By Britany Adorno-Alicea

The Associate Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks senate met for their first November weekly meeting to discuss a variety of topics on their docket, including some guest speakers and several travel fund requests.

Guest speaker Nina Friedman from the Alaska Fellows Program came to speak about her program, the Brothers and Sisters of Alaska, and give a brief run down of the organization and how the student community can be involved.

The Brothers and Sisters of Alaska seeks to ignite the potential and promise of youth in our community by creating one-to-one mentoring relationships. These mentoring relationships can be between trusted adults and young children between the ages of 6 to 16 in their general program, or between 14 to 21 in their S.A.V.E. program, which are the majority of foster care youth.

The senate listened to a travel grant fund request from guest speaker Alana Moses, from the UAF Union Draft Dance group, asking for a travel fund for her group to attend their performance in Indianapolis and it will be their 50th year performing at the Progressive Arts Society International Convention, or PASIC.

The Senate began their discussions and readings of legislation, moving forward requests to seek a plan for the cost of implementing lighting and sidewalk from the Tanana Drive to Farmers Loop Road to the External Affairs Committee and tabling a request for traveling funds and lodging expenses for the Inu Yupiak Dance Group.

They moved to consider travel funds requests for Kendra Nichols to attend the Society for Historical Anthropology Shaw Conference and the Alaska Anthropological Associate Conference, Brittany O’Brien to attend the Society for Neuroscience, and Mercedes Otten for the Inuit Yup'ik dance group to attend the PASIC.

In the second reading, they moved to adopt funding for Alana Moses, club funding for the Geoscience Club, and club funding for the Society of Mining Metallurgy and Exploration.

The meeting was adjourned with a final discussion on the diplomatic dialogue and conversation about Ukraine, in which they will be bringing to campus the director who conducts those relations, who will be having an open forum policy during his discussion. This seminar is scheduled for the 14th, from 6 - 7 p.m.

ASUAF meets every Wednesday and students are welcome to join and voice concerns to the members of the senate. For students not attending in-person, zoom links are available at www.uaf.edu/asuaf/meetings.

ASUAF Meetings

Open to all UAF students

Wednesdays @ 5:15 p.m.

Senate Chambers, Wood Center