Category: Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Ballot Measure 1

UAS students, faculty, staff and families should vote NO on Ballot Measure 1, because an Alaska constitutional convention could endanger our university. Article VII established UA, but a convention could erase that. Delegates could propose changing anything and everything in Alaska’s constitution. What’s guaranteed now—such as a woman’s right to choose—might evaporate. Multiple chambers of commerce oppose BM1 because a convention would harm businesses, making … Continue reading Letter to the Editor: Ballot Measure 1

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Campus Life, Features, Letters to the Editor

What Shall We Do With Our Heroes?

An essay excerpted from Professor Ernestine Hayes’ presentation Stories of Deer on Indigenous Peoples’ Day Oct. 9 By ERNESTINE HAYES for the UAS Whalesong What would we do if in the year 2020— only a couple years from now—this American culture was suddenly subdued by another culture that believed theirs was the superior way of living, their god was the one true god, their language … Continue reading What Shall We Do With Our Heroes?

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Letters to the Editor, Opinion

The Strategic Path: Student Success

BY JOE NELSON
Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
For the UAS Whalesong

We are entering year four of significant budget cuts. When the largest budget item is the payroll, it is no wonder we are feeling a little stressed out. Budget reductions result in workforce reductions. We are also roughly half way through a cumbersome reorganization (aka, Strategic Pathways). Up to this point, the endgame has been vague and the logic behind some of the changes has been elusive. As a result, the appetite for change seems to be shrinking.

Reorgs are stressful, that is a given. Budget reductions are stressful, that is a given. To some, this might feel like a rock and a hard place. In this place of higher learning, we can find a constructive path forward if we focus on the one reason we are here – student learning. Continue reading “The Strategic Path: Student Success”

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Letters to the Editor

In Response to the Editorial: Is the University Forgetting its Purpose?

BY RICHARD CAULFIELD
Chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast
For the UAS Whalesong

As UAS Chancellor I appreciate the questions raised in the recent Whalesong editorial: Is the University Forgetting its Purpose? The editorial focused on costs of the new UAS entrance sign and other facilities, and about budget priorities when UA budgets are reduced. The writer wonders if building renovations come at the expense of courses, degrees, faculty, and staff that are the heart of any university. Continue reading “In Response to the Editorial: Is the University Forgetting its Purpose?”

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Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Thoughts on the Power and Privilege Symposium

BY SUHIEDY (SU) REYES
Peer Advisor & SAB Member
For the UAS Whalesong

As a current member of our Student Activities Board and a past Student Activities staff I was delighted to hear about the Power & Privilege Symposium coming to UAS. The Power & Privilege Symposium (P&P Symposium) was adapted to our UAS campus from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington and came to our campus by way of our Student Activities Board. As a board, we sent two students to our regional conference (National Association of Campus Activities- West) and through the education sessions there, one of our staff members Tara Olson and one of the students, Felix Thillet Jr. learned about this symposium from the Whitman College students themselves. Continue reading “Thoughts on the Power and Privilege Symposium”

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Letters to the Editor, Opinion

Spotlight: UAS Electrician Shawn Eggers

BY HELEN EGGERS
For the UAS Whalesong

With autumn solstice long gone, the darkness deepens, shadows lengthen, flexing muscles. The summer brightness falters. In September, as brilliant leaves fall, light weakens. October stumbles into November, then in limps December. The diminished daylight is dismal if you happen to be fan of lightness. Like, who isn’t? Continue reading “Spotlight: UAS Electrician Shawn Eggers”

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