Ka Pe‘ahi Lono: Monthly Message for January

Date/Time sent: 01/03/2022 9:00 am

Aloha mai kākou e UH West Oʻahu ʻOhana!

Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou! As we turn the corner on 2021, we now set our sights toward a new vista with the wind filling our sails with gratitude and hope. Indeed, the last year has been as tumultuous as the first year of the pandemic but collectively we have been resilient. We have learned — Hoʻokāhi ka ilau like ana (Wield the paddles together) — to navigate unfamiliar water together. Mahalo nūnui for your unswerving commitment to our vision and mission; to committing to voyage together!

We planned an in-person convocation this week, however, with the rise in our COVID-19 numbers, we retooled. We will be together, once again, online. We had also planned to return our courses to on campus instruction on Monday, Jan. 10, and that too has shifted temporarily online. Mahalo for your patience and nimbleness!

Last week, UH System President, Dr. David Lassner, announced that most classes across our 10-campus system will be offerred online the first two weeks of the spring semester I followed up that message with an email that more clearly defined what that would look like at UH West Oʻahu. At the end of the week, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jeff Moniz, sent an email message to all instructors and instructional staff, providing them with targeted information about online and on-campus modalities during the first two weeks of the semester, as well as a specific message to those instructors who planned to teach in-person/hybrid classes in the first two weeks. This week, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Jan Javinar, will be sending a message to all students that will inform and provide them the support they may need to begin their spring 2022 semester.

I continue to be humbled by the sacrifices shared by so many of you over the last two years, and I sincerely appreciate all that each of you do to help UH West Oʻahu continue to provide a world-class education, conduct high-caliber scholarship, and offer impactful outreach and engagement locally and globally.

Mahalo nūnui for taking the time to review this week’s bulletin.
E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor

Section divider made up of two canoe paddles.

RETURNING AND REVITALIZING THE LIFE OF OUR CAMPUS

Spring 2022 Convocation – Streaming on Zoom for Faculty and Staff
“Welcome Back”
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, 10:30 a.m. – noon

Join Zoom Meeting
https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/93381806393

Meeting ID: 933 8180 6393
Passcode: uhwo2022

A CELEBRATION OF GOOD WORKS: KŪLIA I KA NUʻU (REACH FOR THE SUMMIT!)

HANA LAWELAWE: ON LEADERSHIP Hauʻoli Lono i ka Makahiki

On Dec. 30, 2021, my secretary, Annette Lehano, retired. I met her in August 2008 when I became the Dean of Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge. Prior to my arrival she had just been hired to be the secretary for the Dean. Because we were both in new roles, our friendship and mutual trust grew quickly. When I transitioned to UH West Oʻahu I asked Annette to join me. Without hesitation she agreed!

Flash forward to November 2021. Instead of a retirement card, I asked Lilinoe Andrews to make a small notebook and I asked Annette’s colleagues to share their best wishes on the pages of this book. It was filled with kind messages, photos, drawings, poetry and best wishes. The messages touched me because it reminded me of the kindness and grace that Annette brought to the Chancellor’s office, to the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu! This former colleague, my secretary and friend, always remembered to say “please” and “thank you.” Simple yet profound! In those two words, in her kind gestures and disposition, she was saying “I value you.” You matter.” “I see you!” I believe Annette made a difference!

So, at this time of reflection and forward-viewing as we define our 2022 growth resolutions, we cannot underestimate the simplicity of the profound power of kindness and grace. If you haven’t yet viewed Orly Wahba’s, Founder of Life Vest Inside, Ted Talk on kindness, take a few minutes to listen in. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn9VxUPlC5g

While we will miss Annette, her gift of kindness still shines brightly. I hope that it will be our guiding light in 2022!

Two women smile at camera, one wearing lei. — Chancellor Maenette Benham (left) and her recently retired secretary, Annette Lehano. Photo courtesy Terri Ota.

Pūpūkahi i Holomua (Unite to Move Forward)!

Important Announcements

REGARDING COVID-19

Our revised COVID Guidelines (rev. Jan. 3, 2022) are now posted. We encourage you to get your booster shot, to check in daily on LumiSight, and to follow all campus safety precautions.

Download and Use LumiSight UH. Must show verification.
Students, employees, and visitors it is essential that you download LumiSight UH to your smartphone. Register and upload all relevant COVID-19 information. Prior to coming to campus please check-in using your LumiSight UH App, remembering to respond to all health questions. BE PREPARED TO SHOW YOUR “GO GREEN” SCREEN at our campus verification stations. If for some reason you forgot to sign-in please do so before entering campus or see our friendly student assistants at any of the verification sites. They will assist you with signing in or getting a day pass. NOTE: you must have proof of COVID vaccination or negative COVID test to retrieve a day pass. Welina mai – Welcome to campus!

Travel protocol reminder

To mitigate the risk of introducing post-travel infections onto our campus, University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu leadership is strongly recommending that all students and employees, vaccinated and unvaccinated, who are returning from out-of-state travel, business or personal, upload to LumiSight UH proof of a negative COVID-19 test before returning to campus. For your safety, health and well-being please follow all State of Hawaiʻi Safe Travel guidelines and UH COVID-19 Guidelines, including being cleared by the LumiSight UH daily health check app to be on campus and wearing face masks indoors when on campus.

For employees and students who are reporting to work/to classes immediately after returning from out-of-state travel, it is strongly recommended that you obtain two negative COVID-19 test results: the first should be obtained within 24 hours of your return and before returning to campus, and the second should be obtained within three-to-five days of returning from travel.

Let’s be mindful, respectful, and responsible of and to our campus community as we celebrate family, holidays, commencement, and continued good news in the upcoming months.

If you have any questions, please email covid19@hawaii.edu.

University of Hawaiʻi Telework Policy
More information of the University of Hawaiʻi Telework Policy is forthcoming. See: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/12/13/telework-policy-guidelines-2022/