March 4th, 2025

MARCH 4 - MARCH 31, 2025

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

NEWS PAGE 4

A&E PAGE 6

Sean Parnell recognizes students’ and employees’ free speech rights amid DEI controversy

Decepticide: Anchorage’s long-standing metal band

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

Arsenic exposure on Coalition of Students passes resolution against UA Board University of Alaska of Regents DEI motion organization helps to promote educational Anchorage campus The and general welfare needs for UA students and “an advisory group to the UA president and leads to removal of isStatewide administration on student issues.” taxidermy collection

By Hannah Dillon

managing.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Documents reveal that two employees developed neurological symptoms after exposure to arsenic, mercury, and lead on a contaminated taxidermy collection at the ARLIS library on the UAA campus in 2022

PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.

Taxidermy of a hoofed mammal currently on display at ARLIS — not available for checkout.

By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org

For two decades, the ARLIS library checked out taxidermy pieces to the public, only to later discover they contained arsenic, mercury and lead. Following the discovery, the taxidermy collection was removed with no public explanation.

The Northern Light filed Freedom of Information Act requests with UAA and several government agencies associated with ARLIS in search of answers.

ARLIS is a federal and state library located in the UAA Consortium Library.

It had gained media attention for the circulation of its Furs, Mounts, & Skulls taxidermy collection.

Documents revealed that in 2022, two staff members — a UAA employee and an employee from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game — reported nausea and neurological symptoms while working with the collection.

In September 2022, now-former UAA risk management Director Tim Edwards sent a series of emails notifying various parties about the incident.

In an email to R&M Consultants Inc., an industrial consulting firm, Edwards inquired if the company tests for arsenic. He wrote, “We have a large collec-

tion and they send these out to schools for educational purposes,” referring to the taxidermy.

He wrote that the two exposed workers noticed their symptoms subsided after working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the symptoms “showed back up” when they returned.

According to an email from Edwards to several UA staff members, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game suspended all operations with taxidermy mounts across the state after Edwards informed them about the incident.

Edwards emailed Ryan Buchholdt, vice chancellor for administrative services at UAA, about the incident.

Edwards wrote that in February 2022, ARLIS Director Brandy Watts informed him that an employee was experiencing symptoms and hypothesized they were caused by off-gassing from residual chemicals on the taxidermy from a moth treatment in 2005.

However, Edwards wrote, after investigating the employees’ day-to-day activities, he deduced that the symptoms were not caused by treatment chemicals but instead hypothesized that arsenic exposure

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On Feb. 26, the Coalition of Student Leaders created a resolution against the University of Alaska Board of Regents’ motion to assess and reform programs and terms related to diversity, equity and inclusion, otherwise known as DEI. The Board of Regents directed chancellors on Feb. 21 to remove DEI-related language from university communications and websites, and change operations and programs to align with federal guidance related to DEI. Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins said the board assessed a variety of federal guidance, according to an article in the Alaska Beacon.

According to the article, federal guidance cited by Seekins “included the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling ending affirmative action in university admissions, Trump’s executive order terminating ‘DEI’ initiatives in the executive branch, and a recent communication, known as the ‘Dear Colleague letter,’ from the U.S. Department of Education.”

University chancellors have been delegated to monitor and amend university websites and other material to “no longer refer to ‘affirmative action,’ ‘DEI’ nor utilize the words ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ ‘inclusion,’ or other associated terms.”

The decision to remove language and practices involving DEI stem from a “Dear Colleague” letter released by the Board of Education.

The Coalition of Student Leaders’ resolution stated that the first amendment protects freedom of speech, “Hence, the Board of Regents’ recent immediate action violates this right.”

According to the resolution, Alaska Native communities have equitable opportunities to access educational support and other support systems, but banning DEI language presents a risk to this support.

The resolution notes that UAA, UAF

and UAS house pride centers, Alaska Native-based courses and multicultural lounges. The resolution then addresses concerns of risks associated with equitable opportunity scholarships.

“Eliminating sources of inclusion can impact a student’s mental health, where many students in the state of Alaska already experience dire mental health struggles.”

The end of the resolution stated, “The Coalition of Student Leaders of the University of Alaska demands that the Board of Regents revisit its statement and policies, not just for legal reasons but also because of what the student body of the entire university believes is the best course of action for equity and equality.”

In an email to The Northern Light, Chair of the Coalition of Student Leaders Tina Hamlin responded to the creation of the resolution.

“Right now, the University of Alaska is at a turning point. The Board of Regents’ decision to remove terms like ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ and ‘inclusion’ isn’t just about changing words—it’s about changing the core values that make our university a welcoming space for everyone,” Hamin wrote.

“By rushing into this decision without waiting for legal challenges, the Board is risking our commitment to free speech and equal opportunities. This could hurt students, especially those from marginalized communities, and weaken the university’s foundation.”

Hamlin also wrote that the Coalition of Students has witnessed students across the state demonstrate uncertainty in education and mental health.

She wrote that the coalition’s resolution reaffirms their “commitment to keeping diversity, equity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do.”

“The Coalition of Student Leaders is asking the Board to reconsider this decision—not just for the university’s future, but for the future of every student who deserves to learn in an environment that values them,” wrote Hamlin.

PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents meeting on May 23, 2024, at UAA.

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NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

02

UAA Student Engagement and Inclusion department cuts ‘Inclusion’ from title The department responsible for Multicultural Student Services and several other student programs is now called Student Engagement following the change

By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Student Engagement removed “Inclusion” from its title following a motion filed by the University of Alaska Board of Regents. The motion directed UAA administrators to “make changes as necessary” to comply with an executive order issued by the Trump administration and a letter from the U.S. Board of Education regarding DEI. The executive order directing government institutions to

eliminate “Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs” was blocked by a federal judge on Feb. 21, according to the Associated Press.

The UA Board of Regents continued their motion even after the judge’s block on President Trump’s order.

The Northern Light interviewed University of Alaska Director of Public Affairs Jonathon Taylor about Student Engagement’s name change.

Taylor confirmed the change and said other areas in the department will also reflect the shift in language to be in com-

pliance with the Board of Regents’ motion.

Taylor said, “Our programs and services are designed to help all students achieve and are not discriminatory under existing or new definitions.”

“While this new institutional policy set by the Board of Regents (BOR) will remove certain terms from official documents and websites, it does not eliminate the academic and free speech rights of students, staff, and faculty to engage and express themselves in this area,” said Taylor.

This report is part of an in-

SCREENSHOT BY MURAT DEMIR.

Screenshot of Student Engagement and Inclusion’s webpage on Feb. 28.

vestigative series on recent changes related to DEI at UAA

and will be followed by additional coverage.

Sean Parnell grilled by student government over university’s changes to DEI

By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org

UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell faced questions from UAA’s student government, known as USUAA, at their meeting on Friday, Feb. 28.

USUAA asked Parnell about the recent changes to university policy regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI. The week before, the University of Alaska Board of Regents passed a motion directing university leadership to eliminate terms such as “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” from university communications and websites.

The decision received backlash.

The chairs of the Faculty Alliance wrote an opinion in the Anchorage Daily News attacking the motion, and USUAA passed a resolution at the start of the meeting opposing the motion.

Parnell arrived moments after the resolution was read but before it passed.

Parnell told USUAA that he would not comment on the resolution until he had a chance to read it.

Parnell said that after the Board of Regents passed the motion, two departments and several positions at UAA had their names changed.

The department of Student Engagement and Inclusion was renamed to Student Engagement, he said, and the Office of Equity and Compliance was renamed to the Office of Compliance and Rights.

The Board of Regents’ motion also directed university leadership to eliminate other terms

PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.

UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell answers questions from UAA’s student government, USUAA, regarding recent changes to university policy on DEI. Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.

associated with DEI and review programs to ensure alignment with federal guidance.

Delegate Arel Gutierrez asked Parnell about possible actions taken against other programs.

Parnell said UAA has a narrow focus on the clearest parts of the motion: “At the moment, the agreed upon direction is ‘let’s go with what we have clarity on,’ which are the express wording at this point. We’re not at this point, moving towards … ‘other associated terms’ and all that because … that’s so ambiguous at the moment.”

Gutierrez asked if the board had given a definition to the word diversity.

Parnell said, “I think it’s heard and used differently by almost every person in this room and across the university. If you’re asking if there is a formal definition, I don’t know of one.”

Parnell said a letter shared by the Department of Education on Feb. 14, known as the “the Dear

Colleague” letter, informed the board’s understanding of the term diversity.

“I can tell you from the board discussion, the primary focus was on the Department of Education Dear Colleague letter, which focused on race … The diversity discussion that was happening at the board was not entirely in that context, but in large part in the context of that letter.”

In the letter, the Department of Education threatened to cut federal funding from any educational institution that did not eliminate all race-based DEI programming and activities.

USUAA President Eisa Chang asked about changes to language at ANSEP, the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. She said the program no longer has “Alaska Native” in the name.

According to an article in Alaska Public Media, the program recently removed references to Alaska Natives from their website.

Parnell said, “That was not at the direction of myself or as a result of the board’s action that I know of … My belief is that ANSEP began making those changes themselves following the new administration’s directions they were undertaking, with the federal grant money that was available and coming their way.”

Vice President Kaitlin Norton asked about a resolution passed several months earlier regarding menstrual products in women’s bathrooms.

Vice chancellor of administrative services, Ryan Buchholdt, was also at the meeting and took the question.

Buchholdt said the information regarding a plan to stock menstrual products has been gathered; it just needed to be organized and presented to USUAA. Senator Jason Ritter asked for a timeline on when they could receive that information.

Buchholdt said, “This last week has only been focused on responding to the board’s motion with DEI. There has been a lot of fairly critical operational meetings for this university that have been, quite frankly, pushed weeks out.”

Chang said there were several other USUAA resolutions that had been passed but had not received formal responses.

Norton and Ritter pressed Parnell for a timeline on when responses to those resolutions could be received — including their resolution opposing the board’s DEI motion.

Parnell said his office could get responses to all unanswered resolutions in 15 days.

Ritter twice asked Parnell if he personally supported the decision by the board of regents.

The second time, Parnell said, “I’m not going to answer that question because my job is to implement the board’s policy, and you cannot take my silence as consent nor as rejection.”

Parenell said he needed to remain neutral to do his job as chancellor.

“If I take a side on this issue — with the board, contrary to the board — I lose the ability to work on behalf of about 50% of this group or 40% of that group.”

He said, “I’m creating this space so you can be the advocates you want to be on these policies … I have to maintain the integrity of this office and allow you space to be the voice of the students.”

As Parnell tried to leave the meeting, members of USUAA continued to share their perspective with him.

Senator Andi Bryant said to Parnell, “Unfortunately, the action taken thus far has felt more like an attack on the student body, and that’s why you’re seeing this visceral reaction from the student body, so I do hope you take that into consideration when reading our proposal.”

Parnell said that he would.

The last comment came from Ritter, who brought up the actions of other chancellors and university presidents.

He said, “The chancellor of UC Boulder came out and said that they would only change operations if and when they have to, and pushed back against it.

There have been several presidents, actually, who have come out openly against this.”

Parnell responded, before leaving, by asking, “Did they have a board that said these words are gone? Or did they say the statement in a vacuum?”

NEWS

03

UAA begins assessing and eliminating DEI practices

By Hannah Dillon and Matthew Schmitz On Friday, the University of Alaska Board of Regents directed University of Alaska President Pat Pitney, UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell and other chancellors to take necessary action to comply with federal guidelines issued by President Trump and the Department of Education relating to DEI. To comply with the changes in federal guidance, the Board of Regents passed a motion that orders University of Alaska policies to be consistent with the state and federal laws starting Feb. 21.

The University of Alaska system includes UAA, UAF and UAS. According to the motion, all documents must be “interpreted to be consistent with, or be amended as necessary to reflect our continuing commitments to providing university programs and activities that comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination laws, regulations, orders, and guidance.”

According to an article in the

Peninsula Clarion, the board said it was responding to executive orders issued by President Trump.

Jonathon Taylor, a university spokesperson, confirmed in an email to The Northern Light the vote in favor of the motion was 9-1 with Regent Albiona Selimi being the only regent not in favor.

Regent Selimi is a student regent who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at UAA. The motion orders university leadership to, “assess the programs and operations at their respective Universities and to make changes as necessary to comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination laws, regulations, orders, and guidance.”

University chancellors have been delegated to monitor and amend university websites and other material to “no longer refer to “affirmative action,””DEI” nor utilize the words “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion,” or other associated terms.

DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, and refers to many programs aimed to

help marginalized communities achieve equality in society.

Position titles will be amended to comply with federal regulations regarding any DEI variation or association, according to the motion.

From the motion, “the assessments and modifications undertaken are intended to create and promote equal opportunity and equal access for everyone.”

After the motion had been passed, Parnell released a statement on the decision through UAA student, faculty and staff emails.

In the email, Parnell wrote that the university will comply with the Board of Regents directive in eliminating “DEI language and practices from our websites, program descriptions, strategic planning documents and institutional goals.”

Parnell wrote that the process will begin immediately.

On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleague” letter advising all educational institutions to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law.”

The department interpreted

a 2023 Supreme Court decision that made race-based admission practices in colleges illegal as applying broadly to all racebased programing.

The department wrote, “Federal law thus prohibits covered entities from using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”

The department extended this to DEI programs at educational institutions: “DEI programs, for example, frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not … Consequently, they deny students the ability to participate fully in the life of a school.”

According to the letter, “Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.”

President Trump issued an

executive order on Jan. 20 that directed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to terminate illegal DEI and DEIA “mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”

While the order primarily impacts federal departments, the president directed officials to “terminate … ‘equity-related’ grants or contracts; and all DEI or DEIA performance requirements for employees, contractors, or grantees.”

The order also calls for the creation of a list of “Federal grantees who received Federal funding to provide or advance DEI, DEIA, or ‘environmental justice’ programs, services, or activities since January 20, 2021.”

According to the Associated Press, the order was blocked by a federal judge the same day the University of Alaska passed their motion.

UAA student government passes resolution against University of Alaska motion on DEI USUAA called “on all students, faculty, alumni, and community members to actively resist this (DEI) erasure through sustained advocacy, campus organizing, and, if necessary, legal challenges”

By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org

The Union of Students of the University of Alaska Anchorage, known as USUAA, passed a resolution at a meeting on Feb. 28 opposing how the University of Alaska is making changes to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents passed a motion the previous week directing university leadership to remove the terms “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion,” known as DEI, from university websites and communications.

“Affirmative action” and “DEI” are among the terms listed by the board to be removed.

The board also directed leaders to begin assessing programs to be changed in accordance with federal guidance on DEI. UAF, UAA and UAS all fall under the wider University of Alaska system.

Since the board passed the motion, two departments at UAA have been renamed and several positions have had their titles renamed, according to reporting by The Northern Light.

USUAA’s resolution, which is called “USUAA’s Stance on the Board of Regents’ Erasure of DEI,” passed unanimously, with all 10 members in attendance voting in favor.

It was written by Senator Jason Ritter, Senator Arel Gutierrez and Vice-President Kaitlin Norton.

USUAA President Eisa Chang endorsed the resolution.

Chang said at the meeting, “Personally, I have heard from

many students who are very fearful. Like what does it mean when we do not use this language at UAA and the whole university?”

“There’s a lot of anxiety of ‘what does that mean’ for their identity and their program that they have been enjoying and felt supported by.”

The Student Union Esports manager, Daniel Ribuffo, was at the meeting and commented on the term erasure used in the title.

He said, “Erasure is this idea that by chipping away at the fringes of these different groups, that eventually they will cease to be acknowledged and thus be erased.”

Norton expanded on that, saying, “It was a very pointed decision to frame it as erasure, because that is what it is — erasing diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the university system.”

Delegate Jacob Clifford talked about the problem of allowing the board’s motion to remain unopposed: “People around me have said this is kind of like a slippery slope thing … If we don’t stamp this thing out, bad things are going to happen. It’s only going to get worse.”

Ritter pointed out the problems with trying to maintain services while banning the words that describe those services.

“While there have been statements made about the university not changing their mission, continuing to support diversity, equity and inclusion … you literally removed the words,” he said.

“How can you support diversity, equity and inclusion when that’s no longer in our mission?

When that’s no longer something … the university will talk about?”

Ritter said, “The resolution really speaks for itself, and this is what is in the best interest for students and the community.”

The resolution criticized the board’s actions, pointing out possible violations of First Amendment rights, violations of academic freedom, lack of definition of terms and recent court rulings against a presidential executive order related to DEI. The resolution lists students with disabilities, veterans, and military personnel as all benefiting from DEI-related programs.

DEI often refers to programs with targeted support that help marginalized communities achieve equality in society.

The impact to Alaska Natives was underscored in the resolution: “Alaska Native communities have faced centuries of discrimination, with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives playing a crucial role in providing stability and access to education and employment opportunities. This ban risks limiting scholarships, weakening UAA’s Native Student Services, reducing cultural course offerings, and undermining other vital support services for Native Alaskans at UAA.” According to the resolution, the lack of immediate legal or financial risk exposed the board’s decision as one “driven by political expediency.”

The resolution calls on the board to reverse course and protection of DEI programs: “Therefore, be it hereby resolved that the Union of Students of the University of Alas-

PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.

USUAA is UAA’s student government.

ka Anchorage unequivocally rebukes the Board of Regents’ decision and demands its immediate reversal. Therefore, be it hereby further resolved that the University shall protect all services, spaces, and initiatives related to diversity, inclusion, and equity—including, but not limited to, the Multicultural Center Lounge, Native Student Services, the Pride Center, and associated events, courses, and student organizations—from any shutdown or defunding.”

The resolution seeks to have “university leadership to publicly reaffirm their commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and to take substantive action to ensure that

the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion remain embedded in hiring, admissions, curriculum, and campus culture.”

There were also calls for transparency in how the board of regents came to their decision and why it was made without any public discussion.

USUAA encouraged resistance against the motion passed by the board.

“Therefore let it hereby be further resolved that the Union of Students at the University of Alaska Anchorage calls on all students, faculty, alumni and community members to actively resist this erasure through sustained advocacy, campus organizing and, if necessary, legal challenges to safeguard our institution’s core values.”

04

NEWS

Arsenic exposure of Fish and Game warehouse in AnContinued from cover ment chorage, Alaska Department of Fish & from old taxidermy mounts could be the cause.

Edwards wrote to Buchholdt, “I learned there was a back room part of their operation that has an extensive collection of smaller animals all in a taxidermy state. Birds, Mammals, furs etc...

What they do is take requests from school and or homeschool parents around the state and if approved they pack up the Birds for example into a glass box and they essentially loan the bird to them for a period of time for educational purposes.”

Edwards wrote that he and Watts decided to suspend work in the affected storage area, recalled loaned out pieces of the collection, and made arrangements to test the taxidermy for chemicals. “this has the potential to shut that portion of the program down if the tests come back positive, we most likely will have to test every item to know for sure which Brandy (Watts) indicated they will probably do, they don’t want to be liable for sending Arsenic containing items to schools,” wrote Edwards.

Buchholdt responded to Edwards’ email and wrote, “Tim, A lot to digest here.”

In October 2022, Watts wrote an email to Department of Fish and Game Project WILD coordinator, Brenda Duty, writing, “where the concern lies is that arsenic was found on the majority of items tested as well as in the dust on one of the carts. It is likely the collection has arsenic contaminated dust throughout.”

UAA Environmental Health & Safety, Risk Management — or UAA EHS — received the test results from R&M Consulting which revealed the presence of arsenic, mercury and lead in the Furs, Mounts and Skulls collection.

UAA EHS removed the collection from ARLIS in June 2023, according to previous reporting by The Northern Light.

UAA EHS offered to dispose of the items in the collection that contained arsenic, while the other items were planned to be transported to the Alaska Depart-

Game education and outreach coordinator Sierra Doherty wrote in an email to other staff from the agency.

The Northern Light filed FOIA requests and obtained documents about the incident at the end of 2024.

The two employees who became ill were contacted for interviews, but they declined to make statements.

The Northern Light interviewed UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell outside of his office about the incident. Parnell said, “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

The Northern Light also emailed Vice Chancellor Buchholdt questions about the university’s decision not to disclose the presence of hazardous chemicals in the collection — despite the collection’s availability to the public.

Buchholdt wrote that the university makes campus-wide notifications only when the broader campus community is impacted.

“In this instance, the exposure risk was limited only to the employees handling the materials long term,” he wrote.

The test results provided by R&M Consultants did not analyze the impact of the results on human health. According to the results, “no interpretation of results relative to human health or the environment are provided.”

When asked how the university determined that no other UAA community members were affected, Buchholdt wrote, “The materials in question were kept in a storage room not accessible to the public.”

According to a document on the ARLIS website from 2017, ARLIS began circulating the collection to the public in May 1998. Initially, the items were checked out using garbage bags. Eventually, some items, such as bird mounts, were checked out in locked acrylic boxes, while furs were circulated in Rubbermaid containers.

The document states that “Patrons often express a wish to see the collection as a whole to bask in all their choices,” and mentions “repeat borrowers” of the items within the collection. The storage room

PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.

A sign hangs near the entrance to ARLIS.

where the taxidermy was once held was called the “Patron Selection Room” until ARLIS limited public access in 2014 after patrons browsing the collection became disruptive to employees.

In a follow-up email, The Northern Light asked Bucholdt about the public’s access to the materials.

Buchholdt wrote, ”I don’t know the check out process used by ARLIS or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.”

“At this point you have all of the information we are able to provide,” he wrote.

To obtain an independent interpretation of the test data conducted on the Furs, Mounts, and Skulls collection, The Northern Light reached out to Dr. Paloma Beamer, a professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Arizona.

Beamer said, “Certainly some of the concentrations are very high. For example, the male loon is about 6.7% lead.”

She said, “To understand the implications for exposure you would want to understand how people are interacting with these samples and specimens and how often.”

“Dose makes the poison,” said Beamer.

Dylan Jones is a Community Science Coordinator at Alaska Community Action on Toxics.

In an email to The Northern Light, he wrote that the heavy metals found in the tests are known to be associated with harmful effects on human health including neurodevelopmental harm and carcinogenicity.

“They are known to migrate from specimens and accumulate in dust in facilities where specimens are stored,” wrote Jones.

Jones wrote that mercury can volatilize from specimens and contaminate the air, and contaminated air and dust can easily enter human bodies when inhaled or ingested.

“Given the health risks posed to users of the UAA library and ARLIS space, it is important that the area where taxidermy specimens were stored be tested and if necessary remediated by certified and accredited hazmat professionals,” wrote Jones.

The room holding the collection at ARLIS was scheduled to have its shelves and carpet cleaned by a contractor on April 14, 2023, according to emails between Watts and a UAA custodial inspector.

— The Northern Light editors Matthew Schmitz and Hannah Dillon contributed to this report.

Sean Parnell recognizes students’ and employees’ free speech rights amid DEI controversy University of Alaska policy states, “all members of the university must be assured of … the right to criticize the university and society at large.”

By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org

UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell sent an email to the UAA community on Wednesday, Feb. 26, underscoring free speech rights and clarifying how UAA is implementing a motion passed by the University of Alaska Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents oversees and sets policy for the University of Alaska system, which includes UAA, UAS and UAF. The board directed chancellors on Feb. 21 to remove DEI-related language from university communications and websites and change operations and programs to align with federal guidance related to DEI. Parnell sent his email amid backlash to the motion.

UAF professor Abel Bult-Ito criticized the board’s motion in an opinion piece published in The Northern Light.

He called the board’s actions unconstitutional and a violation of the First Amendment.

The chairs of the University of Alaska

Faculty Alliance also criticized the board in an opinion piece published in the Anchorage Daily News.

They pointed out the inconsistencies of the board’s motion with the university’s commitment to freedom of speech in university policy.

Parnell’s email addressed the backlash.

“This decision touches deeply held values, and has created strong reactions amongst our university and community partners.”

Parnell wrote about the board’s commitment to freedom of speech and academic freedom, noting constitutional protections.

Parnell wrote that the Board of Regents “also affirmed individual rights related to freedom of expression and academic freedom” and “the (Alaska) constitution also protects your rights as individuals to speak, write and publish freely on all subjects.”

The Board of Regents included language in their motion recognizing the university’s commitment to free speech and academic freedom.

According to the motion, “all actions

taken should be viewed through the lens and be respectful of our long-standing values supporting freedom of expression and academic freedom, as currently outlined in Board of Regents’ Policies and University Regulations.”

The Board of Regents’ policy on free speech limits the university’s ability to curtail speech of university community members: “The essential purpose of the university is to engage in the pursuit of truth, the advancement of learning and the dissemination of knowledge. To achieve this purpose, all members of the university must be assured of the constitutionally protected right to question, speculate, and comment, as well as the right to criticize the university and society at large.

The university will not limit or abridge any individual’s constitutional right to free speech.”

Regarding implementation of the motion, Parnell wrote that UAA will start with the elimination of DEI-related terms first: “UAA will be intentional and attentive in implementing the board’s directives, and this process is currently underway.

We will make modifications with care, focusing first on the terms articulated by the board.”

The board called for the university system to stop using “affirmative action,” “DEI,” “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion,” and “other associated terms” in communications and online.

At a USUAA meeting on Feb. 28, Parnell said UAA was not considering other associated terms because it was too ambiguous.

While academic freedom was recognized in the motion, at least one professor has reported requests from university administration to make changes to curriculum.

According to an article from KTOO, a professor at UAS reported being asked to change a course name and description.

Kathy DiLorenzo teaches classes on public administration.

She said she was asked by an administrator to change the title and description of a class called, “The Role of Leadership in DEI in the Public Sector.”

According to KTOO, DiLorenzo pushed back on the request and was told she could keep it as is.

NEWS

05

Photos: Nationwide protests reach Anchorage Many Anchorage residents remain unhappy with the current presidential term

By Anja Burnett video1@thenorthernlight.org

On Presidents Day, which landed on Feb. 17 of this year, many residents of Anchorage took to the streets as part of numerous nationwide protests. These protests occur in light of the Trump administration’s recent actions, particularly concerning public sector budget cuts and the involvement of Elon Musk. The protest occurred at City Hall located at 232 W. Sixth Avenue, and attendees took up both sides of the sidewalk for that block. Many trucks and cars honked in solidarity as they passed the protesters. Several chants could be heard throughout the protest, specifically calling for the denouncement of Trump and Musk.

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

Protesters chant, “Love not hate.”

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

An American flag can be seen beside protesters and their sign.

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

Protesters wave their signs about public service solidarity.

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

A protester’s dogs serve as a vehicle for their sign.

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

A protester’s sign references a bible verse from the New International Version, Matthew 5:3-12.

Board of Regents report shows decline in student enrollment across UA system

By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org

At a recent Board of Regents meeting, EAB Global released a report that contained data on postsecondary education in Alaska from 2010 to 2022, along with steps the Board of Regents could take now that the data has been presented.

The beginning of the report lists data primarily pertaining to the decline of student enrollment in the UA system that has occurred since 2012.

Enrollment into postsecondary education has dropped from 52% to 34% among high school graduates in Alaska.

For those that have continued to pursue a postsecondary education, enrollment in out-ofstate institutions has risen from 37% to 54%.

There has also been a decline in enrollment of potential students between the ages of 18 to 24 pursuing any form of additional education beyond high

PHOTO COURTESY OF UA SYSTEM.

school, dropping from 63% to 57%.

Along with year-over-year decline in student populations due to steady immigration and outmigration trends in the state, all three major universities in the UA system are projected to continue seeing a decline in student population.

The universities associated with the UA system are UAA, UAS and UAF. The report outlines an attainable goal of increasing first-time and transfer students across the UA system. Across all three majors schools, the goal would be

an increase of 910 undergraduate students by the year 2030.

The report also identifies that the Board of Regents would need to obtain an ongoing investment anywhere from $6 million to $10 million annually to achieve and sustain the growth goal.

It also encourages the Board of Regents to adjust its goal of enrolling 26,000 students across the UA system to 22,000 by 2027, focusing more on retention along with stable growth.

According to the data, the UA system has faced a reduction of $104 million in funding from the state over the last 10 years

along with a $30 million drop in tuition revenue due to declining enrollment. To avoid shutting down, universities cut many staff, positions and departments.

According to the report, “EAB observed that some key units supporting new and continuing student enrollment do not have sufficient staff and operating capital to perform core responsibilities.

Conversely, there may be campus units that are resourced today as they were when the Universities enrolled 33,000 students. This imbalance is putting significant strain on aspects of the Universities’ work

and may negatively impact student satisfaction.”

The report contains primary and secondary recommendations for all major universities within the UA system.

Some of the recommendations include streamlining university websites and application processes, changes to transparency on tuition and obtaining additional scholarships to incentivize enrollment.

The report uses this same framework for improving retention in the UA system, with solutions including tuition discounts for full-time students, expanding and promoting two-year programs and funding retention efforts across major campuses.

The conclusion of the report contains program demand data across all three major campuses, showing the percentage a program’s enrollment has increased or decreased over the last five years.

The solutions provided within the report would require significant investments from the state and the Board of Regents.

& AE

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

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Decepticide: Anchorage’s long-standing metal band

By Kaitlyn Gaub admanager@thenorthernlight.org

Disclaimer: One member of The Northern Light is a bassist for Decepticide. This article does not mention this member or their affiliation with either community.

The alternative music scene in Anchorage — and Alaska in general — has been sparse the last few years. A band that has remained a mainstay of the scene is the thrash and melodic death metal band Decepticide.

The band performed at Chilkoot Charlie’s on Feb. 21 alongside COLORS MVMNT from Fairbanks.

Decepticide was formed by vocalist Ryan Hull, drummer Brian Harris and guitarist Enzo Montana in 2008. The Northern Light interviewed Hull and Montana about the band and the music scene in Anchorage.

The band has been going strong for seventeen years, and is a group based on their shared love of the music and friendship.

Hull said that all of the members are friends, have day jobs and most have kids.

The band’s first show was at Hull’s house on New Year’s in 2008, cementing the band’s beginning.

Anchorage has been the band’s main stage, but they have also played in Pennsylvania while touring for roughly one year. Pennsylvania is known as a large hub for heavier music in

PHOTO BY KAITLYN GAUB.

Decepticide’s logo at the show.

the U.S. The band grew up with the music scene here in Anchorage, and experienced waves of popularity. Montana said he mourns old all-ages venues that included Club Millennium and Anchorage Community Works.

Although, there are still some all-ages venues in Anchorage, like Out North and another space downtown, where the band performed a week prior to the Chilkoot Charlie’s show.

Hull and Montana had previously played for the band Murder Is Justice in Anchorage and were ready to try a new project.

Hull said introducing himself to playing music and metal in general seemed like a destiny.

“I’m like a fourth generation musician on my dad’s side, so it was always ingrained in me to do it,” said Hull.

“I met some people in high

school, and they just kind of started handing me music. And the first time I heard Pantera and Slayer that was saying, I grabbed the torch and just ran with it. I have ADHD like a mother fucker, so I’m always hunting new music,” Hull said.

Montana also cited Pantera as an influence for Decepticide.

After forming the band, Montana said they started exploring bands like Lamb of God and Darkest Hour, and started to inject some of the modern metalcore sound into their music.

Montana, originally from Columbia, became interested in metal music and playing guitar when he moved to the U.S. in 2001.

“My step brother, he had an electric guitar. I had never seen an electric guitar in my life and so he started playing some Metallica for me,” said Montana.

“And I was just blown away that you could replicate the sounds of songs that I recognized, and I just couldn’t believe that. So, like, I started playing music from there and playing heavy music too.”

As to why metal is the chosen genre for the band: “Metal is powerful. If music you’re listening to doesn’t affect your emotional state, it’s not doing its job. Metal, good metal, even songs I’ve listened to for ten years still give me goosebumps on the good spots.”

Hull and Montana both explained how they fight against the modern digital music scene while mostly relying on people coming to shows and buying CDs. “To get people interested in music is this right here. It’s live music, live shows, because

PHOTO BY KAITLYN GAUB.

Decepticide playing at Chilkoot Charlie’s.

Hidden Gem: West Berlin Beer and schnitzel will leave you begging for more at West Berlin

By Tanner Croft and Murat Demir Mountain View is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the entire United States, according to CNN. This diversity is reflected in the mix of restaurants representing various cultures. Along the main strip, Mountain View Drive, you will pass restaurants such as Hula Hands, Mekong Restaurant and Jamico’s Pizzeria.

Today, however, we will focus our attention on a local German restaurant: West Berlin.

West Berlin has been around for nearly a decade, and it is undeniable that its proximity to JBER contributes to its success.

Many soldiers have spent time in Germany, but this delicious German cuisine is not to be exclusively enjoyed by soldiers and airmen.

When patrons enter West Berlin, they will immediately notice the cultural atmosphere, including flags, steins, beer, and other things that often represent Germany. The dining room is spacious yet still maintains a cozy vibe.

There is also a small bar with four or five seats tucked away in the corner for patrons who prefer a more casual experience.

The low lighting and dark paint of the room help make the din-

PHOTO BY WEST BERLIN, COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.

Cultural items decorate the dining room at West Berlin restaurant on Mountain View Drive in Anchorage, Alaska.

ing experience feel intimate.

There was no music playing in the dining room, but the silence was not disruptive to the experience.

It would be out of place to discuss a German restaurant without mentioning its beer selection.

West Berlin has a wide array of bottled beers or on tap.

On tap, they offer six German beers and one from Austria, each available in various sizes including in 300ml, 500ml, or a full liter.

They offer 11 bottled German beers and one nonalcoholic

German brew. They also offer the typical local beers and more popular domestic and worldwide brews.

There is also a decent selection of wine by the glass or bottle.

The West Berlin menu offers patrons hors d’oeuvres to choose from when they are first seated.

We chose to have two pretzels and the kartoffelpuffer.

The pretzels are soft and warm and come served with mustard and cheese for dipping.

The cheese is a beer cheese and is sure to leave a lasting impression.

people can watch … but there is nothing like being there, and that’s why it’s so important for these all-ages venues to pop up,” said Montana.

“So like, kids who are growing up in such a, like streamingera experience, like real music in real time, and not just like, on a fucking click of a fucking button.”

Montana added that he hopes playing live shows will inspire younger artists to break into the scene.

The band also has a new EP in the works that is set to release over the summer, as well as a recently released single “Immolation.”

Anchorage’s music scene is small but mighty.

Hull said, “I think we’re about to see a good upswing.”

The kartoffelpuffer is a pancake-like mass of shredded potatoes and onions, served with apple paste and sour cream. In our opinion, it is best with sour cream.

The rahmschnitzel is a thin breaded and fried cutlet of chicken or pork with a mushroom cream sauce. We chose to order the chicken.

The chicken has a good balance of being both tender and crispy. The creamy sauce complements the cutlet perfectly.

Not much more you can say about this dish. It’s perfect.

The jägerschnitzel is similar

but is covered in gravy instead of a cream sauce.

The wiener schnitzel is just like the rahmschnitzel and jägerschnitzel, but it is served without sauce and includes a lemon for flavor.

Each schnitzel comes with two sides. While each of the sides we tried were good, one stood out above the others. The spätzle is an egg noodle dish made completely from scratch by the in-house chef.

It is delectable, and you should use both of your side slots to double up on this choice.

The currywurst mit pommes is a pair of fried sausages with curry ketchup on top, served with crinkle-cut fries. It’s not too spicy or too sweet — just the right balance allows this dish to dance across your tongue.

For diners who may still be hungry after their appetizers and entrées, there is a dessert option.

The apfelstrudel is a warm and flaky pastry filled with cinnamon apples and cranberries, served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Whether you are looking for a new cultural experience or are a fan of German food, West Berlin has you covered. The atmosphere is conducive to intimate conversation or jovial camaraderie, and the food is sure to leave you feeling satiated.

If you’re still unconvinced, name us another restaurant that will serve you a whole liter of beer at a time.

A&E

07

“Kingdom Come Deliverance 2”

By Tanner Croft columnist.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in medieval times? What it would be like to have to ration your food, sharpen your blade, bow to lords and witness the first firearm go off? Well, if you have, “Kingdom Come Deliverance 2” — “KCD2” — is the perfect game for you.

Whether you are a fan of the previous installment — “Kingdom Come Deliverance” — or you have just seen the recent hype surrounding this game, it is a wonderful time to jump into the series.

I myself have been a fan since the first game released back in 2018, so this is more than likely going to be my game of the year for 2025.

To jump into “KCD2,” you don’t necessarily need to play the first game, although it will help with the crushing difficulty

that this game can throw at you.

When asked about it, I have called this game a “hyperrealistic medieval simulator,” meaning that the combat is rigorous.

You have to bathe, eat, feed your companions and repair your armor and weapons just to stay alive in this world.

Throughout the campaign you will play as Henry, who is the main character from the first game.

While you are more experienced starting out in this game than you were in the first, you still have a lot to learn.

Being the son of a blacksmith and working his way into nobility, Henry is a step behind almost everyone that he interacts with, and you have to take time to invest in your skills.

Things such as drinking, thievery, horsemanship, swordplay, heavy weapons, archery, alchemy and crafting are all skills that will improve the more that you do them.

This is not like your typical role-playing game where you have to pick one specific build and run with it for the rest of the game. No, in “KCD2” you can become a master of all trades if you are willing to spend the time to do it.

Since the game is relatively new, I won’t talk about the story any more than that. Instead, I will discuss the aspects of gameplay which have improved since the first game.

Combat is one of the most beloved aspects of these games and the developers over at Warhorse Studios understood that when making “KCD2.”

They reworked the entire combat system so it is more approachable to new players. However, it is now even more rewarding and difficult to master.

If you have ever found yourself wishing that you had a game that was as difficult as a Soulslike, but in the first person, this might be something you want to

try. Not to say that “KCD2” is Souls-like — because it is not — just that it is incredibly difficult to master.

The crafting system is probably my favorite thing about this game. For whatever reason I get a massive dopamine release from blacksmithing and forging weapons inside of a game.

To perfect your crafting skill in this game, you need to spend time sharpening your blades, repairing your gear or actually forging new weapons.

When forging weapons, you not only need to work the forge to heat the metal, but you need to hammer it out properly and with good timing on your swings.

All of this needs to be done before you are allowed to temper the blade and sharpen it at a grindstone. Monotonous to some, but to me, it is the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Another massive improvement since the first game is the addition of crossbows and crude firearms. Considering that the game takes place in the early 15th century, firearms were not massively common yet, and

their historical accuracy within “KCD2” is a pleasant surprise.

They are less effective than the new addition of crossbows, but they serve well to scare off enemies who have never seen explosions before. The standard bow or a crossbow will still be more effective for players who prefer ranged combat, though, as these firearms are inaccurate and take forever to reload.

The learning curve of this game is steep. It is not one of those games where you can sit down and just be good at it. Even for an experienced gamer, you will need to learn new controls and approach difficult situations multiple times before you get the results that you want. However, if you are willing to dedicate some time to learning, “KCD2” is sure to challenge and entertain you.

But for now, I have spent enough time talking about “KCD2.” I need to get back to the forge — there are weapons that need to be made, and I have heard that Henry feels quite hungry.

Video: Fired to perfection: Video: Don Decker’s floating world Ceramics art installation in a solo exhibition on campus. named “My Floating World” and

By Anja Burnett video1@thenorthernlight.org

UAA’s Claybody ceramics club member’s annual art show is on display in the Hugh

McPeck Gallery until March 20th. Visit The Clay Body club’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UAAclaybody/ and its Instagram, @UAA_Ceramics, to learn more.

By Anja Burnett

video1@thenorthernlight.org

Don Decker, a former adjunct art professor at UAA, continues his legacy by participating

Decker has contributed to over 250 exhibitions within Alaska, held at least 35 solo exhibitions, and juried shows in 20 states, wielding decades of experience.

His most recent exhibition is

presents detailed abstract works about his relationship with nature and how it changes as he gets older

PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

Indigo Moren’s “Duality of Love” has two sides, one depicting happiness and the other, sadness.

The Freshman Farted PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.

“Arctic Circle” is one of Don Decker’s pieces in his recent solo exhibition, inspired by his relationship to nature.

Aurora and Boris CARTOON BY SAGE R. ROBBINS.

CARTOON BY ALEX LUANGASA.

08

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THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

09

Photos: Seawolves host open gym for Winterfest

By Justin Cox multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org

As part of UAA’s Winterfest activities, the Seawolves gymnastics team opened its practice gym to students, inviting them to try out the equipment they use for their competitions and training on Feb. 27. The gymnasts were on-site to help show students how to use the equipment and offer pointers.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

A student lifts herself up on the uneven bars.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

Bonifasi demonstrates a balance beam dismount.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

A student successfully leaps between the uneven bars.

Gymnast spotlight: Montana Fairbairn

By Justin Cox multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Montana Fairbairn is a fifth-year senior majoring in kinesiology with minors in psychology and athletics training. She has competed in gymnastics since she was 4 years old and competed at a national level in Canada before pursuing gymnastics as a level 10 gymnast while aiming to earn a scholarship. In 2019, Fairbairn competed in the Canada Winter Games, contributing to Team Alberta, coming in third and receiving the gold for the floor exercise.

Fairbairn chose UAA because she said it felt like home from the moment she arrived for her official visit.

After graduating, Fairbairn plans to continue her education in athletics training or physical therapy in hopes of working within the sports community.

Fairbairn most recently competed against Greenville at the Alaska Airlines Center, where she took first place in all three of her events. She scored a 9.7 on the vault, 9.7 on the balance beam and 9.725 on the floor exercise, helping the Seawolves to victory over Greenville with a final score of 192.3-182.675.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

Fairbairn waves to the crowd after one of her first-place scores is announced.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

Fairbairn performs a jump during the floor exercise.

Photos: Seawolves women’s basketball secure 2024-25 GNAC title The Seawolves women’s basketball team have secured at the least a tie for the GNAC title

By Justin Cox multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org

The Seawolves women’s basketball team has guaranteed they’ll end the season with at least a tie for the 202425 GNAC title, defeating the Seattle Pacific University Falcons 99-51 on Feb. 22. If the Seawolves win one of their two remaining regular-season games or Montana State Billings loses one of their remaining games, the GNAC title will belong solely to the Seawolves. This capped off a great season for the Seawolves, who broke or tied numerous records throughout the season, both as individual players and as a team. The Seawolves are currently 24-3 overall and 15-1 for GNAC. This was especially meaningful to the four UAA seniors who played for their last time at home. Ja’Niah Alexander, Emilia Long, Jazzpher Evans and Tori Hollingshead were all honored before the start of their last regular-season home game as Seawolves.

Update: With the Seawolves’ 89 to 66 defeat of the Western Oregon University Wolves on Feb. 27, they have secured sole rights to the 2024-25 GNAC title.

With this win, the Seawolves will enter the GNAC tournament next week in Lacey, WA as the No. 1 seed.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

Jaisa Gamble races after a loose ball.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.

Gamble lines up a free throw.

Seawolves pose with pieces of the game net.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

10

‘Happy to be a thorn in their side on this issue’: Faculty Alliance Chair on university’s changes to DEI Jenni Carroll is the chair of the Faculty Alliance and a professor at UAF who teaches courses on Alaska Native studies

By Matthew Schmitz editor@thenorthernlight.org

The University of Alaska Board of Regents met on Feb. 20 and 21 at the Kenai Peninsula College, a satellite campus of UAA. On the second day, the board moved to consider a motion. The text of the motion was not made public, and it wasn’t on the agenda.

Regent Seth Church read the text aloud.

“The University of Alaska Board of Regents reaffirms its dedication to being an inclusive, nondiscriminatory institution, committed to offering equal opportunity and access for all individuals,” he said.

Church continued reading.

“That the Universities’ websites and other electronic or print material representing each university, no longer refer to ‘affirmative action,’ ‘DEI’ nor utilize the words ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ ‘inclusion,’ or other associated terms.’”

As Church listed the terms, someone gasped.

Jenni Carroll is the Chair of the Faculty Alliance, a sharedgovernance body at the University of Alaska consisting of faculty across the university system.

She was present at the meeting.

“I can’t imagine that this was just completely last minute,” she said in an interview with The Northern Light.

“I think it was likely to be planned.”

She said, “We had no inkling that it was going to happen, of course, because it was not on the agenda, it was not discussed publicly. They went into executive session, and they came out and said, ‘boom,’ here we have it.”

“I had a student who was there and other people who told me afterwards they were shocked. There were tears.”

The motion passed 9-1. The

sole dissenting vote was from the student regent, Albiona Selimi.

Carroll said that at the end of the meeting the Staff Alliance representative, in their closing remarks, thanked the student regent.

“When the Staff Alliance representative thanked her, the audience clapped,” she said.

Carroll talked about the board’s decision not to make this process public.

She said, “Everybody is going, ‘We have entire missions that include diversity, equity and inclusion.’”

“Usually when you create a new mission statement, vision statement, values statements, these are things that are done as a process. They include all of your stakeholders, and they usually get voted on, at least for endorsement, by governance.”

“This puts that whole process into disarray … There really was no rush on this, and they have shot themselves in the foot by doing it in this way,” said Carroll.

She said there are people at the university who have been quiet about their disagreement with the university’s prior DEI policy, but the way things were done will not help.

“You’ve got the principles that are really important, and then you’ve got some policies.

And this just makes it even harder for us to have those hard conversations.”

She said she has heard from faculty since the motion was passed.

“The faculty I have heard from and the ones I’m connected to on Facebook, for example, are universally appalled … I’ve heard of people planning on decorating their doors with diversity, equity and inclusion, or utilizing those words more. Just a lot of condemnation.”

One of the biggest concerns she has heard from faculty is about academic freedom.

Carroll said she is appreciative that the board committed to

academic freedom in their motion.

She said that it’s a challenging time to deal with these changes.

“We would really like to get back to doing our jobs. We’re in the middle of the semester, we need to be focused on our teaching, our research, our students, our grading. It’s just really frustrating to be constantly chasing after these things,” she said.

“It’s just one of those things that’s sort of in the back of everyone’s mind: Can I just teach my class?”

Carroll herself is part of an Alaska Native studies and rural development program at UAF. She acknowledged that the board took time to recognize Alaska Native culture in their motion, but she has heard blowback from Alaska Natives.

“I have not seen positive response. I have seen some really angry responses from Alaska Natives.”

Carroll said they could still achieve the underlying goals of DEI programs, which seek to help students from marginalized communities be successful.

“We’ve had these systems in place for decades, at this point, and nobody wants to see them go away,” she said.

“I know the faculty and staff who are involved in all this, the faculty are not going to change how they are approaching this.

You don’t have to have or be allowed to have diversity, equity and inclusion as words or policies or programs to be welcoming of diversity, equity and inclusion.”

“I have been at the university for 25 years, and we have a really pretty decent track record, from what I hear from students over the years, of providing really quality DEI support, whether it’s DEI labeled or not.”

Carroll said the motion passed by the board will put a constraint on staff’s ability to help students.

“They’re in a tough spot … the staff may not get the same

PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents meet in the room 107 of the Gorsuch Commons on Nov. 10, 2023.

kind of support to do what they know is right.”

Carroll sees that impacting the work.

“In a sense I’m saying we can do this, because we have in the past. But it’s just so much harder, and we can’t be as effective, I don’t think.”

But the ability to do their jobs isn’t the only issue staff are facing.

Carroll said, “Staff are already feeling the squeeze in terms of their ability to speak out.”

Students too, she said, have told her about concerns about inclusiveness, free speech and ability to do research.

Carroll said, “This whole thing seems like an attack on their place and their welcome at the university.”

At the time of the interview, Carroll said that she did not know the underlying reasons why the board decided to pass the motion.

A week prior to the board’s vote, the U.S. Department of Education shared a letter — widely referred to as the “Dear Colleague letter” — with educational institutions across the country.

In the letter, the department laid out its interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court decision that made race considerations in college admissions illegal.

The Department of Education has broadly interpreted this decision as making all activities

at universities that have as any race-based qualification illegal and possible grounds for termination of federal funds.

Asked about the letter, Carroll said, “It’s a threat. It’s not yet the law of the land.”

Since the interview, Board of Regents Chair Ralph Seekins, said the letter was part of the grounds for moving forward with the motion, according to an article in the Alaska Beacon.

Seekins also pointed to the 2023 Supreme Court and Trump’s executive order relating to DEI as reasons behind the board’s motion.

A federal judge blocked Trump’s executive order the same day the board voted to approve the motion.

Carroll said that at a certain point, both students and employees are going to be making a decision of if to stay or leave the university; if they want to be a part of this.

She said, “For right now, I’m here. I’m doing my job. I’m fighting the good fight.”

“I’m happy to be a thorn in their side on this issue.”

Since the interview, Carroll along with the other chairs of the Faculty Alliance have published an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News blasting the board’s actions.

Audio of Board of Regents meeting was made available courtesy of Jake Dye with the Peninsula Clarion.

UA Board of Regents DEI practice assessment and elimination could affect Alaska Native Studies

By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org

The Alaska Native Studies Department at the University of Alaska Anchorage has fought many uphill battles, from establishing themselves as GER credit to ongoing efforts to rename the campus.

Now, they are staring down mandates from the Trump administration and a recent Board of Regents decision to end DEI practices, leaving the future of the department in a state of uncertainty.

The Northern Light spoke with Dr. Maria Williams, the Alaska Native Studies Department chair, to find out where the

department stands and how they will move forward.

In a letter drafted by Williams and sent to the Board of Regents — along with other state and nationally elected officials — she highlighted that the Board of Regents mandate to assess and review DEI programs.

“Overnight, UAA no longer has the non-discrimination website included on most university materials,” said Williams.

Williams pointed out that UAA as a whole is an incredibly diverse campus, as is represented in UAA’s Institutional Research data. She is adamant that this approved motion by the Board of Regents will not have a positive effect on UAA or the UA system as a whole.

“I don’t see how this will create a better place in the University system,” said Williams.

Williams also brought attention to the many academic and support programs at UAA that reflect diversity, including the Cama-I room, Indigenizing Education, Alaska Native Studies, Multicultural Student Services and more.

Williams highlighted that these programs, while being diverse in nature, support all students no matter their background. Despite the support, “they’re all programs at risk of being permanently altered or shut down,” said Williams.

The Board of Regents made the decision to end DEI across the UA system with a vote of

9-1. Williams said, “the biggest thing that disappointed me was there was little discussion and debate of the matter, and it was unanimous outside of the student regent. It felt like it showed their true colors.”

As of now, the Alaska Native Studies Department is still a part of UAA, and recently hosted an Elizabeth Peratrovich Day celebration. However, according to Williams, the celebration and the department as a whole could be at risk of being cut depending on future actions decided by the Board of Regents and the Trump administration.

“We just celebrated Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, which celebrates the fact that Alaska was the very first place in the United

States to pass civil rights legislation in 1945,” said Williams.

“The term anti-discrimination is being erased by the Board of Regents, which Peratrovich and others worked so hard for. You can’t get rid of tenured faculty, and it’s difficult to get rid of academic programs overnight, but there is a danger it could happen if these actions continue.”

Williams urged all concerned students, faculty and members of the community to contact representatives as well as the UA Board of Regents to reconsider the recent actions made toward DEI at universities. “We cannot be passive,” said Williams.

FEATURES

11

UAA still needs more Alaska Native representation

By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Change takes time. Especially when that change requires upheaval of long-standing practices.

As Elizabeth Peratrovich Day is being recognized by email and not campus-wide, the need for change is still prevalent, and UAA still needs more Alaska Native representation.

The Northern Light spoke with Alaska Native Studies Professor Zachary Milliman and Alaska Native Studies Department Chair Dr. Maria Williams on what progress has been made and what still needs to be done.

The Northern Light published an article titled “UAA needs more Alaska Native representation” in October 2024, but Milliman said he has not noticed any substantial change since it came out.

However, he said that Alaska Native programs — a group of staff and faculty independent of UAA’s administration — have continued to put on events and address the needs of the community of Alaska Native students and staff at UAA. Williams said, “The article helped because students read it, and it keeps Alaska Native Studies and Alaska Native programs on people’s radar.” However, she also noted there hasn’t been major change from an administra-

tion standpoint.

Milliman said there has long been an effort to rename the Anchorage campus to Chanshtnu — the place name of the land given by the Dene people.

“The name Chanshtnu would honor the lands of the Dena’ina and the fish camps that were violently dismantled to afford the expansion of Anchorage,” said Milliman.

Despite UAF’s campus being renamed to Troth Yeddha in 2013, there is no current timeline for the possible renaming of UAA’s campus, according to Milliman.

An institutional change that has been incredibly successful, according to Williams, is the creation of the Native-themed general education requirement — or GER. Williams said that while this change is the reason most students initially enroll in Alaska Native Studies classes, “they end up loving the class, and it ends up being one of their favorite classes.”

Both Milliman and Dr. Williams pointed to this being a major success for the program.

According to them, the GER has led to not only an increased volume of students taking an initial Native Studies class, but has seen many students take multiple classes within the program.

Currently, there is only an Associate of Arts and minor in Alaska Native Studies offered at

STAFF CONTACTS 3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508‌

reporter2@thenorthernlight.org

Columnist Nahla White

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Photo of a sculpture of Dena’ina matriarch ‘Grandma Olga’ near downtown Anchorage.

exposes those that take that to be sufficient,” he said.

Elizabeth Peratrovich passed the first civil rights legislation in the United States — twenty years prior to the Civil Rights Act. Milliman also stressed that, without the work of the Alaska Native Studies department and Alaska Native programs to put on events honoring people like Elizabeth Peratrovich, there would likely be no events put on by other organizations or UAA’s administration.

While the presence of clubs on campus has diminished in the wake of the pandemic, Williams said there are still groups including the Traditional Games Club and the Alaska Native Student Council that are active.

Williams said that she is hopeful that the strides that

Alaska Native Studies and Alaska Native programs have made to further their presence on campus will continue to go forward, and that the University will continue to allow the programs to grow.

Milliman said UAA’s administration needs to follow through on the promises laid out in the Alaska Native Success Initiative, but that faculty and students are doing their part to further grow the Alaska Native presence at UAA. Change is hard. Faculty and students continue to undertake herculean efforts to create space and representation at UAA. And although UAA’s administration has taken some steps in the right direction, UAA still needs more Alaska Native representation, and it needs to come from the top.

A S S O C I AT E D CO L L E G I AT E P R ES S Reporter Sage R. Robbins

Executive Editor Matthew Schmitz

UAA. Although there is no major in Alaska Native Studies at this time, the department is currently in the process of creating one.

Williams said Alaska Native Studies was the recipient of a Mellon Foundation grant totaling $400,000 over the next three years. The primary purpose of this grant is to develop a Bachelor of Arts in Alaska Native Studies, with the goal of the department being to also create a Master of Arts in Alaska Native Studies that will have shared credits with the bachelor’s program.

This process will likely take a couple years to complete, but the grant from the Mellon Foundation is a major step in the right direction for Alaska Native Studies expanding its offerings on campus, according to Williams.

Williams also highlighted the efforts of the College of Arts and Sciences’ fundraiser Craig Miller who secured the Alaska Native Studies program two $2000 scholarships for next year.

With only emails coming out from UAA’s administration regarding Elizabeth Peratrovich Day on Feb. 16, Milliman said the performative recognition doesn’t diminish the work she did in her lifetime.

“Recognition limited to an email or a press release does not diminish the importance of figures like Peratrovich, but rather

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12

FEATURES

Zero-waste groceries at Blue Market AK Spenard grocery store offers Anchorage an eco-friendly shopping experience

By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Every decision we make has ethical implications — even going to the grocery store. Blue Market AK recognizes this and provides Anchorage with an environmentally ethical way to shop.

The Northern Light visited Blue Market AK to provide readers firsthand reporting on the shopping experience.

Tucked out of sight on 31st Avenue off Spenard Road, Blue Market AK first opened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The store is described as a “womanowned neighborhood grocery store” with a “refillery model” of shopping that adheres to a “zero-waste” philosophy, according to the store’s website.

Customers are offered a variety of nonlocal and Alaskagrown goods to choose from, including baked goods, meats, produce, household cleansers and other items.

Blue Market AK stocks items based on their impact to the environment and works to keep a

PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.

PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.

Front entrance to Blue Market AK on 31st Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska.

A product display at Blue Market AK.

minimum of 45% locally made products available, as noted on its website.

Upon entering, customers will notice a variety of bulk products in containers, ranging from spices to hygiene products.

Other nonrefillable items are available in eco-friendly packaging.

Customers can bring their own jars or other vessels to purchase bulk items. Blue Market AK also carries jars available for purchase if necessary.

To purchase bulk products, customers must first weigh their jar and write down its empty weight. This is known as “tare weight.”

Then, the jar can be filled with the product of choice and weighed at the counter by a store clerk when checking out.

Blue Market AK also allows customers with a surplus of jars to donate them to the store — providing another environmentally conscious system.

The store clerks were friendly

and willing to answer questions about store procedures during The Northern Light’s coverage.

As stated on its website, the store’s atmosphere is curated to create a “slow shopping” experience, and the number of item choices is reduced in an effort to “address shopping-overload anxiety.”

During The Northern Light’s visit, the intentional arrangement and item selection created a noticeably relaxed environment.

Greek life: Fraternities

that we kinda sit down and ask ‘ok how are we gonna do it this semester?’”

After 20 years of being a part of UAA’s community, they have yet to miss their goal. They also donate to smaller philanthropies if they exceed their donation goal for St. Jude.

Last semester TKE had their main philanthropy event, Rent a TKE, which resulted in a surprising amount of funds, all of which were donated to St. Jude.

Rent a TKE is an event that involves the brothers “renting” themselves out to the community for tasks and skills they can contribute to a project.

Ford described his presidency as a surprise at being able to corral a group of guys together to make plans for events. He said that by remaining flexible they are able to communicate ideas, plans and goals to accomplish together throughout the semester. Ford said the brothers take a lot of pride in accomplishing their goals, whether they’re fundraising events or personal gettogethers.

Ford explained that time management was one of the hardest parts of being president.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s always an issue, but especially for me, sometimes I have to kind of limit the amount of fun that I’m having to allow other people to have more fun. It’s not really something I’ve struggled with immensely; it’s just probably the hardest part,” he said.

Ford described the personality types in TKE as very wellrounded.

“I get the idea that there’s everyone wearing polo shirts and they’re all like jocks and they wanna do pre-workout and just hit pumps and stuff like that.

It’s definitely not like that,” said Ford. “We have a pretty good spread of academics, people who are more athletic minded, people who like playing games, or who like going outside.”

Regarding fraternities: “I get the idea that there’s everyone wearing polo shirts and they’re all like jocks and they wanna do preworkout and just hit pumps and stuff like that.” — Owen Ford

By Sage R. Robbins reporter2@thenorthernlight.org

Many students wonder about the party and Greek life scene on campus. This article will cover two fraternities — Alpha Sigma Phi and Tau Kappa Epsilon — identifying how they contribute to campus life and the UAA social scene.

Alpha Sigma Phi is the youngest fraternity on campus.

Its president Colton Mosbaugh, vice president Brandon Adams, and around 10 members revitalized the fraternity from nothing and claimed the title of founding fathers. According to the fraternity’s vice president, more than 40 students have expressed interest in joining the fraternity.

The Northern Light interviewed vice president Brandon Adams, who spoke on all things Alpha Sigma Phi. Adams said a national recruiter reached out to them and “me and the guys decided that this would be a fun thing for us to start up, like a big project to work on. And also the idea of being a founding father to a guy’s ears is very appetizing.”

Adams said the organization is struggling to find a place on campus to call their own to host functions for other students.

Adams said, “There are a lot of places on campus that we can rent rooms out, but there’s not a lot you can do in those rooms that’s fun for a group of guys.”

Adams explained some of the fraternities plans for the future, including a trip for members and getting their own house.

Adams described the process of starting a fraternity as being both fun and time consuming.

“Creating a whole schedule,

planning out finances, planning out activities and things to do.

And then trying to find the time where everyone is available to hang out together. It’s just a lot of work,” he said.

Adams said financial aspects involving the fraternity falls on the students based on their semester schedule and how much they want to contribute. The cost, called semester dues, is split evenly between the members.

Adams mentioned the bond that forms between members of the fraternity and how current members also share a bond with past members. “Once they are officially a brother in the frat, they are brothers for life,” he said.

As the interview came to an end, Adams said, “I want to shout out our honorary member Cassie, she’s our cleaning lady.

She just goes around and we pay her a little bit to pick up after us whenever we have an event — shout out Cassie.”

Tau Kappa Epsilon’s president, Owen Ford has been president for over a year. There are 12 brothers in the frat, the majority of whom live on campus. Ford described the organization as one big friend group.

Tau Kappa Epsilon — known as TKE — has been partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since the hospitals founding. Danny Thomas joined the fraternity in 1962 and later helped found St. Jude, asking his brothers to help volunteer and raise money for the cause.

Each semester Tau Kappa Epsilon has committed to donate to St. Jude. Ford explained that “It’s never really felt like a chore. It’s always just something

Shoppers moved mindfully, weighing their jars and filling them with goods.

Clerks helped customers select baked goods from behind the counter, while other patrons checked out at the register before departing to the parking lot.

The addition of an ecofriendly grocery store to Anchorage benefits both the community and the environment, offering a valuable shopping experience for the ethical consumer.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYDEN INMAN.

Fraternities and sororities celebrate Thanksgiving with a fun social.

Ford said he doesn’t think there’s a specific type of person who would want to join the fraternity and that the people who join are willing to put themselves out there and see what might interest them.

To advertise Tau Kappa Epsilon, Ford helps with tabling events, making posters and having a presence on campus. According to Ford, talking to new students, helping people move into the dorms and trying to be more of an active force on campus are all ways the fraternity gets out in the UAA community.

Rush is their main social event on campus, which also serves as a recruiting event. It happens once every semester.

This year, Rush will take place Feb. 17 through Feb. 21. During Rush, different events occur every day of the week, and are open to the community. The activities are social minded with events ranging from game show night to bowling.

The brothers do many activities on campus, Ford commented, “I think the better question is what do we not do as a group.”

Although they do not have their own house, Ford said it is

very normal to have brothers in his dorm, whether they’re studying, getting food, playing cards or hanging out.

Tau Kappa Epsilon plans on doing more brotherhood events this semester such as sledding, going to the movies and playing games in the Esports Lounge.

They also intend to do more community events to show that they’re not just an organization that functions privately.

Ford said that TKE dream of getting their own frat house, however, he explained that university policies are strict against Greek Life housing. Although, there are plans that they will be able to have a Mac apartment instead. He said it would be a ‘superficial change’ since there is already a Mac full of TKE members who requested to room together at the start of the semester.

Ford said that if students were looking for a way to find a traditional college experience, joining Greek life would be one of the best things to do. He said Greek life brings students a sense of community beyond other social events on campus and meeting classmates.

FEATURES

13

Greek life: Sororities “You’re not paying for friends or paying for bridesmaids, you’re just enjoying your time in college and getting through with people who have very similar thinking as you.” — Hayden Inman

By Sage R. Robbins reporter2@thenorthernlight.org

Alpha Sigma Alpha has been a part of the UAA community for more than 20 years. Hayden Inman was voted for president in December and shared some of her experiences with The Northern Light.

Inman said she does not feel confined in the role as she oversees everything in the sorority.

Being the president helps her connect with each of her sisters in Alpha Sigma Alpha.

Inman explained that everyone in the sorority is very close, with no worry of “cliques” and that Alpha Sigma Alpha is a big sisterhood without the pressures of falling into needed roles.

She said the most challenging part of running a sorority is knowing what to do, since each fraternity and sorority on campus functions so differently.

According to Inman, in order to see change, leaders will run into uncomfortable situations to figure out what needs to be done for the sorority, while keeping a professional yet friendly relationship with the other women in leadership positions.

As a sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha often volunteers off campus with The Covenant House, Girls on the Run, Alaska and the Special Olympics. They have plans to volunteer at the Night to Shine dance with Tri Sigma, the other sorority at UAA. The dance is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation as a prom night for people with disabilities. The sorority also volunteers on campus if there is

an event. Students can also find Alpha Sigma Alpha tabling in the Student Union to share their message with new students.

The sisters have study nights with Tri Sigma most Friday nights. These study nights are open to any students. Inman said, “It’s just a good time when more people are there.”

Inman mentioned a Greek life event called Greek Week, which is a week-long event among all the sororities and fraternities on campus. They have fundraising competitions, olympic games and more activities throughout the week.

There are quarter socials twice a semester when all the sororities and fraternities on campus gather and plan an event. In October of last semester, they had a Halloween night with food, games and festive costumes.

According to Inman they have fall recruitment in September, which is a formal recruitment process. However, throughout the spring semester the sorority takes part in Continuous Open Bidding, meaning sisters can continue to recruit their friends to the sorority after attending a social event together.

Inman shared that when she first came to UAA, she never planned on joining a sorority.

“Who even knew that UAA had a sorority or even multiple sororities?” she said.

Inman said her roommate at the time invited her to sorority recruitment, where she felt she should become more involved on campus.

“Joining a sorority was ex-

actly what I needed to be able to get involved and feel like I had a community no matter where I was,” she said.

“If you’re in Eagle River, the Valley, or Anchorage … we get people all over the state of Alaska, you’re gonna have a friend and somebody to be with,” said Inman.

She concluded with, “There’s always things that are going on and if you’re nervous to join a sorority or if you are very put off by the whole fraternity sorority life, I would just say keep an open mind because it’s not really what you think it is. You do more volunteering, you’re not paying for friends or paying for bridesmaids, you’re just enjoying your time in college and getting through with people who have very similar thinking as you.”

Sigma Sigma Sigma, or Tri Sigma for short, was the first thread of Greek Life to land on UAA’s campus, making them the oldest sorority. They were founded on Dec. 13, 1997.

Tri Sigma president Kasia Standifer and chapter success and alumni manager Lauryn Worley explained what their sorority life is like.

Worley joined the sorority at the start of fall semester 2024.

She described the best part of being in the sorority as being able to make meaningful connections quickly and grow a community, especially during their fall semester weekend retreat at an AirBnB in Eagle River.

Worley said, “I know that sounds like such a cliche ‘oh I got to spend so much time and we got to know each other better’ but it’s true.”

Worley said a challenge she faces in the sorority is “the business of life” where scheduling, time management and attending campus events can become dif-

ficult.

Standifer was elected president last December and has been in Tri Sigma since 2021. Social events for Tri Sigma include tabling in the Student Union and spreading awareness for other campus and community events.

The sorority has also been trying to become more involved with the UAA community this year.

Tri Sigma begins recruitment during the fall semester and holds presentations to discuss what the sorority is about, their values and history to inform prospective sisters.

Later in the semester, they have a sisterhood night, where they play games and have ice breakers to bond with anyone interested in joining. After a week of fall recruitment, they have Continuous Open Bidding throughout the year.

Worley described the first night of the recruitment process as a little overwhelming, but fun due to all the excitement other sisters had in her joining. For the rest of the week, as Worley continued to bond with the sisters, she knew Tri Sigma was the inclusive community she wanted to be a part of.

Standifer talked about the Night to Shine dance on Feb. 7, where the sisters would be assigned to party members as “buddies.”

“We’ll essentially be their dates for the night,” said Standifer.

Both Standifer and Worley discussed Greek Week, which will take place from March 30 until April 5. The event will be almost a full week of activities, primarily to help the UAA fraternities and sororities raise money for their philanthropies.

Standifer said the fraternities are planning to have a dunk tank and a pie in the face activity to

help raise money for their organizations.

Some games throughout Greek Week may be a Jeopardy and trivia night, canoe battleship in the Avis Alaska Sports Complex pool and other fun activities. Saturday of that week is when their Greek Olympics will take place. Typical games would be tug of war, graveyard dash and more. The last night of the week is for awards where members of Greek Life dress up and share a meal together.

Tri Sigma does not have their own house. Standifer explained, “There are many different reasons, but one of the main ones is UAA is more so a commuter campus so it wouldn’t really make sense and it’s a smaller campus compared to those in the lower 48.”

Standifer mentioned the Living Learning Community, where each fraternity and sorority would get their own Mac apartment. Members would be able to live in the Macs and also have chapter meetings.

She said many members of Greek life already live on campus and many have expressed an interest in having their own area.

Standifer said, “Should everything go to plan, it should be implemented in the fall starting next semester.”

Worley explained sorority life, in addition to strengthening peers, “I feel like there’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding what a sorority is or isn’t, and I feel like, while stereotypes stem from somewhere, here at UAA, the sorority stereotype I feel like is far from accurate. Our sorority is all about empowering women.”

Worley said Tri Sigma does not fall into the stereotype of partying sororities and other common misconceptions.

Fraternity and Sorority Life A follow-up on Greek life

By Sage R. Robbins reporter2@thenorthernlight.org

After The Northern Light interviewed many sorority and fraternity presidents, there were some big questions left unanswered regarding fraternity and sorority life at UAA. The Northern Light interviewed Student Organization Services’ student organization coordinator Shelby Kreigh for more information on official campus policies regarding fraternity and sorority life — or FSL — housing, the Living Learning Community, and policies regarding LGBTQ+ students interested in joining.

Kreigh has worked with a multitude of other campuses, as well as for an international and national organization that oversaw a variety of chapters.

She has traveled to universities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and across the Midwest offering chapter support. She is a former member of a sorority in Idaho that had more than 100 sisters.

Kreigh shared the Student Organizations Handbook, which explains the complex hierarchy of FSL systems.

Fraternities across the country report to the Interfraternity

Council, the governing body on campus that reports to the university, and the North American Interfraternity Conference, known as NIC. Sororities report to the Panhellenic Council, which reports to the university and the National Panhellenic Conference — known as the NPC. Each fraternity or sorority on a respective campus is just one chapter, or one section, of a national or international fraternity or sorority.

FSL also reports to international organizations who help fund FSL, who in turn also report to NIC and NPC. Kreigh said some branches of FSL are not allowed to have their own chapter house because of international or national affiliation. Occasionally, there is a third party that their international or national organization can outsource to.

The Board of Regents oversees each University of Alaska campus and oversees the Student Affairs Policy of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Kreigh elaborated on the regents’ policy regarding FSL. “It essentially says we’re allowed to have fraternities and sororities and it’s up to each individual campus how they want to govern those. And that includes things like housing, advi-

sors, etc,” she said.

She explained the only policy for UAA regarding housing is that it has to be approved by the chancellor.

UAA plans to introduce the Living Learning Community, which would provide FSL with their own MAC apartments.

Kreigh is working with the Department of Residence Life to provide designated MAC apartments specific to fraternities and sororities as a chapter house.

Nothing is solidified yet, but paperwork is being processed to potentially introduce a pilot program in the fall semester, according to Kreigh.

The Living Learning Community could be beneficial to Resident Assistants, or RA’s.

According to Kreigh, RA’s are required to host social or educational events every semester.

Since many FSL members already live on campus, Residence Coordinators suggested the idea of putting them together in the same MAC to create tailored events for the chapters.

Finally, Kreigh said no organizations across campus would discriminate against students interested in FSL who identify as homosexual, transgender, nonbinary or anyone falling under the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Kreigh said house placement regarding transgender students is determined by the interna-

PHOTO BY SAGE R. ROBBINS.

FSL board in Student Union

tional or national organizations individually. Each organization has different rules; however, the majority do not discriminate.

Largely, if a student’s identity aligns with the FSL organization, they are accepted. However, some only accept students based on their legal sex — male or female — to determine their membership criteria.

“Fraternities and sororities do federally have protection to be single-sex organizations, so that makes it even more complicated,” Kreigh said.

Kreigh said that locally, UAA chapters are more inclusive due to their size. “I think that they’re small enough that they just want people to join, so it’s less about

the gender identity for our local organizations.”

Kreigh wanted to express the distinction between Fraternity and Sorority Life and Greek life. Although FSL is socially referred to as Greek life, the media often portrays the title negatively.

She said the term “Greek life” can also be misleading since — aside from the letters naming the organizations — there is nothing Greek about them.

At UAA, Kreigh said the stereotypes are acknowledged but also challenged. “I do truly believe that at UAA things are different. It is a much more inclusive community than what I’ve seen,” she said.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

Right Answers Only Satire: Spring Break. Disclaimer: Under no circumstances should you ever tan on the mudflats

By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Spring break is a favorite part of the semester for many college students. It marks the halfway point in the semester, and is a time where many students take a week to travel and get away from the stress of college life.

Students at UAA often attempt to travel somewhere they deem more “sunny” and “pleasant” than Anchorage.

What students fail to realize is that Anchorage is all that — and more.

Not only is Anchorage sunny and pleasant in March, but there is no better place on planet Earth to spend your spring break.

Let’s start with the obvious — Anchorage is sunnier than anywhere else in the world. Popular spring break destinations like Cancun, Rio de Janeiro and Kona would have you believe that they have the sunniest skies.

However, this is due to local governments investing billions of dollars into Sunny Sky Projectors that help boost tourism through artificial sunlight.

Luckily for Alaska’s pitiful

budget, Anchorage’s skies don’t need to rely on artificial sunlight for them to be a beautiful blue all throughout the spring.

Another common reason people cite when leaving the state is the claim that Anchorage is cold during the spring. To that, I say it’s all in your head, and clothing is a placebo for how your body perceives temperature.

Whenever people in Anchorage are out and about wearing puffy jackets, they think it’s cold. But when those same people are on a beach in Hawaii in swimsuits, they think it’s warm.

This is because it’s not actually the weather that controls the temperature, but your mindset.

Big Cold has manipulated the world’s minds into believing temperature is independent of your mind to keep people buying cold weather gear.

If you stop letting clothing control the way your brain perceives temperature, every day will feel like a balmy 80 degrees — whether you’re in shorts or snow pants.

There’s also a major misconception that, if you want to go tan on a beach over spring

Sound and Sociology Can the revolution really be televised? I explore this question through my own interpretation of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance

By Nahla White columnist2@thenorthernlight.org

In these unprecedented times, Gil Scott-Heron’s poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” has become more relevant than ever. It speaks to people who expect change to come without sacrifice and instead choose to go about their daily lives as if upholding the status quo isn’t putting a huge burden on all of us.

Creating a social movement has never been easy. It requires copious amounts of time, planning, and sacrifice that a lot of people are unwilling to entertain, such as giving up the luxuries and conveniences that we’ve grown accustomed to.

Rather than establish communal connections and invest in mutual aid resources, we’d much rather turn to escapism as a means of coping, waiting for the revolution to be televised instead.

In Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance he interpolates Scott-Heron’s poem with the lines, “the revolution is about to be televised.

You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”

His callback to the famous poem — and the performance as a whole — received mixed responses. As expected, there were the conservatives that claimed it was the worst halftime performance ever, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, some compared Kendrick

Lamar’s commentary to the moment Katniss Everdeen aimed her arrow at President Coin in the third Hunger Games book.

But the section of the internet that I found myself mostly engaging with is the radical leftist portion that claims that Kendrick’s halftime performance wasn’t revolutionary.

Most of these takes have a commonality, being that any performance on the world stage cannot truly be radical due to the fact that most artists undergo egregious amounts of censorship to appeal to the masses.

On top of that, a lot of people believe that any performance/art exchanged for immense capital is inherently anti-revolutionary.

They’re valid critiques that perfectly encapsulate the contradictory relationship between Hip Hop’s modern capitalist culture and its history as an anti-establishment medium of expression.

Where they fall flat for me though, is the little leeway given to the idea that art, even produced by the wealthy, lacks any sort of potential to be considered radical.

When asking the question of how and when art becomes revolutionary, I think the most conclusive answer lies in the response that it elicits from the consumer.

It sounds like a cop out, and in many ways it can be, but it feels wrong to dismiss art and music created by rich entities as having absolutely zero potential

PHOTO COURTESY OF AIRBNB.

While visually appealing, this beach doesn’t even come close to being as amazing as Anchorage during spring break.

break, you need to leave Anchorage to do so.

Along with the disproven arguments of temperature and weather that people often bring up, there is also the claim that Anchorage has no beaches to tan on.

The reason? Big Sand.

Big Sand has planted the seed in the minds of many that a beach is required for tanning, and it has to be photogenic and covered in chairs and umbrellas.

What Big Sand doesn’t want you to know is that mudflats are actually better places to tan than beaches. This is due to the differences between sand, which is rough and gets everywhere, and mud, which is not only soft but also a natural sunscreen.

If you try to go out and tan on the mudflats, people will probto be radical.

While the figure themselves might not be revolutionary, that doesn’t mean their art lacks the ability to inspire and ignite.

When applying this line of thinking to Kendrick’s work, I think the bar is a bit lower considering his history of implementing sociopolitical issues in his music.

Anyone who has listened to a decent amount of his discography would know that social commentary, while complementary to his work, isn’t at the forefront of his core themes and ideologies.

On “reincarnated,” one of my favorite tracks from “GNX,” Kendrick discusses how he feels his life purpose is to inspire the masses through his music. It’s not him claiming to be a revolutionary, and it’s not him adopting the visuals or watered down ideals of Black radicalists.

Even though Kendrick’s interpolation of Scott-Heron’s poem can be read as him coopting those beliefs, I think his proclamation the revolution will be televised is purposely tongue-in-cheek, suggesting the real revolution will spark as a result of his performance.

Writer and activist Toni Cade Bambara once said that it is the artist’s job to “make revolution irresistible.” While it may not happen overnight, people are already catching a glimpse of what it looks like to challenge the status quo.

The spike in searches for Scott-Heron’s poem and the phrase “40 acres and a mule” increased by nearly 100% on Google in the days following the performance.

Education and exposure is a powerful tool that can be used to convert the masses. While

ably try and tell you that “it’s dangerous,” “you’ll get trapped out there” or “you’ll die.”

These people all secretly tan out on the mudflats and know the benefits of tanning out there — they’re just trying to gatekeep it for themselves.

So if someone tries to stop you, that’s even better indication that you’ll be nice and tan after a couple hours laying out on that patch of mudflat.

Yet another reason people say they need to leave Anchorage for spring break is because they suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. The existence of SAD has already been disproven in a previous article, and just like temperature, it’s all in your head.

Simply decide that you’re happy in Anchorage and you will be

14

happy.

The last claim that people often make is that they just can’t party in Anchorage like they can in other places for spring break.

College students love huge parties, but for some reason believe that those simply don’t exist in Anchorage.

People love to complain that everything in Anchorage is closed after 8 p.m. and there’s no way that a week-long rager could take place like in Ibiza.

There are two words that describe these claims: skill issue.

Quite simply, throw a rager.

If every college student in Anchorage goes on a week-long bender and throws parties, then more people will flock from out of state to get in on the action.

Soon enough, Anchorage will be the party destination for spring break. The lack of parties in Anchorage simply comes from a lack of trying. If people started trying to throw parties and stopped leaving the state to party elsewhere, every spring break would be one huge party.

While many have long been fed lies that spring break is better spent elsewhere, there is no better place to spend it than Anchorage. Hopefully more people realize this in years to come, and Anchorage will finally take its rightful place as the top spring break destination in the world.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER POLK.

Kendrick Lamar performing at Super Bowl LIX with dancers dressed in colors representing street gangs as well as the American flag.

it shouldn’t always be the job of the oppressed to educate others, many have mistaken that sentiment for the rejection of education outright.

One of the main issues with modern leftism is that there’s minimal space provided for growth and understanding. The lack of tolerance, nuance, varying opinions and views creates further division and prevents collective efforts toward change from having any lasting impact.

Direct action is a key component of revolutionary change, and part of that direct action involves uplifting and inspiring those around us. Whether that comes in the form of music, performance art, mutual aid, or celebration, building a sense of community and understanding is the only way to bring about liberation.

Regardless of where you stand in the conversation, it is clear that there is no revolution without direct action. To achieve this, we have to stop expecting celebrities to bear the brunt of the burden.

Music can be powerful and has the ability to change lives in

incredible ways, but we, as the masses, can’t allow it to be the be-all and end-all of the situation.

I don’t fully agree with their take on the role of art created by the rich, but writer Ismatu Gwendolyn proclaims that “we, the masses, lack radical imagination,” and cannot conceptualize a world where we take direct action against the powers that be — and I cannot agree more.

While I don’t think Kendrick’s wealth diminishes the weight that his work holds in terms of inspiring the masses, I do believe that the people need to break ourselves out of the mindset that this is the way things have to be.

Successful social movements never came about because the actors were playing by the rules created by the establishment.

Late-stage capitalism does make it difficult for working class people to deviate from the status quo, but we have been brainwashed into thinking that this is all there can be.

In order to begin the change, we need to start with undoing that line of thinking.

OPINION

15

Illegal Actions by the UA BOR

By Dr. Abel Bult-Ito UAF Professor of Neurobiology and Neurophysiology

The University of Alaska Board of Regents — Anderson, Church, Colligan, Crum, Harrison, Jepsen, Michel, Resler and Seekins — passed a motion on Feb. 21, 2025, to gut the University of Alaska’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Regent Selimi was the only member of the BOR to show humanity, compassion and a moral compass by voting NO. With this motion the BOR is attempting to destroy the very essence of what we are as a public university while being guided by political ideology.

My parents were born during World War II under German occupation. I would not be here if my grandparents had not protected my parents. I would not have known my grandfather if my grandmother had not delayed the Nazis at the front door of their small family farm so my grandfather was able to run across their fields in the back and escape in the woods. The Nazis were rounding up village males that day for execution in retaliation for attacks by the Dutch Re-

PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents meet in the room 107 of the Gorsuch Commons on Nov. 10, 2023.

sistance. Elon Musk’s sieg heils are unpleasant reminders of this very dark time in world history.

The BOR motion and its directives are unconstitutional and violate our First and Fifth Amendment rights.

The relevant executive orders and guidance they refer to in order to justify their illegal actions are under temporary restraining orders because federal judges

believe them to be illegal and unconstitutional.

The BOR therefore violated the U.S. Constitution and anyone at the University of Alaska who executes their directives would also be violating our Constitution.

The BOR stated that it “reaffirms its dedication to being an inclusive, nondiscriminatory institution, committed to offering

equal opportunity and access for all individuals,” but this is in direct conflict with the content of the motion to scrub DEI from public university records.

The BOR also stated “We also reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a welcoming environment and honoring Alaska Native culture and heritage” in an attempt to placate an important segment of our students and

university employees. This is disrespectful and disingenuous at best.

I do not see how the Regents who voted YES can remain on the BOR and have any credibility left.

If they were to resign now, at least the students and employees of the University of Alaska would know that they took responsibility for their irresponsible actions and that they have a modicum of decency left.

If they remain on the BOR, they will forever be known as the ones who violated the U.S. Constitution and were responsible for the demise of the University of Alaska as we know it.

Dr. Bult-Ito is a Professor of Neurobiology and Neurophysiology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he has taught, conducted research and provided service for almost 26 years. He teaches courses in neurobiology, behavioral neuroscience research capstone, mentoring in the sciences and cell and molecular biology. His research focuses on the development of a new drug for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Bult-Ito’s service this year includes UAF Faculty Senate president, member of the UA Faculty Alliance, and secretary of United Academic AAUP-AFT Local 4996.

Gamer Recognizes Game Game review column: “Civilization IV”

By Scott Hobbs associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Sid Meier’s “Civilization” series is a set of games that has managed to withstand the test of time. Each new entry brings something new to the table, but the core of the game has remained mostly the same for years. However, there was one point in the series that a major shift was made.

And now, with “Civilization VII” releasing to mixed reviews, there is no better time to go back and look at the “Civilization” game that had the series perfected before the major shift in its design philosophy.

Released back in 2005, “Civilization IV” doesn’t immediately stand out from the games that came before or after it.

Just like other games in the series, it’s an explore, expand, exploit, exterminate — or 4X — turn based strategy game centered around being a major world leader from history and constructing your civilization from the ground up.

You pursue one of five win conditions ranging from conquering the world to winning a popularity contest hosted by the United Nations. If none of the conditions are achieved before the in-game year of 2050, the nation with the most points wins.

The game can be played with other human players, computer

players, or completely on your own in a custom game. One highlight of “Civilization IV” is that it’s regarded as having the best computer opponents in the entire series.

In particular, the ability to play with others on one computer through the hot seat function was a blast. I myself have fuzzy memories of projecting the game onto a wall in my garage and playing with my brother and friends.

Another element that was a major step up from previous games was the graphics. The fully animated 3D graphics of “Civilization IV” were the first of their kind in the series. Not only do they make the map and gameplay feel more immersive, but they also give world leaders more character by making them more expressive.

In terms of difficulty, depending on what level you play at, “Civilization IV” can either be incredibly mindless and relaxing or rage inducing and unfair. The game has a wide range of difficulties set by the player, which change how computercontrolled enemy nations function, along with the rogue barbarians scattered across the map.

Barbarians serve as a way to keep the player honest, as you don’t have full sight of the map at the start of a game. All you can see is where you have explored, and sending a unit out

undefended could result in a barbarian appearing and killing the unit. Players can either roll the dice and hope they don’t encounter a barbarian, or take extra time to create a military unit to send out.

“Stacking” is a feature still available in this game but was removed in “Civilization V” and onward. “Civilization IV” is notorious for allowing players to assemble the largest army possible, move them in one cohesive unit, and send them to swarm their enemies. While this feature wasn’t perfect, the one-unit-pertile solution in “Civilization V” and onward only serves to make combat feel more clunky.

“Civilization IV” also had three expansions released at different points in the game’s lifespan — Beyond the Sword, Warlords and Colonization.

“Colonization” is a remake of the original Sid Meier’s “Colonization,” and is a more focused version of the “Civilization” formula.

Instead of the game running from 4000 B.C. to A.D. 2050, the game takes place from 1492 to 1792 in what was at the time the “New World.” Be the first colony to establish yourself and overthrow your ruling nation and you win the game.

Warlords and Beyond the Sword are both expansions on the base game of “Civilization IV,” with Beyond the Sword being the most comprehensive of the three.

Recognized by many as the

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.

greatest game in the series — as well as one of the greatest game series of all time — “Civilization IV” is also noteworthy for having its theme “Baba Yetu” be the first video game song to win a Grammy.

Ultimately, modern “Civilization” games are totally different from “Civilization IV.” It is that stark shift that has honestly made it harder for me to pick up

newer entries in the series.

Despite at this point having sunk hundreds of hours into it, I don’t think “Civilization IV” is going to get old anytime soon.

This game perfected the formula of the “Civilization” series, and in my opinion, will always be the best game in the franchise.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2025

16

Croft’s Comments This week people show concern about my future outside of college, my relationship status, my spring break plans, their own spring break plans and more!

By Tanner Croft columnist.editor@thenorthernlight.org

Q: Do you ever worry about the digital footprint you’ll be leaving behind after you graduate and/or leave the paper? Everything’s out there in perpetuity…

A: Not even a little bit. I have already gone out and done real life. I am doing college purely because I thought it would be fun. This is my life and I live it completely free of judgement from others. In addition, nothing I have done here at the paper is going to leave any kind of blemish on my record.

Q: What color should we change the light to then…?

A: This question is in response to a previous comment that someone had made about the lighting in the Esports Lounge: Personally, I love the lighting. I do not think that y’all should change it.

Q: What are you even supposed to do for spring break in Alaska?

A: There is a lot to do! Skiing and snowboarding are great ways to get outside and have some fun, but there is plenty to do even if you’re not big into winter sports. Personally, I will be treating Anchorage like my own personal Cancun. It’ll be floral pattern shirts and Mai Tai’s for a whole week. Spring break around Alaska can be nice because some of the tourist trap destinations might be opening up, but the tourists won’t be flooding in yet. Go explore, find things to do that you wouldn’t normally consider doing. Create an adventure for yourself!

Q: Are you gonna be single over spring break?

A: Considering that I have been single for the last several spring breaks, I would say that it is safe to assume there will be no change within the next week or so. Unless someone gets bold and approaches me.

Q: How do you look in a sundress?

A: I bet I’d look cute in a sundress.

Q: I bet you’d look cute in a

sundress.

A: Hey what do you know, I was right.

Q: What are you doing for spring break?

A: I had planned on going to Mexico, but I have decided to stay in Anchorage. I will be acting like I am on a beach every single day — I will have zero regard for the snow or the cold weather. It is short sleeves and shorts all week long. Might even have to go swimming.

Q: My boyfriend’s penis is absolutely huge, but it hurts when we have sex. Am I not the right person for him? (We tried both holes btw).

A: Quite the predicament. A healthy sex life is important to a relationship, so if either one of you is feeling unfulfilled — or in this case, hurt — seeking a solution, support or clinical help can be beneficial for everyone involved. I am not the person who can pass judgement on whether or not y’all are compatible, but what I can say is that you have options. You can both play with sex toys by using them in foreplay and whatnot. Most importantly, make sure that you are relaxed and comfortable.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to perform and pleasure him immediately. Talk through it with him and make sure he knows this is something you need to pace yourself with. If all else fails, UAA’s Student Health and Counseling center may be able to help through counseling or physical exams.

Q: In the last edition you mentioned the couches outside of the den, THOSE USED TO BE IN THE DEN AND THEY TOOK THEM OUT! Can you (or someone else) investigate why they took the couches out of the den and stopped turning on the fire? I used to love hanging out in the den but now it’s just depressing and cold.

A: We will look into this, but I am sure you could just ask someone to turn the fire back on or move the couches.

Q: Will the paper be covering the federal funding cuts/ UAA impacts more? I’d appreciate more news and opinion on

GRAPHIC BY EDLEEN GUIAO.

this since it strongly impacts all of us.

A: Yes. We will have someone cover this in the near future and we are currently in the works of an investigative series regarding new campus assessments directed by the Board of Regents.

Q: What are Tanner’s break plans?

A: Margaritas, Mai Tai’s, Piña Coladas, Sex on the Beaches, Long Island iced teas, some White Claws, some Twisted Tea, a Dark and Stormy, mojitos, mimosas, maybe an Old Fashioned, a bottle of Scotch and to top it all off, an ice cold can of PBR. Q: Why are business and economics majors all cryptofascists?

A: An intriguing question, although, I will give any and all business and economics majors the opportunity for a rebuttal.

Q: Tanner, yaoi or yuri? or secret third option — yume.

A: Yume just means “dream” in japanese, so I’ll take yume, but if you mean yumejoshi, yumedanshi or yumejin, I might have to change my answer.

Q: Thoughts on DEI (wrong answers only)?

A: Honestly, I am not sure how to answer this. Are you wanting me to be satirical? What does wrong answers only mean?

Q: What are some of your favorite books that you are currently reading or that you would recommend?

A: I highly highly recommend both Billy Summers and 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan is another great book.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is an amazing Sci-Fi. As for what I am reading right now, I have been reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.

Q: My girlfriend is using the

condom included with newspaper as a balloon. Just figured it would be something funny to include in the next article.

A: That is hilarious. We were actually considering doing a poll to find out how many students actually found the condoms useful. We are glad she found a use for it.

Q: Why can’t students access buildings on campus after 11p.m.? I just want a place to study late at night that isn’t my room.

A: I completely agree. I wish we had 24 hour access to the facilities, but I also understand there might be some safety concerns around that.

Q: Who is the greatest rapper of all time in your opinion. Not YOUR FAVORITE, but a more objective stance.

A: This is an impossible question to answer objectively considering that art is entirely subjective. I think the greatest of all time boils down to how much their words impact certain individuals. Some people might relate to one artist’s words where another person could never relate to them. In short, there is no single greatest rapper, only a thousand great rappers who all mean something to a bunch of different people.

Q: Why does ANSEP have the right to take over half of the cafeteria?

A: I have recently been hearing a lot of complaints from students about ANSEP. They invest money to maintain their presence on campus, and because of that, they are entitled to share some of our spaces. However, TNL will look into some of these complaints in the future.

Q: Is there a camping club or hiking. I love to do that stuff but no one ever comes with me.

A: I will have to get back to you about the clubs, but I have heard that there is a backpacking or hiking class that you can

take. I have heard that they go camping and stuff. Camping and hiking is a huge part of why I moved to Alaska, but I encountered the same issue when I first moved here. I decided to just start going alone, but I will be looking into the clubs and will make sure there is an update in the next Croft’s Comments — if you remind me.

Q: Help! I’ve burned through three starters and for some reason my Miata still won’t start.

How do I fix it?

A: First things first, LS swap the Miata. All jokes aside, it sounds like there is either a bad ignition switch or poor wiring in general. Time to break out the wiring diagram and spend hours pulling out both your hair and the wires to check them.

Q: If I ingest sunscreen, will it have the same effect as applying it to my skin? I don’t like the way it feels when I put it on.

A: Do not ingest sunscreen.

Deal with the feeling, try different ones or don’t wear it, but I cannot imagine that it is healthy for your insides if you ingest it.

Q: I’m struggling to focus on my work or school and can only seem to focus when I’m right at a deadline. How can I stop being severely locked out?

A: I struggle with the same thing. I have started giving myself my own deadlines. I have found that if I convince myself that I need to have an assignment done a week before it is due, I will generally at least get started on the assignment.

Q: I broke my ankle over half a year ago, watched it get all bruised up, and never got it checked out. It seems to have healed on its own, should I be concerned for my long term health?

A: Going to the doctor is probably not a bad idea. Even if it has healed on its own, the lasting effects from a broken bone could cause issues in the future.