Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URECA) is looking to fund UAS students for 2018 By KELLY JENSEN for the UAS Whalesong Do you have a research or creative project that you would like to undertake? The Research and Creative Activity Committee has funding of up to $2500 per student to help you design and complete your project with the guidance of a faculty mentor. Since … Continue reading Funding student research
Title IX Peer Prevention Advisor provides a refresher on the irrefutable characteristics of consent By HANNAH CASSELL For the UAS Whalesong With National Campus Safety Awareness Month coming to a close, and Domestic Violence Awareness month on the horizon, now is a great time to talk about consent. Consent is an important topic on college campuses, and for good reason. Did you know, that more … Continue reading Consent is both: sexy and mandatory
BY LORI KLEIN
Title IX Coordinator
For the UAS Whalesong
Let’s say you’re concerned about a friend. Maybe he’s in an unhealthy dating relationship that seems to be turning violent. Maybe you worry that she’s been sexually assaulted. You watch your friend withdraw socially, and you see them struggle academically. You want to help…above and beyond just being a reliable listening ear. And yet, you’re mindful of your friend’s confidentiality. What can you do? Continue reading “Title IX at UAS: The Value of Confidential Resources”
BY ADELLE LaBRECQUE
Staff Writer, UAS Whalesong
Tue 12/1/2015, 12:40 a.m.
I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but today marks the second suicide within one semester. I don’t even know what to do with all of this, right now … I’m writing you to let you know two things:
1. I want to apologize in advance if I leave class a few times to leave for the restroom. It is likely to happen, and I will do my best to not disrupt others while they are working.
2. Today in class I will be very withdrawn, and likely cannot handle being paired with “non-gentle” classmates, if possible… [I] hope that’s not too much trouble for what you have planned… I’m truly sorry for burdening you with such rough news… I seriously wish I was dreaming right now.
The above quote was retrieved from an email I sent to a professor last year, after learning about the second loss of a loved one to suicide within the space of one semester. I’m not even sure if there was an email for the first time. I couldn’t find one. That first month everything was a complete blur, in all aspects of the word. I was a mess every day. I hardly slept. I sobbed into the chests of complete strangers inside bathroom stalls of loud bars, brushed my hair only when it became too terrible to be seen at work, and consumed enough alcohol within that first weekend to inspire thirty-five days of straight sobriety – not even a single drop, and I’m a bartender. Vaguely put: 2015 was one of the most heartbreaking years of my life, thus far, and looking back, I could not be more grateful for the support I received from loved ones within and outside of Alaska. Continue reading “Continuing the Conversation on Suicide”
BY Suhiedy Reyes
For the UAS Whalesong
I had seen that this film was on Netflix, I even added it to my watch list but never came around to it. So when I saw that our school was showing this film, I knew that I had to see it.
I walked into the Egan lecture hall, lights already dimmed and ready for viewing, I saw that a good amount of people were already there and was excited for what was about to be shown to them. I knew this movie would be a hard topic to watch but in the end I also knew it was worth it. Continue reading “A Note on “The Hunting Grounds””
BY LORI KLEIN
For the UAS Whalesong
In 1986, a young woman by the name of Jeanne Clery started her freshman year at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Jeanne and her parents were looking for a small and safe campus for Jeanne to start her college career, and Lehigh seemd to fit the bill. At the end of her freshman year, Jeanne was raped and murdered in her residence hall room. It was only then that her parents learned that her death was one of 38 major crimes that had taken place in or nearby the campus over the last three years. Continue reading “Campus Safety: September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month”
BY MARGIE THOMSON
For the UAS Whalesong
As a member of the UAS Community, you may have been impacted by tragic news of recent deaths and loss. Our most recent passing of student, Reed McWilliams, who suddenly passed away last weekend, can bring a host of grief and loss feelings including, shock and disbelief, sadness, anger, fear, physical symptoms and even guilt. This is an important time to take care of yourself while you begin the healing process.
Recovering from grief and loss is a normal process and important in dealing with the thoughts and feelings you experience when someone you love and care about dies. It is a necessary, although painful, part of the grief process. Continue reading “Health Corner: Grief and Healing”
Dear Editor, Our legislature will be allowing concealed guns on UA campuses soon. Everything that can help Alaska’s students to get A’s in college needs to be done right now. In our down turned economy, jobs are going to get harder and harder to get. Students that get A’s will be able to get the last remaining jobs in our state. A student that has … Continue reading A Letter to the Editor
BY ALEXA CHERRY
For the UAS Whalesong
When people hear the words “self-defense,” they think about a lot of different things. This makes sense; there are a lot of different forms of self-defense. You can defend yourself by being a trained martial artist, by keeping a gun on your person, by carrying a fairly sizable knife, etc. While those are great precautions to take, it’s also important to know the basics of how to defend yourself if you’re ever attacked. While some of the following may come across as being common sense, it never hurts to repeat information that might save your life some day – so, without further ado, here are some self-defense tips that I learned as a Shotokan karate student that don’t require you to be proficient at martial arts or with a weapon. Continue reading “Self-Defense: Kung Fu Fighting Optional”
BY KAYLYN HASLUND
For the UAS Whalesong
For those who don’t know, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (or GAD) is, as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America puts it, “A disorder characterized by persistent, excessive, and unrealistic worry about everyday things.” Last issue, Alexa Cherry gave a great article on Anxiety Awareness and I wanted to put my two cents in, especially as someone who has an anxiety disorder. Continue reading “Helping Someone with an Anxiety Attack: From Someone with GAD”
