September 2, 2014

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September 3, 2014

PEOPLE

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

A&E

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August photo spread

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Trade art at UAA’s Student Union Gallery

UA President Pat Gamble offered $320,000 bonus By Kelly Ireland

editor@thenorthernlight.org Amidst prioritization in the University of Alaska system, the Board of Regents has offered the UA President Pat Gamble a $320,000 bonus. The bonus was included in Pat Gamble’s contract extension that the Board of Regents created June of this year. Since word of the bonus has gotten out, outrage has been apparent. Faculty and students alike have expressed upset that the UA President is receiving a bonus that matches his annual salary during times of budget cuts. In response, the UA Board of Regents Chair, Pat Jacobson, sent students and faculty a message via the UA Outreach notification system on Aug. 27 explaining the reasoning behind

the bonus. Jacobson’s message says the bonus was offered to Gamble as an incentive to continue to improve the UA system. Jacobson also said Gamble’s salary doesn’t match the salaries of administrators in similar roles across the United States, and the bonus will make the position and salary more competitive. According to Jacobson, the bonus will only be given if Gamble remains the UA President until 2016 when his contract ends. During this time the Board of Regents may terminate him at any time, and if he is terminated the bonus will be proportionally deducted. “Quite simply, the Board of Regents believes it is in the best interests of Alaska’s university system to retain President Gamble’s leadership through this period of challenge and change,” Jacobsen’s message reads. “It is

also important to offer the system president a compensation package that can compete with the national market now and with future presidents. Leading the UA System is a complex endeavor, and attracting and retaining top-caliber talent is important. With the current salary significantly under market, and given the board’s desire to retain our current president, a performance-based retention incentive was seen as striking a reasonable balance while addressing our broader concerns.” United Academics President Abel Bult-Ito, who represents UA faculty, responded to the letter, asserting the Board of Regents was not at all justified in approving a bonus for Gamble. The response also states that because a bonus was not on the Board of Regents agenda that no public comment could be made, and the Board of Regents were

wrong in moving forward with the bonus without commentary. “As the president of the University of Alaska, this is a normal expectation of performance not meriting any special recognition,” said Bult-Ito. Bult-Ito continued, “The actions of the (Board of Regents), awarding this bonus to President Gamble and failing to offer reasonable justifications for it, suggest that it is out of touch with the realities faced by many UA students and with the academic mission of the university.” At the last USUAA meeting Aug. 29, UAA student government discussed Gamble’s bonus. USUAA senator and prenursing student Dylan Lance said USUAA wanted to know where the money for the bonus is coming from. He said USUAA wouldn’t support the bonus if the funds came from from money intended to be used for students.

Students in attendance at the meeting had similar sentiments as USUAA delegates. “On the one hand I think it’s an effort by the board to make sure he is paid for what he does on a somewhat similar level to other universities,” said Jonathon Taylor, political science major and president of the UAA College Republicans, who attended the USUAA meeting. “... At the same time I would like to know where the money came from because I feel like, as the university is going through reprioritization, it’s probably a good thing for the students to know where that money would have gone otherwise if it hadn’t been used for a bonus.” Taylor said. USUAA and students currently await a response from the UA Board or Regents on where the money for Pat Gamble’s bonus is to be taken from.

"Six-figure bonus for UA president raises eyebrows amid budget cuts" Alaska Dispatch News

"Bonus for University President Raises Questions and Concerns" KTUU.com

"UA president offered bonus at time of budget cut" Associated Press

"Petition launched to protest University of Alaska president bonus" News Miner

Red Zone: Protecting one’s self

from online sexual harassment By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org The webcomic “Penny Arcade” has a great strip regarding what they call the “Greater Internet F---wad Theory,” or GIFT for short. Basically, it states that a normal person, when given anonymity and an audience, turns into a total F-wad, as they say. Thus far, The Northern Light’s Red Zone coverage has included safe partying tips and steps one can take to avoid sexual assault on campus. But campus is not the only place where one can feel sexually threatened. The GIFT demonstrated that harassment can happen to anyone, by anyone on the Internet. The tale of Zoe Quinn, which is pretty big in the news now, pertains massively to online sexual harassment. Quinn is the developer of a recent game called “Depression Quest,” a

semi-fictional visual novel of sorts that explores depression — what it does to victims and those who surround them. It’s definitely a topic worth discussing. But that is not the reason that Quinn is making headlines right now. She’s making headlines because she’s had to fight back against legions upon legions of Internet trolls. Upon putting her game up on Steam, it was faced with tons of comments threatening to rape and kill her, among other despicable things. A man claiming to be her exboyfriend jumped on the bandwagon, too, making several humiliating and shameful allegations about her. And this has added fuel to the fire in what seems like a perpetual harassment loop. You may think to yourself that this is just an isolated case, but it’s really not. The Internet’s culture has a history of being misogynistic and cruel to its

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female members. But what not many realize is that there’s a system in place to prevent and punish that kind of behavior. Title VII and Title IX both apply to online harassment, and if you’re being harassed or threatened by co-workers or students online, talk to someone about it. Don’t let them get away. It is the duty of these titles to prevent harassment and threats, and that applies to the Internet as well. And that leads another side of this topic that I’d like to talk to: the harassers. Yes, that means you, reader. Chances are you are a normal person who uses the Internet, granting you anonymity and an audience. But you don’t have to be a total F-wad. You’re more responsible than that. Sexual harassment is not okay, no matter where it happens. In fact, by doing it anonymously on a global, digital stage, you’re making it worse. The harass-

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ment being inflicted on Zoe Quinn can only be possible on the Internet. And while the Internet is a wonderful invention, it is saddening that many immature people are using it to belittle and shame others. Many message boards and social networks allow users to report behavior like this, and they do have rules against that kind of thing. If you’re threatened, you can take it up with an administrator or report it, which

will probably lead to a ban or a warning. These networks are doing all they can to stop this kind of behavior. You can help them out, and vice versa. No matter where or how you’re harassed, there’s help for you. If you feel threatened or unsafe by someone else on the Internet, there are people everywhere to talk to. And if you post on the Internet, be responsible. You’re an adult. Don’t be a total F-wad.

Save these numbers in your phone! • Uni v e r s it y P o l ic e D epA RT ME N T:

Emergency? Call 911. To report an incident that happened to a friend, call UPD at 907-786-1120.

• Dea n o f S tude n ts: 907-786-1214

• Stude n t H ea lth & C o u n se l in g : 907-786-4040

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