska’s Execu-

tive Director, Tiffany Hall, heralded the work of the nonprofit, attributing the fundraising success to “the incredible thoughtpartnership and creative vision of Recover’s Governance Council.” Hall said that training more Alaskans in the field of social work will allow for better outcomes in dealing with crises faced

by Alaskans every day, such as alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. She said Alaskans are uniquely qualified for dealing with Alaskan issues – compared to their counterparts from elsewhere – because of their understanding of the state’s distinctive cultural, economic, and environmental attributes. The funds will be al-

located over the next few years and are expected to contribute to many functions of the UAA School of Social Work. Populations in crisis will benefit from the grant and many are hopeful that these benefits will ripple across the community as a whole.

PHOTO BY JAMES EVANS, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

Social Work Donation Press Conference

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January 3rd, 2023 by The Northern Light - Issuu