On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis rocked the crowd of 1300 people with their most well known song "And We Danced" played second to last and proving to be an exhilarating end to the two hour show. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

Going to a hip-hop show is a lot like playing basketball. It’s a great game, but the players are dirty, and if you want to get the best spot, you have to work for it. Hip-hop shows are also a marathon, they are hot and sweaty, and you have the challenge of dancing longer and harder than all of your peers without water or bathroom breaks. Bonus points if you look good doing it.

When working my way to the front, I choose the path of least resistance and commit to it. No audience is going to want to just let you in; it’s a game of finding the right angle running with it. If you really want to make progress in a crowd, don’t start pushing until the music starts, you will just look like a jerk if you do. Wait for the artist to encourage the audience to “jump” or “dance” and then make your move.

For me, I start in a basketball stance. Get low, butt out, with your back to the stage and stay on your toes for balance. Use your booty for leverage and dance like you don’t realize you’re in a crowd full sweaty, angry people, aggressively moving your butt forward.

Whenever someone changes places with a friend, it is your opportunity to take the free space. The trick is to use your legs to first step and then wedge your body into the gap before the dancers realize you’re up in their grill. Sometimes a sudden shift allows room for an extra one-fourth of a person. Go ahead and grab your best friend’s arm and pull them ahead. Rubbing up on people you know is a far better choice than rubbing the guy in a hoodie who keeps randomly grabbing you.

At a hip-hop show you have to know the moves. If you’re not using your butt for leverage, turn around and put one arm in the air, flailing it in sync with the beat. You will look just like Ryan Lewis while you torture the girl next to you whose elbow is purposefully digging into your side.

Guys aren’t as aggressive about space as girls, so it’s important to never throw an elbow back when it gets rough out on the dance floor.  Trick your opponent into thinking that you’re too intoxicated to feel pain, so they’d better just let you get to the front of this show. If a guy does try to forcibly move you, he will probably use his hips to do it. When this happens I encourage you to employ a dance move from the ’70s called “the bump.” It was all the rage when your parents were in college and now it’s the rage for countering unwanted hip thrusts in your direction. Simply meet that person’s hip with your hip, in time with the music. The rhythm is the most important part. Eventually you will out-dance them, and they will go back to grinding with that girl they just met.

And when you make a lot of progress, especially between songs, apologize profusely to the people around you saying, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, we’re being pushed from all sides!” Which is generally half-true at any hip-hop show. At this point in the show, people are being pushed from the back and sides, and most of them just want their space. If you can survive this spot without a panic attack, you will most likely make it to the front.

Getting to the barrier is only half the battle, keeping your spot is a whole different story. At the front of the stage, the fans are ruthless, and they will do anything to keep their torso against the barrier. This Springfest I discovered a new tactic at the front by accident:  don’t shave your armpits three days leading up to the concert. Macklemore will not be grossed out by this — but the girls trying to steal your spot at the barrier will be. And when they start calling you “Chewbacca armpits,” you know you have the upper hand. For guys, just don’t shower. No one will know except for everyone who is forced to stand next to you.

Use the holes in the metal barrier to get your knee, thigh and calf inside the metal bars. That way, you are attached to the barrier during any unsuspected pushes from the right or left. Also, make friends with the dudes who are holding the barriers in place. Give them high fives, smile big, and thank them for their great work protecting the world from crowd-surfing drunk guys in gold sequins. It really happened, and I really got a rug burn from his sequined jumpsuit.

Life at the front is more glamorous than you ever imagined: a cool breeze at all times, plenty of arm room, Macklemore rapping to you and sometimes watching your best friend kiss Ryan Lewis on the neck.

On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed a live concert in the UAF Patty Center. 1300 people were in attendance. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

The UAF Concert board and Springfest 2012 worked together to bring "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis" to the UAF Patty Center on April 27, 2012 to play for 1300 people. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

Newly famous rap group Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed in the UAF Patty Center on April 27, 2012 for this year's Springfest concert. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis rocked the crowd of 1300 people with their most well known song "And We Danced" played second to last and proving to be an exilerating end to the two hour show. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

UAF Student and athlete, Jordyn Montgomery, is this 2012's Outstanding Female Graduate. Photo provided by UAF Athletics website.

Outstanding Graduating Senior Woman, or the Marion Frances Boswell Memorial Award, is one of the highest honors awarded to graduating seniors each spring. Jordyn Montgomery is the 2012 outstanding graduate.

Montgomery transferred to UAF in her sophomore year, in fall 2009. In her three years at UAF, she finished a bachelor’s of psychology with a sports management minor, helped found the organization Students Offering Leadership Development (SOLD), captained the volleyball team, and maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Montgomery was born and raised in Topeka, Kan. She attended Rockhurst University in Kansas City for a year before she came to UAF, where her fiance (boyfriend at the time) received a full-ride hockey scholarship.

When she made the decision to transfer, she wasn’t immediately sure how to integrate herself.

“I was pretty homesick,” she said. But, after getting involved in extracurricular activities, she said “UAF became a home away from home.”

Montgomery played three sports in high school: basketball, softball and volleyball. In college, she narrowed her athletic participation to volleyball.

“I wasn’t as intense as the others,” she said, though she has played volleyball since sixth grade.

Montgomery founded and is now the president of SOLD. “SOLD is a student organization focused on community outreach and leadership development,” according to the UAF School of Management website.

SOLD, Montgomery said, has four main points: networking, workshops, fundraising and personal development. Most importantly, it gives students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom, Montgomery said.

“My favorite part is seeing how much it’s grown and touched the community,” Montgomery said. She looks forward to coming back and seeing how SOLD has grown 10 years from now, she said. She will miss the teamwork and camaraderie she experienced as a part of SOLD.

Keeping straight As wasn’t easy, Montgomery said, but it is a part of her personality.

“I’m a perfectionist,” Montgomery said. “It was long hours, long nights.”

Montgomery put in the extra work to do well, often sacrificing other aspects of college life. By the end, she said, she was able to manage her time so that she could socialize more than one night a week.

After college, Montgomery said her “doors are open.” Her fiance is planning to play professional hockey, and they work together to find a common direction for their future. Currently, Montgomery is writing a research paper that she plans to publish in a journal.

“This wasn’t a one-woman show,” Montgomery said. Teammates, coaches, professors, community members, her adviser and her family have all supported her. She is often comforted knowing that her family was only a phone call away. “I can’t thank them enough,” she said.

Montgomery’s best advice for students is to “get involved in anything and everything you have a passion for. Make a mark at UAF.”

UAF Student and SAO employee, Teal Rogers, dances in front of the Wood Center in Springfest's annual Dance-Off held on Thursday, April 26, 2012. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

Bass rumbled from inside the Patty Center Friday night, tickling the waiting line of SpringFest attendees. The triple-wide line wound from the door, across the parking lot, and onto the edge of Beluga Field.

Scores of shivering girls in trucker hats and denim shorts buzzed with excitement. One man with two Heinekens in one hand and a pair of sunglasses in the other shouted “Case day!” as he made his way to the back.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, masters of anticipation, were scheduled to entertain at 8 p.m.

Ben Haggerty, otherwise known as Macklemore, is a 28-year-old hip-hop artist from Seattle, Wash. He and his producer, Ryan Lewis, perform Haggerty’s politically and socially conscious lyrics in tandem. Trumpet player Owour Arunga was also a key performer at the Student Activities Organization-sponsored concert.

Inside, it was dim and hazy. Attendees were little more than anonymous hats and polos. Moving lights crisscrossed in purple and yellow through the smoke across the stage, separated by LED down lights. Blue patterned light was projected onto the ceiling.

At the beginning of the show, the top row of bleachers was filled from wall to wall, but by the end the gym floor was filled by almost all of the more than 1,200 who attended. Macklemore introduced himself as an ’80s baby, and asked the crowd what decade they were collectively born. He then had Lewis fetch his “time traveling jacket” to pay appropriate tribute to David Bowie.

Macklemore’s intelligent humor and pop-culture references hit the college crowd in all of the right places.

The Patty Center is a surprisingly effective venue: it did not get hot or sticky, the sound was great and there was enough space for the huge crowd. Still, more than one attendee mentioned that the fact that it was in a gymnasium made it feel a little like a high school dance.

The show ran from about 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. North Pole native DJ 50/50 and Alaska Red started the night with a collaborative set. They relied heavily on call and response with the audience. A few students flippantly complained about the prominence of obscene words in their music. On hearing the word “nigger” one student said, “it’s like ‘Where’s Waldo,’ but, like, easy.” At around 9:40, they wrapped up their set with a cover of Boyz-n-the-Hood, to which the audience exuberantly sang along.

Macklemore is an inspirational speaker as much as he is a hip-hop artist, with songs that shed light on consumerism’s effect on youth, determination, and dreams. He shared his life experiences including his first performances, spending high school isolated with a karaoke tape deck, and how Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” inspired him to follow his dreams. At one point, he had the audience chant “we are fucking awesome” in unison.

Team Hustlepuff waits for their start during the second annual Springfest Quidditch tournament on Saturday April 28th, 1012. The tournament was held on the SRC field on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus at 3pm. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

One person was removed from the concert, to which Macklemore responded, “There is no reason to fight at a hip-hop show, ever.”

Macklemore mentioned that he made it to where he is with no record label and no funding.

“We have nobody behind us, all we have is music that connects with the people,” he said. Macklemore made the cover of XXL Magazine’s Freshman Special issue this April with a handful of other new artists who are just breaking into the music industry.

At the end of the night, he had almost everybody dancing. With the help of lights and sound and his own provocative speeches, he connected to the audience in a surreal way.

“The ego will kill any dance party,” he said, “but the heart overcomes the ego.”

On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed a live concert in the UAF Patty Center. 1300 people were in attendance. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed a live concert in the UAF Patty Center. 1300 people were in attendance. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

On the evening of Friday, April 27, 2012, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis rocked the crowd of 1300 people with their most well known song "And We Danced" played second to last and proving to be an exilerating end to the two hour show. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

On Thursday, April 26, 2012, UAF student, Nik Andreson, shows off his break dancing skills during the annual Springfest Dance-Off in front of the Wood Center. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

The death of a watermelon dropped from the roof of the Greuning building on the UAF campus during the Springfest 2012 melon drop. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

UAF Student and SAO employee, Teal Rogers, dances in front of the Wood Center in Springfest's annual Dance-Off held on Thursday, April 26, 2012. Erin McGroarty/ Sun Star

Students get muddy during the Mud Volleyball tournement on Friday April 27th, 2012. The tournement was held on the Beluga Field on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus at 12pm. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

Team Hawkadoo kneels at the start of their game during the second annual Quidditch tournement on Saturday April 28th, 2012. The tournement began at 3pm at the SRC field on the Uiversity of Alaska Faribanks campus. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

Team Hustlepuff waits for their start during the second annual Springfest Quidditch tournement on Saturday April 28th, 1012. The tournement was held on the SRC field on the Univeristy of Alaska Fairbanks campus at 3pm. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

Satellite and communication dishes atop the Gruening Building. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star

Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” In the attempt to help develop and adapt new technology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Board of Regents established  a system-wide technology fee  in 1997.

Every semester, students pay a $5 fee that supports technology-focused projects at UAF. Since the fee’s inception, more than $3.7 million has financed projects at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The origin of the UA technology fee is fuzzy. The Board of Regents created the fee on April 17, 1997. Their meeting minutes do not explain why the fee was created. Alumni director Joe Hayes, a student regent at the time, offered some insight into the board’s decision-making process.

“In 1997, the Internet was still pretty much in its infancy, but you could just look at long-range projections and see that the Internet was going to be huge,” Hayes said. “We didn’t know how huge it was going to be, but it was going to be huge.”

There was a sense of foreboding among the regents and university administration, Hayes said. There were going to be future technology needs that the board couldn’t predict or foresee. It was safer to create a fee now than to play catch-up later.

The technology fee is not unique to UAF.

In 1997, UAA and UAS also implemented technology fees. Each campus keeps what it raises. At UAF, the fee is overseen by the Technology Advisory Board. TAB receives funding proposals from students, staff and faculty every semester. The board approves which projects get funded based on how useful the projects will be to students.

One of the members of TAB is Katherine Trahanovsky, a graduate student in oceanography. Trahanovsky has been on TAB for three years and has worked in the information technology industry. Her IT background was the reason she became involved with TAB.

“Since the TAB board helps to decide how our student fee money is used, I felt it would be a great way to use my technology background to help ensure student funds are used responsibly,” Trahanovsky wrote in an email. Since her time on the board, Trahanovsky has approved proposals for the Rasmuson Library, the biology department and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Giving each campus a certain degree of technological flexibility was also important, Hayes said. The fee gives campuses the ability to adapt to new technology. A university-wide bureaucracy makes it hard to implement timely changes, so the fee allows campuses to implement changes at their own pace, Hayes said.

Out of more than 350 projects underwritten by the technology fee, there is an even split between the liberal arts and the sciences.

The university used the fee to refurbish computer labs in Irving and Butrovich, supply journalism students with flip video cameras and give biology students a new laboratory. It helped engineering students build a robot for Arctic exploration and made Apple iPads available for checkout at the Rasmuson Library.

The top five grant recipients received more than $1.5 million combined since the fee’s inception, amounting to 40 percent of the total funding the fee has received. The Rasmuson Library received the most technology fee money. Since summer 1997, the library has seen at least 36  projects receive more than $429,000. Projects funded at the library include purchasing new rental equipment, refurbishing the computer labs and paying for staff.

“I am always supportive of purchasing new and upgraded technologies for the library because everyone at the university has open access to them,” Trahanovsky wrote.

Three of the top five departments that receive the most funding were in the College of Liberal Arts: journalism, art and music. Since spring 2003, 26 projects in the journalism department received more than $285,000 in funding. Most of the purchases included new cameras and camera lenses.

The art department, with more than $282,000, and the music department, with more than $130,000, are second and third in funding behind the journalism department. Both had their first funded projects in Spring 1999.

The Office of Information Technology is the only technology-focused organization to place in the top five grant recipients. While the office has only seen projects funded, they were worth more than $396,000 combined. They received $276,000 during the 2010-2011 school year and used their funding to maintain and add SMART classrooms and provide extended-hour availability at four of the university’s computer labs.

OIT received an additional $120,000 during the 2011-2012 school year.

Student-led organizations received funding almost two dozen times. The top three student organizations to receive funding for projects were The Sun Star, the Society of Automotive Engineers and KSUA, the student radio station. Student organizations account for less than seven percent of all awarded projects.

Michael Golub, a member of SAE, has applied for grants on behalf of the organization. Funding from TAB helped SAE purchase equipment for several projects, he wrote in an email. These projects included building an electric snowmobile, small three-wheel prototype vehicles and cold-weather batteries.

While Golub is thankful for the funding, he said, with the arrival of funding comes additional stress.

“If you apply for funding and you make good use of it then you deserve to continue to obtain continued support,” he wrote.

One example of “good use” was winning an international competition.

“Unfortunately, this puts lots of stress on the student research team,” he wrote, adding that much of this stress is placed on college seniors.

Despite TAB’s apparent success, there are issues with the board’s public record keeping. Whole semesters of data are missing from TAB’s online record, as well as inconsistencies in what is available from year-to-year.

From fall ’97 to fall ’00, there is no mention of which projects were funded. From summer ’97 to fall ’11, two-thirds of all semesters lack records on how much money was awarded to projects.

Some files for semesters just after the fee’s creation in ’97 include an official memo from the TAB chair to members of UAF’s administration detailing how much money will be spent and who will be funded.

Other semesters have varying amounts of information such as only listing proposals or only listing projects funded. The actual amount raised by the fee is available for two semesters: fall ’97 and spring ’01.

Record-keeping aside, the technology fee has had a significant impact on technological advancement and development at UAF. From funding student organizations to department-wide projects, the fee made hundred of projects possible.

The creation of the fee was a visionary move on the part of the regents and the UA administration, Hayes said.

“It did allow for the university to be able to shift or change at a moment’s notice and be able to give the students the best level of technology that students could actually have,” Hayes said.

Full disclosure: The Sun Star has received TAB grants.

The Little Feet Big Steps program has worked to help children that have been affected by the poverty in Haiti. Photo provided by Little Feet Big Steps website.

College students are rallying to support two women in their quest to aid Haitian orphans, one child at a time.

Heidi Brook, 19-year-old music education student, recently created a student group called Alaskan Arts for Little Haitian Hearts. She and about seven other members raise money for the larger organization Little Footprints, Big Steps, by selling hand-made arts and edibles in the Wood Center to support displaced Haitian children. 

Haitian families who can barely afford to meet their basic needs often give their children to orphanages. The hope is that it will give them a chance at having a better life, Brook explained. Most orphanages do not have the child’s well-being in mind.

“This isn’t something that only happens in Haiti,” Brook noted. Corrupt institutionalized care is a common problem in less-affluent countries, she said.

Brook works on the project with her longtime friend, Morgan Wienberg.

Wienberg is the founder of Little Footprints, Big Steps. Wienberg met her co-founder Sarah Wilson during the summer of 2010, when she was in Haiti for a 10-week internship. Wilson, a paramedic from Kitchener, Ontario, was volunteering in Haiti at the same time. They currently work directly with the orphans in Haiti. Wienberg refers to the orphans as her children.

The money raised in Fairbanks is sent directly to Wienberg who then uses the money to pay for food, transportation and shelter for Haitian orphans and their families. “All the money is spent there on local food or local bikes, so the project is pretty sustainable,” Brook said.

Little Footprints, Big Steps’ vision is to reintegrate children into a healthy society, according to their website. “Little Footprints, Big Steps was founded to create an ongoing effort to protect the children of Haiti,” according to the website.

Wienberg’s personal goal is to prevent child abuse and exploitation. “I want to advocate for child victims and their rights, until they are heard, safe, and cared for,” she said in an email.

In February 2011, Wienberg returned to Haiti to live alongside the children she met during her internship. She stayed there for six months. Wienberg volunteered at an orphanage that housed 70 children.

“The children there were given only one bowl of rice per day, were severely dehydrated and slept nude on concrete floors,” according to the Little Footprints, Big Steps website. Children often died from treatable illnesses.

The children who stayed in that orphanage are now safe thanks to Wilson and Wienberg, according to the Little Footprints, Big Steps website, but “there is still more work to be done.”

Brook and Wienberg grew up together in Whitehorse, Yukon. They have raised money for Haiti off and on since high school, Brook said. “It was just after the earthquake in January 2010 that I started fundraising for Haiti specifically,” Wienberg said. Brook and Wienberg graduated in 2010.

Little Footprints, Big Steps receives much of its funding from sponsors and partner organizations, Wilson said in a live television interview with CTV ProvinceWide news, March 11. Alaskan Arts for Little Haitian Hearts contributes to the Little Footprints, Big Steps effort.

“I would say that AALHH is one of the reasons we are able to do what we do,” Wienberg wrote. “It helps take a lot off of my shoulders.”

Alaskan Arts for Little Haitian Hearts made $60 at its first sale on March 22. The group sold artful, handmade foods including organic granola, jam and pesto. They have since included baked goods such as vegan cookies. They have a regular booth in the Wood Center, Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m.

The group also meets 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday in 203 Gruening. “Everyone is welcome to come,” Brook exclaimed, “there’s going to be tea and hot chocolate and snacks.”

Brook said that she’d like the project to benefit the students at UAF.

“We’d like to put together some artwork to sell, or maybe make a CD,” she said.

On Jan 31 Little Footprints, Big Steps opened a transitional shelter, Maison Transitionelle pour la Protection de L’Enfance (Transitional Home for the Protection of Childhood), in Les Cayes. The group deliberately avoids referring to the shelter as an orphanage, instead preferring the term center.The staff provides the hundred-or-so children staying at the transitional home with three nutritious meals a day, tutoring, medical attention and personal attention. 

The care they provide is thorough. Wienberg has spent nights on the street with children, patiently showing them that she can be trusted.

The Memory Project is one of the ways that Little Footprints, Big Steps brought happiness to the orphans. “I was searching for some ways that I could help validate these children and give them a sense of identity,” Wienberg said.

The Memory Project pairs art students with neglected children from around the world. Ben Schumaker founded the project in 2004 after he volunteered in Guatemala. Wienberg contacted Schumaker, and in August 2011 sent him photos of the children from the orphanage.

“Ben Schumaker had art students paint beautiful portraits of each child,” Wienberg said. Schumaker sent the finished portraits to Haiti, where Wienberg picked them up and brought them to the children who previously had no possessions of their own. “This is something that is just for them,” Wienberg said.

Now, Wienberg has photos printed of each of the children. The children looked at the photos excitedly and “then handed them right back to me,” she said. “They had nowhere to keep them.”

So, Wienberg holds on to the photos. If the children want to see them, all they have to do is ask.

Little Footprints, Big Steps is a registered non-profit in Canada, but not in the United States, Wienberg said in an email. She suggested that U.S. registration is a goal.

The money from Alaskan Arts for Little Haitian Hearts is sent directly from Brook to Wienberg. Wienberg then keeps careful watch over expenditures to make sure that the money is used appropriately.

“We do not hand money out to people,” Weinberg said. When she receives $30 for a family, Wienberg or one of the Haitian staff members goes to the market and picks out the most nutritional food. The food is then delivered to the family. Wienberg monitors the children’s weight to make sure the children are eating the food.

Once the children regain some of their strength, Little Footprints, Big Steps focuses on sending them home to their families. They do not cut ties with the children once they have graduated from the transitional home, however. Little Footprints, Big Steps continues to provide financial support to families for food, education, healthcare and transportation.

The first thing that they provide for the children is medical tests for tuberculosis, malaria, worms and HIV, which are not uncommon in Haiti. Each child is taken care of according to his or her situation, candidly and compassionately. Most of Little Footprints, Big Steps’ money is spent on nutrition for malnourished children, educational costs, shoes and medical care, according to Wienberg.

Wienberg is excited, impressed, and touched by Brook’s initiative. “Heidi has gone beyond and been moved to get involved in helping my children,” she said. ”It means so much to have a friend share the most important aspect of my life, and I did not expect that.”

KSUA music director Brady Gross (left) clears the air with music and Springfest PSAs, Thursday April 26. Amelia Cooper/Sun Star

A dollar bill, two dozen brand new stainless steel washers, a door stop, a stitch remover, and about a half dozen socks. These were just a few of the trash items found at the trash pickup on Spring Fest Service Day on Friday. About 50 people – primarily students – volunteered by working on campus clean up, reorganizing the Facilities Greenhouse or cleaning up the leaves at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens.

Kelley Ryan, an elementary education junior, worked at the Service Day for her third straight year. This year, she was in charge of signing in volunteers, coordinating the volunteer efforts and handing out free water bottles to the volunteers.

“Service Day was created to give people something positive to do other than case day,” Ryan said. Ryan tried to make it easy to volunteer throughout the day, so people could work as long as they wished or were able, and were free to leave whenever they pleased.

Volunteers began trickling in around 9 a.m. Some signed up in advance to work in the gardens and greenhouse. There was a waiting list because capacity in the greenhouse was limited,  according to UAF Leadership Involvement & Volunteer Experience program coordinator Josh Hovis.

Trash collectors got the earliest start, and the continuing snow melt made for easy pickings. Taylor Cole, a freshman art student, was part of the pickup crew. After a half hour working around the dorms on lower campus, his bag was nearly half full. Aside from a sock and an undershirt, he said nothing out of the ordinary turned up.

Down at the greenhouse, the day’s task was cleaning out one of the greenhouse rooms. Five volunteers removed thousands of planters, sorted them and then put back them in the same room. Hovis headed the group.

“I’m bad with plants, so I saw this as an opportunity to grow,” he said. The area will incubate most of the plants that visitors will see this summer across campus.

Aside from dodging the loader that blindly swerved between them, the work was rather tedious, but the help was well appreciated.

“When we heard that they were going to help us out we were going ‘yahoo!’” said Paula Curtis, supervisor of the Facilities Greenhouse. The large crew of eager helpers cut a job that would have taken a few days down to only a few hours.

About a dozen volunteers, including several members of the women’s basketball team, raked leaves and shoveled dirt to prepare the Georgeson Botanical Garden for the coming months.

Having spent the morning training in the weight room, the women were tired after four hours of work. Jac Novata, one of the team’s captains, said she didn’t resent it.

“It’s important for the sports teams to do their part,” Novata said.

The help the volunteers offered was greatly appreciated, according to the garden staff, particularly since the garden is suffering from budget cuts. This summer the garden will have to trim its student workers from five down to one, according to research technician Katie DiCristina, who led the volunteer effort. Garden workers will also have to cut the variety trials, the various experimental plants and flowers the usually plant throughout the season.

The garden will rely more heavily on volunteers and grants for the summer. DiCristina was grateful to the Service Day organizers for contacting her about volunteering.

“The more people we have the faster. A lot of the stuff wouldn’t ever get done,” without the extra help, she said.

As the end of Service Day approached back at the Wood Center, Ryan and other volunteers from the LIVE office counted up the volunteer totals. The final count of 49 put the number about 10 people more than last year’s tally.

Editor’s Note: Full disclosure – Lex Treinen also participated in volunteer activities on Service Day.

Janice Smith and Amelia pose for a photo during their museum outing. Janice and Amelia have been paired as big and little by the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

You might see them bowling or playing air-hockey at the Wood Center, or meet them at the movie theater or museum. They are the 33 UAF student and faculty volunteers of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and though the activities these “big brothers” do with their “little brothers” might sound like a pleasant afternoon with friends, they are making a real difference.

“It’s such an important role,” said Joe Hayes, a former Alaska state legislator who is now serving as executive director of the UAF Alumni Association, “It’s very rewarding.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska is the local branch of the national non-profit organization. Their goal is simple: to help children, and the community, by matching kids ages six to 18 with older role models who are willing to give a few hours of their month.

The obligations to the volunteers are minimal: after passing a background check, the volunteer, known as a “big,” should meet with his or her “little” for two to four hours per month. Other than that, the volunteers have the opportunity to receive training on topics such as dealing with ADHD or a grieving child.

The benefits are rewarding: children matched with a volunteer are 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 52 percent less likely to skip school, and 33 percent less likely to hit someone at school,  according to a 1995 study by Public/Private Ventures, a national research organization.

Volunteering also offers rewards to the volunteers themselves. The program offers a “hands on, front-line experience,” for volunteers, according to Rick Hinkey, director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, Fairbanks Program. He sees the program as a perfect fit for all students, particularly those interested in education. “It’s an education in itself,” he said.

One volunteer is Janice Smith, an elementary education junior and the big of Amelia, a fifth grader at Wood River Elementary. The two usually meet once per week for an hour or two.

“It’s fun,” Amelia said at the UA Museum of the North cafe prior to visiting the exhibits. “Once we went bowling, once we went home and colored.”

Smith considers meeting with her little “relieving,” because “you get to hang out and connect with kids,” she said.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program provides opportunities for children like Willie to spend quality time with an adult like Joe. Michelle Strehl/Sun Star.

As a long time program volunteer, Hayes usually spends much more than the required two to four hours per month with his little brother Willie, a third grader born in Seattle who now lives in Fairbanks with his grandfather and sister.

The pair meet for two or three hours twice per week to take off some of the burden from Willie’s grandfather. They often hang out around campus, playing air-hockey, bowling or watching movies at the theater.

The Alaska branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters currently matches nearly 900 pairs, 148 of which are in Fairbanks. Fairbanks Program director Hinkey would like to see that number increase to 500. Lack of volunteers is the major obstacle to expanding, he said. There are about 80 littles waiting to be matched, but only about half as many bigs in the process of clearing the application progress.

Funding is also a problem, according to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, Fairbanks Development Director Laura Wilson. Federal funding for the program is increasingly scarce. Training and administration costs money.

Wilson also serves as a big, but young adults and college students might find the experience all the more rewarding, she said.

“They look up to students more than they do to a 43-year-old mom like me,” she said. It is also a break from the fast-paced stressful life of a college student.

“When so much these days is focused on moving forward and on studies, it’s an amazing feeling to spend some time with kids,” she said, “When my little would run over and give me a hug, it makes my day.”

Sam Bruerer, senior UAF Aeronautics Group vice president and the UAF student who controlled the flight, poses proudly with the airplane he helped design, build, and fly on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

Despite multiple unsuccessful take offs, and crashing into a mound of ice and gravel, the UAF Aeronautics team was able to put their heads together for some ingenious engineering.

For unknown reasons the team’s RC plane was constantly veering to the right on takeoff attempts. The entire team attempted to secure the wheels, and bend the landing gear in order to get it to fly straight. Finally the team came up with an idea. By using the strong wind they were able to lift the plane into the air by hand.

“The landing gear is definitely meant for landing, not takeoff,” David Apperson, senior, said.

Even after a week of unfortunate events during the weekend of April 13-15, the plane flew exceptionally well and was retired for the semester after its final flight behind the museum.

The group’s chance to win the RC Design-Build-Fly competition crash-landed when, half-way through, the Wichita, Kan. competition was cancelled due to an abnormally strong tornado.

Kansas has 30-50 tornadoes on average per year, about 9 are classified as EF-3 according to NOAA. EF3 is the third highest classification on the Fujita Scale, the scale of destruction for tornadoes.

The tornado that struck Wichita that weekend reached winds of up to 165 MPH.

The tornado that cancelled the competition was classified as an EF-4.

Even though 68 teams from around the world came to compete, the event will not be rescheduled.

“We attempted one flight,” Emery said. “By the time we got the plane in the air the winds had reached 30 miles an hour gusting winds, we had a professional RC pilot fly it, but the wind was so bad he had to crash land it.”

The UAF Aeronautic RC plane group consisted of eight members: Apperson the Aeronautic club president, Coty Mayl, Sam Brewer, Jeremy Langton, Gerry Hovda, Corey Upton, Kyle Emery, and the club’s advisor Ed Bargar.

Apperson, Emery, Langton and Brewer built the RC plane for their senior project.

The plane the team designed and built the majority of the plane over the spring semester, Emery said.

“We got about $2,000 in funding total,” Emery said. “Most of the money went to the radio and the motors. We still had a big chunk of money left over, so we spent it on an autopilot GPS feature.”

From ground to finish, the plane cost about $1,300.

The plane unintentionally looks closely related to the Dash 8 Bombardier airplane, according to Emery.

The wingspan of the plane is six feet long, with the fuselage measuring five and a half feet. With the foam, epoxy, and wiring, the plane weighs about six pounds.

The plane’s battery lasts for about 10 minutes. The team estimates a top speed of 30 mph.

The team constructed most of the plane out of pink Styrofoam blocks, but they had an ace up their sleeve for the competition.

“We were one of two or three that used carbon fiber,” Emery said.

“Most teams don’t use it because it’s difficult to manufacture and get it smooth in the correct portions, and it’s expensive, but we had a lot around so we made use of it.”

Once takeoff was achieved, Corey Upton maneuvered the plane in the sky smoothly.

Upton’s piloting skills were no match for the 30MPH winds that day though. The plane nearly came to a standstill when in headwind.

“One thing I wish we spent more time on was the connections,” Apperson said. “We could have got rid of more weight if we had the time to go back and clean the connections.”

according to the team the wiring also negatively affected the GPS system and radio in the plane.

“It’s all about trial and error,” Emery said.

A spectator analyzes the UAF Aeronautics Group airplane after a successful second flight and landing on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

The UAF Aeronautics Group discusses what it needs to fix on its airplane to have a successful second flight after a failed first attempt on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

The UAF Aeronautics Group airplane is ready to take flight on its second attempt after a first failed attempt ended in a crash landing that caused some damages on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

(L-R) Harold Bargar, faculty advisor, and UAF students Jeremy Laugton, senior; Kyle Emery, senior; Corey Upton, freshman; Sam Bruerer, senior UAF Aeronautics Group vice president; David Apperson, senior UAF Aeronautics Group president; Coty Mayo, sophomore; and Shaun Milke (participant not pictured) pose proudly with the airplane they successfully designed, built, and flew on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

Sam Bruerer, senior UAF Aeronautics Group vice president and the UAF student who controlled the flight, poses proudly with the airplane he helped design, build, and fly on April 24, 2012. Fernanda Chamorro/Sun Star

These are the extensive deeds to the house and land mentioned in the column. Photo taken by Levi Sabine, provided by Elika Roohi.

Last week, I found myself at a school holding the deeds to some land and a house in historic Palestine.  The documents were from the time when the Ottoman Empire ruled this part of the Middle East, so they were written in Turkish and transliterated into Arabic.

They belong to the family of Ali Abu Sbah, a 22-year-old culinary arts student whose family has been in Jordan since Al Nakba in 1948.  When the war started back then, Abu Sbah’s grandmother grabbed the deeds to the house and land, locked the door behind her and fled to Jordan to wait out the fighting until she could return home.

She thought she would be able to come back.  All the refugees that left during the war back then thought they would be able to come back.  But the borders closed, and they settled in refugee camps in the surrounding Arab countries.

I volunteer once a week teaching English at one of these camps.  Al Baqa’a is the largest Palestinian refugee camp outside of the West Bank.  It started after the 1967 war.  These days there aren’t any more tents, but the standard of living in the camp is far from good.  Trash is not really collected, there are water shortages and kids are crowded into large classrooms where they are taught by overworked teachers.  And the conditions at Al Baqa’a are nicer than most of the other camps.

I spent my semester learning about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and listening to the stories of the people I have met.  This has been a full immersion into the Palestinian narrative. I have seen everything from extreme optimism for solving this problem in the future to dejected pessimism about being able to return to Palestine.

I can understand both sides.  As an idealistic foreigner, I like to think that some day soon things will really start to change for the better.  As a student studying this conflict, I can see that it’s been 20 years since the beginning of the peace process and not much has changed.

But in the last year, the Arab Spring has given a lot of people hope that the potential for change is in their hands and possible.  Abu Sbah has been an active participant in protests in Amman.

“We started to say no,”Abu Sbah said about finally being able to speak freely about some of the issues he cares about.  “It was a great feeling.”

The house on the document Abu Sbah showed me last week doesn’t exist anymore.  It has long since been demolished and turned into a farm, but documents like the ones belonging to Abu Sbah’s family are worth a lot of money.  The Israeli government tries to buy them up from the Palestinian families who still have them.

Abu Sbah told me that one of the documents was worth fifty thousand dinars (more than $66,000).  He said that he would never, ever, ever sell it.  Things like these are the only remnants a lot of Palestinian families have of their former homes, and they are holding on tightly.

It’s stories like these that have truly shifted the way I see the world this year.  I started out in Italy where I was a stone’s throw away from the violent occupy protests in Rome, lived with the Eurozone crisis and watched Berlusconi resign.  Now here I am in Jordan, living in an area of the world that has done its own rallying for change lately.  If anything, all of this traveling, learning and listening has given me the idea that maybe all of us are not so different after all.  We all just want to be listened to.

They came back

April 17 - A student in the upper dorms reported a snowboard and skateboard had been stolen from a vehicle. They were located at the UAFPD after someone turned them in as found property.

Concerned passerby

April 18 - Someone reported a suicidal person in a vehicle at the Patty Gym. UAFPD responded and found the vehicle. A UAF Fire Department ambulance responded and transported the person to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Final Destination

April 19 - An officer witnessed a bicyclist run into a school bus off Taku Drive and Farmers Loop. He called for an ambulance and EMS came to assess the patient. The officer determined the bicyclist was at fault.

 What Did You Do? (?)

April 20 - A woman came to the UAFPD saying she was punched in the face. An officer provided her with contact information in case she wanted assistance or to press charges.

Habitual Offender

April 21 - Police stopped a 20-year-old driver from Barrow in the Fine Arts parking lot for an equipment violation. Police found him to be driving with a revoked license and violating conditions of release. UAFPD transported him to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and charged him with driving with a revoked license, violating conditions of release, and failing to carry proof of insurance and up-to-date registration.

Pocket Protect-her

April 23 - A parent reported a daughter had cash stolen from her at the Rasmuson Library. Her ex-boyfriend was identified as a suspect.

Dear Editor,

On Tuesday April 18^th, ASUAF had an open forum for the upcoming elections. I had no knowledge of this happening until I heard an announcement over the loud speakers the minute it was going on. Being subscribed to the ASUAF Facebook page, I’m surprised they didn’t promote this there.

The discussion was held with six uncontested candidates who discussed certain topics including student outreach and everybody was in agreement that it was very important.

After the event was over, I talked to ASUAF Member Jennifer Chambers (Senate Seat J ) about what they did to promote the event. She said they had the announcement read over the Wood Center loud speaker. When I pressed her further on why they didn’t use the ASUAF or UAF Facebook, email, or banners, she brushed me off and walked away.

It’s interesting that they talk about student outreach, but do nothing but the absolute minimum.

John Seiler

]]> http://www.uafsunstar.com/archives/14123/feed 2 http://www.uafsunstar.com/archives/14428 http://www.uafsunstar.com/archives/14428#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 22:05:43 +0000 Heather Bryant http://www.uafsunstar.com/?p=14428 Heather Bryant/Sun Star Reporter
May 1, 2012

Of all the student fees at UAF, the ASUAF fee is perhaps the most confusing. The ASUAF fee, sometimes known as the student government  fee, is several fees in one. Every UAF student taking three or more credits pays $35 in the fall and spring semesters and $10 in the summer. That amounts to a yearly revenue of approximately $533,000.

Just more than half the of the fee money collected, 51 percent, stays with ASUAF. Of the remaining funds, 27 percent goes to KSUA, the campus radio station. Fifteen percent goes to the UAF Concert Board and seven percent goes to The Sun Star. ASUAF’s student senators decide the percentage of allocation for the fee.

The current rate of $35 has been in place since 2005. Before that, the fee was $30. An effort in 2008 to raise the fee to $42 failed.

The fee structure at UAF differs significantly from that at the University of Alaska Anchorage. At UAA,  those enrolled pay a student government fee of $1 per credit — to a maximum of $12. UAA students also pay a $10 Concert Board fee and an $11 Media fee, which is split between the Northern Light newspaper and KRUA, the student radio station.

ASUAF

ASUAF’s 51 percent equals approximately $272,000. ASUAF then allots funding to five areas: general administration, executive office, association departments, senate and association projects.

Administrative costs includes salaries, office costs such as phone and supplies, beverage service for students, international student Polar Express cards and an attorney retainer. This is estimated to cost $117,000 this year.

The next most expensive section in the budget is the senate. The student travel fund, club council projects, senate projects and committee contingency funds — along with a number of other costs  — add up to an estimated $101,000.

Other areas of spending involve salaries for nine employees, including the ASUAF president and vice president. Senators don’t get paid.

At the start of the current fiscal year ASUAF had more than $200,000 in an ASUAF Trust account. The trust, sometimes called the “rollover” or “carry forward” account, is unspent money from previous years. In the past the trust fund has grown to $260,000. ASUAF can spend money from the account if two-thirds of the student senators vote in favor of a bill allocating money from the account.

Chancellor Brian Rogers said he has spoken with both the current ASUAF president, Mari Freitag, and her predecessor, Nikki Carvajal, about the considerable size of the trust account. “If it’s not being spent then what’s the purpose of charging students?” he said.

“Biggest problem is our rollover,” ASUAF Senator Robert Kinnard said. Kinnard has been a part of ASUAF for two years.

“Students have not seen their fee being used,” Kinnard said. “We’re not being a service but a disservice to the students when our own budget is not being utilized.”

There is a board that oversees the rollover fund, according to Freitag. But that board has not met in some time. “I intend on working through this issue this coming year,” Freitag said in an email.

Though student government manages nearly a half-million dollars per year and has hundreds of thousands at its disposal at most times, the government is truly student-run. There is no oversight by UAF staff. ASUAF, unlike most student organizations at UAF, does not have a faculty advisor. Kinnard initiated a ballot proposition to create a paid advisor position in last week’s spring election. The measure did not make it to the ballot because the petition was not worded correctly. Additional legislation to put the question on the ballot also failed. However, the ballot included an opinion poll question. The unofficial election results show students favoring an advisor for ASUAF with 62 percent of voters saying they agreed or strongly agreed.

“I would like to see ASUAF ask for an advisor,” Brian Rogers said, “but the tradition at this university is very much student government is an opportunity for students to have full expression of their powers and rights. So to a large extent we stay out of their business even when we think they are doing dumb things.”

“I will say that I think that having an advisor will be beneficial to ASUAF,” Freitag wrote. “Given that all of our plans are carried out without problems we will have one by this fall.”

The Sun Star

The Sun Star receives seven percent of the student government fee, which averages $34,000 per year. A student “ad manager” sells advertising to make up the difference between ASUAF funding and the approximately $90,000 it costs to operate The Sun Star and its affiliated website each year. The newspaper employs roughly 16 students.

“Sun Star has always been marginally funded,” Chancellor Brian Rogers said. “Going back to when I was editor and on staff in the early ’70s it was hard to make it.”

For the fall 2011 semester, each issue of the newspaper cost an average of $2,300 to produce. This includes the cost of articles, photographs, editing and website work for that issue. Other costs for the paper include office costs such as phone, fax, printing and supplies. Currently there is no  budget for items such as computers, cameras or audio gear. In past years, The Sun Star staff paid for such items through Technology Advisory Board grants.  Most contest entry fees and travel to the annual Alaska Press Club conference in Anchorage is paid for by the staff out of pocket.

One of the biggest costs of the paper is printing. Each issue costs as much as $1,000 to print depending on the number of pages. The Sun Star is printed at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on the cheapest paper option available.

“Though The Sun Star is a training operation, the final product is still held to many of the same standards as professional news operations,” Sun Star advisor Lynne Lott said. “It’s a tall order.”

According to a budget document from Oct. 2011, The Sun Star finished the 2009 and 2011 fiscal years with a deficit.

(Full disclosure: Heather Bryant is the editor of The Sun Star)

Concert Board

Concert board receives $5 of each student government fee, which works out to approximately $65,000 each year.

The board is student-initiated and run by students with the assistance of Cody Rogers, who is also the assistant director of the Student Activities Office. Concert Board plans and coordinates concerts and events at UAF.

At UAA, the Concert Board receives $10 per student each semester.

UAF Concert Board has two sources of revenue — the student government fee and ticket sales. The Concert Board funds student stipends which are an alternative to salaries and a subscription service for pricing musical acts. The bulk of the budget pays for performing artists’ contracts.  It can cost thousands of dollars to bring artists to Fairbanks, according to Cody Rogers.

For example, bringing The Black Keys to UAF would cost more than $150,000, estimated Cody Rogers.

In 2010, the Concert Board brought The Nappy Roots to Fairbanks. More than 1,200 people went to see them, giving the show near-record attendance for a Concert Board event. Still, the concert cost the board just less than $20,000. Ticket sales brought in roughly $7,000. The difference is covered by the fee money.

“We’re not jacking up the ticket price,” Cody Rogers said. “We’re keeping a really low ticket price.”

Concert Board member Rosemary Paz said that concerts like Nappy Roots are a “big part of the college experience.” The board came about because students wanted it, Paz said. “This should be an available outlet for students to come and voice their opinion.”

According to a budget document obtained from ASUAF, the Concert Board finished the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years with a deficit.  ASUAF allocated an additional $30,000 to Concert Board last fiscal year, 2011.

KSUA

KSUA 91.5 FM is the student radio station at UAF. The station is also revitalizing its TV division. KSUA receives 27 percent of the ASUAF fee, or approximately $145,000 each year.

There are seven paid students who work for KSUA radio and two students who work for KSUA-TV.

“With over 80 student volunteers we have one of the biggest support systems involved with ASUAF,” Ephy Wheeler said. Wheeler is the station’s general manager and has been with KSUA since 2008.

The costs of running a radio station runs into the thousands with equipment and licensing fees eating up much of the budget, Wheeler said.

“Luckily our budget allows for us to update our equipment every couple of years,” Wheeler wrote in an email. “Major updates like our automation system only happen about every 10 years, and in this case, every 11-12 years.”

The station got new computers and software in 2011. The bill, including installation, was approximately $17,000.  Recent upgrades to the television station cost roughly $5,000. The TV crew downsized a more expensive plan for the TV station.

As a radio station, KSUA must comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Alaska Broadcasters Association guidelines. The inspection costs run about $300 per year. And then there’s the music royalties. Playing all those songs costs KSUA about $4,000 every year.

KSUA also sponsors events and outreach such as its booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair.

This year, KSUA gained national attention when the station placed in the MTV Woodies top-three college radio stations in the country.

“We have about 20/24 hours a day, seven days a week of occupied airspace with live DJs,” Wheeler said. “Not only have students really grown to love KSUA, but we continue to win awards.“

Budget information provided by ASUAF in October 2011 showed KSUA finishing 2009-11 fiscal years with an average surplus of $59,000.

Student Feedback

If students have questions about the ASUAF Fee, Freitag invites questions.

“Students should feel free to inquire about the ASUAF fee and how it is spent,” Freitag wrote. “All information that is not confidential regarding personnel is public to any who desire to inquire about it.”

It’s late on a Sunday night.

There’s a big dry erase board at the front of the room listing every piece of content slated for the issue.

Our layout editor asks me how big the story on the concert is. A reporter asks how to attribute a quote to an interview that happened via email.

I shoot the photo editor with a nerf gun to get her attention. I need to know what the cover photo is so we can work on the tagline and the teasers for the three stories being promoted on the cover.

Someone’s laughing on the couch. Everyone has Facebook open and two or three chats going, usually with people who are also in the room.

There are reporters or photographers at the computers revising their stories, tweaking the wording, or captioning their photos.

We talk over each other, yelling questions across the room. Sometimes there’s music, other times it’s someone reading out updates about a news event that’s happening.

There is nothing more exciting to me than a newsroom running at full speed in the hours winding down to publication.

These are my people.

When I first started at UAF, I was a wildlife biology major. But I learned that just because you are like something doesn’t mean you will be good at it.

“Where should I go?” I wondered after failing chemistry for the third time.

Fast forward four years and I’ve completed all the requirements for a journalism degree and I’m the editor of The Sun Star.

This will be my last editorial.

It’s been an honor and I’ve truly enjoyed the experience. I have learned more here than in any class I have taken at UAF.

We often joke that it’s a crazy loud little family that we’re all a part of.

We don’t know yet who will be editor next year. The hiring process is ongoing.

But I can assure you that there is a dedicated group of reporters and photographers and future editors that will serve you next year.

These are my people.  They’re your people too.

It’s not an easy job. No one here gets paid for all the hours required to create a paper. Late nights are common.

But the challenges in each story vary and I think that’s what keeps us coming back. When you report on a community, you get to know it on very close terms. Its history, its traditions, its people and its future are all part of the story of UAF.

Ultimately, our story is all we have. I’m glad to have played a small part in helping to telling the stories of UAF.

I’m also incredibly honored that The Sun Star is part of my story.

So goodbye and good luck. Keep reading The Sun Star or, even better, come write for it.

To the editing team. I love that to all of you I can say the words “hey, remember that time when…” and a great story will follow.

Kelsey: You have been an awesome partner in editing, especially in the wee hours in the morning when we both get really giddy and laugh over everything.

Galen: Whether it’s the jokes or your encyclopedic knowledge of memes, you make laying out the paper fun.

Erin: When I shot your computer with the nerf gun and it ricocheted into you, that still counted as a hit. Just like when you shot me in the face for eating a cinnamon twist.

Jeremy: You kind of have two different personalities. Facebook chat and real life. Both are awesome.

Andrew: Remember that time we both had to wear Kevlar to cover a story? That was so cool.

Lynne: You have been an amazing mentor and friend. You have made such a big difference in my life. Thanks for teaching me how to be a journalist.

In a sea of soon to be college alumni, one man of exceptional scholarship, community involvement and personality is picked from the rest.

Outstanding graduating senior, Matthew Robinson.

Matthew Robinson is the man who fits this description.

Robinson has been chosen by a committee of students and faculty to be the recipient of the Joel Wiegart Outstanding Male Graduate award for 2012.

Robinson was honored at the UAF Annual Student Awards Breakfast for his award. This award recognizes the accomplishments of his college career.

Robinson contributes to athletics and community service.

He was able to maintain excellent grades while taking a full load of classes, graduating with a four-year degree in history in three and a half years. His focus was in environmental studies.

Robinson’s good friend Danny Dicaire met him through the history honors organization Phi Alpha Theta.

One of Robinson’s best personal traits is extreme focus, according to Dicaire.

“If Matt focuses on something he will do it,” Dicaire said. “Matt wrapped up a four-year program in three-and-a-half years, and won the best senior historian award this year as well.”

Robinson’s best characteristic is his ability to listen, Dicaire said. 

“Matt is a listener, he will sit and attentively listen,” Dicaire said. “Whether it’s in class, or you’re hanging out, if you need feedback he will give you honest, no sugar-coated feedback.”

Through listening and feedback, Robinson and Dicaire helped each other overcome obstacles with their theses.

“As young as he is, I don’t feel strange having him proofread my work or to bounce an idea off him,” Dicaire said. “If he hadn’t been sitting there I would have been lost, I would have gotten it eventually, but he guided me, and ended up helping me figure out my topic.”

Dicaire hopes that Robinson’s good nature and traits will rub off on his kids as well, he said.

“I have three kids,” Dicare said. “He has traits that you want to see your kids grow up with, he is focused and has a good head on his shoulders.”

When meeting Robinson for an interview, he was well dressed, wearing a neat button up shirt and carrying a hiking backpack. He talked as though he was talking to a good friend.

As well as being an officer in Phi Alpha Theta, Robinson was once part of the Army ROTC program and the UAF Ranger Challenge Team. He also played intramural hockey during his college career.

Robinson helps the university maintain the ice rink by working with his father, who is manager of the Patty Arena.

He also plays a part in the community’s welfare by being part of the Freemasons chapter in Fairbanks.

“We do a lot of community outreach in the Freemasons,” Robinson said. “Right now we are working on getting a children’s clinic built in Fairbanks.”

On top of extracurricular activities, and helping the community, Robinson maintains a regular student lifestyle.

“This semester I’ve been fortunate, because all my classes are later in the day. For your last semester, that’s the best you can hope for.”  Robinson said. “Basically a typical day for me is getting up, going to class, heading to the library, hanging out, and going home for more homework.”

Robinson currently works for the Department of Fish and Game as a sport fish technician. He loves being able to wake up excited for work, and the people he works with are fantastic, he said.

Robinson’s career goal is to become a pilot in the Air National Guard.

Robinson enjoys fly fishing, fly tying, reading philosophy books and playing hockey.

“The latter half of the school year, all I can think about is fly fishing,” Robinson said. “Especially this time of year, it’s sunny and you’re ready to go fishing. That is what I am battling now with all the schoolwork.”

Terrence Cole’s history class reinforced Robinson’s love of history, and he learned the importance of always bringing a pencil and paper to class.

“One day a kid came to class without a pencil, and Dr. Cole had one of those six foot pencils that you would see in a toy store,” Robinson said. “The person who forgot their pencil had to use that six foot pencil the entire class.”

As a soon to be alumnus, Robinson explained how important it is to maintain a positive attitude, even in unfavorable conditions.

He left a strong message to pass onto the undergrads who are still battling for their degrees.

“We were doing a field training exercise in ROTC with Colonel Patton, it was cold and miserable,” Robinson said. “The colonel said to us ‘Just remember that where you are right now is the place to be.’ That’s something you can carry with you, don’t think about anything else, be in the moment, it makes everything more enjoyable.”

Senators present

Holt, Netardus, O’Scannell, Golub, O’Connor, Chambers, Chamberlain, Young, Zackurdaew, Burns-Shafer, Brown, Kinnard, Schurz and Burley

Senators absent

Hopkins and Cervin

Officers present

Freitag and Ball

Guests

Alumni Director Joe Hayes sat in on the second half of the meeting. He gave the senate advice on how to operate during summer considering the lack of available senators for ASUAF summer committee.

Attendance still matters

“SB 178-015 Revised Attendance Policy” would revise the current ASUAF senate attendance policy. Senators could only have four unexcused, eight excused or two unexcused and four excused absences. The senate chair will then notify the removed senator within 48 hours of the senator being removed by the senate. Senators away due to UAF, ASUAF or military business will be granted excused absences. Robert Kinnard III sponsored the bill. The legislation was discharged from internal affairs committee and sent to second reading. Senators can vote on legislation during second reading. The senate sent the legislation to executive committee by a vote of 6-3-0. Blake Burley, Andy Chamberlain and Micheal Golub voted against the legislation being sent to executive committee.

Election Manual Changes

The senate approved the three changes to the election manual that had been tabled during the last two senate meetings. The senate approved changes to initiatives and referendums and to two sections of the elections manual. Section 204.5 now states that if a person wins multiple senate seats the winner will get the seat they received the most votes for. The runner-up will take the other seat. Section 605 was removed. This section required that pollworkers provide a list of voters and the voters’ student identification numbers.

Election Results

The senate needs to approve election results. Due to complaints about the ballot, the senate will vote on election results during the next ASUAF meeting. The elections board discussed whether Charles Allison’s write in campaign was valid. They did not know if the flyers placed around campus for his election to the senate were put up by him or someone else. Nothing in the elections manual addresses third party campaigns.

Concert Board

“SB 178-018 Doing the Right Thing” would allocate up to $30,000 to Concert Board. Jennifer Chambers sponsored the bill. Due to a clerical error, ASUAF will allocate the money to the Concert Board that they owe them. The senate sent the legislation to executive committee.

Good Will

“SB 178-019 Good Will with the Sun Star” would allow the ASUAF office manager Anne Williamson, to transfer up to $2,459.59 to the Sun Star. The change will become effective May 20. The senate sent the legislation to executive committee. Chambers sponsored the bill.

Money and the news

“SB 178-020 Sun Star Ad-buy budget line” would transfer the remaining funds in the Ad-buy budget line to the Sun Star. Chambers sponsored the bill. The senate would allocate $2,650. The money would help the Sun Star cover summer finance costs between May 15 to June 30. The senate sent the legislation to executive committee.

The return of the ASUAF budget

“SB 178-021 The Budget is Back!!!” would make corrections to the budget that was approved by the senate on April 12. Chambers sponsored the bill. The senate chair contingency fund did not include any money in the previously approved budget. The revised budget placed money into the fund. The estimation for taxable student income increased to acknowledge that student payrolls are taxable during the summer months. The amount reserved for the office manager increased to acknowledge possible increases to cost of living and other unforeseen changes.

The senate previously took $2,500 from the ASUAF summer committee into the recently reduced budget for club council. Mari Freitag, Dillon ball and the senate discussed whether the decision was ethical and how the budget reduction for summer committee would affect summer students. Kinnard moved to remove $2,500 from the student travel fund and place it into summer committee. The senate passed the motion. The senate adopted the revised budget by a vote of 12-0-0.

Engineers need money too

“SB 178-022″ would give the Society of Automotive Engineers $8,000 annually to fund SAE projects for competitions. Michael Golub sponsored the bill. The office manager will decide which budget lines to take the funds from. The senate sent the legislation to executive committee. Golub is a member of SAE. In 2010, he served as chapter president of the UAF chapter of SAE. He was also the advisor and co-captain for the team that built the electric snow machine

Summer Committee

“SB 178-023 Summer Committee Bylaw Change” would change the current bylaws so that either the ASUAF vice president or a senator can serve as chair of ASUAF summer committee with approval from the senate. Kinnard sponsored the bill. If the vice president is chair of the summer committee he or she will serve as a non-voting member of the committee. The senate passed the legislation by a vote of 10-0-0. Senators were nominated to serve on summer committee. Senators must accept or decline their nomination. Since one of the nominated senators was not there, nominations were tabled until the next meeting.

It’s not over yet

This is last ASUAF brief that the Sun Star will report on for Spring semester 2012 in print. However, the last ASUAF senate meeting is Sunday, May 6. The Sun Star’s coverage of this meeting will run online. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. and is open to the public.