Justice Center closed Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day

Snow-capped mountains above Fort Richardson National Cemetery, Alaska

The UAA campus and the Justice Center will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day.

The Justice Center will re-open on Tuesday, May 31, at 8:00 a.m.

More law school opportunities for UAA students

In addition to the option of accelerated admission to one of UAA's law school partners - University of Washington School of Law and Willamette University College of Law - qualified UAA students have the opportunity to attend an Alaska Summer Trial Institute to be held on the UAA campus from May 28-June 10, 2016.

The program is offered by University of Wyoming College of Law. For more information contact Christine Reed christine.reed@uwyo.edu.

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice Center Legal Studies Program Coordinator, is the contact for questions about the accelerated admission option programs. dkperiman@uaa.alaska.edu or (907) 786-1125.

Two May 2016 Justice grads awarded UAA Leadership Honors

L to r: Camilla Hussein-Scott and
Michael McGuffin with crimson
honor cords.

Two May 2016 Justice Center grads were awarded UAA Leadership Honors at commencement: Michael McGuffin, B.A. Justice/Legal Studies Minor '16; and Camilla Hussein-Scott, B.A. Justice Cum Laude/Legal Studies Minor '16.

UAA Leadership Honors are awarded to individuals upon graduation to recognize and honor their leadership contributions to the University of Alaska Anchorage and Anchorage community while maintaining academic excellence. L​eadership activities and involvement must promote individual and collective growth, demonstrate increased engagement with the community at UAA and beyond, and showcase commitment to citizenship. ​ Students are selected by the Leadership Honors Advisory Committee appointed by the Dean of Students.

Recipients of UAA Leadership Honors are commemorated at the spring Commencement ceremony, bestowed crimson honor cords, and receive a permanent notation in their academic transcript. In addition to acknowledgement at commencement, the 2015-1016 Leadership Honors recipients were recognized at a reception on April 28.

Justice Center faculty and staff support YWCA Alaska's Stand Against Racism Facebook campaign

Justice Center faculty and staff participated in this year's YMCA Alaska's Stand Against Racism Facebook campaign which ran April 22 to May 1.

The Anchorage Ombudsman’s Office. Equal Rights Commission, Office of Equal Opportunity, NAACP Anchorage, Welcoming Anchorage, & Identity partnered to support the YWCA Alaska’s  campaign which had as its theme, “On a Mission for Girls of Color." Individuals and organizations were encouraged to take a photo with a sign of their favorite racial fairness or social justice quote by a girl or woman of color.

The Justice Center chose a quote from Shirley Chisholm, "Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth."

SB 165 on alcohol law reforms passed by Alaska Legislature - Dr. Rivera participated in reviewing statutes and proposing changes

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Center faculty, was a member of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (now the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office) work groups that reviewed Title IV statutes on alcohol, and proposed some of the changes in SB 165 passed by the Alaska Legislature in April.

The reforms include a change in penalties for minors in possession of alcohol offenses making them violations instead of misdemeanors. Additional changes to Title IV will be proposed to the legislature for their consideration next session.

Webinar on May 18 features Dr. Rosay discussing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, is the featured presenter for the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) webinar scheduled on May 18 at 11:00 a.m. Alaska time.

The title of the webinar is "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner And Sexual Violence Survey."  Dr. Rosay will be discussing his research as a Visiting Executive Research Fellow at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

The webinar will examine the prevalence of violence experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native women and men, using a large nationally representative sample. It will provide estimates of sexual violence, physical violence by intimate partners, stalking, and psychological aggression by intimate partners. It will also provide estimates of interracial and intraracial victimizations and will briefly examine the impact of violence. This webinar will focus on survey results, which are expected to raise awareness and understanding about violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men.

Violence Against American Indian And Alaska Native Women And Men: 2010 Findings From The National Intimate Partner And Sexual Violence Survey

Click here to register for the webinar.

Dr. Rosay delivered presentations at Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Law School on April 26 about violence against American Indians and Alaska Natives

On April 26 at Harvard University, Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, joined Christine Crossland (National Institute of Justice) and Ada Pecos Melton (American Indian Development Associates) at two events about policy and research addressing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men. The first event was at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the second was at Harvard Law School.

Pictured here from far right to left are presenters Christine Crossland, NIJ;
Ada Pecos Melton, AIDA; and Dr. André Rosay, UAA Justice Center;
with several of the hosts from Harvard after the events.

 The topic at each event was "A discussion of research priorities, implementation, and findings on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men."

The events were sponsored by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Native American Student Organization, the Harvard Medical School Native American Health Organization, and the Harvard Law School Native American Law Students Association, with support from the Harvard University Native American Program, the Harvard Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, and multiple units at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health (the Office for Student Affairs; the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences; the Women of Color Collective; and the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Women, Gender, and Health).

Prof. Brandeis presents at Alaska Bar program on legal challenges surrounding Alaska marijuana industry

Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, was a presenter and panelist at the April 20 Alaska Bar Association continuing legal education program, "Navigating the Legal Challenges Surrounding the Alaska Marijuana Industry."

He presented on the following topics:

• Introduction to the Marijuana Industry and Alaska's Regulation of the Industry;
• Understanding the Interplay Between Federal, State, and Local Laws Governing the Marijuana Industry; and
• Navigating the Challenges That Arise When Representing Clients Engaged in the Marijuna Industry.

This program addressed Alaska marijuana regulations and the legal nuances and local governance issues involving the Alaska marijuana industry, as well as ethical considerations facing lawyers when counseling clients who are regulating or engaging in the marijuana industry.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on the American legal system, constitutional law, and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal topics.  Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he advises clients on marijuana law and policy questions.  This law practice preceded this CLE program, and included providing legal services to the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Dr. Rosay authors National Institute of Justice report on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native men and women

Dr. Andre´ Rosay, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Visiting Executive Research Fellow, is the author of a report recently published by NIJ,  "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey."

The report finds that violence against American Indians and Alaska Natives is more common than violence against others - far more common than previous research indicated, and that more than 4 out of 5 American Indian and Alaska Native adults have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime. Estimates of sexual violence, physical violence by intimate partners, stalking, and psychological aggression by intimate partners are also found in the report.

Read the full report here.

Read the message the NIJ Director's Corner about this report.

Register for a National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) webinar with Dr. Rosay on May 18, 2016 at 11:00 a.m ADT: "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey."

Prof. Periman stepping down as chair of the UAA Community Engagement Council

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator, is stepping down as chair of the UAA Community Engagement Council. She has served in this capacity since the council's inception in 2014. The university-wide council has members serving from each of UAA's colleges and community campuses, and works in conjunction with the Center for Community Engagement & Learning (CCEL).

Dr. Judith Owens-Manley, CCEL Director, has praised Prof. Periman for the "very strong leadership she provided to the council as we sought to establish a vision and working agenda for community engagement."

The UAA Community Engagement Council was formed from the Carnegie Application Task Force when the application was successfully completed in 2014.  UAA was selected for the Community Engagement Classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is one of 240 campuses to receive this designation in 2015.  There are a total of 361 colleges and institutions nationwide with this classification.

The UAA Center for Community Engagement and Learning will hold its annual forum on Friday, April 22, from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. in the UAA/APU Consortium Library, LIB 307.  The event includes awards presentations and a poster session reception.

Webinar on May 18 features Dr. Rosay discussing violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men

Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, is the featured presenter for the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC) webinar scheduled on May 18 at 11:00 a.m. Alaska time.

The title of the webinar is "Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner And Sexual Violence Survey."  Dr. Rosay will be discussing his research as a Visiting Executive Research Fellow at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

The webinar will examine the prevalence of violence experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native women and men, using a large nationally representative sample. It will provide estimates of sexual violence, physical violence by intimate partners, stalking, and psychological aggression by intimate partners. It will also provide estimates of interracial and intraracial victimizations and will briefly examine the impact of violence. This webinar will focus on survey results, which are expected to raise awareness and understanding about violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and men.

Violence Against American Indian And Alaska Native Women And Men: 2010 Findings From The National Intimate Partner And Sexual Violence Survey

Click here to register for the webinar.

  

Congrats from the Justice Center to our May 2016 Justice and Legal Studies grads - best wishes for the future!

Congrats from the Justice Center to our May 2016 Justice and Legal Studies grads!

Thirty-seven graduates from the Justice Center celebrated their commencement on May 1, 2016.

The Justice Center faculty and staff congratulate all of our graduates and wish them every success going forward!

Justice Center celebrates professional administrative staff

L to r: Melissa Green, Publication Specialist;
Tuyet Tran, Academic Program Specialist;
and Amy Perkins, Fiscal Technician.
Not pictured: Charlotte Titus, Office Manager.

On April 27, the Justice Center celebrated the professional administrative staff and their contribution to our academic and research programs. These individuals are important members of the Justice Center team of faculty and staff.