Working on something bigger

I've been working on a larger post concerning all of the interesting challenges that the Sun Star has been navigating through. I don't think it's fair to have a blog that focuses on UAF student politics that doesn't address it since it's been OH such a big deal (no sarcasm implied). I will, maybe, come out with it after the election next week (Nov. 29-30). Maybe.

Special Political Issue

The Sun Star, the college weekly I maintain this blog for, will be publishing an issue dedicated to the ASUAF elections this Nov. 29 and 30. It will have - or so we intend - bio's and photos of everyone running in the election, as well as a break down of any ballot initiatives or questions.

Look for this issue to be out Nov. 29!

Internal Affairs committee gets new meeting time

Minor news flash, but for any readers interested in going to the meetings of the Internal Affairs committee, they have a new meeting time.

Friday. 2:30 p.m.

Be there. Or, you know, don't.

Change of plans for the MPC

It turns out I will NOT be on the Master Planning Committee this Fall.

I spoke to Lydia Anderson (an MPC member) over email and she said that while herself - and the board - appreciated my willingness to serve, they were looking for someone who could do the job for the full term. All I will say is it's already November.

Mari Freitag, ASUAF president, has sent out a second email looking for a student to fill the vacancy. Which means, if you or someone you know, is a UAF student who'd be interested in serving on the committee, email Mari at president@asuaf.org.

Will Mari or Lydia find someone soon? In all honesty, I don't think either of them will. Especially not before the end of the fall semester. The last student representative was Nikki Carvajal and she was president herself at the time.

But, I hope they do find someone. It's a student position on an official UAF committee that oversees (primarily) the practical application of aesthetic ideals on campus. So, they make UAF look pretty. At the very least, my fellow students, it'll look good on a resume and you'll get management experience to boot.

In recap, the student position on the MPC is open but will most likely stay open. I invite all comers to prove me wrong.

UAF's H20 permits a-okay

I did a little proactive snooping around the Dept. of Environmental Conservation's website and discovered that, yes, all of UAF's water permits are in order.

If you care to check them out, here are links to their documentation:

• UAF Life Sciences Research and Teaching Facility_2
• UAF Life Sciences Research and Teaching Facility_4
• Arctic Health West Parking Lot Improvements

For you intrepid data-miners out there, here is the link to the DEC's public database. If I could, I would like this on Facebook SO HARD.

What is the difference between those two Life Science permits? Well, "2" expired June 2011 and was addressed to Cameron Wohlford while "4" is valid until January 2016 and is addressed to Scott Bell. Other then that, your guess, dear reader, is as good as mine. 

The Master Planning Committee is a committee of master plans

Well, it looks as if yours truly has been appointed as the student representative to the Master Planning Committee (MPC), pending both the senate and chancellor give to "okay."

For those unfamiliar with UAF's bureaucracy, the MPC acts as an an advisory committee to the universities chancellor, Mr. Brian Rogers. "Its charge is to assist in the implementation and continual update of the current UAF Campus Master Plan," according to the MPC's webpage.

However, I am sure many of you read the above quote and went, "Say, what, now?"

The Campus Master Plan, to put it in plain English, is the master plan for UAF. What this means in plainer, if less tautological English, is that the master plan is UAF's very long "honey do" list.

Just a few of these "to-do's" include:

• integrating "teaching and research through building location and use"
• ensuring the "campus environment enhances both the academic and student life experience"
• improve access to and circulation within the campus (I'm assuming, of course, this refers to blood - LOLJK)
• preserving and highlighting the "unique natural and cultural aspects of UAF's northern location"
• enhancing "space quality and maximize effective utilization"
• employing the "best practices in sustainability for northern environment"

Yes, I am sure some of you (again) went "Say, what, now?"

That section above only includes UAF's "short-term" goals, items they hope to accomplish in the near-future. Sadly, none of these goals had a timeline attached to them, which means "short-term" is, or so I am assuming, between 5-50 years. I say that because if UAF was the Corleone family and the master plan was a hit-list, it would take years (and many more movies) to make sure all of UAF's Guido's and Gino's were sleeping with the fishes. There is probably no timeline because the shear number of "things we need to fix" is so daunting. I know as a voting member of the MPC, I'd like to find out how UAF is doing on their  hit list to-do list. This is not to cause trouble, but to simply figure out how UAF is doing it's self-created itemized list of action items. [That last sentence should have filled my buzzword quota for November.]

I promise that if all goes swimmingly and I am indeed appointed, I'll be sure to give my readers updates into the mind and workings of the MPC. I know I'm pretty jazzed to get started.