The Guam Football Association’s National Training Center field.

Venue Slay player watching the ball.

Members of the University of Guam’s Women’s soccer team entering the field to play against Venue Slay.

Venue Slay player taking a breather.

Members of the UOG Triton team before the game.

Members of the Venue Slay team before the game.

UOG players huddling up before the game.

The game’s referees conversing.

The game’s referees giving some of the players high-fives before the game.

UOG player warming up before the start of the game.

Member of the Triton team keeping the ball away from a Venue Slay player.

Venue Slay member taking control of the ball.

UOG player attempting to kick the ball.

UOG player’s kick blocked.

Shot of the crowd watching the game.

Member of the Triton team walking towards the ball.

Players fighting over the ball.

Shot of the crowd in the rain.

Players wet with rain.

The UOG team ended up winning their game against the Venue Slay with a score of 2-0.

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The University of Guam (UOG) women’s soccer team won against Venue Slay at the Guam Football Association (GFA) National Training Center on Nov. 25, 2018 as part of GFA’s Bud Light Amateur Women’s League. The game’s score was 2-0. 

The game was called a “Battle of Champions,” as the Slay were the amateur league champions in Spring 2018 and the Tritons were the amateur league champions for both Spring and Fall 2017. 

As of now, the Lady Tritons are now 5-0-0 on the season and have taken a two-game leader in the amateur women’s league. This game ends the Fall schedule for UOG. The amateur league is scheduled to resume on Jan. 20, 2019, in which the Tritons will play against the Lady Bombers. 

“I think they played very well,” said Doug Palmer, the UOG Triton Athletics Director. “We have a pretty speedy team, which is how they scored so many goals. [Venue Slay] has given us good competition in the past and they’ve beaten us, but I think they played very well and that we were lucky to come out of that match with 2-0.” 

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“A lot of the times we see the candidates on TV and we don’t really get a chance to talk to them,” said Lina Leon Guerrero, the vice president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “The whole idea was to bring all candidates in a manner in which members could meet with them up close and personal.”

As far as the event went, Leon Guerrero thought it was a success.

“[The event] gave the candidates and our members the chance to talk about issues that are important to them and see what their thinking is like,” Leon Guerrero said. “[Because] that’s really what ends up driving us to vote for a candidate: what’s important to them and what their processes are.”

On Oct. 4, the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce hosted their Conversations with the Candidate event.

The event was done in conjunction with the Guam Chamber of Commerce and was meant to act as a forum for political candidates to interact with their constituents.

The event started with a segment called “At the Table,” which enabled attendees to converse with the different candidates about the issues they were curious about.

Kelly Marsh Taitano talks to some of the attendees at her table. “At the Table” allowed the attendees to converse with all, if not most of the candidates who came.

“At the Table” was divided into rounds that lasted a few minutes. Once the time was up, candidates had to get up and sit at a different table. Pictured here is Jermaine Alerta talking to some attendees while he was transitioning from one table to the next.

Eating and drinking with the candidates allowed guests to get to know the candidates’ mindsets about certain topics.

Senatorial candidate Lasia Casil (D) listens to an attendee’s question during the At the Table segment.

Attorney General candidate Douglas Moylan talks to an attendee.

Senatorial candidate Regine Biscoe Lee (D) discusses with some of the attendees at her table.

Senatorial candidate (D) Regine Biscoe Lee smirks at a joke that was made during the At the Table segment.

The forum was moderated by Lina Leon Guerrero, the vice president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Simon Sanchez also helped moderate portions of the event.

Lou Leon Guerrero answers a question.

The second segment of the event was a question and answer panel centering around Doris Flores Brooks (Rep) who is running for Guam’s non-voting delegate seat in Congress.

Senatorial candidate Stephen J. Guerrero (Rep) watches the Doris Flores Brooks panel.

The last segment of the event was the gubernatorial panel. The candidates from both parties were given questions from the audience to answer.

Lina Leon Guerrero asking Ray Tenorio and his running mate Tom Ada a question.

Ray Tenorio addresses the crowd.

Ray Tenorio addresses the crowd.

Tony Ada answers a question.

Lou Leon Guerrero and her running mate Josh Tenorio listen to a question.

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Although Krise has no political or personal connection to Guam, he is no stranger to island issues.

Krise went to high school in the U.S. Virgin Islands, studied Caribbean culture and history, and even taught in Jamaica.

Krise commended UOG for not only serving Guam, but all of Micronesia.

“It’s unlike a university anywhere in the United States. You have all these people from different religions, ethnic groups, and histories. It’s really quite remarkable.”

His three-pillar plan for the University’s future involve focusing on people, island, and leadership.

Krise said that he will continue to develop programs that focus on Guam and Micronesia such as the Micronesia Area Resource Center and Chamorro studies.

His second pillar would target the island itself, which would involve tackling local environmental issues with the Center for Island Sustainability and the Water and Environmental Research Institute.

As for leadership, Krise wants to further cultivate leadership programs within the UOG School of Business and Public Administration and the nursing program.

“I think there’s great potential in outreach to the community in ways of continuing education, extension services, and partnerships,” Krise said. “I think there’s tremendous opportunity to build on what is already very good and expand that.”

A new face

Thomas Krise, Ph.D, began his term as the 11th president of the University of Guam on Aug. 6, 2018. He was the former president of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

Not a stranger to island culture

Although Krise has no personal or political connection with Micronesia, he attests his knowledge of island culture to the years he spent living in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Jamaica.

Interested in island issues

Krise is not just interested in island culture, but also issues such as the imperialism, settlement and the management of islands. “Many of the issues that matter in Guam and the Marianas are very similar to issues that happen in the Caribbean,” Krise said.

New Student Convocation

Audience members seated as they await Krise’s opening remarks at the New Student Convocation of Fanuchan 2018 at the University of Guam Calvo Fieldhouse on Sept. 6.

New Student Convocation

Krise giving a speech at the New Student Convocation of Fanuchanan 2018.

Krise giving some remarks at the 57th Student Government Association Council’s Inauguration Ceremony on Sept. 14, 2018 at the UOG Calvo Fieldhouse.

Krise presenting a certificate to Evander DeGuzman, the newly inaugurated president of the UOG Student Government Association.

Krise addressing the family and friends of Angel Petros, a UOG staffer who had recently passed, at a memorial ceremony in the UOG Lecture Hall on Sept. 19, 2018.

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The email contained student names, ID numbers, social security numbers, and the award amounts of those who received direct loans or Pell grants for the Fanomnakan (Spring) 2018 semester. The message was sent to different kinds of emails, including personal emails such as Yahoo and Gmail accounts, and to the University’s GoTriton accounts.

The employee tried to inform 196 students of the status of their financial awards, but instead forwarded the sensitive information of the 154 students to them.

According to Jonas Macapinlac, the director of UOG’s Integrated Marketing Communications, this was the first time that an incident like this has happened at the University.

The University was informed immediately after the incident occurred. Macapinlac said the employee who sent the information informed their supervisor once they realized what had happened.

“It wasn’t a glitch in the system,” Macapinlac said. “There was nothing malicious about the action. It was just an unfortunate mistake.”

In response, the University then followed with fraud prevention protocols and launched an investigation. The 196 recipients of the email were informed of the incident and were told to delete it from their accounts.

In regards to Guam public law, it is illegal for the recipients to keep the message.

It is also a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a U.S. federal law which protects the privacy of student education records. The law states that schools cannot disclose certain information about their students without prior written consent.

According to Macapinlac, several have confirmed that they have disposed of the message.

The students whose information was sent out are being offered credit monitoring for 12 months at no charge.

A week after the incident, the students were invited to attend fraud prevention workshops hosted UOG. The program offers 1 million dollars of insurance in case their identity is stolen. It also provides monitoring among the three major credit bureaus, so the individuals would be notified of any application for new credit.

A hotline was also offered to them so that they would be able to voice their concerns about the situation.

Social security scare

The University also reached out to the 154 individuals whose information was sent out. The responses from these individuals ranged from apprehensiveness and concern to fear and anger.

“I was initially angry, but you can’t stay mad for long,” said Johnson Ancheta, a senior Psychology major whose information was sent out.

After he was informed, Ancheta checked his accounts to see if his credit was still in good standing. He also attended the fraud prevention workshops sponsored by the University and enrolled in the free credit monitoring service the University offered.

“I’m okay, I’m just upset that I have to check my information every day,” Ancheta said. “Usually, I’d do it once a month, but now I do it every day.”

While he appreciated the fact that the credit monitoring service was offered, Ancheta stated his desire for an extension of the free program.

Although his social security has not been compromised since the incident occurred, Ancheta expressed his concern for potential future threats to his credit.

“I am concerned about it,” Ancheta said. “There are careers out there, specifically federal careers, that look at your credit report. If [for example], someone filed credit cards under your name, then it can affect your employment opportunities.”

While his trust in the University has changed, Ancheta said he cannot put all the blame on UOG.

Prevention for the future

“We’re taking a long look at ourselves,” Macapinlac said. “We’re being introspective. We’re asking, what can we do to stop this from ever happening?”

According to Macapinlac, what this means for the University is finding different ways to handle not just student information, but information in general.

Since the incident, the University has eliminated the use of the students’ social security number as a means of verification. Instead, only their student ID numbers will be used to lessen the risk of social security concerns.

All official correspondence will be issued using the University’s GoTriton’s email account. The reason why this is important is because if an inadvertent message is sent out, then the University can immediately recall any messages since it controls the system.

According to Mark Duarte, the director of the Financial Aid Office, student information is stored in an Ellucian data system. Students can log in online to accept and receive their financial aid awards.

“It basically takes away the paper route where everything is done manually,” said Duarte. “We’ve done it so everything is done electronically where any student can at any time look at their awards and accept or decline their financial aid.”

The University has also been corresponding with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service to determine a schedule of training programs for the University’s employees. Both of these institutions deal with fraud cases.

“We want to respond in a way that shows that we are concerned,” Macapinlac said. “Students have a right to be upset and angry. They have a right to be afraid. And we’ll stand by them and help them through the situation.”

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For years, various nonprofit organizations on Guam have worked with the government of Guam to provide accessible healthcare to its senior citizens, as more and more people are in need of services. As people age, their hearing and other senses tends to deteriorate. To help combat this, elders can turn to hearing health supplements. These supplements typically contain a mix of vitamins and minerals that support hearing and overall auditory function. You can contact carlton senior living online to get more details on senior health. If you are trying to lose extra weight make sure to try out Synogut.

It was not until late 2017 when Catholic Social Service decided to suspend three of its longstanding senior care programs due to a lack of consistency on the government’s part. Keep your young or elderly body in shape and healthy after reading these glucofort reviews.

These programs, which served thousands of clients, included in-home services, three types of adult daycare, and case management.

“It was something that [CSS] didn’t enjoy doing,” said Tony Diaz, director of communications for the Agana Archdiocese.

According to Diaz, a great deal of the funding for the adult services was done through contracts with GovGuam. The funding soon became unreliable, as CSS employees found that they were not being paid on time.

“At least three or four times in the last couple years, [these] employees did not get paid on Payday Friday,” Diaz said. “They got paid on the following Monday.”

On some occasions, CSS was able to front the money to pay its employees at the cost of affecting its credit.

But this practice was deemed too risky to continue in terms of the organization’s long-term sustainability. The unreliability of the government payments and the projections of its financial conditions caused CSS’s board of executives to discuss what they would do to secure the organization’s future. 

“When the board started discussing the cash crisis that the government was looking at in the future and with the new tax laws and things like that, they made the decision to pull away and not submit when it came to this upcoming contract period,” said CSS Deputy Director Paula Perez.

After the suspension of the three programs, the Mayors Council of Guam took over its services.

“We’re only covering until they can go [find] another agency or organization or vendor in the appropriate,” said Paul McDonald, Agana Heights mayor and MCOG president.

The transition of the services being offered by Catholic Services to MCOG took around five to six weeks. As for the former CSS employees, they were part of the transition as well. 

“Most of them actually came on board with us and that’s why you haven’t heard much news about unhappy clients,” said Arthur San Agustin, supervisor of the Guam Division of Senior Services. “In every program, we absorbed upwards of 90 percent of [CSS’s] personnel.”  

Future of senior healthcare

Currently, GovGuam faces a budget shortfall of more than $120 million in fiscal 2018 and 2019 combined because of the federal tax reform law.

According to data collected from the Guam State Census Bureau, there are an estimated 15,899 senior citizens residing on the island as of 2018. Most senior patients declares at least partial or even total hearing loss after the 50’s, read more about sonus complete.

That demographic is expected to increase to around 17,122 senior citizens by 2020.

But according to San Agustin, the shortfall hasn’t affected the Division of Senior Services’ budget.

“Because the furlough didn’t go through, services are being maintained at the current level we’re budgeted for fiscal year 2018,” he said.

As for providing services to the expected rise in senior citizens, San Agustin said that the division will adapt to the demand and will provide more senior care facility options, at higher age most senior people may suffer from erectile dysfunction or sexual appetite loss, talk with your doctor to receive ed treatment. Its really important to take care of the vital senses such as sight or hearing, the good thing is that there a supplements as cortexi that can help with hearing loss and some ear infections. These supplements can help to improve hearing clarity, reduce ringing in the ears, and support overall auditory health. People off all ages can use this supplement but is really recommended for elders that start to experience loss of the hearing sense.

“As the need is presented, we’ll continue to advocate for them if the services need expansion. There’s also a possibility of [considering] other models that may be brought to our attention in the future.”

If you want to learn more information on why health care facilities are important, get the details about the Wilshire Health & Community Services.

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Reducing illegal immigration is one of  Trump’s best-known policy goals, but the president has insisted that keeping legal migration in check must be part of of an immigration deal.

Out of all the four pillars, the fourth one could potentially have the largest impact on Guam.

This pillar would place significant limits on legal family-based migration.

According to the president’s SOTU address, the policy proposal would replace a system based on family reunification with one that is more merit-based.

“The policy behind our current system has been reunification of family members,” said Catherine Bejerana Camacho, a local immigration attorney.

Under the plan, legal immigrants would only be able to sponsor the members of their immediate family, such as spouses and their minor children, for legal permanent residency. Legal permanent residency is the first step towards gaining citizenship.

This new policy would end the long-held practice of U.S. citizens sponsoring extended family members such as parents, siblings, fiancées, and children over the age of 21.

Family reunification

“It’s kinda unfair,” said Nathaniel Siggaot, a U.S. citizen who petitioned for his mother in the Philippines to come to Guam. “It’s better to be with your family.”

Born in Seattle and raised in the Philippines, Siggaot waited around two years to bring his mother to Guam.

“It was really hard,” Siggaot said about the petitioning process. “But when I got my mom, it was worth it.”

Marie Mimay, Siggaot’s mother, has been on Guam for less than a month and disagrees with the proposed policy. Mimay is a citizen of the Philippines who aspires to obtain U.S. citizenship so she could sponsor other members of her family.

“I wanted to come here to work for my family so we could have a better future,” Mimay said. “I do not agree with his plan because I wouldn’t be able to bring my parents, siblings, or older kids.”

“It’s gonna be depressing for other people,” Siggaot said when asked about how this policy could affect other immigrant families. “Like, there’s [always] going to be another son who’s going to try to petition his mom.”

Chain migration in the U.S.

According to a 2017 report conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, chain migration has significantly increased new immigration over the last 35 years. About 20 million (61 percent) out of the 33 million immigrants admitted to the U.S. from 1981 to 2016 were chain migration immigrants.

According to academic studies on chain migration, each new immigrant sponsored an average of 3.45 additional immigrants.

“Between 650 and 750 thousand people within the entire United States from all over the world become citizens,” said Sharon Rummery, a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) public affairs officer. “Here in San Francisco, we usually naturalize 1200 in a ceremony and they’ll usually be from between 95 to 105 nations.”

While none of the pillars are law, Camacho encourages those who are concerned about these potential changes to contact an immigration attorney for consultation.  

“I have noticed that a lot of people want to become citizens because of these potential scares, Camacho stated. “If these proposed changes could potentially affect you or your family, now’s not the time to wait. [Do not] wait to file your petition because if these policy changes do become law, then you might not be allowed to file certain types of petitions and applications.”

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But according to the Director of Financial Aid Mark Duarte, students have another option that they can consider: scholarships.

“I think the reason why a lot of people don’t apply to scholarships is because they’re intimidated by the application requirements,” Duarte said. “But they’re normally minimal. You just got to have a certain GPA, some letters of recommendation, and sometimes an essay.”

Duarte said that he urges students to apply for as many scholarships as they can, no matter how much money is being offered.

“It’s money you didn’t already have,” he said. “You can use it for books or tuition.”

Duarte encourages students to look through the Scholarships page on the UOG website to check out the scholarships that are being offered. Because some scholarships are offered at certain times of the year, the page is updated rather frequently.

“You really have nothing to lose,” Duarte remarked about applying. “Even if you didn’t get the scholarship, it’s not a big loss. But if you do, the rewards you get help you with your future. You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

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The film is a charming romance that addressed insecurity, sacrifice and ambition. It played enchanting songs that are still stuck in my head and presented beautiful cinematography while channeling the magic and nostalgia of Hollywood.

There is this delicate, yet exciting chemistry between the two leads. The movie is stunning, awe-inspiring.

But if you know anything about music and representation, the movie will give you a sour taste in your mouth when Sebastian, the stoic pianist played by Ryan Gosling, talks about jazz.

“What do you mean you don’t like jazz?” he asked, staring at Mia, who is played by Emma Stone, in disbelief.

It is not Seb’s passionate love for jazz that is the problem. It is how the film handles his love for jazz.

Seb is presented as a man who wants to resuscitate jazz in Los Angeles as if it is on its last breaths. He is not just obsessed with jazz, he is set on restoring it to its former glory.

Seb’s pursuit to preserve the purity of jazz music feels loveless and hollow. His enemies come in the form of an indifferent public, ignorance from his significant other, and musical pragmatists such as Keith (John Legend), who produces synth-heavy jazz hybrid music with his band.

There are many instances of musicians, such as Robert Glasper, who have innovated the jazz genre while drawing inspiration from other sources. According to Jon Caramanica of The New York Times, it is as if Damien Chazelle, the movie’s director, can’t entertain that complexity.

In making Sebastian dead set on preserving the old form of jazz, the movie ends up having very little respect for jazz as a living art form. Looking backward is prized, while anyone advocating for change is mocked.

Furthermore, it did not seem like the people of color who were included in the movie were important to the story.

Black people invented jazz. The genre of music emerged from New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The only black person in the film was Keith, who was portrayed as a sellout for making music inspired by jazz. While Gosling would wax poetic about music, the black musicians playing behind him would be obscured by shadows, as if they were only there to provide a background for his angst.

Instead of having its roots in black history acknowledged, jazz is reduced to be exploited as a pop culture trinket, made romantic by nostalgia.

“La La Land” was beautiful, but it could have done so much better. If Sebastian really wanted to save jazz, he could have venerated its history and let people choose to like what they like about the genre instead of presenting it in such a rigid light.

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Representatives from various companies and institutions such as Aflac, the National Guard, and Guam Homeland Security set up booths to discuss job offers, work environment, and training.

“Spring’s the best time to have a job fair because it helps students find [work] in the summertime,” said Sallie McDonald, the fair’s program coordinator and Career Development office career coach.

McDonald said she was pleased with the event’s turnout, and the institutions that participated were a “good mix” this year.

“I like it,” said Bernadette Cristobal, a psychology major at UOG. “I think it’s really cool how UOG holds this stuff annual and we get opportunities like this. It’s so conveniently placed and everything. It’s not every day that you get to go to a job fair.”

Prior to the event, people were encouraged to bring a cover letter, resume, and to be dressed for success.

In order to bolster the attendants’ confidence, workshops that involved mock job interviews were held the week before the event.

Since the employers were in the vicinity, participants had the opportunity to be interviewed on site.

“The first impression is always a lasting one,” McDonald said.

According to McDonald, the job fair is just one of many opportunities for students to get their feet wet in the job market.

During the fall semester, the Career Development Office organizes workshops concerning how to write a resume, fill out applications, and how to dress appropriately are offered.

Employer recruitment events are also held, offering students a more personal one-to-one approach with prospective employers.

In regards to students who missed the fair, McDonald encourages them to make an appointment to visit her at her office.

“I work with students very well with getting them prepared for the world of work,” she said.

“I’d like to invite all students to make the effort to be at this kind of event. It is for their benefit and so we hope that they take the time out to [attend.]”

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This year’s theme was “Cultivating Communities for Sustainable Action.”

The event featured over 70 presentations, which included breakout sessions and posters; seven plenary panels; a networking reception; and a conference watershed adventure at the Valley of the Latte.

The presentations and panels covered a wide range of topics, including energy, coral health, recycling, and conservation efforts.

During the plenary panels, crowd members were encouraged to ask the panelists questions or give comments concerning their area of expertise.

Questions about how to live sustainably, the status of certain research projects on the island, and climate change were asked.

Some of the crowd members even shared stories about their own personal ventures in using sustainable practices in their lives.

One local farmer in particular, humorously recounted how she sold onions back to Pay-Less when she learned that she could regrow them using their trimmings.

The event served as a platform for the island’s scientific community to share their findings with the public and encourage discourse about environmental problems and solutions.

“It’s really about providing a venue for discussion and talking about what our needs are in order to [build] a sustainable future,” said Philip Cruz, the sustainability coordinator of CIS.

According to Cruz, it was about making hard science more accessible.

For the researchers, the conference provided them an opportunity to network with each other bring their work into the public light.

“There is this sense of urgency in all the work that the participants do,” said Austin Shelton, PhD., the associate director of CIS. “We wanted to give them the tools to communicate that urgency to the public and hopefully inspire people to take action on these environmental and sustainability issues.”

According to Shelton, the conference was committed to operating sustainably.

There was not a single plastic bottle in sight.

The food served at the conference was sourced from local farmers. Over 300 pounds of farm-raised tilapia was prepared at the event instead of fish from ocean fisheries. Glass tanks of live tilapia were displayed on the buffet table.

No beef dish made it to the table due to the large ecological footprint associated with producing beef products and having them transported to the island.

It was the first time that the conference’s food was handled in this way.

And instead of giving away items such as plastic bottles away, attendants were given tree seedlings, flashlights, and produce.

Shelton was impressed about the conference as a whole.

“I think the event was a success overall. We had a wonderful turnout and a wide range of presentations,” said Shelton.

“I hope that it will make a difference as we go forward to [next year’s] conference and we hope that they take action on sustainability issues.”

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