THENORTHERNLIGHT UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE
OCTOBER 1, 2013
FEATURES
A&E
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Alaska reporter pays homage to UAA’s student newspaper
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The bard’s take on a galaxy far, far away
Indie pop duo Matt and Kim rock out the Egan Center
PHOTOS BY KAYLA MCGRAW
Matt and Kim perform at the Egan Center Thursday evening.
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Board of Regents discuss UA changes By Suhaila Brunelle
An enthusiastic audience is surprised by a cascade of confetti at the Matt and Kim concert Thursday night.
news@thenorthernlight.org “It’s about leadership and collaboration. We must focus on the students and listen to the students, even when they burst our bubble. When we think that we have it nailed, and then talk to a group of students, and they say, ‘No, that’s not where we are at. That was 10 years ago,’ we must listen,” said University of Alaska President Pat Gamble at last week’s Board of Regents meeting in Juneau. Gamble is referring to the University of Alaska system’s Strategic Directive Initiative, or SDI. “SDI is about collaboration,” he says. “Collaboration means incentive.” For the university, this means building a reputation and creating an environment that nourishes both student values and academic satisfaction. In order for the university to be successful at this goal, Gamble says the university needs to create attraction, and that attraction is the incentive. “Take service, and make it a watchword,” Gamble said. “That’s what creates retention. Retention creates enrollment, and enrollment goes to the bottom line.” The University of Alaska system is currently in stage 3 of its Strategic Directive Initiative. The SDI seeks to change and improve the culture of the University of Alaska system and make strides to “Shape Alaska’s Future” by 2017, which is the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the School of Agriculture and School of Mines, which eventually morphed into present-day University of Alaska. According to the Shaping Alaska’s Future website, one of the “guiding principles” of the SDI “is about making our culture more focused on continuous improvement, especially with respect to student success and service to students.” Students, staff, faculty and alumni are all welcome to participate in helping the university meet these goals. There have been 80 listening sessions, and there is an online survey that can be taken to assist the university in finding where there are problems that need to be addressed. At present, the results of the listening sessions and surveys have yielded five key areas of improvement: student achievement and attainment, productive partnerships with Alaska schools, productive partnerships with public entities and private industries, research and development to sustain Alaska’s communities and economic growth, and accountability to the people of Alaska. Many improvements have already been put into practice and have had positive results. Student credit load has increased, which is making a difference in the six-year graduation rate for baccalaureate degree-seeking students. “The more credits a student takes, the most likely they are to finish their degrees,” says Board of Regents Vice President Kirk Wickersham. Graduation rates for students pursuing associate or certificate degree programs is flat. “The reason is, we budgeted money for an increase in baccalaureate advising, and that budget has already gone into affect,” Wickersham said. He also says the university has a budget to increase advising for associate and certificate programs, but that budget has yet to be initiated. Once this budget is initiated, the university expects to see an increase in graduation for those programs as well. After reviewing 64 academic programs, the university decided to suspend or teach out nine of them, which means all teaching positions for these programs will eventually be dissipated. Suspension means no new students may enroll in the program, and the university will be looking into better course materials and accreditation for that particular program. The University of Alaska system is working on improving dis-
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Transgender students on campus: Bridging the gap By Nita Mauigoa
features@thenorthernlight.org It was a new semester when Sarah, an engineering student, began her transition from a man into a woman. “In the first week, there was a lot of stares and confusion. I was the guy named Sarah,” Sarah said. With the exception of one student, she said, her classmates accepted her transition. That was three years ago. Sarah, who is now a confident woman, still recalls that first stage when adjustments were fragile. When transgender students undergo changes, others’ reactions are a mixed lot. Some faculty, staff and students have questions and confusion. Some transgender students on campus have opened up and said basic communication is key to countering such confusion. Still there’s no one solution that fits all scenarios. There are several definitions of the word “transgender.” One definition supported by the Oxford University Press states, transgender “denotes or relates to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.” Gender identity does not have anything to do with sexual preference. Male-to-female trans-woman MoHagani Magnetek Adamu recalled a recent situation while attending a student club meeting. An administrator kept using the pronoun “he” in front of students, even though Adamu continually said, “You mean, ‘she.’” Adamu, an anthropology student and frequent collaborator at the Northern Light, is confident and forward. But not all students have the gumption to correct administrators in front of a crowded room. SafeZone is a campus resource available to students, faculty and staff. The two-hour training session takes participants through modules and activities to become aware of the terminology and different aspects related to the transgender, bisexual, gay and lesbian, or LGBT, community. Those who complete the training gives participants the tools to become better “allies,” people who can help spread education and understanding about certain LGBT issues. SafeZone trainer Maria Bonifacio said the training is a great educational tool used to better understand transgender students. “We don’t have as much faculty who have gone through our ally trainings as we may like, but we are gaining faculty support each and every day,” Bonifacio said. However, Bonifacio said she is happy to see a recent surge in faculty registrations from the English department. James Rudkin, a term instructor for the English
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department, said he has been a SafeZone ally for the past 10 years. He has attained training from another university he worked at. “If anyone, GLBTQ or straight, needs someone to talk to or has questions, I am available. If I do not know the answer to a specific question or if I cannot meet a specific need, I will do my best to find the answers,” Rudkin said. Heather Caldwell, an instructor for the English department, said she is registered for training with SafeZone. “Learning more about the ‘B’ and ‘T’ in ‘GLBT’ is important because they are often overlooked, under-discussed, most stigmatized,” Caldwell said. Sarah has recommended to the Dean of Students Office that the student registrar’s office should consider adding a column of “preferred names” to the student roll call. Sarah said this would be helpful for transgender students who prefer another name that suits their new identity and has not been changed legally. Women’s and gender studies professor Tara Lampert said before she does roll call on the first day of each semester, she passes a sheet around where students can put their preferred name. She said she has had transgender students and understands how that could be a hurdle for those going through transition. Female-to-male trans-man Danny Ashton Earll, who is also a psychology student, said he has been open about his experiences on campus. Earll has a recommendation for those students and faculty who are curious and confused: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions because you think you will offend us. Questions help open the door to healthy and open discussion, regardless of the views and opinions of those involved. I’d rather someone stumble over asking me a question than not ask. You never know what can come from asking or answering just one question.” For more information about SafeZone, email SafeZone@uaa.alaska.edu.
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