REDIS News Stories

Here is a compilation of news stories, links and features related to our Race, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Success initiatives.

Image Date Description Link
headshot of a woman
April 22, 2022
Friday Focus: Reflecting on ANCSA

Last week, UAF co-hosted a symposium with Doyon Limited which focused on the past, present and future of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Passed by Congress in 1971, ANCSA extinguished aboriginal title in Alaska in exchange for the retainment of 44 million acres to be held in corporate ownership through newly established regional and village Alaska Native corporations. It also included $962.5 million in compensation for land lost in the settlement agreement. Fifty years later, those Alaska Native corporations have contributed billions of dollars to Alaska’s economy and employ a workforce of 16,000 Alaskans and more than 57,000 employees worldwide.  

READ
Sheila Sundar
April 14, 2022
I Was a Diversity Hire. Then They Unhired Me.

What a nightmare job search says about equity and the academy.  In both academic hiring and student admissions, educational affirmative action invites a critical and charged policy debate, divided along partisan lines and fueling healthy disagreement within politically aligned groups. Some argue for programs that emphasize race as a factor, and others for special consideration of economic disadvantage. Then there are factors of gender and geography.  In a diverse, pluralistic society, these are fair questions to ask. But the debate must also consider the toll of diversity programs on applicants of color. What is the obligation of a university, beyond declaring a self-serving interest in racial inclusion? Are all institutions deserving of the diversity initiatives they seek to promote?

 
READ
Race on Campus image
April 12, 2022
Race on Campus: Pronouncing Students’ Names Correctly Is Important. Here’s How.

Pronouncing a student’s name correctly is the first of many steps in creating an inclusive classroom. Getting a student’s name wrong, or not attempting to pronounce it correctly, can be a microaggression. Here’s a primer on saying names right the first time.

READ
Gathering at Doyon for a fundraiser
April 15, 2022
Kinross donates $1 million to UAF Indigenous studies initiative
An initiative launched a decade ago to create an Indigenous Studies Center received a major boost Tuesday with a $1 million donation from Kinross Alaska to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
READ
nursing student drawing syringe
2022
Cluster Hires of Tenure-track Faculty to Support Black and Brown Students

As Pierce College deepens its commitment to racial equity, it is of the highest priority that we focus our tenure-track faculty hiring process to seek faculty with the expertise to lead our institution in serving Black and Brown students. 

 
READ
Carlson
March 21, 2022
Dannielle Carlson hired as UAS Alaska Native Student Success Specialist

Dannielle Carlson, UAS alumni class of 2017 and Rural Admissions Counselor for UAS is assuming a new position at the University of Alaska Southeast. 

READ
BLaST student Samantha Wade
Feb. 2022
 
BLaST Scientist of the Month for February 2022: Samantha Wade

Samantha Wade, who is of Inupiaq descent, is a senior pursuing a B.S. in biological sciences with a concentration in physiology. Wade is a fourth-year BLaST Scholar and holds an officer title in the UAF Pre-Medical Society. 

READ
Michele Yatchmeneff portrait Feb. 3, 2022
Alaska Native students strive for representation in engineering programs

Yatchmeneff is a civil engineering professor at UAA, and executive director for Alaska Native Education and Outreach, where she works alongside current ANSEP students, helping provide them a place to call home.

READ
Paul Ongtooguk, right, with UAA faculty members James Nageak and Fannie Akpik, both Inupiaq. (Photo courtesy of Paul Ongtooguk, 2022) Jan. 24, 2022
Fighting to teach Alaska Native history

Many Alaskans report that they initially learned about ANSCA as an adult – through a college course, an ANCSA-related job, or their own research. For those who did learn about ANCSA earlier in life, it was often through a family member or similar channel. Rarely though, did people recall learning about it in class.

READ
Cammie Wickline, retired U.S. Army staff sergeant and the first graduate of the Associate of Arts in Alaska Native Studies at UAA Dec. 7, 2021
Alaska Native studies associate program celebrates first graduate

Founded in 2020, the AKNS A.A. program was established to provide students a critical perspective on Alaska Native cultures, histories, politics and organizations. 

READ
headshot of a woman Dec. 7, 2021
Charlene Stern named rural, community, Native education VC

Dr. Charlene Stern will serve as UAF’s vice chancellor for rural, community and Native education (VCRNE) effective Jan. 2, 2022. As the VCRCNE, she will oversee the College of Rural and Community Development and the Community and Technical College.

READ