Riding off into the sunset. NOT!

Wonder Lake, Denali National Park at sunset, by UAA's Brett Frazer.

I was searching for just the perfect cliche sunset picture to end our back-to-campus blog. I was going to make a joke about cowboys and sunsets and the truth is, the beginning of the semester may have ended, but folks, we've only just begun!

Instead, I found this AWESOME shot of the sun playing on Wonder Lake and Denali at Denali National Park. And it was taken by UAA's own Brett Frazer.

Many of you will recall Brett as a champion debater who anchored the UAA team with Drew Cason when they went up against the mighty, mighty Stanford debaters here at UAA in that amazing exhibition debate last spring. The Anchorage Daily News photographer Marc Lester captured some great images of it on their Focal Point blog. We live-blogged that event, and did a pre-debate interview with Brett that to this day is still worth a listen.

Brett's story is a good one to reconsider at the beginning of the academic year. In the interview, he talks about dropping out as a freshman, but when he came back, he was ready! His skills on the debate floor, and as a Truman Scholar for UAA, are inspiring indeed.

So as you start your college academic career here at UAA, or continue on your path, take Brett's lessons in. He squeezed as much out of UAA as he could, and you should do the same thing!

With that, let me thank our fearless and delightful bloggers this year  -- hoots, whisles, foot stomps!--to the amazing:

• Theresa Cho
• Joe Selmont
• Shawn Eby
• Stacie Meisner
• Jolene Almendarez
• Fabian Philipp
• Kristi Powell
• Bette Fenn
• Georgia DeKeyser
• Linda Morgan
• Glenna Muncy
• Jenna!
• John Faunce
• Alejandra Buitrago 

 A special thanks to Ted Kincaid, Advancement's new graphic artist, who created sketches to accompany the whims and wiles of fictional character Lamont Harpe and his tumble into love with charmer Emmy.

We broke 5,000 hits during these first few weeks on campus. Thank you for reading!  We hope you found some decent life hacks here to help you navigate and succeed at UAA. Have a great semester and a great year.

We'll be back with a Homecoming blog, so stay tuned!

The Prez has the last word....for now!

How incredibly fast the semester has gotten started, and I already feel like it's half over (one of my professors mentioned a midterm in two weeks!).

After surviving the windstorms, and playing catch up to make up for a lost day of meetings and interviews, I am pleased to announce that USUAA has a new Public Relations Director! Evelyn Castillo is a graduate of East High school and is very excited to start working with us, and we can't wait to get started!

This past week I also had the privilege of sitting down with UAA Chancellor Tom Case to talk about different issues affecting students. We discussed everything from improving the locations of Emergency Call stations around campus, to possibly starting a Chancellor Facebook page where he can better communicate with students and share information more easily. In fact, the Chancellor
gave me a quote for this post. He's got our back: “It’s great to see our student government so engaged. I encourage you to get involved!” Don't worry, Chancellor, we WILL!

Here we are at our retreat; on the wall are many ideas to engage!

Lastly I also had the opportunity to attend this years Gold Pan Awards hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce with the Chancellor and got to watch UAA's Flight Crew club give a performance at the event.

Over this past weekend, USUAA had their semi-annual retreat where we focused on team building, goal setting, and learning our different personality strengths. I could not be more proud of the group of women and men that are on the Assembly this year. Each of them holds vast potential to do great things for their University, and I get to work with each and every one of them!

Kickoff seems like AGES ago!

However the work that we do as representatives of the student body would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our advisor and administrative assistants, Paula Fish and Anita Bradbury. Both of these women have children and families of their own, however they work and treat us as if we are just as much a part of their lives as their own family members. I don't think I could say thank you enough for everything Paula and Anita do for myself as well as for the Assembly. Their continuous support and encouragement is what keeps this organization going. Paula was also selected to be a part of the I am UAA campaign, and although she still wears her orange and blue proudly, she is a Seawolf at heart, through and through.

Once again, I could not be more proud of the position I am in, and the organization that I am a part of.

-- Alejandra Buitrago
USUAA Student Body President

Episode 6: Lamont & Emmy. Awwwwwwww....

Fiction, by Joe Selmont.

As I stared at the texturized ceiling above my bed, I could not concentrate on any single item. So many ideas, emotions, images and even smells jumped around inside my head, riding waves of electrical impulses upon the squishy substance of my brain.

Somewhere in the real world my ears picked up the sound of voices from the students in the MACS above me. A moth fluttered creepily around the fluorescent bulb protruding from the ceiling, light reflecting ever so slightly off its dull wings, almost like fairy dust. Then my thoughts went to Peter Pan, and then to Wendy, and then back to her, to Emmy, as if by some unexplained magnetic field my mind was endlessly attracted to her. We went on a date, thought I, a real date. Then off ran my thoughts in distant and digressive directions.

I’m Lamont Harpe, if you don’t know me. I work at UAA, live at UAA, and study at UAA. My semester to date had gone something like this: my mom helped me move back into the dorms, which was a disagreeable experience; I barely managed to scrape together the stuff necessary for a

Werewolves, zombies and vampires, oh my!

A new hybrid has been prowling UAA, and it doesn’t involve seamless gas to electric conversions or vampire/werewolf combos. These hybrids can magically transform from one mode to the other right before your eyes, and in one blink they have changed. If you happen to cross its path, though, you might not even be able to tell which form the hybrid has taken.

What is this anomaly? Should we notify UPD? Is this “hybrid” a concern for the community?

Do not fear, students of UAA, because unlike loyal vampire/werewolf hybrids that might drain you of blood and tear you limb from limb, the hybrids here run on coffee, composition pedagogy, reading, writing, and grading. You could probably consider them more friend than foe. These hybrids are your English 111 TAs.

Embrace your inner geek

Dr. Yoky Matsuoka was UAA's 2012 Freshman Convocation Keynote Speaker.

The link below is about how Dr. Yoky Matsuoka grew up with an identity crisis. She was popular, a rising star athlete, and an in-closet scholar. Dr. Matsuoka fully blossomed into a pioneer of neurobiotics (among many other things) upon embracing her inner geek.

So, if you've not been open to all your talents, then you might be inspired to change your approach after seeing this video of how Yoky navigated that territory. It has paid off in an exciting career and work that she loves.

An approximately 12-minute video of Dr. Yoky Matsuoka’s brief biography can be found here.

The good, the bad and the free in campus parking

As students begin to settle in to their schedules, drop some of those 8 a.m. classes that sounded like a great idea when registration occurred eight months ago, and begin to “figure it all out”, the parking woes begin to mellow as well…just in time for snow. As a final piece of advice from the parking services team, I encourage you to always park between the lines, even when you can’t see them.
 
 UAA's student-centered parking is unusual
Parking is a struggle on any campus—so much so that there is a model used to manage parking on many campuses called Transportation Demand Management that encourages pricing parking at a rate that only the top 20 percent can afford it. This reduces the demand for parking spaces because students, and many staff and faculty, simply can’t afford to drive so they are forced to find alternative ways to campus. Some schools limit who may bring a car to campus—either restricting freshmen from having cars on campus, or only allowing students to park in off-campus commuter park & ride lots and take a bus to campus.

Hope this parking photo brings a smile. (liquidnight CC Flckr)

Still yet, there are some schools that don’t charge at all for parking, or that figure in the cost of transportation to the total charges for the year. While you may save the cost of parking your car, often you will spend upwards of $40,000 per year in tuition at some of these schools, and you are told which lot you may park in, usually on the outskirts of campus. I guarantee the cost of managing those parking lots is paid by students in the long run.

The parking management system we have at

Theresa Cho: Cheap, easy, fast and delicious

In high school, I had a friend who lived by herself and regularly ate cauliflower and ketchup…but we won’t go there.

One of my previous posts states that a good, delicious meal is one of my top-most life refreshers. With creativity, eating well doesn’t mean spending a fortune or your entire day preparing one meal! Based on what my friends and I normally have in our kitchens, here are some quick, easy, cheap, and (most importantly) yummy recipes you can happily sink your teeth into.

Mac & Cheese + Prego
Prepare Mac & Cheese as you normally would and add Prego! If you have left over meat from another meal, feel free to throw that in. This dish is really a blank slate for anything. Melting in left over cheeses also adds another layer of yum.

A blank slate: Add leftovers for an extra layer of yum!

  

Sarah Frick: Working on the textbook price 'ouch' factor

UAA Students - Help us help faculty help you!

We want your feedback about textbook prices and eTexts!

The Faculty Technology Center is interested in the overall student perspective of eTexts and textbook prices here at UAA. Take this quick survey about e-texts and textbook prices to let us know what you think!

I am a recent graduate of a Masters degree here at UAA, and put eight years between my undergrad and graduate studies. So when I went to purchase my textbooks, I figured some things must have changed since 2002.

Nope. I was still looking at over $100 for each book.

Jenna!: 'Just another day in the life of a college student'

Jenna!

Yeah for a mini vacation the week after school starts!

Some friends and I drove out to a cabin in Soldotna for the weekend to visit with family and enjoy life along the bank of the Kenai River.

In addition to snacks and friends, my three-hour car ride consisted of sketching and working on my homework. You might be able to spot my laptop case on the floor in front of me.

Just another day in the life of a college student.

Theresa Cho on 'Stack 'em Space Savers'

Whether living at home, an apartment, or the dorms—space is limited. From watching some of my favorite shows on HGTV, I’ve learned thrifty tricks to maximize space on a tight budget.

Bathroom tower, right. Etagere, left.

Bathroom “towers”

These are approximately 12” (length of basket) x 4” (width of basket) x 24” (height of unit). These bathroom towers easily fit onto countertops, dressers, desks…etc. They are super versatile because they come in a variety of finishes which look great in a variety of spaces! Additionally, some are made to fit right into corners (see Figure 1, below). These bathroom “towers” build up—saving you coveted surface area. Approximately $30. I purchased mine from Target.

Figure 1: Bathroom tower on right (corner model). Ètagére on left, above commode.

Figure 2: Bathroom tower used in my bedroom and features a different finish from the one in Figure 1.

Episode 5: Paris beckons; Lamont makes a REAL date

Fiction, by Joe Selmont.

As I sprawled out in the grass in between Ansep and the back entrance of the Student Union, flipping through Michel de Montaigne's essay titled “On Sorrow” but paying keener attention to Common's lyrics as they flowed in through my headphones, I thought some quiet thoughts on life, love, and school. It being the end of the second week of the semester, I was not yet overly weighed down with reading assignments, writing assignments, and the consternation that comes therein. Two students walked out of Ansep carrying pingpong equipment, on their way to the SU for good times, I'm sure. How silly sorrow seemed in that moment. Life has leveled out, thought I, remembering the events of the day.

My name is Lamont Harpe. I live at UAA, work at UAA, and study French lit at UAA. My future goals are hazy, but I've come to terms with that. To date, the semester had been a roller coaster of misfortune and sheer pleasure. It began poorly enough, with constrained finances, a gut-wrenchingly painful moving experience, and plain old loneliness, but I was finally falling into my groove. It always takes a little while to shake the summer out of you. Under normal circumstances it is depressing to see the summer fade into memory, but this was no normal start to the semester. For the first time in ages I had found a beautiful, funny, articulate lady that actually matched my awkward flirtations move for move. Her name is Emmanuelle, or Emmy for short. Oh, and my financial aid finally came through. I guess I'll talk about that first.

Did you know you can do research in your pajamas?

Guest post by Christie Ericson

OK, let's explain that.

The UAA/APU  Consortium Library is LOADED with electronic resoources that you can access even when the library is closed! Here is a special guest post from Christie Ericson, the Electronic Resources Librarian. Welcome to the blog, Christie, and thank you for this very useful information!

Christie's post:

In addition to the great print and media materials we have at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, we also offer many electronic resources for research across all subject areas. We currently offer almost 70,000 ebooks and 60,000 ejournals, as well as many specialized online databases. Over the summer we’ve been working hard to add even more electronic resources to the library collection. Some of the most recently added materials include:

Jstor

We recently added over 100 more business and social science full-text journals to our JSTOR collection.

Choosing professors: NOT eeny, meeny, miny moe!

If you’re lucky enough to have a class with a wide selection of professors available and you don’t know which professor to take—no worries. Or, if you're settled in for this semester but wish you'd given it more thought, here are a couple of methods to illuminate this critical choice so can settle well into the semester:

1)   Ask around!
Ask everyone—friends, friends of friends, complete strangers…. The most helpful information I’ve received is from people who took the class I am interested in which was taught by the professor I am interested in. For example, if I hear Professor X is a great professor and I need to take Biology 115, the most helpful information I get is from someone who has taken Biology 115 with Professor X. Nevertheless, if you cannot find a person who has taken the class you’re interested in with the professor you’re interested in, learning the professor’s teaching style from a different class will still help. 

2)  Use RateMyProfessor.com
This is a resource where students rate a professor’s helpfulness, clarity, and ease—which results in an overall quality score. Each student post contains information about the class and professor. Pay attention to the class the student wrote a review for because some professors may not use the same teaching style between different classes.

    Keep in mind the possibility of receiving a report from a student who simply didn’t work as hard as he/she should have; thereby receiving a poor grade and, in turn, a negative perspective about a class or professor. So, remember to use your best judgment and take advice critically!

The editor ponders: Cook....or Starve?

I’ve made no secret about hating food in Anchorage.

You can defend it all you’d like, but the fact remains that I’ve eaten Mexican food with Asian “sticky rice” (On what planet is that OK?), eaten soggy blackened tofu (Ever hear of extra firm tofu?) and  born witness to the most bruised, most gross-looking fruit and vegetables I’ve seen in my life.

Go on—I’d like to hear the defense of the awful state of your food.

At first, I thought I’d adjust to the food selection in this city. I’m a strict vegetarian from steer city and have worked my way around few vegetarian options before.

This, however, does not seem to be happening.

I can’t get over the blandness of everything I eat. I’m sorry. I will not compromise on this accusation that Alaskan food is bland.

So a girl like me is stuck with two options— learn to cook or starve.

Breaking (good) news: Parking lot is open!

The UAA/APU Consortium Library parking lot is open again, and now comes complete with a nice walkway to the Conoco Phillips Integrated Science Building. And is that blue sky? AND it’s also Friday?? Oh, happy day!


-- Kristi Powell
UAA/APU Consortium Library

EPISODE 4: Lamont's typical day on the job at the SU

Fiction, by Joe Selmont.

What a wondrous thing, life is. As I strolled out of the Student Union/Bookstore doors, I was greeted by a smiling late afternoon ray of sunshine and a conglomeration of similar clichés: a whistling chickpea bounced between branches, the leaves quivered at a subtle breeze, the sprinklers in front of the Wells Fargo Sports Complex went chkt, chkt, chkt, psssst, and a fat bumblebee lethargically buzzed around the cusp of a flower. I laughed at a litter of kids playing some sort of imaginary game and, instead of proceeding to my locked up bicycle, I walked over to the grassy hill beneath the black, reflective Bookstore windows, dug headphones out of my backpack, flipped through my iPod library until I found Franz Liszt, and sat cross-legged upon the exceptionally green grass, allowing the brooding yet triumphant piano to flow over me. Life, thought I on this beautiful Friday, the end of the first week of school, is a wondrous thing.

My name is Lamont Harpe. Hello. I study French lit at UAA. I also live here. And I work in the UAA Student Union as a Student Manager. Defying all expectations, the school year had begun fantastically. Sure, moving back into the dorms could have been simpler. Sure, I was still in a financial limbo. Sure, one of my new roommates has a really attractive girlfriend, which is unfair. But I met a beautiful lady myself, on the first day of classes no less, and we continued to make flirtatiously awkward small talk all week! Her name is Emmanuelle. She goes by Emmy. And then, you know, all my classes seemed pretty cool. Which is also nice.

But on this particular Friday I did not have classes, so instead I worked all day – or the student-job equivalent of all day: six hours – which I suppose is complaint-worthy, so I’ll go ahead and complain. Okay, here was that day’s highlight reel:

Just another day on the job, illustration by Ted Kincaid.

• I was yelled at by some audacious first year who thought he could get away with using a Student Union locker without paying the reasonable $20 semester fee. Sure, he walked in on me hacking his lock off, but his choice of words were awfully crude. So that happened.
• An impatient young lady with three lip piercings was trying to purchase a ticket to Flogging Molly, but we had just run out of physical copies of the tickets. I tried explaining this to her, but she misinterpreted me and thought the show was sold out. She was on the verge of tears, gushing her longstanding love of the Celtic-punk band, tousling her purple hair with frantic hands, when finally I got through to her. We grabbed some more tickets from the Concert Board office, she bought hers, and, thank goodness, all was well.

'I have this friend, let's call her 'Miranda'...'

One of my close friends (we’ll call her “Miranda”) asked me how I balance life, extra-curricular activities, and school. Miranda said that, while in school, she can’t do other things (i.e. extra curricular activities) without having them fall apart. I have friends who feel the same way. If you resonate with Miranda, I hope this post sheds light on an alternative perspective. Here is my response to her: 

I think everyone's lives are different. You certainly have things that I don't have to worry about: a husband; maintaining a home as a wife; cooking, cleaning...etc. for yourself and him; paying rent and other bills...all of which take time and energy. So you ARE doing other things outside of school. If I had to do all the domestic things you do, I don't know if I'd be able to manage school, extracurricular activities, and life either!

Tips from an advising pro

As the Director of the Advising and Testing Center, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all students new to UAA this fall.  I hope you can feel the excitement in the air! I also hope you are feeling welcome and excited about beginning the next chapter in your life.

For those of you who are coming to campus directly from high school, I am sure you will find the freedom of college a very welcome change. However, as a word of caution, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with this new found freedom. In college, it is very easy to fall behind.

The biggest help you have to keep you on track is that course syllabus you received from each of your professors. Pay close attention to the

TODAY, Sept. 7, is first big deadline day for students

Fabian's got your back!

The second week of the semester is almost over and that means the first deadlines for the fall semester are approaching. The Add/Drop deadline, payment deadline and credit/no credit deadline will all be this Friday, September 7 at 5 p.m.

This means for you:

If you want to drop a class (remove it from your schedule and not pay for it), you will have to do so before 5 p.m. on Friday. You can go to uaonline.alaska.edu to drop classes. Also, if you want to add another class to your schedule, you must add it before 5 p.m. on Friday.

Friday will also be the last day to pay any balance on your student account for tuition, fees and other costs. If you don’t pay before 5 p.m., a $125 late fee will be assessed to your account. You can either come to the University Center and pay in person or pay by credit card on uaonline.alaska.edu

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at (907) 786-1480.

Different ways to meet your transportation needs

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Here's more details on some alternative ways to get to campus this fall.

• Use Zimride: A private, social network site for ridesharing -- just for UAA. Sign up for free and make a rideshare connection with another UAA student, staff or faculty member. NO registration fee, ride fees are negotiated between drivers and riders. Sign up at www.zimride.uaa.alaska.edu.
  Rent a car from Hertz on Demand: OK, sometimes you just really need a car. At UAA, you can get one. Hertz on Demand is an hourly car rental service that lets you take a car when you need it. Rentals range from $8-$9 per hour, includes gas, insurance, and up to 180 miles per day. Sign up for a free membership if you are 18 or over at www.hertzondemand.com/uaalaska. Approvals are based on your driving record and take about 2 weeks, so apply now to make sure you get your membership card before you want to make a reservation.
• Walk/Ski: Winter brings the opportunity to come to campus on one of many multi-use trails that can be reached from campus. Rent skis during a break from the Student Union Info Desk and try out classic x-country or skate skiing near Goose Lake, University Lake, or take the bus to nearby trails. 

Musings from USUAA Prez

There's something wonderful about fall.

First comes cotton, then comes leaves, then comes the snow falling off the trees. Over the summer I had the opportunity to go visit another University in the Lower 48, and something funny happened, I started missing UAA. Although we are mostly a commuter college, and most of us are non-traditional students who work as well as have families to take care of, we are unique and a university non the less.

The thing I've grown to love most about UAA? The opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the University System. In every meeting that I have gone to since being President (which I'd say is in the upwards of the 100s at this point), administrators have asked

How to Hack the Library

The UAA/APU Consortium Library provides many resources and services that will make your hectic campus life much easier. The four tips below are essential to academic success.

• Take a Tour: There are several ways to get to know the many facets of the library, including our self-guided audio tour. Stop by the Circulation Desk to check out an MP3 player and headphones and soon you’re off to explore all three floors of our extensive facility. Got a smart phone and your own pair of ear buds? Then skip the Circulation Desk altogether and take the tour at your own pace by scanning the QR codes at each step. You’ll get a half hour overview of the various library collections and services, and enjoy a nice stroll at the same time. 
• Ask a Librarian: It’s never too early to get help with that intimidating research assignment lurking on your course syllabus. We have an approachable Reference Desk right in the middle of our beautiful

From the Student Health & Counseling Center: Flu shots!

Bette Fenn does NOT want you to catch the flu!

To that end, the Student Health & Counseling Center is offering 2012 Seasonal Flu Shots for $15. All you have to do is visit Rasmuson Hall, just outside the SHCC from Sept. 10-14, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Students, faculty, staff and the public are eligible to receive a flu shot at UAA. The cost is $15. Students are welcome to schedule an appointment.

The health center is open Monday through Thursday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.and Friday 8 a.m.-5p.m. The center is located in Rasmuson Hall, Suite 116-120. They can be reached at (907) 786-4040. 

Theresa Cho: Why being involved is worth it for you

Get involved: Being involved continues to open doors and help me build relationships. I’ve met friends and exemplary academic/life advisors. In fact, one of the things I composed within the 2012 Freshman Convocation script was: Outstanding academic advisors made a huge positive difference in my academic career by helping me navigate through the many opportunities available in college

No kidding: Frog's leg!

Additionally, by being involved, I was given the opportunity to travel (all expenses paid) to New Orleans, LA with UAA’s Architecture and Engineering Club (AE Club). Mind you, I am majoring in Biology. Nevertheless, I quickly learned that the AE Club is open to all majors. During our two week stay, we built houses with Habitat for Humanity (full-time) and toured the city whenever we weren’t on the worksite. As someone who does not have the ability to travel often, this trip was a wonderful change of pace, location, and climate. At first the humidity and heat was off-setting and unusual, but I grew to love it.

From the editor: Opportunity Rolls

Ever have the urge to grab a hand-full of money, your dog, and laptop and head for the hills?
That was essentially my first week at UAA, except in my case, I wanted to head back to the sunny south.

The entire week was pretty much me realizing I was in the wrong class, being grossed out by food choices on campus and wondering if I was up for the challenge of being managing editor of a completely new staff at The Northern Light.

On Wednesday, I seriously contemplated resigning from my post at the paper, dropping all my classes and trying to get a fall internship in south Texas while I essentially wait out the semester.

Then I realized that while Anchorage is far from my idea of glamorous, crawling back into San Antonio with my pigtails tucked between my legs was somehow just as unappealing.

I am paying for my education at UAA mostly through the generosity of journalism groups and kind people in San Antonio throwing up enough cash to cover most of this semester’s out-of-state tuition.
It’s a hell of a situation to be in—being funded with other people’s money.

As you can see, I’m still here.