Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center researcher interviewed by Alaska Dispatch about violent crime arrests

Khristy Parker, Alaska Justice Statistical Analysis Center (AJSAC) researcher, was recently interviewed by Laurel Andrews of the Alaska Dispatch about the AJSAC Fact Sheet, "Arrests for Violent Crimes in Alaska, 1980-2012." 

The data show that arrest rates for homicide and forcible rape declined over the time period, while arrests for robbery, and to a lesser degree, aggravated assault increased.  Data on race and sex of individuals arrested are also given.  The fact sheet notes that "[b]ecause Alaska has a small population, small changes in the number of reported arrests can lead to substantial fluctuations in arrest rates."

"Report looks at Alaska's violent crime trends from 1980 to 2012" by Laurel Andrews. Alaska Dispatch, April 28, 2014. (http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140428/report-looks-alaskas-violent-crime-trends-1980-2012)

The AJSAC is housed in the Justice Center. Click here for more information on AJSAC publications. To subscribe to the Fact Sheet, email editor@uaa.alaska.edu and put "Fact Sheet" in the subject line.

  

Justice major returns from internship in Alaska Legislature

Ruddy Abram on the steps of the State Capitol Building.

Ruddy Abam, a Justice major and a junior at UAA, is back from Juneau and her internship as a legislative aide to Representative David Guttenberg (D) of Fairbanks during the 2014 Alaska legislative session.  It was a great experience, but now she is happy to be back on campus and excited about  jumping in and finishing her degree!

Ruddy came to Alaska from the African nation of Cameroon and chose to study the judicial system of the United States.  She was delighted to be selected for the internship in Juneau and was able to observe first-hand how state government works. Ruddy hopes to return to the capital someday to work for the legislature.

Congrats from the Justice Center to our 2014 Justice and Legal Studies grads - best wishes for the future!

Some of our 2014 Justice and Legal Studies grads!
Photo by Anne Livingston

(more photos below)

 Congratulations to our 2014 Justice and Legal Studies graduates!

BACCALAUREATE DEGREES
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Justice
Katrina L. Albert
Katherine O. Barnes
Elynnie E. Batin
Jacob A. Carbaugh
Vanessa Chung
Jesus J. Contreras
Kristen A. Crain Robinson
John C. Croughen
Kimberly K. Del Frate**
John D. DeLesline
Christopher R. Dominey
Morgan L. DuFord
Clifford L. Dunlap
Madison D. Fitzgerald
Stevie L. Foster
Simona K. Gerdts**
Eva C. Gomez
Erik W. Gorman
Helen E. Haverty*
Azaria K. Kantor
Joshua N. Kopp*
Jenna L. Krohn
Anne S. Livingston
Kahlia M. McDermott-Johnston
Cary L. Miller
Lauren K. Nelson
McCade O. Olsen
Amanda K. Payan
Ariel A. Poston
Donte J. Powell
Matthew P. Presser*
Luljeta Rahmani
Joshua L. Resseguie
Nessabeth C. Rooks*
Tiffany J. Saporito*
Tanna R. Severson
Margaret E. Spears*
Stacy L. Tanner*
Chloe D. Thaman
David A. Vandenberg
Nahanni D. Wills
Hannah M. Woolbert

Legal Studies
April M. Gehring
Nicole M. Weber*
Kayla D. Wilke

POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE
Paralegal Studies
Kathryn E. Braden
Rebecca H. Hartley
Joshua A. Spring

UNIVERSITY HONORS SCHOLARS
BACHELOR OF ARTS
Justice
Kimberly K. Del Frate**

* Cum Laude, ** Magna Cum Laude

 

Faculty of the Justice Center. L to r - front row: Prof. Deb Periman, J.D; Dr. Marny Rivera; Dr. Sharon Chamard;
Prof. Kristin Knudsen, J.D.; Dr. Allan Barnes. L to r back row: Dr. André Rosay, Director; Dr. Brad Myrstol;
Dr. John Angell, Professor Emeritus; Dr. Ron Everett, Dr. Ryan Fortson, J.D. Not pictured: Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.;
Dr. Cory Lepage; and Dr. Troy Payne.

L to r: Dr. Allan Barnes, faculty advisor, Justice Alumni Chapter, with 
Beth Mader, Justice BA '94; President, Justice Alumni Chapter;
and gonfalon bearer for the College of Health. The Justice Center is within
the College of Health.

Gonfalons for commencement. A gonafalon is a banner with the name of
a university college.  Each college has its own banner which is carried by a
gonfalon bearer walking in front of the degree candidates from the various colleges
as they march into commencement.

UAA and Willamette University College of Law sign 3+3 agreement for early entrance to law school

UAA and Willamette University College of Law have signed a memorandum of understanding for a "3+3" program for UAA students. “3+3” refers to 3 years of undergraduate credits plus 3 years of law school.

Under this agreement, UAA students from any major who have completed their required disciplinary credits, all of their GER credits, and a total of 90 credits overall, may apply for admission to Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon.

If they are accepted to the law school, students may matriculate from UAA before completing the reminder of their undergraduate degree.  After participating students complete their first year of law school, UAA will accept up to 30 law school credits as transfer credits toward the total 120 credits necessary for the UAA baccalaureate degree. Thus, students will graduate from UAA after their first year of law school at Willamette.

The program is modeled on a similar partnership between Willamette College of Law and Oregon State University. Click here for details on the OSU program. (Go to the UAA Justice Center web page for program information.  The page is still under development.) Such programs allow students to complete their education more quickly, significantly reducing costs and student loan debt and providing students with an extra year of earning power. These types of agreements are becoming increasingly common among academic institutions.

Curtis Bridgeman, Dean of Willamette University College of Law, visited UAA earlier this year to discuss the proposal with UAA Chancellor Tom Case, Provost "Bear" Baker, and Mary Hughes, UA Board of Regents. Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator at the UAA Justice Center, worked with Willamette to develop the 3+3 program and will be UAA’s point of contact for program advising. 

Justice major Nathaniel Bennett receives Justice Center scholarship

Nathaniel Bennett, Justice major, was recently awarded the UAA Justice Center Alumni Gifts Scholarship.  Nathaniel is a sophomore.

Prof. Fortson presents landlord/tenant overview to Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Justice faculty, was invited to present an overview of landlord/tenant law in Alaska to the attorneys and staff of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA).  He presented "All You Need to Know about Landlord/Tenant Law: Or at least a very good start" on April 25 in Anchorage.

Legal Studies faculty named influential persons by UAA first-year students

L to r: Prof. Brandeis, Prof. Periman,
and Prof. Fortson

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D.; Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D.; and Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D., Ph.D., Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, have been named influential persons by first-year students at UAA.

The Division of Student Access, Advising & Transition (SAAT) within the Office of Student Affairs asked first year students who took the MAP-Works surveys during the 2013-2014 academic year to name "a faculty member who has assisted them the most in their academic success at UAA." Students named over 150 faculty members, including our Legal Studies faculty, as influential persons.
 
The SAAT and MAP-Works hosted their first annual faculty appreciation reception on April 25 for individuals named by students.

MAP(Making Achievement Possible)-Works is a student success and retention tool linking students with the individualized resources they need, when they need them. By taking just two surveys per semester, MAP-Works @ UAA can assist first and second year students in getting connected to useful resources on campus. 

Prof. Periman selected for 2014 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Community Engagement and Service

 
Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator in the Justice Center, has been selected for the 2014 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Community Engagement and Service.  The award will be presented at the 2014 UAA Faculty/Staff Convocation in the fall.

Prof. Periman

This award recognizes "outstanding contributions to the advancement of partnerships between the university and Alaska's communities."  Prof. Periman has long been involved in establishing partnerships with the legal community and the justice system in Alaska. 

Her work includes chairing the Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education drafting sub-committee for the online Alaska Youth Law Guide; serving on the planning committee for and presenting at Color of Justice programs sponsored by the Alaska Court System, Alaska Bar Association, Pacific Northwest law schools, and the National Association of Women Judges to foster diversity in the judiciary and legal community; developing a partnership with Willamette University College of Law; serving as a community resource for pre-law planning and questions about law school admissions; serving on the Alaska Bar Association Historian's Committee; volunteering for law-related education events such as the We the People competition, Mock Trial, and the 2011 Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Conference Legal Clinic, and coordinating student service learning programs such as Wills Clinics at the Anchorage Senior Center and student volunteer assistance at the AFN legal clinic; and working with the Collateral Consequences Work Group on issues related to offender reentry.

There are two recipients for this annual award.  Also selected for 2014 is Prof. Arlene Schmuland, Head, Archives and Special Collections, UAA/APU Consortium Library.

Justice majors nominated for Victims for Justice award for UAA Says NO MORE campaign

Simona Gerdts and Kristen Speyerer, Justice majors/Legal Studies minors, have been nominated for a Victims for Justice award for their work initiating and coordinating the "UAA Says NO MORE"  campaign against domestic violence and sexual assault.

They were nominated for the Media Award category recognizing a person or organization contributing to awareness and understanding of victims in the media.  Winners in all 6 categories of awards - Role Model, Advocacy, James Gay Professionalism in the Line of Duty, Substantial Service to Victims, Phoenix Award, and Media Award - will be announced at the Victims for Justice annual awards banquet on Saturday, May 3 at the Dena'ina Center.

L to r: Kristen Speyerer and Simona Gerdts

The "UAA Says NO MORE" campaign is part of Simona and Kristen's degree capstone project with the UAA Center for Community Engagement and Learning (CCEL).  As part of the project, they worked to co-brand the "UAA Says NO MORE" campaign, which began the week of March 17 as a precursor to National Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, with the "NO MORE" national campaign to increase greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault. 

(Note: Don Megga of KFAT 92.9 won the award in the media category.)

Justice faculty serve as evaluators for the 2014 Student Showcase

Dr. Allan Barnes, Dr. Ron Everett, Dr. Troy Payne, and Dr. Cory R. Lepage, Justice faculty, served as evaluators for the 30th Annual UAA 2014 Student Showcase Conference.

The UAA Student Showcase Conference highlights the extraordinary work of students throughout the UAA system.  Any best works created in Spring 2013 semester, Summer 2013 semester, Fall 2013 semester can be submitted.

Each year Student Showcase creates an opportunity for dialogue among university and community members. Students submit their best work; an anonymous review is done by a faculty member of the submission discipline; highest marks are presented at the Conference; and distinguished community members are invited to the Conference to evaluate, critique, and comment on students' works. Click here for list of Showcase winners.