May252010

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THENORTHERNLIGHT MAY 25, 2010

FEATURES

09

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

Wally Hickel:

Remembering his accomplishments

A&E

12

Craft:

Local beader sells jewelry

WWW.THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

OPINION

13

Editorial:

Hold oil companies responsible

Track and Field qualifies Heifer International nine athletes for NCAA’s study tour sends nine students to rural China Rural community members in China share agricultural, economical and social developments with UAA students By Brittany Bennett The Northern Light

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLEY L COX/GOSEAWOLVES.COM

UAA sophomore Alfred Kangogo in action at the Stanford Invitational March 26 in Palo Alto, Calif. Kangogo was recognized as Most Outstanding Male Performer at the 2010 GNAC Championships. Kangogo will be competing in multiple events at the NCAA Division II Track & Field Championships that will take place May 2729 in Charlotte, NC.

By Taylor Hall The Northern Light

Nine conference titles. 14 All-GNAC performances. Nine GNAC All-Academic selections. Things look pretty good for the Seawolf track and field team, who finished up the GNAC Championships May 14-15 in record fashion. “The team competed very strongly,” TJ Garlatz said, UAA assistant track and field coach. “Obviously, we’re a small team, but we won all the events on the men’s side from the 400m event up, which is pretty phenomenal.” With the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships coming up May 27-29, the Seawolves will look to be strong contenders in every event. This is because nine athletes (five women and four men) qualified for the NCAA’s and will represent the green and gold in Charlotte, N.C. The Seawolf team is stacked with talent on both the women and men’s squads, but it is the trio of distance runners on the men’s team that has high hopes for a strong showing at the highest level.

Sophomore Alfred Kangogo, junior Marko Cheseto and freshman Micah Chelimo have all helped lead the way for the Seawolves team. The trio helped the men’s team to a fourth place finish at the GNAC Championships. Kangogo won the Most Outstanding Male Performer award during the weekend due to his victories in the 800m (1:54.51) and 1,500m (3:49.03 – GNAC and UAA record), as well as an eighth place in the 5,000m. Add a second place in the 3,000m Steeplechase and it’s easy to see why Kangogo racked up the most points individually in the men’s championships. In that same 5,000m race, Cheseto won the event with a record setting 14:37.18 time. He walked away with a victory in the 10,000m (31:23.03). He also finished runner up to Kangogo in the 1,500m. Garlatz is used to this kind of performance from a runner of Cheseto’s caliber. “He became the first GNAC athlete to break the 14 minute mark. It was the best distance race I’ve ever seen a UAA athlete SEE NCAA PAGE 05

Geography students recently returned from a short-term study abroad to China. Nine students participated in fieldwork to study agricultural development and the environment in locations around China as part of a three-credit geography class. Students elected to enroll in the class, hosting fundraisers, paying out of pocket and taking out loans to cover the $4,200 travel and tuition cost. Students shadowed members of the nonprofit, nongovernmental organization Heifer International, which aims “to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth,” according to the Heifer International website. “Seeing this type of work firsthand was amazing,” Lang Van Dommelen, political science major, said. “Heifer is doing so much to help these people help themselves and their community, and it was very apparent.” The group visited four Heifer International project sites, rural areas that are engaged in agricultural development projects. Heifer International visits these developing communities, identifies their needs and creates an action plan to improve the village’s agriculture techniques. The project plans are actually developed by the community members, with Heifer International as a guide and support. “Heifer International doesn’t come in and lay down the rules. Instead they go in and they help those local villagers develop their own systems of development based on their local values,” Dorn Van Dommelen, chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,

said. Dorn Van Dommelen and political science professor Mara Kimmel are teaching the course and led the geography students throughout their China trip. Members of the communities showcased their developments made since Heifer International’s contribution and involvement. “In the last village we visited, Shicaoguo, we saw that the more sustainable agriculture allowed for more food the be produced and, thus, more income to flow into the community, which made dramatic differences in the levels of poverty in the village,” Meneka Thiru said, international studies and Spanish major. The students not only gained experience with rural impoverished areas, but also learned about the agricultural techniques used by the communities. “The biogas system… allowed the villagers to harness methane from animal and human waste as cooking and heating fuel through a basic series of tanks,” Lang Van Dommelen said. The organization’s fundamental contribution to these developing communities is livestock, primarily funded by individual donations. It also provides education on the proper care of the livestock, and ensures that the living quarters for these animals are adequate. “On the one level, we’re talking about numbers of animals being added to the villages, but numbers of animals translates into increased income,” Dorn Van Dommelen said. “One of the projects we were in, the annual per capita income was about $95 a year. After Heifer International’s involvement, the incomes went up nearly fourfold.” SEE CHINA PAGE 10

Academic Master Plan outlines goals of UA By Jerzy Shedlock The Northern Light

More is needed than steady academic excellence for a university system to thrive, especially in an institution as dynamic as the University of Alaska. A total of 17 campuses serve Alaskans throughout the state. The state’s financial and political environment is constantly changing. As a result, the creation of an academic strategy is essential to the shifting nature of higher education. The Statewide Academic Council (SAC) and the Research Advisory Council (RAC) of the University of Alaska have recently revised an Academic Master Plan (AMP) in hopes of providing a tactical plan for the future development of UA’s academic programs. It is a document that aims to enhance the university’s management of public and private

resources. The plan was drafted by the SAC and presented to the Board of Regents (BOR) at their December 2008 meeting. The committee was unable to stay within the original schedule developed. The goal is now to have the final version of the AMP submitted to the BOR for action by their December 2010 meeting. “There were a number of drafts that got kicked around,” SAC member John Petraitis said. “After reflecting on the documents the councils decided to change major components. It took awhile to find something that everyone could agree to.” The vision outlined by the AMP states, “(UA) aims to strike a balance between being responsive to changing state needs and cherishing Alaska’s unique SEE AMP PAGE 02


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