NEWS PAGE 3
Seawolf Food Pantry moves into new location
Known Stones: Tommy’s Burger Stop
ARLIS removes taxidermy collection ‘out of an abundance of caution’
A UAA community member experienced illness following exposure to a taxidermy collection housed in a library on the UAA campus, leading to its removal.
By Murat Demir and Matthew Schmitz
The Alaska Resources Library & Information Services — known as ARLIS — removed the Furs, Mounts and Skulls collection, which contained taxidermy pieces available for public checkout.
According to an article on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, pieces from the collection have been used by “elementary and secondary school teachers for Alaska animal curriculum, art classes, parents helping kids with school projects, camp counselors, artists, and agency displays.”
ARLIS is a joint federal and state library located inside the University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library.
In an email to The Northern Light, ARLIS Director Brandy Watts wrote that the collection was relocated to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game under the direction of UAA Environmental Health & Safety/Risk Management — or UAA EHS — “out of an abundance of caution.”
In response to questions from The Northern Light, UAA EHS Director John Huffman responded over email with further information on the removal.
“A UAA community member reported experiencing mild symptoms following an extended contact with items within the collection, which prompted ARLIS to conduct an assessment of the collection with support from UAA EHS,” wrote Huffman.
ARLIS and UAA EHS removed the collection in June 2023 to prevent any potential future concerns, even though
Video: Be The Match to save a life
By Anja Burnett
video1@thenorthernlight.org
UAA’s College of Health and the National Marrow Donor Program hosted Be The Match on Aug. 28. The National Marrow Donor Program manages Be The Match and helps individuals suffering from blood disorders get treatment by finding matches through NMDP’s national donor registry.
the incident was an isolated report, wrote Huffman.
“From what I can gather, there were assessments completed on the collection. Among the chemical compounds that are typically found/used in the taxidermy process, I believe they came back within normal range,” wrote Huffman.
Huffman wrote that the chance of gases releasing from the collection over time is typically low, but can depend on factors such as how the animals are being used.
When asked what chemical compounds were found in the assessment,
Huffman wrote, “I don’t have that information. It’s the standard chemicals in use/ that were used in the taxidermy process.”
In a telephone interview with The Northern Light, local taxidermist Yukon Grubaugh of Tall Tales Taxidermy discussed what chemicals are typically used in the taxidermy process.
Grubaugh said modern-day taxidermy typically uses fiberglass-like materials to bind parts of the pieces, which dry relatively quickly and are generally harmless. However, if the taxidermy is older, it could contain arsenic or asbestos, which may be dangerous if disturbed, he said.
Public use of the taxidermy collection attracted media attention to ARLIS over the years, with multiple articles covering how members of the public can check out items from the collection for educational, art, and other purposes, including a segment on the YouTube channel Great Big Story.
According to its website, ARLIS is a resource library in Anchorage, Alaska for the “Alaska Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and University of Alaska Anchorage.”
According to a project proposal related to ARLIS on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council website, ARLIS is a separate institution from the UAA Consortium Library.
According to an inventory of the items, the collection was “made available at ARLIS by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private donors.”
This report will be updated as more information becomes available.
PHOTO BY MATTHEW SCHMITZ.
A student walks past a sign pointing to the Alaska Resources Library & Information Services at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.
Entrance to the Alaska Resources Library & Information Services located on the UAA campus.
Anchorage Assembly demands changes in legislation amid ‘record breaking’ pedestrian fatalities
By Hannah Dillon associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Anchorage Assembly met on Tuesday about various safety issues in the Anchorage area — with pedestrian safety being of particular concern.
A “lay on the table” motion that was passed, concerning pedestrian safety, acquired approximately two hours of the Assembly’s attention.
Six pedestrians were fatally injured by vehicles in September, while there have been 13 fatalities in total during the year.
Assembly Vice Chair Meg Zaletel said that from 2000 to 2022, 164 pedestrian deaths had been confirmed. “I’m really angry about that because any death in our community is a death in our community,” said Zaletel.
Zaletel called for October to be recognized as “Pedestrian Safety Month.”
Discussing pedestrian fatalities was a somber moment for the Anchorage community, but non-fatal critical pedestrian incidents were not mentioned. Around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, just hours before the Assembly meet-
ing, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and suffered serious, life-threatening injuries.
The victim survived the accident, but she is one of the many survivors who could have become part of the 164 deaths in the last two decades.
Talks of changing the city ordinance led to tension between assembly members.
Some members of the assembly, such as Zac Johnson, mentioned disagreement with a previous law that was passed by the assembly in an October 2023 meeting that allowed pedestrians to legally jaywalk.
The decision to decriminalize jaywalking was a part of the consensus among some of the assembly that the city of Anchorage is not pedestrian friendly, as people sometimes have to walk half a mile between crosswalks.
The tension between assembly members and members of the Anchorage community could stem from the perspective that the assembly’s decriminalization of jaywalking has some culpability in the situation.
Assembly Chair Anna Brawley agreed with other members
of the assembly that traffic laws should be changed over a period of time and that Anchorage
roads should not be treated as superhighways anymore. “I definitely speed more than I should
UAA hosts conference on eating disorders
Education about eating disorders on campus challenges harmful misconceptions.
By Murat Demir
copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance held a conference at the Social Sciences Building on Aug. 22-23 to provide education on topics related to eating disorders.
According to the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance — or AKEDA — the goal of the conference was to provide two days of training on eating disorders for health care professionals and students.
The material covered during the conference included information about stereotypes, diagnostic processes and treatments.
The Northern Light spoke with AKEDA communications and program outreach associate Kailyn Hooley. She sat behind a table in front of the conference, handing out event programs during the interview.
“We like to say eating disorder awareness is suicide prevention,” Hooley said, referring to the elevated risk of suicide for individuals experiencing eating disorders.
Eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate among mental health conditions but are often overlooked, with
schools providing minimal education on the topic, according to Hooley.
She said AKEDA’s goal as a nonprofit organization is to provide resources and educa-
tion about eating disorders to Alaskans and people outside the state.
The Northern Light also spoke with UAA graduate student and AKEDA volunteer
Anna Jajewski about eating disorder awareness on campus.
“I think the more we talk about eating disorders, the better,” said Jajewski.
She said the conference
raised awareness about eating disorders even if students didn’t attend, because it was held in the Social Sciences Building and the AKEDA banner faced the building’s entrance.
“Even for people who are not in training to be clinicians, general knowledge on eating disorders can be really helpful with how common they are,” she said.
She emphasized the seriousness and prevalence of eating disorders within the community and said that, due to the lack of resources available to Alaskans, conferences such as this provide valuable opportunities for people to learn.
According to Jajewski, people hold several misconceptions about eating disorders that lead to harmful outcomes.
“In a lot of ways, we have criminalized some foods, labeling them as ‘good’ and ‘bad’,” she said. “This makes it really easy to put those labels on ourselves when we eat these foods.”
She said AKEDA is a good starting point for those who are struggling with an eating disorder.
Jajewski said the organization offers an online group for adults that requires no diagnosis to join. Information can be found on AKEDA’s website.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.
Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance banner draped over a table near entrance of the AKEDA conference.
on our roads and I need to stop doing that, and I hope others do as well,” said Brawely.
PHOTO BY HANNAH DILLON.
Intersection of Muldoon and E 36th Street. Source of multiple fetal car crashes and non-fatal pedestrian accidents.
Seawolf Food Pantry moves into new location
The Seawolf Food Pantry settles into a new location in the Professional Studies Building.
By Raye M. White multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org
The Seawolf Food Pantry moved into a new location at the beginning of the fall semester. The pantry is now located on the second floor of the Professional Studies Building — shortened to PSB — Room 211.
In an interview with The Northern Light, pantry director Amanda Walch said the new space is an improvement over its old location, also located in the PSB. She said the new space is twice the size of their previous location, and that it feels brighter and more inviting than their old space did.
Walch said having an inviting place is part of their effort to destigmatize coming to a food pantry. She explained that they ended up with the original space because it was what was available at the time.
“We knew it was going to be tight, but still, it was great to have a space, and we functioned out of there,” Walch said.
The Seawolf Food Pantry opened informally in March 2022, and officially opened in the fall semester later that year. The pantry was established by faculty with the Dietetics and Nutrition program.
The food pantry, along with the Emergency Food Cache at the Student Health and Counseling Center — abbreviated to SHCC — allows students to access non-perishable food.
It’s an important resource on
Video: Roadwork around Campus
By Vadim Bledsoe video2@thenorthernlight.org
Students and faculty face delays in their commute with ongoing road closures throughout the U-Med District.
a campus where many students face food insecurity. According to a 2019 study done by UAA faculty Kathi Trawver and Travis Hedwig that surveyed UAA students, over 44% of respondents experienced some type of food insecurity.
UAA Students can use the food pantry twice a month, and can get food and personal hygiene items for households of up to four people.
Now that the food pantry has
settled into the new location, they’re looking for ways to serve more students.
Walch said the food pantry is working on establishing ties with groups across campus, such as Multicultural Student Services and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. One option for collaboration, she said, would be to provide food bags for groups to give to their students so they wouldn’t have to come into the pantry.
Another potential partnership is with the Food Bank of Alaska, Walch said.
Currently, Walch mostly purchases food from Fred Meyers and Costco. A partnership with the Food Bank of Alaska would allow her to make purchases at wholesale prices, which would be much cheaper, Walch explained.
And money is important because the university does not provide funding to the food pantry. Walch explained that they do have a UA Foundation account, which allows people to donate to
the UAA Food Insecurity Fund. This money funds both the Seawolf Food Pantry and the Emergency Food Cache at the SHCC.
The food pantry has also received funds from on-campus groups such as Parking Services. In the last couple of years, Walch said, Parking Services has done “Parking for the Pantry”, which designates specific weeks where 100% of citation fees are donated to the food pantry.
Walch said the pantry also regularly receives donations from UAA faculty and staff, and that student groups have done donation drives in the past. She said she is especially impressed by how much students have given to help out other students.
“That’s so moving to me, because, you know, we’re (faculty and staff) working professional jobs,” Walch said. “We, I would assume, have a little bit more income than a student does, but even the students that give, you’re just like, ‘Wow. Thank you.’ It’s pretty cool.”
PHOTO BY RAYE M. WHITE.
Non-perishable goods line the shelves of the Seawolf Food Pantry.
PHOTO BY VADIM BLEDSOE.
GRAPHIC
Students can no longer rent outdoor gear at the Student Union
By Kaitlyn Gaub admanager@thenorthernlight.org
The outdoor gear rental program is no longer active at the UAA Student Union.
The decision to discontinue the gear rental program came as a result of a lack of use, staffing and recurrent maintenance.
Assistant director of the Student Union Cody Buechner said in an interview with The Northern Light, “The Student Union umbrella wasn’t the best fit, and it also wasn’t matching our current realities with our student employment labor.”
Buechner said, “The hard part is having somebody who’s readily available when the customer is ready to check out gear and so you’d have to stop what you’re doing.”
This change comes after the Student Union allotted more re -
sources toward event space rentals.
“We’d be downstairs setting up the cafeteria for an event, and we get a call on the radio saying ‘someone’s here to check out ice skates,’ so you have to stop what you’re doing and come up (upstairs). And that’s not always the best choice for us, or even feasible.” Buechner said.
“It’s great to be able to rent out that gear, but these room reservations are impacting dozens, hundreds, thousands of people, and the gear rental was only one, so it was difficult to time that piece without a dedicated person at the information desk,” said Buechner
The gear rental started dwindling in 2023, according to previous coverage by The Northern Light.
Buechner said the camping gear was one of the first things to be cut from the program as the upkeep created problems for
the Student Union workers.
“So there’s a piece of the gear needing continuous investment, both in labor and in monetary funds to keep that rolling and make it smooth and safe for students and the community, right? That’s not something that was a priority here,” Buechner explained.
Buechner has attempted to give the gear to other UA campuses. One of these was Prince William Sound Community College, but they declined due to transportation costs.
Buechner said UAA wanted to keep the gear as long as it is already paid for. He said they are working with surplus to get the gear posted for auction on GovDeals.com.
Buechner said that the gear left over after auction may be sold to students.
The Student Union is keeping a few canoes on hand for events such as the Campus Kickoff ca-
noe battle.
One of the gear rental spaces in the Student Union now serves as an enclosed office for Esports. The previous office space for the Esports team was in the open area in front of Buechner’s office.
“It’s nice to give (Esports) a space, but we also needed a space where we could host streams, and that made perfect sense to do it right there, it’s closer to the actual lounge (Esports Lounge)” Buechner said.
Residence Life to stop hiring graduate student employees
By Raye M. White multimedia.editor@thenorthernlight.org
UAA Residence Life will no longer hire graduate students for Student Assistant 1 and 2 positions.
Ryan J. Hill, the director of Residence Life, said that Residence Life will only hire undergraduate students for these positions going forward.
This change happened after the University of Alaska and the Alaska Graduate Workers Association-UAW Union negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) earlier this year.
The agreement raised the pay rates of graduate students in Student Assistant 1 positions to a minimum of $17.50 per hour. Student Assistant 2 positions will now earn $18.50 per hour.
The Northern Light previously reported on how the department of Student Engagement and Inclusion stopped hiring graduate students after the CBA was negotiated.
Residence Life currently has one graduate student on staff.
Hill said that the graduate student was hired before this policy change was made, and will be allowed to work throughout the current academic year.
“We felt like we had made
a commitment to that student,” said Hill. “And the supervisory chain in student affairs totally agreed with that.”
Hill said that the pay raise will not affect the graduate stu-
dent’s job responsibilities.
Residence Life is one of the units that operates under the Dean of Students Office. Ben Morton, the Dean of Students, said in an email to The North-
ern Light that units have the autonomy to make their own hiring decisions, “based upon their budget situation and unique hiring needs.”
Hill said the majority of Residence Life’s budget goes toward personnel-related costs, which means the increase in pay will have a considerable impact on the budget.
“It’s really difficult for us to absorb cost increases like this,” Hill said.
Hill said it’s unfortunate that they found themselves in this situation, as he appreciates what graduate students bring to Residence Life.
“You know, the RA position, specifically, has the ability to be really influential and to really impact a student’s experience in a way that is a little bit unique,” Hill said. “It’s unfortunate in my eyes that, moving forward, we wouldn’t be able to have graduate students in that role, because they are fantastic mentors and have a lot of experience they can share with students.”
American Psychological Association CEO visits UAA
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Dr. Arthur C. Evans Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association — or the APA — spoke to an audience of approximately 20 students and faculty at the Natural Sciences Building on Sept. 5.
During the conference, The Northern Light asked Evans about his experience visiting UAA.
“I think it’s been great — people have been very open and friendly and interesting,” said Evans.
Evans decided against giving a formal talk and focused on answering audience questions during the conference. Students and faculty asked questions about psychology, achievement, and a variety of other topics. In response to an audience member’s question about whether the APA will continue its focus on the topic of decolonization, which the audience member noted is a particularly relevant topic in Alaska, Evans said, “The APA is doing a lot of things to get at what you’re talking about.”
Evans mentioned a formal apology by the APA regarding
systemic racism as an example of a recent initiative.
“We actually went to the Cummings Psychology Center and took a look back at history and looked at what role psychology and the APA played in perpetuating, promoting and not speaking out against racism and bigotry within our society,” said Evans.
According to Evans, the APA specified what exactly it was apologizing for, and made a commitment to take action to address those issues in the future.
PHOTO BY RAYE M. WHITE.
One of the former outdoor gear rental spaces in the Student Union now serves as the Esports office.
PHOTO BY RAYE M. WHITE.
One of the MAC Apartment Buildings located on campus.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR. CEO of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Arthur Evans Jr., speaks to students and faculty at the Natural Sciences Building.
FEATURES
Hot takes: In-person vs. online classes
The Northern Light asked students for their opinions on in-person versus online classes.
By Murat Demir copy.editor@thenorthernlight.org
This article is part of an investigative series by The Northern Light that examines the impact of online classes.
The campus rush slowed after a long day. Dazh Maclean, a junior in the dental hygiene program, sat at the barstools in the fluorescently lit Social Sciences Building when The Northern Light approached her for an opinion.
“I like seeing my professor and being able to bounce my ideas off other people instead of being at home, just me,” said Maclean. “I don’t think it’s a good way to learn; you need those contrasting ideas.”
Maclean said having other people to talk with on campus makes it easier to decipher concepts.
“If you’re learning alone, are you really learning? Because you’re not getting perspectives, you’re not seeing somebody that might know more than you — advance and help you learn,” she said. “It’s a big part of education — period.”
When asked if other students share that opinion, Maclean said, “Some do, some don’t. Like most people, some people really enjoy being able to go at their own pace.”
By contrast, Edmond Arroyo, a graduate student studying psychology, criticized aspects of in-person classes.
Arroyo said, “I mean, just with personal life and everything going on, sometimes it’s not easy to be on campus and do classes.”
He said he believes the prevalence of online courses could lead to a surge of students at universities but could diminish the overall quality of courses.
“You’ll probably see more people doing it, but I also think that the quality of courses would be impacted,” he said. “I think that the material people are learning won’t be as digested as if you were in person,” said Arroyo.
The Northern Light approached Hez Dickerson, a freshman at UAA, in a quiet hall on campus for an interview. Dickerson had a divided perspective on the issue.
“So, I would say it definitely has this double-edged sword where online you can take your time more, but in class you can have more of a definite understanding,” said Dickerson.
According to Dickerson, in-person classes can be disorienting if they become overly crowded, but students can communicate more effectively with professors.
Lily Walton, an art major in her junior year, also shared her thoughts when asked if she prefers in-person or online classes.
“Definitely in person,” said Walton. “You get a lot more information from the teacher. It’s a lot faster to talk to them than just email and wait — but yeah, sometimes online is a little bit more difficult,” she said.
Face-to-face interaction in classes is a preference for some students, yet others point to accessibility and convenience of online courses as benefits. Student opinions at UAA indicate a lack of consensus on the debate.
Photos: An Alaskan cruise
By Justin Cox photo2@thenorthernlight.org
Near the end of the summer, I took a seven-day cruise on the Royal Princess from Vancouver B.C., to Whittier. We had port visits in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and sailed through Glacier Bay and College Fjords. At each port, I took various shore excursions to see different parts of Alaska. Here are some photos from this gorgeous trip.
PHOTO BY MURAT DEMIR.
An empty classroom at the Social Sciences Building.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
The Royal Princess moored in Ketchikan, Alaska.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
The crew aboard the Aleutian Ballad demonstrates how to retrieve a crab pot during a shore excursion.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Riding the White Pass Scenic Railroad from Fraser, British Columbia to Skagway, Alaska.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Water cascades down the rocks at the base of Lower Reid Falls near the Gold Rush Cemetery in Skagway, Alaska.
Head of Collection Development at Consortium Library talks about services, budget cuts and new library dean
The library has gone through some changes and challenges with the pandemic, inflation and tighter budgets.
By Kyle Ivacic managing.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Jodee Kuden has worked at UAA’s library for 16 years, ensuring that students and faculty have the resources they need for success. The Northern Light initially interviewed Kuden for her thoughts on the library’s incoming dean — Thomas Rosko. However, Kuden had other insights to share about the library as well.
Kuden said her role, at its core, is to keep the library’s resources up-to-date and meet curriculum needs. She is one of the main decision-makers in charge of securing access to eBooks, eJournals, and print editions of all types of books, magazines, and newspapers.
Kuden said the COVID-19 pandemic created a new set of challenges that required her and her team to make more online resources available to students than ever before. While this was a big change that is still playing out, Kuden said it has ultimately unlocked more convenience for everyone.
Kuden said the shift toward more online resources has opened new jobs that didn’t exist before, such as IT positions requiring library expertise.
“We have different people doing work that wasn’t involved in a library 30 years ago. Or 20 years ago, even,” Kuden said. Her job now involves nego -
tiating with eJournal publishers on terms of use and licensing agreements. Kuden said she took a class to ensure she was up-to-speed on the e-publishing world.
“I’m a lifelong learner,” she said.
Kuden said she also sees her colleagues “diving” into the world of artificial intelligence in attempts to streamline certain administrative and research processes.
Kuden said that the basic role of a library hasn’t changed, despite the changing times.
“We are the keepers of the knowledge to the students and faculty at the campus.”
When asked about challenges such as budget cuts, Kuden said, “The entire campus has gone through budget cuts, and we had to take our fair share.” She said that while the cuts have been difficult, she and the library staff have worked to the best of their ability to maintain the library’s usefulness to students.
A major funding-related issue is inflation, Kuden said. “Even if we stay flat-lined with funding from the university, we lose ground.”
She provided a written memo to display this problem. According to the memo, in the fiscal year 2022, the library purchased 1,624 books and eBooks for $116,448.30, while in the fiscal year 2024, 1,513 books and eBooks cost $138,701.66. This represents a 19% price increase for
roughly 7% fewer items.
To make up for budget cuts and inflation, the library has hired fewer staff, said Kuden. “We haven’t officially laid off anyone. But, when someone quits or retires, we don’t fill their position.”
Kuden also said UAA’s recent enrollment increases have helped somewhat with budget constraints.
On the topic of the incoming dean, who will arrive at UAA
in late September, Kuden expressed optimism. “He’s a collaborator,” she said. “He seems very personable.”
Kuden said that Rosko prepared well during the application process for his new position. “Tom Rosko did his homework on UAA before his interview,” she said.
Kuden said that the dean’s impact on the library varies — explaining that every dean is different and brings something
new to the table. “I think it depends on their leadership style,” she said. “I do work closely with the dean. That will continue with the new dean.”
Kuden ended with advice for students. “Come see us. We’re here to help,” she said. “We can help supply that knowledge or information they (students) need; we can help them find it.”
How the UAA Student Health and Counseling Center supports its community amid rising Pertussis cases across the state
By Timothy Galloway Non-staff, student reporter
As of Sept. 6, Alaska has reported 234 confirmed or suspected cases of pertussis in 2024, the highest number in nine years, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory infection spread by air droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.
Early symptoms resemble those of a common cold such as a runny nose, low-grade fever, and a mild cough, but can later develop into rapid, violent uncontrolled coughing fits that make breathing difficult, according to the CDC.
Dr. Valerie Krozel, MD, family doctor and director of the UAA Student Health and Counseling Center — abbreviated as SHCC — notes that pertussis can be a serious respiratory illness, especially for very young children, elders and others with a weakened immune system due to chronic disease or medications.
The SHCC provides services to diagnose, treat and protect against pertussis. If you are exposed to pertussis and develop symptoms, it would be important to seek medical care.
Krozel said, “We don’t test everyone for pertussis that has flu-like symptoms but due to the local outbreak, we are much more likely to consider pertussis and test … Flu, Covid and other viral illnesses are still going to be much more commonly the reason for respiratory illness and symptoms.”
Pertussis tends to spike in cases every 3-5 years, as vaccine effectiveness wears off, accord-
ing to the CDC.
The tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccination — shortened to Tdap — is recommended to keep yourself, and others protected from pertussis.
“Protection with vaccination is important, but does not convey complete immunity. Studies indicate that more than 50% of adults with pertussis have few symptoms, but can pass on the disease. This is highly problem-
atic when exposed to high risk populations like infants and elders,” said Krozel.
According to the Alaska Department of Health, the best way to protect against pertussis is to get vaccinated. A current Tdap vaccination is required to live in UAA campus housing, providing protection from pertussis for students living in close quarters.
Maya C., a first-year student and resident assistant at UAA
campus housing, said she has not received communication from management to student residents about highly communicable illnesses, such as pertussis, during this fall season when upper respiratory infections are more common.
Maya said UAA does a good job making students aware of the services the SHCC provides, as well as keeping students living on campus safe and healthy. “UAA keeps common areas clean and sanitary,” she said.
If you are a UAA student and become symptomatic from a known exposure, you can call the SHCC at (907) 786-4040 to make an appointment to be evaluated.
Additionally, the SHCC offers Tdap vaccinations and boosters by appointment. Students are encouraged to stay informed and keep immunizations up to date.
The Docket app is an excellent resource for students living in Alaska to register, log in and view your immunization records.
The SHCC is located on campus in Rasmuson Hall 3416 Seawolf Drive, Room 120. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a closure on Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $10 usage fee per visit according to the SHCC website.
PHOTO BY KYLE IVACIC.
Shelves of books pictured in the Consortium Library.
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE EARTH.
An exterior view of Rasmusson Hall.
Aurora the AI dog and UAA student innovators will soon showcase their AI-integrated talents
$50 tickets are available to attend an artificial intelligence showcase for UAA’s College of Business and Public Policy. The event will be 21 and up.
By Hannah Dillon associate.editor@thenorthernlight.org
UAA’s College of Business and Public Policy will be hosting a third annual showcase on Oct. 4. Artificial intelligence controlled F16 fighter jets and medical uses for artificial intelligence at a patient’s bedside will be among topics discussed at the showcase, which will take place in Rasmusen Hall.
This year’s theme is artificial intelligence — or AI — and will include a variety of speakers and innovators that have utilized AI through work, experience or AI classes held on campus.
Professor of Entrepreneurship, UAA Department Chair of Marketing, Management, Logistics, and Business Analytics and showcase organizer Dr. Helena Wisniewski and multiple UAA student innovators spoke with The Northern Light about UAA’s upcoming AI showcase.
Wisniewski sat at the head of the table in UAA’s AI lab — ADSAIL — on the third floor of Rasmusen Hall as she spoke about the incentives of the upcoming AI showcase.
Some of the main incentives for this year’s themed showcase are to demonstrate the academic achievements of College of Business and Public Policy students, classes and other achievements of the program.
UAA graduate students will be presenting their AI-enhanced projects at the showcase and a “mini trade show” will follow. Event attendees will have the opportunity to talk with the student innovators and network with speakers and community members.
Wisniewski said Rasmusen Hall will have the Department of Transportation’s “Aurora,” the AI dog, walking the first floor of the building while attendees receive a tour of the AI Lab.
Guest speakers include Dr. J. Randall Moorman, presenting on “AI at the bedside is saving lives” and former Air Force Chief Scientist Dr. Victoria Coleman speaking about AI-piloted F16 fighters.
The graduate students created their inventions during the previous spring semester in Wisniewski’s AI Concepts & Business Applications class. “They divide up into teams, and each team can
come up with a project to use AI to make it more efficient and effective,” said Wisniewski.
Chelsea Spaulding is a student innovator who spoke for her team which comprised Barbara Kahula, Xaviour Campbell, Makana Eleneki and Kierann Bailey.
The students worked throughout the spring semester using digital twins to determine the most efficient use of Anchorage’s natural gas reserve — which is important because some studies suggest it will be depleted by 2026.
Digital twins are a “virtual representation of an object or system designed to reflect a physical object accurately,” according to IBM.
Spaulding and her team created this particular digital twin to combat liquid natural gas concerns for rural and urban areas of Alaska.
The project was created to “identify issues like finding the seepage points, optimizing the gas distribution, improving infrastructure, enhancing the resilience of the supply chain, and providing data driven insights to all of the people involved… from production to getting it in the houses,” said Spaulding.
Anastasiia Korobitsyna spoke for her team, which consisted of Kallen Mead, James Butler and Tuva Granøien. They created a menu that utilized augmented reality to customize automobiles to assist people with disabilities when driving.
Korobitsyna and her team created the menu for disabled people to have access to car functions like selecting music stations or accelerating the vehicle. The team also plans to make the customized menu voice-activated, similar to Alexa, but with more physically helpful interactions.
Korobitsyna said “Vehicles are designed with assumptions around physical capacity,” and this limitation may not be enough for some people to fully control a vehicle. The menus will be completely customized for each individual who uses the program.
“And for now, we are going to implement this model to existing vehicles, but in the future, maybe we can work with manufacturers … directly to integrate this system to all the vehicles,” said Korobitsyna.
While the graduate students wait for
real-life applications to their modern inventions, Wisniewski wished for a better understanding of AI in the public eye.
“And I tell my students that AI is not go -
Video: Showing of Meteor Shower
By Vadim Bledsoe video2@thenorthernlight.org
Cyrano’s Theater Company hosted “Meteor Shower” from September 6 to 29 in the Cyrano’s Theatre Building. The show is about a couple hosting a dinner party in their valley home outside Los Angeles to watch a once in a lifetime meteor shower from their yard. Throughout the party the main couple, Corky and Norm, figure out their dysfunctions with the temporal rift caused by the meteors.
ing to replace your job. It’s the person who knows AI that will replace it,” said Wisniewski.
PHOTO BY HANNAH DILLON.
AI controlled chess board in the ADSAIL Lab.
PHOTO BY VADIM BLEDSOE.
Showing of Meteor Shower.
AE
&
Upcoming events
UAA event list for Wednesday, Oct. 2, to Tuesday, Oct. 8.
By Kyle Ivacic managing.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Events happening throughout the week:
Midnight Sun Theatre Presents “Serial Bowl”
Six one-act plays by various authors will be performed in a competition-style event. The audience will decide the winners of each round of performances.
Student tickets are $15.
Fine Arts Building, room 129
Friday, Oct. 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Make it Alaskan Festival
According to the event description, attendees can shop through a large selection of Alaskanmade goods from a variety of vendors.
Egan Civic and Convention Center
Friday, Oct. 4, 5-9 p.m. (“Sip &
Shop” — 21+ only)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 6, 12-5 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 2
Noon Music
Each week UAA’s Concert Board invites a local artist to perform in the Student Union. This week’s artist to be announced.
Student Union cafeteria 12-1 p.m.
On Air: A Life at NPR
Listen to retired NPR host Melissa Brock lecture about her time as a correspondent for the acclaimed news organization. The event is part of UAA’s College of Arts and Sciences Community Lecture Series. Tickets start at $27.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Discovery Theatre 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4
College of Business and Public Policy Showcase
UAA’s College of Business and Public Policy is putting on a showcase to display the achievements of its students and explain its work to the public. Tickets are $50. Rasmusson Hall 5-7:30 p.m.
First Friday
The Anchorage Downtown Partnership hosts “First Friday” events every month to encourage more community involvement Downtown. A map of current exhibits and activities is available at ancfirstfriday.com.
Downtown Anchorage All day
Saturday, Oct. 5
Guest Artist: Daniel Reyes Llinas
Movie Review: ‘Megalopolis’
Is ‘Megalopolis’ a mega-flop-olis? Spoiler free!
By Tanner Croft columnist.editor@thenorthernlight.org
“Megalopolis” is the newest film written, directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. You may know Coppola from some of his famous works including, “Apocalypse Now” and “The Godfather” trilogy. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. But does “Megalopolis” live up to the high standard that Coppola has been held to over the years?
“Megalopolis” is an incredibly confusing movie. Although it is not as confusing as absurdist films such as “Beau Is Afraid,” it still has the potential to lose its audience at times. “Megalopolis” fully embraces and walks the line of absurdism while still managing to handle a plot that revolves around greed, corruption, time, love, grief and political turmoil.
As usual with Coppola films, “Megalopolis” is spearheaded by an all-star cast full of big names that you are sure to recognize. Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne all share the screen together in dramatic fashion.
The actors’ chemistry, combined with the whacky plot and script, comes together to create an experience that will leave a lasting impression on audiences. Whether that impression is a positive or negative is something that we will have to wait to see.
Although each of these actors and actresses do an amaz-
ing job of portraying their characters, only three stood out to give memorable performances. These three are Driver, Plaza and LaBeouf, who each knock their characters out of the park for unique reasons.
Driver proves once again that he is worthy of being the leading actor on a large budget film by bringing his distinctive acting style and setting it to maximum levels. His often slow and methodical delivery of lines is countered throughout by his charismatic delivery depending on what type of scene is being shot.
For all of the fans of Driver yelling in his films — which seems to have become a common trait for any film he is featured in — rest assured, you will get your fix with this film. Although, his yelling this time around is more subtle than it was in “A Marriage Story” or “Black KKKlansman.” Driver is most memorable, however, for his long monologues throughout the film.
Plaza stands out for an impressively zany performance — fully embracing a borderline psychotic character in a way that is worthy of recognition.
LaBeouf is similar to Plaza in the sense that he also fully embraces the out-of-the-ordinary script, and it works like magic. Most of the memorable lines and quotable dialogue from this film are delivered by LaBeouf, and many of the standout scenes have him at the center.
“Megalopolis” is the dystopian sci-fi story of New Rome, and the ambitious plans of Cesar Catalina — played by Driver
According to the event description, “Guest artist, Daniel Reyes Llinas, will perform a classical guitar concert in celebration of the National Hispanic Heritage Month.”
Fine Arts Building, room 150 7:30-9 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 6
UAA Hockey vs. University of Denver Watch UAA’s hockey team compete against competitors from Colorado.
Avis Alaska Sports Complex 5:07 p.m.
Voter Registration Deadline Register by this date to ensure that you are eligible to vote in the Nov. 5 general election.
Tuesday, Oct. 8
“Good Day Seawolves” w/ Alumni Association and National Guard
According to the event description, students can speak to members of the University of Alaska ALumni Association as well as the National Guard. Free donuts will be available.
Social Sciences Building, 1st floor lobby 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
— to transform New Rome into Megalopolis, a utopian society. These plans are openly opposed by the mayor of New Rome, Cicero — played by Esposito.
Throughout the film, we follow Cesar as he faces many challenges on the course to creating his dream, but it is easy to become lost or confused about what is going on. The film itself seems to want to answer the question of “what makes an artist,” but because this is such a challenging question to answer, it can lose its audience.
This seems to be the case with “Megalopolis.” IMDb currently rates the film at a 5.4 out of 10, which is much lower than what I think it deserves. Once the film has been out for a while and people have more time to digest its contents, we may see a raise in this score.
The visuals and soundtrack for this film are both remarkable, with incredible cinematography and fantastical imagery representing a modern-ish time heavily influenced by ancient Roman culture. Coppola has once again proven that he can create an incredible world that feels lived in, even though it may lose its audience with the plot.
As previously mentioned, the dialogue and conversations are very memorable. In fact, most of this film is genuinely funny because of the interactions between the characters — not that this is supposed to be a comedy or anything, just that the characters are so rigid and don’t actually talk like real people would. It is almost as if they were written to parody the upper class and their unorthodox way of life.
COURTESY OF LIONSGATE STUDIOS. A movie poster for “Megalopolis.”
Audiences may benefit from having knowledge on how to dissect the imagery and metaphors given to them in “Megalopolis,” and going into it knowing that the movie is not going to give you all of the answers. Another thing that may benefit the viewer is brushing up on Roman history, as the film revolves heavily around a society that is incredibly influenced by Rome. So, is “Megalopolis” a flop? It is too early to say. While the film is incredibly absurd and overall an enjoyable experience, it is
also possible that this absurdism could lose the attention of its audience.
The theater was packed to the brim during the showing, but a few people left before the film had even ended, surely thinking they had better things to do than try to understand the twisted mind of Coppola. “Megalopolis” is a film that is worth watching if the viewer is willing to take some extra time to understand its more subtle messaging.
PHOTO
Hidden Gem: Los Arcos This might be your new favorite cantina.
By Tanner Croft columnist.editor@thenorthernlight.org
Pizza, Chinese food, cheeseburgers, donuts — what do all of these things have in common? They’re all cheap, they are all usually located relatively close to college campuses because college kids love them, and they would all be worthless without the addition of a good Mexican restaurant.
Mexican food is a necessity for an economy. It balances out the blandness of the rest of what might be offered in a community. Of course, there are great Mexican fast-food restaurants like Xalos in town, but we need a hidden gem — we deserve a hidden gem.
Tequila 61 is too bougie for us college kids, and much too far, not that downtown is too far for a hidden gem, but it’s too far for its price. We need something close, cheap and with a server who pours heavy — enter Los Arcos.
Los Arcos is located off Dowling Road only 1.8 miles
from the Student Union. They are open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. every day except for Saturday and Sunday, when the hours are 1210 p.m. and 12-9 p.m., respectively, making this the perfect spot to grab dinner and pregame before a night out on the town.
You might be wondering to yourself, “Why would I want to go two miles away when there is a Taco-Bell right near campus?”
Well, Taco-Bell doesn’t come with a fully stocked bar or service as quick and hospitable as Los Arcos.
That points to another staple of any good Mexican restaurant: its bar. While yes, you are primarily going to a restaurant to eat, but you also want to have a few drinks — right? I mean, we are in college after all.
Los Arcos boasts in their menu that they offer 50 different margaritas. That’s a lot of margaritas to try. Sadly, on this occurrence, only two were able to be tasted.
The Cadillac margarita and the agave margarita are both good picks if you are going to drink at this establishment, and they are both incredibly strong
without tasting too heavily of alcohol. Out of the two, the agave margarita stood out the most. It is sweet, citrusy, and just strong enough to knock your socks off.
Los Arcos also states on their menu that on the weekends, they offer a variety of $7.50 mimosas, which is a pretty good deal considering how strongly they pour. You’ll definitely find me there on a Saturday sometime in the future.
The atmosphere here was pretty standard. You have dinein seating on one side and barside seating on the other. The bar is dimly lit and appropriate for what it is, while the dining side has a curved wall full of windows, which makes the sitdown experience pleasantly lit with natural light.
The food was good, but overall similar to what you would find from any other Mexican restaurant in town. It’s decently priced for a sit-down restaurant and is not too expensive for a Mexican restaurant.
What stole the show was the hospitality of the waitstaff and the speedy service with which they brought the drinks and
food. The drinks came in less than five minutes, and the food was out of the kitchen within 10.
It is important that we value the ways that we spend our time. If you are sitting with a group of friends waiting for food, it may not be so bad if you have to spend a longer time waiting.
If you are eating alone, however, you may want your food to come fast so that you can eat and go about your day. This is by far the fastest service that I have received anywhere in the city, including some fast-food restaurants.
This treatment was not exclusive to me.. After I finished eating, I observed the staff as they tended to their other tables, and each table was greeted with the
same polite and speedy hospitality.
Los Arcos clearly focuses on the attentiveness and professionalism of their staff, and it is noticeably paying off. This is a refreshing break during a time when it seems that customer satisfaction is an afterthought for many establishments.
Overall, Los Arcos impressed me. I would recommend it for anyone who is looking for a reasonably priced Mexican restaurant. Its proximity to campus means it isn’t bothersome to get to, the sit-down experience is enjoyable, the drinks are strong and the staff is friendly and attentive. I went looking for a hidden gem, and I found one.
Gamer Recognizes Game: ‘Pokémon Conquest’ Pokémon and feudal Japan — no
By Scott Hobbs columnist1@thenorthernlight.org
Pokémon is one of the bestselling video game franchises of all time — with all sorts of physical and mobile releases over the years. Most things stay the same across the mainline of Pokémon games, being the physical releases of Generation 1 through Generation 9. The only real changes are quality-of-life improvements or bug fixes.
The spin-off games, on the other hand, are off the wall.
From pinball to sleep to friendship loops, Pokémon has thrown many random elements into its core concepts to make new games. A lot of these spinoff games are beloved by many diehard fans.
For casual fans, however, the accessibility and replayability of some spin-off games can make for a less enjoyable experience — with some fans not even picking up the games altogether.
There are a few spin-off games that strike a perfect balance between the two sets of fans, but one in particular stands out to me: “Pokémon Conquest.”
Every time I return to this game — which was released in 2012 — I admire how simple and deep it is.
The game itself is a combination of Pokémon’s creatures and battling with the characters and battle mechanics of the Nobunaga’s Ambition franchise — a turn-based strategy game popu-
way that works, right?
lar largely in Japan. “Pokémon Conquest” takes concepts from both franchises and directs the player to unify the Ransei region by engaging in battles with Pokémon who are led by different warlords and warriors.
The region is made up of 17 kingdoms, which are themed around the 17 Pokémon types that existed at the time of this game’s release.
The game features 200 unique warlords and warriors, as well as 200 Pokémon. This total number of Pokémon was brought down from the 500+ that existed in the
mainline games at the time to avoid overwhelming players.
As mentioned earlier, the core mechanics of Pokémon battles are still present in this game, with only a few mechanics being changed from the usual.
Fights for kingdoms take place on a tile-based map where you move your Pokémon around with set objectives to complete within a certain number of turns. Each map is unique to each kingdom, and is themed around the same theme as the kingdom itself.
The major core mechanic that
was changed — and expanded upon — was the catching. You don’t lower a Pokémon’s health to catch it — like you would in the old games — but instead move to an adjacent tile and play a timing-based minigame to attempt to catch the Pokémon in one or multiple turns by building a link.
Links are a new mechanic that replaced levels, with links increasing through battle and other interactions in the game.
Links serve to determine the attack, defense, and health of your Pokémon, as levels did in the main games. Both levels and links operate on a scale of 1 to 100, with links being represented as percentages.
Where they differentiate from levels is that not every Pokémon can reach level 100 — or what is referred to in this game as a “perfect link” — with every warlord. Each warlord and warrior has a specific Pokémon they can get a perfect link with — with the potential strength of other Pokémon they can link with capping at certain levels.
These features and changes are well explained through the initial tutorial, which walks you through the beginning of the game by slowly opening the map and guiding your decisions. This is a justified story decision, explained to the player by the character being the new warlord of a kingdom. This helps the process feel less like your hand is being held or that the start of the game is slow.
Once you complete the first chapter, the rest of the game and its opportunities open up to you. There is a “final story” that unlocks after completing around half of the available stories in the game, and there is never really any pressure or requirement to catch every Pokémon, pair every warrior with a perfect link, or complete every story.
However, the amount of replayability gained by making that choice to find every Pokémon, pair each warrior and warlord with their perfect link and complete every story takes the game from being maybe a 20 or 30 hour experience to potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay. That amount of solid replayability within a spin-off game is impressive and it’s what keeps me coming back to play “Pokémon Conquest” over and over.
I haven’t finished all the stories yet because I’m still taking my time working through the game. As of right now, I have logged close to 300 hours playing it — and I probably still have a couple hundred more hours to put into it before I am fully finished with it.
To me, that depth is what makes “Pokémon Conquest” so incredible. I could have been done with it a hundred hours faster, but here I am still playing it.
To have that much content with mechanics so similar to the mainline Pokémon games while also adding so much onto them makes “Pokémon Conquest” one of my all-time favorite games, and one I highly recommend to anyone who has read this far.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NINTENDO.
Pokémon and warlords take center stage in this spectacular spinoff!
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN D ON YELP.
A photo of the entrance to Los Arcos.
Known Stones: Tommy’s Burger Stop
This new review column will cover food from well-known restaurants around Anchorage. This week’s restaurant: Tommy’s Burger Stop
By Scott Hobbs columnist1@thenorthernlight.org
I have some bad news for all the geology majors who thought there was a new column for their major — this is not about geology, so go “kick rocks.”
College isn’t cheap, most people can agree on that. If you’re looking for a place to eat around town, things can get expensive quickly. This is especially the case at more well-known restaurants in the area.
I’m setting out to find which of these well-known restaurants are truly worth their price through the quality of their food and atmosphere — or if they’re all hype and not worth the cost.
Tommy’s Burger Stop has been a Spenard staple since 2002, recently expanding across town with the opening of a location off Dimond Boulevard and C Street this March. Of the two locations, the original Spenard restaurant is cozy with minimal seating, while the Dimond restaurant has every intention of being a sit-down eatery.
This article will cover my experience eating at the new Dimond location and compare it to the experience of eating at the original.
Immediately upon walking into the store, you’re greeted with a very confused visual atmosphere. The Spenard location — having been around for so long — has a very specific look and vibe upon entering. There is a counter on your left, tables on your right, and a very relaxed dive feel and aesthetic to the restaurant.
In the new Tommy’s, it feels as though they are still trying to bring their style into a space occupied previously by another business. Because it intends to
be a sit-down eatery, the new aesthetic aims to be more upscale, which ends up clashing with the elements they attempt to bring from the old restaurant. Some of these elements include wall art on one wall and a counter displaying retro Star Wars merch behind it.
In terms of food cost, the burgers have maintained a relatively steady price compared to inflation, while other offerings at the restaurant have made a significant jump.
Comparing the menus from a few years ago to today, the cost of sides and drinks have nearly doubled. This might be justified if burgers normally came with a side, but they don’t unless you order the special.
On this trip, my total cost was close to $30. I purchased the weekly special so I could get fries, and I also bought one of their desserts. The desserts there are delicious, with my personal favorite so far being the Cajun Delight that I tried on this visit. It’s not too rich, combines multiple textures very well and won’t leave you too full if you eat it before your burger gets to your table.
The special of the week, for this week, was The Hellcat Burger, which was delicious. The addition of jalapeños and mushrooms along with blue cheese and mozzarella bring the perfect amount of spice and funk to a quality beef patty.
One note that I will make is that there has been some inconsistency across the burgers that I’ve ordered, with substitutions or removals not being reflected in the final burger, and this current experience was no exception — I asked for no tomato and the burger came with tomato. Not a major knock for me, but for someone who has food sensi-
Video: Arc Gallery: Fall Installation 2024
By Anja Burnett video1@thenorthernlight.org
For a limited time, students can visit the Arc Gallery in the hallway connecting UAA’s Consortium library and the Social Sciences Building and view Susan Joy Share’s recent artwork. The artwork is inspired by Indigenous Seminole patchwork designs and Zhen Xian Bao (Chinese folk art).
Susan Joy Share is currently an Anchorage resident, and her work can be recognized across Anchorage in Spenard as the Greenwall/Light Mural, the Cancer Center donor wall of Providence Alaska Medical Center, the library at Boney Courthouse, and in South Anchorage High School. The Arc Gallery installation will be available from September fourth through November first.
tivities or allergies, this could be a bigger concern.
Back to the pricing of the burgers: compared to other restaurants similar to Tommy’s that are aiming to be upscale, it’s fairly reasonable. Both Spenard Roadhouse and the Bear Tooth Grill have burgers with a side and drinks that will run you around $30.
The problem is that those places aren’t known for being a dive. These restaurants have always been slightly more upscale than the original Tommy’s. With the new Tommy’s trying to catch up to other restaurants, you can feel how far behind they are through the atmosphere, and the prices should reflect that.
There are places that you can get the same quality of burger faster and cheaper that are still sit-down restaurants. These include the Blue Fox and Arctic Roadrunner which have burgers, sides and drinks that cost between $15 and $20, reflecting the atmosphere in their cost.
Beyond the pricing is the wait time. At the Spenard location of Tommy’s, you can see your burger on the grill and make conversation with people in the cozy space while you wait for your food. This makes the wait more pleasant, as you always have an eye on your food and how close it is to being done while passing the time.
At the Dimond location, the kitchen is behind swinging doors, invisible to those waiting for their food. It can be maddening not knowing whether the next door opening will be your food or not.
Because of the limited staffing in the front of the restaurant — who are typically busy working the phone, tables or making shakes — you can’t reasonably ask them to see if your food is
near done without interrupting.
For those reasons, I think it would benefit Tommy’s if they had different menus and styling based on location. The Spenard location could maintain its odd, hole-in-the-wall aesthetic with cheap food to match, while the Dimond location could focus on upscale food and drink that match the quality of their pricing.
This would not only help differentiate the two locations and incentivize people to visit both, it would justify the jump in pricing for the food at the Dimond location.
The quality and taste of the
food is not the issue. If I want a really good burger, Tommy’s is one of the first places I think to go. But as I debate where I want to go, I often realize I can get the same quality of burger along with drinks and sides for half the cost elsewhere.
In the future, I hope that Tommy’s either shifts both locations to the atmosphere and pricing of the Spenard location or they have each location go different directions with menu and pricing. If the current model continues to be the standard, college students who have limited budgets for dining out should take their business elsewhere.
PHOTO BY ANJA BURNETT.
Pictured is the “Breathing Both Sides” art installation held in UAA’s Arc gallery inside the Consortium Library. The exhibit will be in place from September fourth through November first.
PHOTO BY TANNER CROFT.
A classic weekly special, the Hellcat is one of Tommy’s best burgers.
Photos: Seawolves volleyball defeat the Saints
By Justin Cox photo2@thenorthernlight.org
The Seawolves had their first home game of the season on Sept. 26 against Saint Martin’s University after having had a dozen away games to start out their season. Anchorage native Kadyn Osborne opened the game with the first serve at the Alaska Airlines Center for the season. The Seawolves won the first two sets of the match, lost the third and won the fourth set. Tia Allen, a transfer student from Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, had the final serve against her former team, leading to the Seawolves’ victory.
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PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Osborne delivers the first serve at the Alaska Airlines Center for the 202425 season.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Allen keeps the ball in play during the second set.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Seawolves strategize during a time-out in the first set.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
UAA players celebrate a point on the sidelines.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN COX.
Hannah Trotter sets the ball against Saint Martin’s.
Right Answers Only: American military interventions are the best!
Satire: This week’s topic: Interventionism
By Scott Hobbs columnist1@thenorthernlight.org
Interventionism is as American as Manifest Destiny. We rightfully glorify it in movies, distastefully oppose it in song and happily fund it through the military industrial complex every year with our taxes.
According to Wikipedia, since our glorious nation’s founding in 1776, there have been 393 instances of foreign military intervention, with nearly half of those instances occurring since 1950.
After seeing that staggering figure, I wanted to go through our nation’s illustrious history and ask: Which American military intervention was the best?
An early contender for this distinction is the Convention of Kanagawa. Commodore Matthew C. Perry was sent to Japan in 1854 to force the country to open its borders after over 200 years of isolation from the outside world.
Perry used gunboat diplomacy to gently convince the Japanese to agree to their demands. This led to a prosperous relationship between the two nations outside of a certain 4-year stretch in the early 1940s.
In 1898, America engaged in the justified Spanish–American War after Spain blew up one of America’s naval vessels, the USS Maine.
Of course, everyone knows America would never amplify a false narrative to create a reason
to go to war for the sole purpose of imposing our will on another country — that would be absurd.
This short war with Spain resulted in America getting three new shiny colonies to play with: Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Highlights of America’s incredible diplomacy in the early 1900s include our fighting in the Banana Wars in Central America, the annexation of the Philippines and our effort to bring down the Boxer Rebellion in China.
These were all legitimate and preventative interventions on the part of America and were totally justified conflicts for us to take part in.
After being involved in the tail end of World War I, America’s lust for conflict hit rock bottom because Congress passed Neutrality Acts to avoid future foreign interventionism.
This shameful behavior would thankfully last only 10 years, with America taking the gloves off for the World War sequel and single-handedly putting down Nazi Germany to end the fighting in Europe.
This was followed by a shift in foreign policy with Japan, moving from gunboat diplomacy to “nuclear bomb” diplomacy. This action placed America back atop the global food chain.
America was on a tear after World War II and got involved in every conflict we could find.
This particularly applied in Latin America, where coun-
tries had dictators who were not bending a knee to every American demand and policy. In response, America did what any rational country would do and started destabilizing their governments.
Fun fact: The CIA is great at destabilizing foreign governments — and eliminating foreign threats to American security.
My favorite intervention in Latin America during this time period — and a serious contender for the best intervention ever — is Operation Just Cause.
In short, America allowed drugs to continue flowing into the United States due to their relationship with Gen. Noriega. Noriega was a prominent figure in the Panamanian government who helped suppress multiple communist uprisings through-
out Latin America during the Cold War. We were fine with Noriega’s acceptance of drug money and drug trafficking as long as he wasn’t a communist.
When this relationship was exposed and Noriega began to align with the communists, however, America was no longer fine enabling him. So George H.W. Bush declared we would not negotiate with a drug trafficker and successfully baited Panama into declaring war on the U.S.
This resulted in 26,000 American troops flowing into Panama with orders to secure the canal, take down the government and detain General Noriega.
The invasion lasted just over a month, with the bulk of it spent blasting rock music 24 hours a day outside the Apostolic Nunciature — the Catholic Church’s
equivalent of an embassy — where Noriega was holed up.
America did not engage in this justified human rights violation with the intent of psychologically damaging the General, rather it was to prevent parabolic microphones from eavesdropping on negotiations.
The operation was aptly named “Operation Just Cause” to preserve the legitimacy of the invasion after the United Nations absurdly claimed that it was a “flagrant violation of international law.” These claims were not true, they were just made because they couldn’t handle America’s swag.
What followed the Cold War was a based decision from America to declare war on terror. This war on terror lasted over 20 years, highlighted by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Twenty years in Iraq and Afghanistan and the only ones to benefit were big oil and big pharma? I remember when, in 20 years, our nation could crank through dozens of interventions and win most of them.
Today, our government is a bigger fan of plausible deniability than getting its hands dirty and ripping other countries to shreds.
After extensive research to answer my question, Operation Just Cause is in my mind the best intervention.
It will be incredibly hard to top such a stellar invasion, but if we keep feeding money to the military, I’m sure there will come a day when there is another just cause to violate a country’s rights.
Right Answers Only: Why leave Alaska?
This new satire column will cover many different topics. This week’s topic: outmigration
By Scott Hobbs columnist1@thenorthernlight.org
According to the Alaska Beacon, a recent conference was hosted at UAA that brought together many interested parties from around Alaska to discuss the growing problem of outmigration from the state. Organizers included the Alaska Federation of Natives, UAA’s Institute of Social and Economic Research, the First Alaskans Institute and Representative Mary Peltola.
The conclusion reached at the end of the two-day conference was that young people are leaving Alaska, and fewer young people are coming from out of state to replace them like they used to — that’s a problem.
That conclusion stuck with me and made me pose the question: Why Leave Alaska?
I seek to answer that question in this article by highlighting the unique aspects of the state, in addition to pointing out some features that separate Alaska from the other 49 states in the Union — proving unequivocally that the Last Frontier is also the best frontier and people have no reason to leave.
One of the first reasons that
comes to mind is the free money that is available to everyone, along with exclusive opportunities for young adults raised in the state. No other state in the Union will give you money just for being a resident and having a pulse.
Since Alaskans voted for it in 1976, The Permanent Fund Dividend — also referred to as the PFD — has been viewed by many Alaskans as something they are annually entitled to — because willingly choosing to live in this state is something you should be handsomely compensated for.
Another example of free money exclusive to young adults in the state is the UA Scholars and Alaska Performance Scholarship awards given to graduates in the state.
If students are accepted for the highest level of the scholarship — which barely covers tuition — they will still need to sort out the high cost of housing, food, and other amenities to make their life at a UA school even remotely palatable.
But at least tuition is barely covered, and you know that every year, without fail, the state’s budget will be slashed, so you get your PFD check.
Speaking of budget cuts, an-
other reason to live in Alaska is the impeccable local and state leadership that sets up the state’s success year after year.
Our officials have made continual cuts to much-needed funding for schools, snow removal, public media and more, year in and year out. While that may sound like a bad thing, it’s actually not as bad as you might think. Not only do these cuts guarantee a slightly larger permanent fund payout, but it also ensures property tax — the only statewide tax collected from individuals — stays low.
In my opinion, the incentives to own property to keep your taxes low should be enough to attract young adults to settle down in Alaska — and take out a 30-year mortgage to afford it.
Now for a lightning round of Alaskan achievements that irrefutably place our great state at the top of the Union.
Alaska does not have the highest violent crime rate in the Union by state — only the second highest.
Alaska’s seasons are becoming less temperate, with more violent and unpredictable weather leading to floods, droughts and blizzards for residents to weather with that patented Last Frontier grit and determination.
Road quality and maintenance often lead to a high volume of accidents and road closures throughout the year, but really it’s a good thing that roads are as awful as they are because it ensures drivers are more focused on the road and their driving at all times.
Finally, the darkness. A common complaint about Alaska is how dark it gets in the winter, with some places receiving no sunlight for months at a time. However, without the darkness, criminals would not be able to
commit crimes and the mood light industry would not be thriving.
There are no negatives to living in Alaska, there are only positives. It is a state that appeals to all demographics. Particularly if you are a criminal, a millionaire, or a fan of miserable living conditions, Alaska is the place to be.
It boggles my mind why the young population of Alaska would be leaving at such a rapid rate.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. An artists rendition of America’s justified use of gunboat diplomacy.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. The biggest state must be the best, right?
Sound and sociology: The art of storytelling pt. 2
In this second installment of my three-part miniseries, I will be going over one of the most transformative artists in the R&B space from the past 10 years: Frank Ocean.
By Nahla White columnist2@thenorthernlight.org
Frank Ocean is one of the most mysterious figures to exist in the modern mainstream R&B scene. Ocean has solidified himself as one of the greatest musicians ever by creating an unforgettable sonic experience that has guided many teenagers and young adults through their journey to adulthood.
With a form of storytelling that can be just as cryptic as the artist himself, Ocean is the master at giving the audience crumbs. I remember hearing somewhere that Ocean’s songs are similar to Quentin Tarantino films.
Tarantino’s style of directing sneaks in small portions of lore and world-building that serves to make the world of his movies bigger — and Ocean’s music is no different.
While a few of his songs are a lot more literal when it comes to their storytelling — “American Wedding”, “Super Rich Kids” and his verse on Tyler the Creator’s “She” — he doesn’t often indulge in the standard play-byplay lyric delivery. Instead, he plants seeds of the plot to let the listener fill in the gaps.
Ocean released Nostalgia, Ultra — his first project — on his Tumblr page on February 16, 2011. The mixtape jetted Frank into superstardom. He began to be noticed by the likes of JayZ, Beyonce and Kanye West for features, and more importantly the prominent label, Def Jam.
With 14 tracks, “Nostalgia, Ultra” runs a little under 45 minutes long. It is packed with good examples of the style of storytelling that inspired me to write about Ocean’s music.
I have been going back and forth for the longest time between discussing “Novacane” and “American Wedding,” but I want to go with the song that has been resonating with me the most lately, and that is “Swim Good.”
“Swim Good” is the 10th track on the album and discusses the tumultuous feelings of despair and acceptance that come after heartbreak. Not only do I think the lyrics perfectly capture that agonizing feeling of leaving a long-term relationship , but the instrumentation brings to life both the dread of the unknown and the hopefulness of
what’s to come.
My personal favorite lines are the opening bars where Ocean says, “That’s a pretty big trunk on my Lincoln Town Car, ain’t it? Big enough to take these broken hearts and put ‘em in it. Now I’m drivin’ ‘round on the boulevard, trunk bleedin’. And everytime the cops pull me over, they don’t ever see them.”
Cars themselves are a recurring theme throughout Ocean’s discography. In this specific instance he’s using that theme to measure the amount of time’s he’s had his heart broken. The cops pulling him over can also be read as a metaphor for all of the people that fail to recognize his emotionally distraught state.
I also want to mention the correlation between the pre-chorus — “I got this black suit on, roaming around like I’m ready for a funeral” — and compare that to the organ melody in the backdrop of the song.
Organs are often associated with death given their common uses in funeral services, and that specific musical choice is just another way that Ocean’s lyricism and instrumentation choices both serve to paint a vivid picture of his imagination.
While the logical next steps would be to discuss the albums “Channel Orange” and then “Blonde”, I only have space to discuss two of his albums in this article.
While I would have loved to dive in-depth into my favorite song from “Channel Orange” — “Pyramids” — the goal of this article is to emphasize Ocean’s specific style of minimalistic and cryptic storytelling.
“Channel Orange” has many songs that are more vivid and literal with its storytelling, whereas “Blonde” had stumped many people upon its initial release due to the obscurity of the topics being discussed.
All three of his albums exemplify different aspects of his writing, but “Blonde” perfectly embodies the mysticism that has always surrounded Ocean throughout his career.
There are so many songs to choose from “Blonde” that could showcase exactly what I want to highlight about Ocean’s specific style of storytelling, but I think none of them hit me nearly as hard as “Seigfreid” does everytime I listen to it.
“Seigfreid” is the 15th track on the album and juggles a multitude of topics from depression, existentialism, failed relationships, to the sobering reality of growing up. It’s a somber, almost melancholic song that serves as the emotional low point for the entire project.
The lines that always stand out to me are “I can’t relate to my peers. I’d rather live outside. I’d rather chip my pride than lose my mind out here. Maybe I’m a fool. Maybe I should move, and settle. Two kids and a swimming pool. I’m not brave.”
He expands on this outlook more in the second verse, painting a vivid image of his dissatisfaction with fitting the status quo. Despite societal expectations of settling down and having a “nuclear family” type lifestyle, he detests the idea outright and proclaims that he’d rather stand apart from his peers than conform to a lifestyle that was never meant for him.
It’s an inner conflict that so many people have, including myself. Now more than ever, I have been wondering if all of my choices until now have been the right decisions, and the uncertainty of it all is nerve-wracking. Listening to “Seigfreid” with that thought in the back of my head brings me to tears nearly every time.
The third verse opens up with: “Speaking of Nirvana, it was there. Rare as the feathers on my dash from a phoenix. There with my crooked teeth and companion sleeping.”
I can almost feel the yearning that accompanies those words;
the feeling of bliss that comes with true love and sharing mundane moments with someone you care about.
Ocean reminisces on the romance that he once shared with his lover with the lines “eat some shrooms, maybe have a good cry about you” alluding to the drug usage he resorts to as a means of coping with the failed relationship.
As I’ve gotten older, Ocean’s music has begun to resonate with me in ways I didn’t even think were possible. The feelings of loss, heartache and yearning that he invokes with his lyrics never fail to send chills down my spine and bring tears to my eyes.
Ocean’s unique style of lyricism and knack for creating such clear and vivid imagery, have solidified his position as one of the most transformative artists in both the hip-hop and R&B genres.
COURTESY OF FRANK OCEAN.
The album cover for Frank Ocean’s second studio album, “Blonde.”
Read the whole series online
Sound and sociology: The art of storytelling pt. 3
In this miniseries finale, we will discuss the artist that guided me into adulthood: Mitski.
By Nahla White columnist2@thenorthernlight.org
This one goes out to all the alternative girls and gays that yearn for unattainable standards of romance.
There is no doubt that Mitski has made a lasting impression on the indie/alternative music scenes over the past few years. With unforgettable tracks such as “I Bet on Losing Dogs” and “Washing Machine Heart,” Mitski managed to bring to life a dormant feeling inside millions of people from all over the world: the feeling of yearning.
In a similar manner to Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean, Mitski is a master at painting pictures with her music. Unlike the former two however, her storytelling is heavily reliant on her lyrics rather than the production, album sequencing or a combination of all three.
Whether she’s using metaphors and analogies or flat-out describing her feelings, Mitski’s lyrics are filled with vivid imagery that perfectly captures the thoughts that she’s trying to convey.
With a sound that ranges from orchestral, to grunge, to dance and even folk, Mitski’s music has fundamentally changed the way I view songwriting as a medium for artistic expression.
Across her discography, Mitski touches on a multitude of topics. The most frequent of these topics revolve around unrequited love, insecurity, hopelessness and dysfunctional relationships. In ballads like “Class of 2013,” she captures the insurmountable fear that nearly every young adult has regarding their life and career goals and the uncertainty that lies within their future.
“Your Best American Girl” speaks to women of color all across the country who have never been anyone’s first choice — shedding light on the ways in which our otherness often leaves us undesirable within the dating pool. Mitski’s music never fails to bring tears to my eyes, and she is my go-to artist for a good majority of my late night crying sessions.
While her most popular songs are still amazing — and deserving of the attention and praise they receive — I wanted to shed light on a few of her lesser-known tracks and how the lyrics resonate with me in a way that only Mitski has managed to achieve thus far.
The first song I want to discuss is “Happy.” Featured on her fourth studio album “Puberty 2,” “Happy” is one of the more underplayed tracks on the album
and — in my opinion — the most underrated. It’s been my favorite Mitski song for quite some time now, and has a rather unconventional grunge sound that’s reminiscent of her previous album “Bury Me At Makeout Creek.”
The instrumentation and vibrant energy of the second half was what hooked me in initially, but the story and imagery painted with the lyrics caused me to stay. The track opens with the narrator recounting an evening spent with a man named Happy — someone who seemingly leaves the narrator emotionally drained after their nights together.
One of the lyrics that always stood out to me was in the opening four bars: “Happy came to visit me, he bought cookies on the way. I poured him tea, and he told me, “It’ll all be okay.” Well, I told him I’d do anything to have him stay with me. So he laid me down, and I felt happy come inside of me. He laid me down, and I felt happy.”
I think this opening verse perfectly sums up the themes of the song. Mitski choosing to keep this man around for the sole purpose of not feeling lonely, damages her psyche and self-image. The word “happy” serves as a double entendre, with the first meaning being the man’s name and the second meaning being the way his presence brings her happiness — even if she suffers from the relationship more than she benefits from it.
This is solidified by the line in the chorus that goes “When you go and take this heart, I’ll make no more use of it when there’s no more you.”
Her happiness is relative to the man that she’s formed a dependency on, and because of that, she’s expressing how her heart and feelings have no value whenever he’s not around. Happy’s absence often leaves the narrator with the broken eggshells of her warped perception of love, which increases her reliance on him for security and emotional stability.
As far as album openers go, it is by far one of my favorites, right alongside Kendrick Lamar’s “Wesley’s Theory” and Frank Ocean’s “Nikes.”
The feeling of true loneliness is dreadful in almost every sense of the word. There have been countless times when I’ve sacrificed elements of my own dignity and self-respect for the sole purpose of having someone to spend a few meaningless moments with. The constant search for companionship has only led me to places that further increased my self-doubts and insecurities, yet that never stopped me from seeking out partnership.
“Happy” embodies the reality of overreliance within relationships in a way that doesn’t romanticize them like most songs do, and it displays the consequences that come with giving up pieces of yourself for some -
one who couldn’t care less.
The second song I wanted to focus on had faded into obscurity in the wake of “Brand New City” and “Liquid Smooth” gaining virality over the past few years. From the same album — “Lush” — one of the songs that always stuck with me from the moment I first listened to it was “Bag Of Bones.”
“Bag Of Bones” is a slow piano track that exemplifies the “sad girl” aesthetic that Mitski’s fanbase heavily associates her with. While the somber sound of the song fills me with a sense of existentialism that leaves me a bit too rattled for comfort, it’s the lyrics that have always stuck out to me.
Much like “Happy,” “Bag of Bones” deals a lot with the concept of seeking out intimacy as a means of dealing with insecurity. However, “Bag of Bones” places more emphasis on the idea of using sexual intimacy as a measure of self-worth and value.
This is most clear in the second verse of the song: “I know my room is a mess. Over and Over again I tell myself I’ll clean tomorrow. Just move the stuff up off the bed and do what you came here to do. But first open up a window for me. And let the cool air in, feel the night slip in as it softly glides along your back, and hope you leave right before the sun comes up so I can watch it alone.”
The narrator’s room is a re -
flection of her deteriorated mental state, with messy rooms sometimes being an indicator of depression. In an attempt to rid herself of those feelings, she invites someone over to have sex, only to discard them once the moment they shared is over.
The person’s sole purpose was to provide her with the smallest bit of validation and reaffirm the narrator’s desire to be desired by others. However, these encounters only leave her feeling empty inside, giving her a few moments of bliss before thrusting her back into the cruel reality of her depressive state. I crave validation as much as anyone else — it’s only human of me — and I am no stranger to seeking out intimacy with others as a means of reaffirming that I have worth as a person. It’s almost shameful how much I can relate to this song, and I felt like writing an article without giving it the attention it deserves would’ve done it a huge disservice.
Mitski’s music is like a portal to another dimension, one that is crafted via the building blocks that are her poetry. Each time I put in my headphones, I become enraptured by the words that leave her lips, teleporting me from my world to hers. Mitski has been my number one artist for quite some time now, and even after years of being a fan, her music never ceases to amaze me.
PHOTO BY DANIEL TOPETE.
The photoshoot for Mitski’s fourth studio album, ”Puberty 2.”
Wow, y’all had a lot to say! Croft’s Comments
By Tanner Croft columnist.editor@thenorthernlight.org
I want to preface the responses with a little personal message from myself to all of the readers who submitted responses: I’m pretty blown away with how many submissions we got. I am very glad to see that y’all like this advice column. Some of the submissions that I received are a bit too out of pocket to include in the paper, but rest assured, I loved all of them. If you feel like submitting some more offthe-wall stuff, do it. I got a kick out of them and loved reading them, even if I can’t include them in the paper.
I also appreciate all of the love that y’all sent my way regarding my “Late to the party article.” I am glad to see that all of you enjoyed it, and I may not respond to each and every submission that praised the article, but each of them meant the world to me. It feels very good to receive so much support on such a controversial article.
One more announcement, I had to alter some of the responses for grammatical reasons, so if part of your question is removed or altered, it is because there was a grammatical error.
Also, if your question is not in this edition, keep an eye out for an online version, or wait until the next print. With so many responses, I am not sure they will all fit in the print version of this article.
Q: How can I be better connected to campus life?
A: Talk to people. It sounds intimidating, but most people will tell you about all of the things that they are involved in around campus if you just ask. For other events on campus, there are plenty of flyers and posters for events hung up around the halls. It takes some time to read through all of the events, but there are some cool things going on around campus. If you are looking to get involved in events that are not put on by the college itself, start by saying hello to your neighbors, roommates and random people walking down the hall. Adventure lies beyond a simple “hello.”
Q: I want to be able to do nice things
for my boyfriend, but I’m on a really tight budget. He’s always doing so much for me, but I feel like I’m not able to reciprocate in turn. Help!
A: My best advice is that you show interest in the things he is interested in. It doesn’t cost anything to listen. Get him talking about something he really likes, and then show him that it means as much to you as it does to him. If he likes playing video games or hiking, try doing those things with him. Even if it seems daunting at first, everyone starts learning somewhere.
Q: I’ve been trying for months to get internships within my major, but they keep rejecting me even though I have a very long resume. Should I just give up and try something new, or should I stick with it and keep trying?
A: Keep trying. There is an internship out there that is perfect for you. There is a chance that it could be farther away than you want it to be, however, because Alaska is so isolated, but there is definitely something out there just waiting for you. You could try to cut down on your resume, removing some of the fluff and keeping the parts that are really important may help. You should include a cover letter and a portfolio of your work if it’s applicable to the internship. Another thing that will give you a leg up in the current workforce is approaching jobs in person to apply. Most companies use some kind of software to sift through applicants, so you never actually get a chance because a machine said you weren’t qualified. Approaching a job and asking to apply in person is an easy way to get your foot — and your name — in the door, and in front of the people who will ultimately make the decision. Be persistent, and stick with it; you will find something.
Q: What would you recommend we do to bring Greek life back at UAA when we have no established FSL houses? Nationals for ASP has indicated that the fraternity is still likely a few years away from being able to purchase a permanent house. It seems like the MAC and Templewood are the best options currently unless people want to find rental houses off campus. P.S. I thought your “Late to
the party” article was spot on.
A: People, honestly, the most important thing right now for FSL is people. COVID clearly destroyed a lot of the social life around campus, and that includes Greek life. The more people that get involved in FSL, the more likely it is that we will start seeing the potential for FSL housing. For now, we just have to make do until FSL can get the numbers that it had before the pandemic. And thank you — I appreciate the support!
Q: What is most important for prospective students to know about UAA?
A: There are a lot of things to know before coming to UAA. Primarily, this is a school that is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. While you may have a beautiful view from your class, you may struggle to integrate socially. It is a work in progress — there are improvements being made every day, but you should definitely know that you will have to work toward making this the college experience you always dreamed of. This is a great place to learn and provides a conducive environment for education, but socially, it is a struggle at times.
Q: Is Anchorage a city?
A: Anchorage is a small town that has the population of a city, while still acting like a small town. Everyone knows everyone and judges you based on which high school you went to. That is small town behavior right there. Yet, there is a population of just under 300,000 people.
Q: Late to the party, Tanner! I enjoyed reading your article, and I agree that UAA’s social scene is growing, albeit slowly. With the campus rules in place, people are hesitant to risk a “debilitating hangover” not just because of the headache, but because UPD and the RAs will give them another one. Your article made me think about what really gets people out of their dorms, and it’s usually free food or some form of entertainment. But if you want to dive deeper, I think what’s
Scan to submit a question!
really missing isn’t booze, blondes, or brunch with sunglasses, it’s school spirit. People need to bleed green and gold. That’s what will pull us together to party like we’re supposed to. Whether it’s UAA athletics beating Fairbanks or a campus wide sledding day, school spirit is the heart of it. So Tanner, use your writing to spark that spirit because trust me, people are reading.
A: I couldn’t agree more. The article — while making an argument in favor of party culture — was meant to highlight the issues this campus faces as a whole. One of the biggest issues that we face is an incredible lack of school spirit. This is something that one of my next articles will be highlighting. So, if you’re going to a hockey game or you’re breaking out the sleds this winter, make sure you let your neighbors know, and while you’re at it, let me know, because a campus-wide sledding day sounds like a blast. Also, thank you for your kind words and support on the article — they are heartwarming.
Q: Any tips on handling this time of year, with everything getting so dark? Seasonal depression is no joke, and being told to just “go to therapy and talk to friends” just makes it feel worse when you already are — I want to know what actually helps for somebody.
A: Happy lights, or any other kind of mood lighting can be a seriously good investment. Another thing is getting out of your room, which seems to be the most impossible thing to do. I promise, if you go out and move around — I know it’s cold but try anyway — you will feel so much better. Going out of your way to do things helps a lot, and will help you feel more productive. Being exposed to the same scene every day, over and over again can seriously get you in an endless loop inside your own head. So get out of your room a bit and make sure that you still go to therapy and talk to friends too. All of these things add together for the solution, you can’t build a building by starting on the third floor.
GRAPHIC BY EDLEEN GUIAO.