Justice alumni update - Gerdts and Kaufman

Simona Gerdts

Simona Gerdts, B.A. Justice '14, with a minor in Legal Studies, has been accepted to the M.S.W. program at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work - her area of concentration will be Community Organization Planning & Administration (COPA). Since graduating, Simona has been working in the legal field as a paralegal while living in North Dakota.

Ezekiel Kaufman

Ezekiel Kaufman, B.A. Justice '12, has been accepted for fall 2015 to the Ph.D. in Criminology program at Pennsylvania State University.  Following graduation, Zeke worked as an research analyst for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Senior and Disabilities Services.

Dr. Payne interviewed by Alaska Dispatch about new proposal for police presence in downtown bars area

Dr. Troy Payne, Justice faculty, was interviewed for a recent article in the Alaska Dispatch News about a proposal by bar owners downtown to pay for additional Anchorage Police Department (APD) officers to patrol during weekend bar-break hours.  The proposal has not been
finalized, but would involve an agreement between APD and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership.

 Dr. Payne noted that, "using the police department as a middleman would better avoid potential ethical problems associated with bar owners directly employing off-duty police officers as security guards, as is allowed in some jurisdictions elsewhere." 

Read the article:
"Bar, restaurant owners propose to pay for more cops in downtown Anchorage" by Devin Kelly. Alaska Dispatch News, 23 July 2015

Prof. Knudsen talks to students in Della Keats program about impact of the law on health care in Alaska

Prof. Knudsen stresses a point during her presentation.

Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was invited to speak to high school students in the Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program at UAA on July 14. She discussed "Law Is Not Just For Lawyers," which focused on the historical impact of U.S. legislation on the establishment, development, and regulation of hospitals and the practice of medicine in Alaska.

 Della Puyuk Keats
Inupiaq traditional healer
(1907 - 1986)

This UAA campus residential summer program, established over 30 years ago, is named after Della Keats, an Inupiaq traditional healer, and seeks to foster, affirm, and encourage the interest of talented high school and pre-college students from under-represented backgrounds in the medical, nursing and allied health professions.

Acccording to Dr. Ian van Tets, Program Director, between 2002 and 2014, over 250 high school and pre-college students, including close to 100 Alaska Native students, have attended the program which includes complete college preparation and relevant laboratory classes, job-shadowing preceptorships, and a health-related tour and speaker program.   To date, every single student has gone on to attend college and many have gone on to enter the medical, the medical research and the nursing professions.

This year’s program includes students from all over Alaska - Anchorage, Bethel, Kasigluk, Tok, Tuluksak, Unalaska and Unalakleet – and all over the world – students who immigrated with their families from Israel, Korea, Thailand and Sudan.  The program is open to students who have just completed either their junior or their senior year of High School with a 3.0 or better GPA.  To be considered for the program they must also be able to demonstrate that they have a genuine interest in a health-related career and that they are from an underserved or underrepresented background.

There is no cost to participants.  The program is run by the Alaska WWAMI School of Medical Education (Alaska’s Medical School) in collaboration with the UAA School of Nursing and the Department of Health Sciences. 

Prof. Brandeis interviewed by KTVA about U.S. Supreme Court opinion on same-sex marriage

L to r: KTVA news anchor Joe Vigil and Prof. Brandeis.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was interviewed by KTVA Channel 11 News on June 26 outside the Anchorage Federal Courthouse following the announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court opinion recognizing same-sex marriage.

Prof. Brandeis summarized the Supreme Court’s opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges and discussed the impact of the decision on Alaska’s same-sex marriage laws. His areas of focus are civil liberties, constitutional law, legal education, and marijuana law and policy.

A Look Back at the 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair at UAA

Here is a look back at the 7th Annual Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair held in April 2015 at the UAA Student Union.  Federal, state, and local law enforcement representatives were available to talk to students and the public about careers in law enforcement.

Alaska State Troopers - l t r: Trooper Amy Nelson and Recruitment Assistant Laura Spire.

U.S. Dept.of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration:
Angela Coleman, Program Manager,
Equal Employment Opportunity Staff

Anchorage Police Dept. - l  to r: Sgt. Kristie Kunder & Officer Karen Och

FBI - l to r: Special Agent Susan Cusack and Michele Lakey,
Applicant Coordinator/Recruiter, Anchorage office

U.S. Air Force Reserve: MSgt. Michelle Shutler, Line Recruiter

Palmer Police Dept. - l to r: Officer Simon Ford; Jo McManus, Dispatcher;
Tessa Muilenburg, Dispatcher; Officer Kristi Muilenburg

Women Police of Alaska (WPA): Trooper Investigator Andrea
Jacobson, WPA board member and incoming president
Not pictured: Anchorage Police Dept. Detective Michele Logan,
WPA outgoing president

The event was sponsored by:

Women Police of Alaska 

with the support of 

Alaska State Troopers

UAA Career Services Center

Alaska Association of Chiefs of Police 

UAA Justice Center

For information on upcoming recruitment events, contact Danica Bryant, UAA Career Services Center.

Prof. Brandeis publishes article in Alaska Bar Association publication - The Bar Rag

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, recently wrote a commentary on being interviewed by Josh Kramer of The Atlantic magazine about Irwin Ravin and the history of marijuana in Alaska.  Kramer's article was done in cartoon panel style and featured several panels of Prof. Brandeis.

Prof. Brandeis' commentary, "Pot law history: A graphic view of Alaska and marijuana," was published in the April - June 2015 issue of the Alaska Bar Rag, the official publication of the Alaska Bar Association.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Copies of the article are available from the Alaska Bar Association.

Dr. Myrstol interviewed by Juneau Empire for article on the decline in drunk driving

Dr. Brad Myrstol, Director of the Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC), was interviewed by James Brooks of the Juneau Empire for an article about the decline in drunk driving in Alaska and nationwide.

Dr. Myrstol noted that the drop in drunk driving is part of the "broader crime rate decline" in Alaska.

Read the full article:
"Alaska is beating drunk driving: And here's how" by James Brooks.  Juneau Empire, 3 Jul 2015.

Faculty promotions in Justice Center

The Justice Center congratulates our faculty on receiving the following promotions effective July 1, 2015:


Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator in the Justice Center, was recently promoted to Professor of Justice.  Professor Periman is also the Legal Studies Program Coordinator.  Her areas of focus are legal writing, regulation of nonlawyer professionals and unauthorized practice of law, and collateral consequences of criminal convictions/offender reentry.

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, recently received promotion  to Associate Professor of Justice with tenure. His areas of focus are civil liberties, constitutional law, legal education, and marijuana law and policy.