According to the UOG website, the University’s Board of Regents has general supervision over UOG. They, “Set the policies governing the duties, conditions of employment, compensation, and salary of all University employees.” An annual budget submitted to the legislature is also their duty.

The board meets no less than 4 times a year. This meeting was their fourth for 2016.

In attendance were board members, various UOG faculty and professors, representatives from Student Government Association, as well as some members of the public.

The meeting began with opening remarks from the chairperson, Ms. Antoinette Sanford and UOG president and Board Executive Secretary Robert A. Underwood.

One recurring theme in board member’s remarks was concerns about funding for the university.

“My biggest concern here, for the record, is the fact that we are still severely underfunded. We’ve had meetings with the president and the administration, and they are very very concerned,” Chairperson Ms. Antoinette Sanford said in her opening report.

UOG President Robert Underwood’s opening report mirrored Chairperson Sanford’s in this aspect.

“We are in a very severe financial situation,” said Underwood. “We’ve had to hold back spending and slow down other spending, and it has been very difficult on almost everybody.”

SGA president Samantha David also expressed how the financial issues have resulted in a smaller than usual SGA Thanksgiving event, which will be a small luncheon this year.

“We do understand the financial crisis,” David said. “We used to have it as a big event but now it is smaller scale and we are looking to people and department heads to donate food and drinks to celebrate the holidays.”

Other reports included a new research boat for marine laboratory, a new director of marine laboratory, and mention of a new bike program that allows students to rent bikes for use on or off campus.

The remainder of the meeting went smoothly with recently tenured staff being recognized and all resolutions passing without opposition.

For more information about the Board of Regents visit the UOG website page at http://www.uog.edu/administration/board-of-regents/board-of-regents-home. You can also contact Christine Mabayag at 735-2990 or Louise Toves at 735-2995 for information regarding scheduled meeting dates.

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Spearfishing can provide a source of exercise, delicious seafood, extra income, and a more intimate relationship with nature, all while promoting conservative practices which benefit the environment and everyone in it.

Things like the freshman 15 phenomenon outline how college students have a tendency to slack off on exercise and gain weight. Spear fishing could be an option for these out of shape individuals who want to turn it around. Lugging gear to spots accessible only by long walks or swims, carrying a heavy catch back, constantly swimming to stay afloat, and fighting currents all guarantee a spearfishing trip will provide some good exercise.

“Spearfishing works your whole body from your legs, to your lungs, and your arms,” said avid spearfisher Joe Quintanilla. “When we’re in the water, majority of the time we are kicking.”

While this is hard physical activity, it hardly seems so. When you are doing something you like, it rarely ever seems like work.

Seafood is an expensive delicacy in many places and here on island is no exception. However, our location provides us the opportunity to go out and catch our own food free of charge, all while having fun doing so.

Wild caught food also provides a healthy alternative to snacks, processed foods, and GMO’s available at most stores.

Often fisherman can even catch more than they can eat. This allows them to share their catch among friends and family, or make a bit of extra income which can be extremely beneficial to struggling college students.

“I have never sold fish for money. My father and uncles taught me to give to people who want fish rather than selling it. However, if I were to sell the fish I caught in a good day of diving, I could probably make in the range of $150 to $250,” said Quintanilla.

Spearfishing also provides the opportunity to see and experience things others either can only dream of, or have to pay for. Dolphin watching, sea turtle sightings, swimming with sharks, witnessing magnificent coral reefs; all of these I have personally done free of charge while spearfishing.

“With spearfishing, every day is a unique experience. You never know what you might see or what type of fish you will land,” said experienced spearfisher Vince Pangelinan.

While spearfishing holds a bad name with many, it is actually the most conservative and selective method of fishing around. When done properly there will be almost zero by-catch.

Fishing methods like nets or hook and line indiscriminately target whatever swims by, but spearfishing requires the action of seeing a fish, deciding to take it, and executing a shot on the desired fish. This results in no extra species being harmed or taken.

Intimate interaction with aquatic plants and animals also often provides spearfisher’s a better knowledge of environmental issues. This can spread awareness and promote actions that help the environment.

Other less noticed benefits can arise out of spearfishing as well.

“Spearfishing builds character. It is a simple lifestyle where you can meet different people, network, and help each other out,” said Pangelinan.
Spearfishing can have an immense positive impact on someone’s life including exercise, fresh seafood, additional income, environmental conservation, and incredible life experiences. Anyone can do it, and it is as simple as getting some gear, finding a spot, and finding a partner to go with. So if you are looking for something new and exciting give spearfishing a try, and dive to provide.

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The SACNAS conference is the nation’s largest multicultural and multidisciplinary diversity in Science Technology Engineering and Math conferences. This year’s attendees included over 4,000 students and professionals in the field.

The purpose of the conference is to provide student’s professionals, and postdoctoral researchers support and opportunities as they transition towards positions of leadership in these fields.

Nine UOG undergraduate and two graduate students, accompanied by three faculty members, flew to the mainland to attend the conference.

The students represented majors including math, biology, and chemistry. Each student’s experience varies, but they all are exposed to different opportunities.

“I had the opportunity to share my summer research project with others. I had tons of fun talking about our Guam mantas and how unique they are in the way that they target fish spawning aggregations to feed off gamete clouds,” said attendee and UOG sophomore biology major Leilani Sablan.

Another student, sophomore biology, math, and chemistry major Joseph Lance Casila, also attended the conference.

“The conference provided me with a more accurate and in-depth insight as to what graduate school is like,” Casila said. “In addition, I was able to listen and be inspired by many of the research presentations during the conference. I particularly remember a very interesting presentation about synthesizing metal rods for cancer treatment.”

According to UOG College of Natural and Applied Sciences Assistant Professor Austin Shelton, Ph.D., “The SACNAS conference provides incredible opportunities at a national level for students to get experience presenting research, find valuable mentors, get into graduate programs, and even land jobs in STEM fields.”

Students who attended the conference spoke on these opportunities as well, and encouraged other students to follow in their footsteps.

“I recommend this experience for students looking to share their research with a diverse group of students or for those looking to network with people in their field of interest,” said Sablan.

“I would definitely recommend this experience to other students. It’s already a given that there will be research presentations and professional development talks that will extremely benefit every student,” added Casila.

Students interested in attending future conferences should know it is well within their reach.

Shelton recommends students visit www.sacnas.org for more information, and be aware abstract submissions and travel scholarship applications tend to become available in April each year. Shelton also encourages interested students to email him at Shelton@triton.uog.edu for any inquiries, as he is currently an elected member of the SACNAS Board of Directors.

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There were numerous activities that kept fans busy, which included a free t-shirt giveaway to the first 300 fans who showed up, free food, music by the Triton Pep Band, a halftime contest hosted by Fusion Dance Company, and a raffle prize drawing for an Apple Watch.

The door’s opened at 5 p.m. and fans immediately began to flood in to the Field House.

“We had nearly 700 people at the Calvo Field House for Triton Night. Like I said, athletics really brings people together,” said UOG Director of Integrated Marketing and event organizer Jonas Macapinlac.

The event aimed was to increase support for Triton athletic program as well as increase student involvement around campus.

“There were many aims to the event, but mainly to market and promote the athletic department to the campus and the Island of Guam. It was really nice to have so many student groups involved but we also wanted the general public involved as well,” UOG Athletic Director Doug Palmer said.

The men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams were also introduced prior to the game in hopes of garnering support for their future and off-campus games.

“We were hoping to have more folks come to games after the event, plus make folks aware of men’s and women’s soccer who are playing off campus and are doing really well so far. Also we have volleyball, which does not play until January,” said Palmer.

With the success of this event, more Triton nights are already in planning for the future.

“I think with the success of the event, more can be expected in the future.  I would like to have a Triton Night for each of our sports once per semester,” Palmer said.

These future events, however, are not yet set in stone.

Macapinlac urged students to, “Pay attention to UOG social media and the UOG website for announcements of upcoming events.”

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Triton’s Call Staff

The University of Guam will soon see the addition of a new engineering annex as well as a renovated and expanded student services center.

The new additions are part of the Vision 2025 plan, which according to the UOG website, aims to prepare the campus to accommodate 5,000 campus and online students.

A separate engineering annex will be constructed adjacent to the Agriculture and Life Science building. UOG currently has a pre-engineering program whose courses emulate those required in the major colleges and universities. However, UOG students must travel off island to complete their degrees.

UOG Vice President of Finance and Administration Randall Wiegand said, “We have relationships with three universities who will seamlessly receive students who have completed the two year program.  The universities are University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Iowa, and the Mapua Institute of Technology

The addition of the annex is a step in the direction of an eventual UOG School of Engineering according to the Vision 2025 Master Plan Executive Summary.

This prospect is already appealing to Trey Leon, an undeclared freshman currently enrolled in some pre-engineering courses.

“This excites me because we will have more resources geared toward engineering. It will allow us to have engineers from our own island rather than having them come from outside places,” Leon said.

The current student center will be renovated and expanded to serve as a one-stop-shop integrating all vital student services.  According to Wiegand, this will include services like financial aid, student and career counseling, campus post office, bookstore, student government offices, admissions and records, as well as other services.

“We are trying to make it convenient for students to conduct as much business as possible in the student center,” Wiegand said.

Groundbreaking on the projects is set to begin in May of 2017, but this is tentative.

According to Wiegand, factors such as weather, availability of skilled laborers and materials all make it difficult to predict exact construction dates.

These upgrades to the university will be funded by a $21.7 million dollar loan to be given to the university soon.

Wiegand mentioned that several options for funding were meticulously considered, but they went with the loan.

“UOG was pleased with the results of the USDA involvement in the LG building and since they were the low cost option, so the University decided to go with USDA for the Student Success Center and the Engineering Annex,” Wiegand said.

Eventually, Vision 2025 includes International dormitories and a Triton Engagement Center. These plans have yet to be fully conceptualized, but will be implemented with the completion of the first phase.

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Triton’s Call Staff

The University of Guam’s Army ROTC cadets hosted a beach clean-up at Gun Beach Aug. 26.

The clean-up was part of ROTC’s mentorship program.

According to UOG’s professor of Military Science Lieutenant Colonel Jay Blakely, UOG’s ROTC hosts this event annually.

“We divide our cadets into five mentorship teams called tribes, and today we will adopt the new cadets into their tribes and then do a clean-up,” Blakely said.

In past years, the cadets have done hikes, but this year they opted for a community project instead.

“Initially, this is part of our tribe and mentorship lab, but we try to incorporate community service in a way, so we decided instead of a hike which we usually do prior, to instead do a coastal clean-up,” said John Michael Delfin, a pre physical therapy major, and a ROTC member currently in his senior year.

ROTC members reached out to local mayors to identify problem areas and were told Gun Beach was in need. They answered the cal valiantly with nearly 100 cadets lined up and ready to clean by 7 a.m.

Richard Pizzaro, another ROTC member in his senior year explained, “We want to help the community with its beautification and just show more appreciation for our home.”

While this was mainly a function of ROTC members, they stressed that other members of the community are more than welcome to be a part of the project.

“This is an internal program for ROTC cadets but others are invited. We have some people that support the program coming out,” commented Blakely. Volunteers can call 777-ROTC to learn of any future projects.

While great, this is not the only community outreach sponsored by ROTC.

“We have a couple different clean-up projects. We’ve done the beach clean-ups before and we’ve got a couple stretches of road that we’ve adopted to clean up, and we’ve got 5 bus stops around the island that we maintain,” Blakely said.

When asked how one might start their own community outreach, Pizarro advised to contact your local mayor’s office. They can direct people to problem areas and help outsource for more support.

Pizarro also mentioned the importance of setting a good example and his thoughts on how to prevent future littering.

“I’m a true believer of leading by example so if you see trash, just throw it away and others might follow you,” Pizarro said.

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Triton’s Call Staff  

As a new academic year begins, the University continues to face qualms about the parking situation on campus.

Last year, UOG designated temporary parking areas beside the Field House and in the grassy area in front of the HSS and EC buildings.

According to Randall Wiegand, UOG vice president of administration and finance, the lots have been in place for more than a year now, but they are not permanent fixtures.

“It is likely the overflow parking will remain in effect for a few years, but we do not consider it permanent,” Wiegand said.

The overflow lots have added 700 new spaces for vehicles coming into the University. Yet despite this, some students remain feeling unsatisfied about the parking available.

“I have to get to campus a bit earlier if I want to be on time to class. I was late a few times already because of the walk,” said Trey Leon, an undeclared freshman.

Matthew Uy, a senior biology major said, “The temporary lots provide enough extra space, but it’s kind of inconvenient to have to walk so far.”

There is also the issue with the ground not being paved in these lots.

“If we get any rain at all the parking is a complete mud hole from all the student traffic, especially behind HSS. You have to watch where you walk or you could get really dirty,” Uy said.

With the Vision 2025 targeting a student population numbering 5,000 by 2025, these issues are being examined and solutions are in the planning.

“The Physical Master Plan shows a minimum of four multiple story parking structures, totaling 2,260 additional parking spaces, as well as open parking areas throughout the campus,” said David Okada, chief planning officer and acting institutional compliance officer for the University.

On the other hand, it could be some time before students see these changes implemented.

According to Randall Wiegand UOG is still probably at least two years away from building its first new parking structure.

“The University is exploring options to pay for the structure.  One of the options is a parking fee separate from tuition,” Wiegand said.

For now, students should expect parking to remain as is, but know that the University is working on solutions.

“We are aware parking is a significant issue. We appreciate the cooperation and patience of students as we work through issues,” Wiegand said.

The executive summary of the Vision 2025 Physical Master Plan plan can be found at http://www.uog.edu/giving/vision-2025-21st-century-campus .

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Tritons Call Staff

The University of Guam recently named Tatiana Afalava Sablan as the new head coach of theTriton’s Athletic program’s women’s volleyball team.

Sablan has high hopes for the team.

“I tasked myself with being responsible for how these athletes view their roles as ambassadors for young women, and as young adult student athletes with new found dreams and goals. Truly this program is the first of its kind, and aside from the inherent coaching responsibilities I feel a responsibility to empower these athletes with a strong sense of becoming role models on the court, in the classroom, and throughout the community,” Sablan said.

Sablan’s love of volleyball started with her family early on.

“My older sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins played volleyball. It was an interest I was born into,” Sablan said.

A self-proclaimed proud Samoan, Sablan was born and raised in Honolulu Hawaii, and has competed in a multitude of different countries around the world. Her travels for volleyball include Okinawa, Philippines, Cook Islands, Australia, the United States, Spain, China, Hong Kong, Wallis and Futuna.

In addition to her impressive resume of competition Sablan has over a decade of coaching experience under her belt.

“My coaching experience spans about 13 years and is very much geared towards development,” Sablan said.

Some previous coaching experiences for Sablan include youth coach at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, the junior varsity team head coach at McKinley High in Hawaii, and head coach at Guam’s Southern High School.

Sablan already has major plans for her time as coach at the University.

“My personal goal is to broaden this team’s outlook on volleyball, and for Triton Volleyball athletes to become a team of precision strategists each in their own field of expertise. The passer, setter, hitter, blocker, digger and server,” Sablan said.

In addition to serving as head coach Sablan will be working with the University’s Athletic Director Doug Palmer as well as the Guam Volleyball Federation to create a league for the team to compete in. She hopes for the Triton League to be up and running for the upcoming new year.

As for now, Sablan will be getting busy training with the new team. All players have been recently selected, and are as follows: Adriana Chang, Brittany Quinata, Colleen Quinata, Erin Duenas Jasmine Almoguera, Jestyne Sablan, Jovelle Alcantara, Kae’Ana Camacho, Kaitlin Blaz, Kristin Sapp, Ladera Linn, Lori Okada, Lowella DiRamos, Myah Quenga, Rea Dimag, Sia Duenas, Stephanie Agarpao, and Danielle Robles.

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