Published Oct 27, 2023 by Claire Stremple

This week, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education and the University of Alaska is hosting their first “FAFSA Summit,” a two-day conference aimed at raising the number of students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Nationally, Alaska has the lowest rate of high schoolers who apply for the federal aid program, which offers grants and scholarships for college and career training. Only 28% of Alaska’s high school seniors do the paperwork.

Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education Executive Director Sana Efird said the lack of participation in the program signals trouble for Alaska’s workforce.

“We have historically been on the bottom of FAFSA completion,” she said. “And that means that Alaskans lose access to very critical funding sources to support post-secondary education and workforce needs.”

Published Oct 27, 2023 by Gavin Struve

After falling behind through one set, the University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team took down Montana State University Billings on the road to reach .500 for the first time this season.

The four-set win over the Yellow Jackets brought the Nanooks to 13-13 overall and 6-6 in GNAC play. The ‘Nooks’ fourth-straight win in conference play marks the first time since the season began that they don’t hold a losing record.

In the first set, UAF jumped out to an 8-2 lead with over half of its kills to that point coming from Karli Nielson and Lily Stewart. The Yellow Jackets then caught some momentum within seven unanswered points, featuring a couple of aces from Avarey Stuff and attack errors from the Nanooks, to tie the game at 11 points apiece.