Campus Life, Features, Local Coverage, News, Podcast, Student Government

Student Government: 4 Positions Vacant, 2 Elected in Extreme Low Turnout

Listen to the podcast for this story! By AJ Schultz, Editor JUNEAU, Alaska — The results of the Fall Student Government election were certified on October 5, with a total of 6 votes cast. Two students ran unopposed for two offices, leaving four vacant. Josh Ellin was elected Vice President with five of six votes, the remaining one being a write-in for Luke Covello. Stephanie … Continue reading Student Government: 4 Positions Vacant, 2 Elected in Extreme Low Turnout

UASWhalesongOctober 31, 2023October 31, 2023Leave a comment

Local Coverage, News, Podcast

Devil’s Club Research Provides Valuable Undergraduate Opportunity

AJ Schultz, Editor A UAS team is researching the medicinal properties of Devil’s Club, and its possible role in treating various types of cancers. Brian Barth, UAS Professor of Genetics, is leading the research, working closely with undergraduate research assistants Grace Igel and Ashley Murphy. “You know, indigenous peoples have been using Devil’s club for centuries upon centuries to treat a variety of ailments,” Barth … Continue reading Devil’s Club Research Provides Valuable Undergraduate Opportunity

UASWhalesongOctober 19, 2023October 19, 2023Leave a comment

Local Coverage, News, Podcast

Exploring Mendenhall’s Worst Flood Yet

JUNEAU, Alaska — In early August, an outburst of glacial water from Suicide Basin flooded Juneau’s Mendenhall River, destroying one home and rendering several others uninhabitable. This was a historic flood for the Mendenhall, as the area has never experienced erosion this severe. Aaron Jacobs, Senior Service Hydrologist at the Juneau National Weather Service, said in a statement: This flooding event was historic in an … Continue reading Exploring Mendenhall’s Worst Flood Yet

UASWhalesongSeptember 27, 2023October 25, 2023Leave a comment

Editorials, Features, News, UA President

The State of the University

UA President Pat Pitney delivered her third State of the University address on Feb. 21 in Fairbanks. The in-person event took place during the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce weekly business lunch. Pitney chose to highlight campus successes and how the university empowers Alaska. Pitney began the address by acknowledging the indigenous communities of Alaska and the land the university resides on. She then thanked those … Continue reading The State of the University

UASWhalesongMarch 24, 2023May 10, 2023Leave a comment

Features, National Coverage, News

Update: Gen Z Blocks Red Wave in 2022 Midterms

Alaska voters returned incumbent Mike Dunleavy to the governor’s office, Mary Peltola to her U.S. House seat, and Lisa Murkowski to her seat in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 23, when ranked choice vote tabulation factored in second and third choice votes on top of the first choice counted on Election Day. A constitutional convention proposed in Ballot Measure 1 failed. The results show an … Continue reading Update: Gen Z Blocks Red Wave in 2022 Midterms

UASWhalesongDecember 1, 2022May 10, 2023Leave a comment

Features, Local Coverage, News

Reproductive rights and Alaska

In the November general election, more than 70 percent of Alaska voters rejected holding a Constitutional Convention, leaving the state’s constitutional privacy clause unchanged for another 10 years. The privacy clause protects abortion and reproductive rights in Alaska, one of the few states where abortion remains legal now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Since that June decision, 13 states have … Continue reading Reproductive rights and Alaska

UASWhalesongDecember 1, 2022May 10, 2023Leave a comment

Features, Local Coverage, News

State of the Race: Alaska 2022

Alaska’s 2022 midterm elections are Tuesday, Nov. 8. Alaska’s statewide elections are the topic of contentious debate, as U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy are up for re-election. Peltola is completing the term of U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died unexpectedly in March, prompting a special election. Peltola, a Democrat, ran against Republicans Nick Begich and Sarah Palin in … Continue reading State of the Race: Alaska 2022

UASWhalesongOctober 27, 2022May 10, 2023Leave a comment

Editorials, Features, Local Coverage, News

Will Alaska hold a Constitutional Convention?

Every 10 years, Alaskans are asked to vote on whether they want to hold a constitutional convention. The time has come again this year on Nov. 8. In the original constitutional convention in the winter of 1955-1956, delegates wrote that Alaska should decide every decade whether to hold another one. The question was first polled in 1970 and the measure passed. However, that vote … Continue reading Will Alaska hold a Constitutional Convention?

UASWhalesongOctober 27, 2022May 10, 2023Leave a comment

News

UAS Renames Academic Break Period

Thanksgiving Break has been changed to Fall Break at UAS, thanks to efforts by student, faculty and staff governance groups. “With everything we’re learning in the world today, we need to be sensitive to what the people on this land experienced,” UAS Chancellor Karen Carey said in an Oct. 26 interview with the Whalesong. For SGUAS-JC President Kali Spencer, the change is part of educating … Continue reading UAS Renames Academic Break Period

UASWhalesongOctober 27, 2022May 10, 2023Leave a comment

Features, National Coverage, News

An Update: Loan Forgiveness

President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loans is an important development for many UAS students, and it’s “a step forward” for those not directly affected. There’s also hope for more debt forgiveness programs in the future. The UAS Financial Aid Office pointed students toward studentaid.gov as they wait to receive more information on loan forgiveness. The U.S Department of Education warns borrowers to be … Continue reading An Update: Loan Forgiveness