The Northern Light

UPD hires two officers to fill vacancies

The University Police Department has recently hired two officers to work on campus with the other 14 officers at UPD. Michael Breckner, previously a deputy sheriff in Mississippi, was hired in late July. He attended East High School and Tanana Valley Community College. Breckner has UPD police training and experience with criminal investigation, radar and CPR. The other hired officer, Rick Shell, retired from the Anchorage Police Department before being hired in late August to UPD. Shell graduated from Service High School and brings more than 20 years of police experience to his position at UPD.

UAA professor offers clarinet lessons this fall

UAA professor of music Mark Wolbers will be offering one-hour classes for sixth-grade students to learn the basics of playing the clarinet. Wolbers holds a doctorate in clarinet performance from the University of Michigan and has worked fifteen years at UAA. The goal of the course is to support progress in music programs and future private lessons. The cost of tuition for the fall semester of classes, which includes instructional materials, is $25. The class will meet on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. in the UAA Fine Arts Building beginning Oct. 6. The fall course spans over eight weeks, while another 10-week course is scheduled to start in January. Enrollment is limited, so pre-registration is encouraged.

To find out more or obtain a registration application, please contact Dr. Wolbers at 786-1508 or afmew@uaa.alaska.edu.

Vending-machine culprit caught fleeing on bike

On Saturday, Sept. 9, UPD was able to locate and arrest a man wanted for several thefts including the vending machines on campus. The culprits were stealing money from inside the machines, leaving the vending company with the cost of repairing the damaged machines and the loss of profit. Patrick Bissey, 38, was wanted on a $25,000 arrest warrant for theft throughout Anchorage. Officer Morgan and Student Safety Patrol Officer Myatt saw Bissey and his accomplice at the Lucy Cuddy Hall around 7:53 p.m. and ordered them to stop. Both men fled on their bicycles; the one Bissey rode had been reported stolen by a student from a bike rack near the Consortium Library. An APD officer was able to locate the suspects near Lake Otis Parkway and take them into custody. Bissey is likely to be charged for other thefts as well.

Faculty member nominated for president of APHA

UAA's Brian Saylor is one of two candidates nominated for president of the American Public Health Association, considered the most prestigious association of public health professionals in the U.S. APHA represents 50,000 members from more than 50 occupations of public health. APHA has influenced policies and set standards in public health for 125 years. Saylor, an APHA member since the mid-1970s, is director of UAA's Institute of Circumpolar Health Studies and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in support of public health programs. Throughout his career, Saylor has emphasized rural health issues and representing the needs of rural health care providers and consumers. The election will take place at the APHA annual meeting in November.

Article Tools