The Zika virus is a disease that is transmitted through one of Guam’s most common pests – mosquitoes, particularly mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, and mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

The disease can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse from a man to his sexual partners, and symptoms include fever, rash, conjunctivitis (red eyes), muscle and joint pain, and headache. Researchers have linked the virus to miscarriages and microcephaly in pregnant women. Microcephaly is a serious birth defect in which a baby’s head is too small, resulting in incomplete brain development.

While there have been no deaths linked to Zika, and no known cases on Guam, there is currently no effective vaccine against the disease.  

The newly erected mosquito lab by the Division of Environmental Health of the Department of Public Health and Social Services may be Guam’s chance against such a threat.

The lab was constructed under the consultation of the Center for Disease Control. The CDC helped in terms of design and equipment deemed necessary for the facility.

Rosanna Rabago and Claire Baradi, both alums of the University of Guam and officers at the island’s Division of Environmental Health under the Department of Public Health and Social Services, shared the lab’s mission and goals for the future.

“We are not at full capacity, so we are doing operations we are capable of,” Rabago said.

The primary objective of the new lab is to carry out preventative measures, such as surveillance, sorting and identifying mosquito species, pesticide resistance, and PCR, which is a polymerase chain reaction – a way of identifying pathogens through genomes.

“Our main focus is surveying and identifying mosquitoes and mosquito-borne viruses, such as Zika,” Baradi said. “We aim to be the sentinel lab for the region, but that will take years.”

According to Baradi, the main way to combat the threat is through prevention and source reduction. This can be done by destroying larvae, clearing and maintaining clean waterways, and eliminating standing water.

“We’re glad someone is doing an article like this because educating the public about this kind of thing is difficult,” Rabago said.

Since Guam can only do so much with the resources and facilities available, it is forced to look to prevention efforts in the mainland.

Recently, the Obama Administration requested $1.9 billion from Congress to aid in combating the Zika outbreak. However, since it is an election year, Congress is not likely to make a hasty decision. In response to Congress’s slow response, the White House as relocated $500 million from funding to fight Ebola to efforts against Zika.

The Zika virus has left a trail starting from Brazil in April of 2015 and making its way through South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The World Health Organization estimates that the virus is going to spread through most of the Americas by the end of 2016.

Travel warnings have been implemented in multiple countries, and several of those countries have warned their citizens to avoid getting pregnant until the virus is analyzed.

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The recent dry spell that Guam has been experiencing may have consequences on the island’s primary source of water: Guam’s aquifers – underground water sources located in northern parts of the island.

As rainfall decreases, the aquifer won’t necessarily run dry, but more saltwater will be finding its way in. This will cause Guam’s tap water to turn saltier and require heavier purification techniques, such as reverse osmosis.

Dry conditions have already been worsening in the past couple months. Grass fire activity has increased as a result and it is easy to see that what was Guam’s beautiful patches of greenery is now looking brown.

GWA has not released any notice for the public and its customers to conserve on water use. However, if the drought persists and their efforts to prevent or prepare against it falter, conservation warnings will most likely be issued.

In the 1960s, Guam experienced a five-year long drought, displaying evidence that it is possible for this to happen again.

The National Weather Service released a statement, in which they said, “One of the strongest El Nino events in recorded history remains entrenched across the equatorial Pacific Ocean.” The El Nino advisory that was issued by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is still in effect.

The drought caused by this El Nino is what has been affecting us and will continue into the late spring and early summer. According to the National Weather Service, as of April, only 1.21 inches of rain has fallen at the airport and that is about 40 percent of normal.

“Water supplies should be monitored and some water conservation is encouraged.Drying and yellowing of crops and vegetation will become worse and the amount of grass fires will increase in the coming weeks,” announced the National Weather Service.

Chief Engineer of the Guam Waterworks Authority, Thomas F. Cruz, did not wave caution to residents of Guam, but did shed some light on their efforts to manage with the drought against them. “We are aware of the threat of a drought and are exerting efforts to make it so that the drought is not a problem,” Cruz said, “Though water conservation would be wise, it is not necessary at the moment.”

GWA has been working on efforts in leak prevention and sustaining good water production levels to counter the threat of a drought. “We have been receiving a little more rain in the past couple days, so it’s looking a little brighter in terms of Guam overcoming this problem,” said Cruz.
In the wake of a threat that could affect Guam in such a negative way, the choice to assist in efforts against the drought is up to residents. Water conservation could have a significant impact on how Guam’s water sources react to the coming months.

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The University of Guam’s Student Life Office held the annual Student Office Expo: Celebrating Triton Spirit at the Agana Shopping Center on Sunday, Feb. 28.  

The Tritons Got Talent contest was the main event, which featured 14 contestants who showcased their skills, performing acts ranging from singing covers such as “Thinking About You” and “Hotline Bling” to dancing the vogue.  

Anthony Cruz, a contestant, was caught observing other competitors in the event.

“I’m nervous because there are so many people here,” Cruz said.   

After experiencing some technical difficulties with his guitar on stage, Cruz had to cut his performance short, but was applauded no less than the other talented acts.

The top-three winners of Tritons Got Talent won cash prizes.  First place went to Joanna Oh, a singer.

Second place went to Nikki Canape and Noel Jimenez, who performed a duet.  Third place went to acoustic singing sisters Diane and Donna Lubas.

Rochelle Perez and Ryan Valencia and his band respectively placed fourth and fifth.

The expo also featured a table decorating contest and various performances by the UOG Ballroom Dance Group, DB (band), Inetnon Gef Pa’go, and the Pohnpei Student Organization Dance Group.

The Blue Key Honor Society won the table decorating contest.

Student organizations were able to set up a booth, and showcase what they had to offer new students and the university community as a whole.

“There was a last minute change, but we had a great turnout this year,” said Eden Valdez, coordinator of the UOG Student Life Office.

The previous Student Office Expos had been at the Micronesia Mall, and this was the first time it was held at the Agana Shopping Center.  According to Galvez, the turnout was greater than anticipated.

“In previous years, we only had 15 organizations attend,” Valdez said. This year, 31 out of the 51 student organizations attended and had set up booths.

Throughout the expo, organizers called out winners of raffle prizes and rallied attendees to participate in smaller activities, such as a group selfie and wave was called for all participants.

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On Wednesday, Feb. 17, President Robert Underwood and the committee that was tasked with creating a new sexual misconduct policy held a community hearing for the public to voice their opinions, comments and concerns.

President Robert Underwood detailed the current draft of the sexual misconduct policy, which is still in the works of being revised until March 3, when it will be up for action at the UOG Board of Regents meeting. “We will treat the policy as the warning,” Underwood said, as he shed light on the proposed policy’s No Tolerance section, “there is no warning in this.”

Underwood explained the policy’s ban on amorous relationships between employees and students of the university. An amorous relationship is defined as any romantic or sexual relationship between two people of unequal power; for example, a teacher and a student.

Addressing the issue of acquiring affirmative consent, or the “Yes Means Yes” Policy, President Underwood noted that to abide by these guidelines, “it is the responsibility of the initiator to obtain clear and affirmative responses through words and/or actions, which indicate a willingness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity at each stage of sexual involvement.”

Underwood also noted that “previous sexual encounters is not an invitation to have sex in the future.”

Na’mas Saffo’ UOG

Senior Vice-President Anita Borja-Enriquez spoke on “Na’mas Saffo’ UOG,” which are a few new protocols to spread awareness and encourage safety. The new policy makes sexual harassment training mandatory for all employees and students.

Since Sept. 2015, employees have been completing sexual harassment training. “[At the] beginning of Fall 2016, all students will be required, as a condition for registration, to go through the online sexual harassment training,” says Dr. Enriquez. This training will be required on an annual basis.

The committee has established a HELP line and HELP line website, where complaints can be filed anonymously or openly. The HELP line can be reached at 735-HELP (4357) or on the web at www.uog.edu/helpline.

The hearing was open for public comment, and featured four speakers. The first speaker, UOG Associate Professor Ronald McNinch, voiced his approval of the proposed policy. The following three speakers were from SWSA, the Social Work Student Alliance.

The last speaker, Vera Ferrera, gave a courageous testimony to everyone, whom she referred to as her UOG family, about the struggle of being a victim, a survivor, and a concerned mother in a culture of silence. She explained that in a culture of silence, it is common for victims to blame themselves for the perpetrator’s actions.

She voiced approval of the policy and made suggestions to hire professional counselors to provide service to students in need and to handle the HELP lines.

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