Ka Pe‘ahi Lono: Monthly Message for August

Date/Time sent: 08/02/2021 8:00 am

Ka Peʻahi Lono (The News Call)

Peʻahi is not only a wave of the hand or a fan used to cool the skin but can also mean to brush, signal, or beckon. It is used in this context as beckon, or call, but one having to do with news or a report about something (lono). This particular peʻahi can be pictured as someone from a slight distance waving his or her hand, calling “huuuuuuui!”, beckoning you to come near and get caught up on the news.

Aloha mai kākou e UH West Oʻahu ʻOhana!

Yes, we’re still in a pandemic, and it’s taken a toll on our university, our K-12 schools, our communities and our families. As our world begins to heal, we must do better than business as usual, as educators and scholars we must learn from our experiences as we rethink how our education systems can be better, stronger. We, collectively can move our campus forward this coming academic year. I challenge us all to think critically about how we can focus our learning and teaching efforts on STEAM, empathy, growth mindsets, critical thinking, leadership, innovation and expert thinking. We must make education fairer and more accessible, and work together to turn our innovations into systemic change. I believe this movement begins with educators, that is, how we rethink how our student learn employing digital tools. I am looking forward to our work together!

E mālama pono!
Maenette K.P. Benham, Chancellor

COVID -19 Update

Please remember that we continue to adhere to our campus PUEO SAFETY PROMISE. It is essential that you:

Pueo Promise card graphic

August PD/Convocation

We look forward to our Wednesday, Aug. 18, Convocation/Professional Development gathering for faculty and staff. RSVP to attend in-person (masks please) or virtually (link to be sent at a later date). We will offer cultural events and tours of the new ACM facility. You must sign up for these as we are following all health and safety protocols. We will celebrate the new academic year in a short gathering to begin at 10:30 a.m. followed by distribution of lunch bentos to attendees. The fall 2021 “State of the University” and updates from Administration, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Faculty Senate and ASUHWO will be recorded and available on our website for your viewing.

Work of the Federal Funding Advisory Council

Over the summer months, the council has reviewed HEERF funding proposals employing UH West Oʻahu’s renewed ROI business model. A handful of faculty-led projects have been funded. Note that a review of these projects will be presented in the weekly bulletins. In addition, the council has been apprised of the UH System all-campus effort to address eligible student financial debt to enable continuing adults to register for the fall 2021 semester. (See the UH System message sent to all faculty and staff from UH President David Lassner.) Sheri Ching, Director of the UH West Oʻahu Finance Office stated: As of July 27, we completed discharging all applicable student debt with our HEERF funds. BIG mahalo to Tracy Higa (Cashier), James Oshiro (Financial Aid), Leila Shimokawa (Communication), John Ly (IT), Vicky del Prado (Registrar), Kory Uramoto-Wong (Bookstore), Erin Tagomori (Library) for their assistance with this important initiative! Here’s a brief summary of the discharge related to student debt for our campus:

Banner Transaction (Included Outstanding Tuition, Fees, IDAP, Title IV Returns)
- Unduplicated Students Impacted: 548
- Total Debt Discharged: $704,699.08
Non-Banner Transactions (Included Outstanding Library Fines, UHM/UHH Parking Fines, Bookstore Rental Fines)
- Unduplicated Students Impacted: 23
- Total Debt Discharged: $2,614.29

For more information regarding our HEERF Funding please see these links:

A Celebration of Good Works: Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu (Reach for the Summit)

Take a look at the good works of our faculty, staff, students and alumni!

Hana Lawelawe: On Leadership

Message from the Office of the VC of Academic Affairs Associate VC Dr. Alan Rosenfeld

It is certainly no secret that these past sixteen months have presented countless tribulations for UH West O‘ahu and its students, faculty, and staff. Nevertheless, the results of the campus’ spring 2021 Revealing Institutional Strengths and Challenges (RISC) survey offer a discernible silver lining amidst the dark clouds of the coronavirus pandemic. The implementation of this national survey followed on the heels of the campus’ administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) early in 2020. While the more established NSSE is designed to focus exclusively on first-year students and seniors, the emergent RISC survey targets all degree-seeking students and was made available to UH West O‘ahu this past spring on a completely cost-free basis. Furthermore, while the NSSE survey offered a snapshot of the UH West O‘ahu students’ perspective just before the onset of the pandemic, the RISC survey provided insight into the pandemic-era student experience of emergency remote instruction and partial campus closures.

The RISC survey results were decidedly positive, particularly in comparison to (RISC defined) peer institutions. 735 of 2,549 total degree-seeking UH West O‘ahu students participated in the survey, generating an overall response rate of 28.8%. The degree to which participants expressed general satisfaction with the UH West O‘ahu student experience was most encouraging. For example, when asked whether they would “recommend UH West O‘ahu to a friend,” 65% of our students stated that they were “very likely” to do so while only 1% were “very unlikely.” (By comparison, 43% of students at peer institutions were “very likely” to offer such a recommendation while 7% were “very unlikely” to do so.) Similarly, 39% of UH West O‘ahu students felt that their college education was “a good value, worth more than [they] paid for it,” compared to 28% of students at peer institutions.

Of course, there are always areas and practices that can and should be improved and, true to its name, the RISC survey did indeed reveal key institutional challenges. For example, even in comparison to peers, UH West O‘ahu students often reported struggling with out-of-classroom obstacles such as maintaining their work and class schedules, paying for books and supplies, and balancing their academic pursuits with family responsibilities. This feedback reinforces the results of the recent Basic Needs Survey conducted by The Hope Center, which highlighted many of the “real life” struggles that UH West O‘ahu students face, particularly during the time of the pandemic. On the other hand, students completing the RISC survey indicated that their UH West O‘ahu education fostered “self-improvement,” and they expressed approval of the overall “campus environment.”

In the months ahead, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs will partner with ASUHWO to organize a series of focus group discussions featuring a combination of students, staff, and faculty to delve deeper into these survey findings—from the 2020 NSSE as well as the 2021 RISC—in an effort to make meaning of the data and develop effective paths forward. For the time being, however, please celebrate the results of this massive student survey as a testament to all of the wonderful efforts that our faculty and staff have undertaken in the midst of incredibly adverse circumstances to ensure that our students continue to receive the high-quality collegiate experience that they deserve.

Mahalo to everyone who have and will support our RISC survey efforts! Should you have any questions or would like to engage in the discussions, please contact AVCAA Rosenfeld.

How does that work? Messages From Across Our Campus

UHWO Human Resources

The UHWO Human Resources Office is happy to announce that a HR Microsite is now available. General information, links to union contracts, information for supervisors and FAQs are available. We would like to thank Erin Kim and John Ly for their leadership and guidance in helping us get this accomplished.

We would also like to celebrate with those who have started their next journey as they have chosen to retire on August 1, 2021. We wish them a long, joyous and healthy retirement and thank them for their contributions in making UH West Oʻahu a special place.

James Amihara – IT Specialist
Susan Adler – Professor, Early Childhood Education,
Susan Young – Associate Professor, Public Administration
Reid Young – Assistant Professor, Public Administration

We are committed to making education fairer and accessible. If we all pick-up a shovel and help we can strengthen our social responsibility.

Cartoon of a person shoveling snow of off stairs and not the wheelchair ramp thatdepicting unfairness to persons with a physical disability.

Important Announcements

Refer to our weekly bulletins or our news site Ka Puna O Kaloʻi for more information, updates, news, and announcements.