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University of Alaska Southeast WHALESONG February 22, 2016 The Official Student Newspaper of UAS All Gender page Bathrooms Update 7 Like us on Facebook! Mornings: Awful, SB 174: Concealed Review: Pirates but Good for You Carry on Campus of Penzance page 6 page 9 page 10 2 UAS WHALESONG February 22, 2016 ON THE COVER... While gendered bathrooms signs will not be dissapearing — UAS Answers — completely, by the end of the semester, Juneau campus will see the introduction of new, all gender bathrooms (and corresponding signs), Everybody’s got one ... according to Title IX Coordinator Lori Klein. (Photograph by Darin Donohue) What do you think about the bill going through the Senate (SB 174) which would allow students to conceal carry firearms on campus? Table of Contents “College being such a high-stress “I’ve no problem with it. Most anyone who will environment as it is, I’m not sure its be actually carrying a concealed firearm will have 3 Letter from the Editor / Whalesong Staff an entirely level headed place I would most likely passed the precautions that come be comfortable with guns around. with owning a firearm. Keeping in mind this is Overall, I’m just not exactly convinced Alaska, I think It could add to our security on 4 Study Away / UAS In Brief that concealed firearms are necessary on our day to day, especially while walking all the our college campuses.” way to and from the dorms with bears around.” -Tayler Edwards -Anton Khmelev 5 NSE / College Eats “I see no need to have students on campus “In theory, I’m fine with this. I believe with concealed weapons. There are already there should be stipulations, and that 12 Student Government Update too many instances I can see where, like we should remember it’s for safety not alcohol or substances, these ‘liberties’ will novelty.” be abused or at the least not respected to 13 The Elephant Man / Suddenly, College the point in which a firearm demands.” -Anonymous UAS Student, -Sam Cavery Army Reserves Member 14-15 Calendar and Comics! “UAS is technically a joint-base already. “I think its always a good thing to be The Reserves armory is right across the prepared for the worst. This is Alaska, street at our rec center. With their presence meaning that it [preparedness] is already and the police already here, the idea of our environment, in a way. Plus there concealed carry does not bother me. But could be a benefit of safety from the bill.” we need to remember that safety is the priority, not show” -Anonymous -Elizabeth Rumfelt UAS Student, Veteran “As long as our current rules for guns on “I can see how it could add to the safety of campus are not affected by this, in example campus in a way if the bill was to pass, but my right to keep my guns in my car, I’m there should be some safety checks those fine with the bill passing. But in honestly who choose to should have to pass.” the thought of some of the students here carrying concealed weapons does worry We “like” you! me.” -Anonymous -Bryce Davies-Brown UAS Student, Veteran “Like” us too on “I’ll be fine with it passing, so long as there “No, I do not feel there should be con- were qualifications students will have to cealed weapons allowed at UAS. College meet in order to be allowed to. I think this is not an environment where guns should Facebook! could help raise awareness to the issue of be involved. This will only go to add a new gun safety if handled correctly.” element of danger that would rest in the back of my head. I can only predict bad www.facebook.com/uaswhalesong things from guns being in our dorms.” -Anonymous UAS Student -Anonymous UAS Student February 22, 2016 UAS WHALESONG 3 Letter from WHALESONG — the Editor — STAFF BY DANIEL PISCOYA for the UAS Whalesong Alexa Cherry As many of you will have noticed, SB 174, a bill currently going through the State senate, is caus- ing quite a stir with students, faculty, and staff. SB 174, put simply, would prevent the University Senior Staff Writer of Alaska from making an “policy regulating the possession, ownership, use, carrying, registration, storage, or transportation of firearms or knives,”according to the bill itself. The implications of this are various, and include that students would be able to carry concealed firearms on campus without getting in trouble with the university. This bill has met with mixed reactions. At the Whalesong, we’ve tried to cover all we can. We have been able to feature an article from one of our Staff Writers, Anneliese Moll. We’ve made the subject our UAS Answers poll question, and we’ve been able to feature a letter to the senate from the Uni- Darin Donohue versity of Alaska Student Services Council on the University of Alaska’s official position. As editor, I’m proud that we’ve been able to give the issue this much coverage, and I wish that we could do this Staff Photographer for every topic we bring up. However, there is one particular point about the issue I would like to speak to as editor. In the University of Alaska’s 29th Legislature Briefing Sheet concerning SB 174, the university states that it is seeking amendments to the bill in which the university would be allowed to manage firearms in high-risk situations. This includes, however, “in shared student housing. .where UA serves as the responsible adult.” Now, as the editor of a newspaper which does its best to adhere to the Associated Press’ Statement Holly Fisher of News Values and Principles, per which we “abhor inaccuracies, carelessness, bias, or distortions,” I cannot agree with the university’s attitude in this particular instance, because, barring extremely rare Advertising Manager exceptions, everyone who lives on student housing is already the responsible adult. It is innaccurate, careless, biased, and distortive to treat college students like children, even if we are several decades younger than the policy makers who do so. University paternalism is not only inexcusable, but also downright unsettling, and, as editor of our student newspaper, I implor the university and the pow- ers that be to remember a fact to easily forgotten between students and staff: we’re all adults here. Either we died as children, or we have already lived long enough to get that much respect. Feel free to contact Daniel Piscoya at [email protected] or at the Whalesong e-mail at Kaylyn Haslund [email protected]. Staff Writer WANT TO WRITE TO Anneliese Moll THE WHALESONG? Staff Writer Send your articles, comments, letters, photos, or poems to Daniel Piscoya [email protected] Managing Editor and you could be published in an issue of the school’s newspaper! Contact us via e-mail at [email protected] 4 UAS WHALESONG February 22, 2016 Study Away: — UAS In Brief — — Una Experiencia Increíble — Yoda and Geography: Work how BY MYRIAH ALDERFER For the UAS Whalesong does it? British politician Michael Gove BY MARSHA SQUIRES once said that “learning a foreign For the UAS Whalesong language, and the culture that For the fifth year, UAS has sported a team to the annual goes with it, is one of the most Juneau World Affairs Council (JWAC) World Quest trivia useful things we can do to night. Seven students and one staff made up team UAS broaden the empathy and Whales who competed against 21 other teams for one imaginative sympathy and cultural night of fame and bragging rights. The Whales filled their outlook of children.” Although I tummies with incredible international foods and then started leaning Spanish in middle challenged the crowd with their youthful smarts. The success school, I can say with absolute of the team came from their worldly travels and knowledge confidence that learning to speak of current-events and pop culture. They nailed the trivia Spanish and immersing myself in round on World Capitals and muttered amongst themselves various cultures, as well as being during the round on Random Quotes. Kudos goes out to able to communicate on a personal Photos Courtesy of Marsha Squires Chancellor Caulfield for personally supporting the UAS team, level with a large spectrum of and Denise Carl for captaining. A huge thank you to our people has been one of the most far the most effective way to learn, attend many town festivals, poetry students Caley Saragosa, Rosie Benson, Esteban Iglesias Rivas, rewarding and satisfying and for me it was one hundred slams, outdoor artisan markets, Caysha Fleischman, Weiwu Li, Keegan Sundberg and Em experiences in my life thus far. percent worth every overwhelming beach clean-ups and other unique Rademaker for representing UAS. and slightly terrifying moment. activities. On the weekends my In August 2015, I studies in Another aspect that fascinated friends and I would travel around Cayey, Puerto Rico as an exchange me was that for all my life I have the island and visit historic every Puerto Rican my age wanted in a country with a struggling student through the National been learning a type of Spanish landmarks like El Morro, which their independence from the economy, a country with a 44% Student Exchange (NSE) program that is mainly spoken in Spain, is a 16th century citadel in Old United States, and for good poverty rate, and yet a country offered through UAS. Because but during this experience, I was San Juan, and of course a ton of reason.