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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions” was the rallying cry outside the University of Alaska Board of Regents meetings in Juneau on Sept. 8-9. Frustration has grown among members of United Academics (UNAC), the union that represents all University of Alaska faculty, as bargaining with UA for a new contract has entered its second year. “We made concession after concession after concession,” said Abel … Continue reading UNAC and UA: Still at Odds
President Joe Biden’s three-part “Student Loan Forgiveness Plan,” announced in August, could provide thousands of dollars in federal loan debt relief for low and middle-income students across the U.S. The White House on Sept. 20 estimated that 60, 500 Alaskan students would qualify, including 37,300 Alaska Pell Grant borrowers. The cost of a college education has steadily risen over the years. Where federal aid once … Continue reading What About It?: Loan Forgiveness
It’s sometimes difficult to keep up on the news. Emails get buried in your inbox and it can be a struggle to stay informed. The following is adapted from press releases and announcements by the UAS and the UA system. Evening at Egan Lecture Series began September 10 The annual fall lecture series Evening at Egan kicked off Friday, September 10 at 7 pm with … Continue reading UA Newsroom: September 2021
