A note on Title IX from Chancellor Mike Powers
March 16, 2016
UAF chancellor
In early March, I was able to visit our Northwest Campus in Nome along with Mae Marsh, our diversity and equal opportunity director and Title IX coordinator, and Kevin Calderara, our Title IX investigator and compliance coordinator. We had the good fortune to meet with community partners and advisory council members from the Nome and the Bering Strait region. I greatly appreciated engaging with local leaders tackling community wellness and social justice issues, which are at the core of the intent of Title IX.
During my visit, Panganga Pungowiyi, director of the Kawerak Wellness Program, and Lisa Ellanna, director of the Katirvik Cultural Center, spoke about Green Dot awareness and training efforts taking place in Nome. Bridie Trainor, director of the Nome Emergency Shelter Team, and Kaylee Schaafsma of the Bering Sea Women’s Group discussed their work to change the acceptance of sexual violence in the region. I learned the community of Nome has a volunteer effort called the Community Alcohol Safety Team that provides late night safety checks when many visitors are in town, such as PFD time and the Iditarod finish.
We also showed the Emmy-nominated film “The Hunting Ground” and hosted an hour-long discussion of the film and overall campus safety. We explored ideas on how UAF can better support the Northwest Campus and community of Nome relative to student and community safety. It is very encouraging to discover such strong collaborations in our community campuses. I want to thank Northwest Campus Title IX coordinator and Green Dot trainer Kacey Miller and UAF Cooperative Extension Service faculty member Kari van Delden for a great visit and their continued efforts to make our campus in Nome a safe and welcoming place.