Ka Pe‘ahi Lono: Monthly Message for March 2025
Date/Time sent: 03/03/2025 2:00 pmUH West Oʻahu Value Proposition
We prepare 21st Century leaders, career creators through integrated, transdisciplinary programs where learners and teachers, together, discover and innovate and engage diverse communities to create a vibrant and socially just world.
Hoʻokāhi ka ilau like ana (Wield the paddles together)
Aloha mai kākou e UH West Oʻahu ʻOhana!
Our statement of commitment to our Vision, Mission, and Pahuhopu.
He maka au, he upena kākou (I am an eye, we are a net).
As a regional public university (RPU) and an anchor institution located on the Westside of Oʻahu, we serve the largest population of Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders, and many underserved families — all whom bring the brilliance of their rich ancestral stories and skills to our little corner of Honouliuli. Collectively we work daily to live into our pahuhopu (values/principles) that embraces equity and upward mobility, access to resources that strengthens resilience, and as both a civic and economic anchor we advance community prosperity. Indeed, we know that our actions today will have long-lasting effects on our students, their families, and communities. So as we reflect on our contributions as members of our Pueo learning community, let’s ask ourselves:
How can we, individually and collectively, engage the abundance of life’s wonders that comes from the diversities of our knowledge wells, programs and services, and our cultural uniqueness to uplift and inspire?
Our kāhea/our clarion call for 2025 is to be that beacon in West Oʻahu that gives hope and opportunity. Mahalo hou for all you do to ensure that we pūpūkahi i holomua!
Together we wield our paddles as we move our flotilla toward social justice and excellence for all our family members. Current executive orders and federal letters are expansive, and yes, confusing in their application and interpretation of diversity, equity, and inclusion programming and policies. To keep yourself informed please access the information and resources provided on the University of Hawai’i Federal Policies Update webpage. This site serves as a centralized hub for the latest news, guidance, and FAQs to support faculty, staff, and students.
Know that the University of Hawaiʻi’s stance is unequivocal! We will uphold our values through our efforts to build inclusive and diverse campus communities that are neither discriminatory nor illegal. Take a moment to read, again, President Hensel’s message to the UH System Community on Feb. 28.
My guidance to everyone at a time of uncertainty and frustration is to remain calm – keep yourself informed – and know that the UH West O’ahu leadership is consulting almost daily with our UH System executives and general counsel. We are compiling information and assessing our risk – with guidance from general counsel, State of Hawai’i Attorney General, and stakeholders and colleagues here and on the U.S. continent – as we comply with the law.
We will keep everyone informed, working collectively to continue to live into our pahuhopu. Mahalo for your patience and for your support!
E ʻeleu mai ʻoukou! Step lively, let’s move together!
E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor
Health and Well-Being Reminder
Keep in mind, kūkūlu kaiāulu! Please strengthen our community with your passions, respect for one another, and patience! Please respect an individual’s personal choice to wear a face mask. Mahalo to everyone, for your patience and empathy, your good work and commitment to care for one another!
Student Services
If you need to seek help during this uncertain time please reach out to UH West Oʻahu Mental Health Services. You are not alone! If you are interested in free mental health services, available for all UH West Oʻahu students, please email uhwotalk@hawaii.edu today. Individual treatment begins with an intake that helps us formulate a wellness plan tailored to your needs.
Faculty Services
Should you need support during this confusing and unpredictable time of change please reach out to UH West Oʻahu Human Resources.
Availability of Naloxone Kits
Just as some of us carry an EpiPen to address severe allergic reactions, you can now carry a naloxone (also known as Narcan) kit that can temporarily reverse the harmful effects of an opioid overdose and save a person’s life. Please know that the effects of naloxone wears off within 30-45 minutes so calling 911 is imperative. See this Steps of Naloxone Administration. Should you have any questions about Naloxone, please contact our school nurse, RN Stacey Kelly skelly3@hawaii.edu. Also go to our website.
COVID – Please continue to be vigilant
Although we are no longer in a public health emergency in regard to the COVID-19 virus please stay vigilant. Health officials are keeping watch on the latest variants and any rise in cases and their potential for causing serious illness.
If you test positive for COVID-19:
- Isolate for 5 days.
- After 5 days, you may return to work or classes if you have been fever-free for 24 hours.
- Wear a mask for an additional 5 days around others.
You can notify your instructor or supervisor that you tested positive for COVID-19 or that you have been exposed but it is not required. You should let them know if you will be out sick as you would for any other illness that would cause you to miss class or work time. Masking is optional on campus and in offices, except where required, for example, in certain healthcare-related clinical situations. Again, please respect an individual’s personal choice to wear a face mask.
Important Highlights
Every project, big or small, leads to new experiences and teaching moments that enable us to continue to do what we love– and for that we are so grateful. (Gratitude Statement)
Here are our February highlights you might have missed:
- Groundbreaking UH study advances national food system collaboration
- 3 UH campuses selected for student success transfer program
- UH West O‘ahu’s Yong organizes ‘Indigenous Voices in Mathematics’ sessions
Here are helpful links to keep you informed:
University of Hawai’i Federal Policies Update webpage – This UH System resource provides up-to-date information of Federal Executive Orders and their impact on our programs. Additional resources and information are provided.
Makahaiwaʻa – Weekly newsletter (emailed to students, faculty, staff on the first business day of each week). Includes weekly highlights, health, and safety reminders, UH System messages, etc.
Ka Puna O Kaloʻi – Online campus news site.
Impact Reports – Campus highlights covering topics such as summer bridge programs, workforce development data, etc.
Communications Request Form (for faculty/staff submissions only) – Submit here to publicize events, honors, announcements campuswide.
Current Students – Information for students about registration, financial aid, and support services, among other topics relevant to UH West Oʻahu students.
Faculty/Staff – Information about campus departments, faculty/staff directory, and faculty resources, among other topics relevant to UH West Oʻahu employees.
Enrollment Management – Information about our enrollment strategies and ways faculty, staff, and students can kōkua.
Here are some dates to put on your calendar:
March 17-21 – Spring Break
March 22-23 – Hawaiʻi E-Sports Invitational
April 5 – Onizuka Day hosted at UH West Oʻahu
May 2 – Last day of Spring 2025 Instruction
May 10 – 2025 Annual Commencement
In celebration of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi, Wednesday, March 26
On Wednesday, March 26, we will celebrate the birth of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi and the passage of the Hawaiian Homelands Act. Keaʻili Makaʻainana, the Citizen Prince, as he became known, was born to High Chief David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi and Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike, the youngest daughter of Kaumuali‘i, in the Kōloa District of Kaua‘i, on March 26, 1871. He served as the second delegate to U.S. Congress from 1903-1921, and among his noteable achievements is remembered for getting Congress to designate public lands for Native Hawaiian families, the Hawaiian Homestead Act.
Learn more here.
Have a bit more time, listen in to a CNHA-hosted presentation with Dr. Hailama Farden and Dr. Keith Akana.
Hana Lawelawe: On Leadership
This month I would like to highlight the mighty team of Hoʻokele Huakaʻi Naʻauao: Navigating the Learned Journey, Hoʻokele for short. This is a US Department of Education (USDOE), Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian (ANNH) Title III, 5-year grant that began October 1, 2024. The purpose is to increase Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and all adult transfer students from Kauaʻi and Maui. The work of the Hoʻokele team supports our current transfer efforts with Leeward Community College and with Windward Community College through our partnered USDOE ANNH grants. Hoʻokele Huakaʻi Naʻauao is named in recognition of the knowledge, skill, and bravery of native ancestors who navigated the vast Pacific to establish a new home here in Hawaiʻi. This project leverages the strengths of all our participating campuses and integrates innovative technologies, solution-oriented thinking, and remote learning opportunities with ancestral knowledge and cultural assets to address transfer, persistence, and graduation gaps to enhance equitable transfer pathways for more of Hawaiʻi’s distance learners to ensure an efficient, supported, and affordable bachelor’s degree journey.
In addition, Dr. Amy Bumatai is co-leading our participation in a year-long transfer focused strategic planning initiative led by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) and the American Association of State College and Universities (AASCU) with our community college partners Kauaʻi Community College and Honolulu Community College. You can read more about the program, which we just kicked-off in February. You can read more about this effort in this Ka Puna O Kaloʻi article.
In essence, the goal of this brilliant team is strengthening our transfer student pathways to UH West Oʻahu by weaving ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) into the fabric of a students’ learning journey through leveraging the integration of innovative tools and technologies with an aim toward a solutions-oriented mindset to ignite and empower students to be change-makers and community contributors and leaders. Mahalo Hoʻokele team and all our faculty, staff, and students engaged in our transfer student programs!
Hoʻomanaʻo Mai
UH West Oʻahu Human Resources
This is a friendly reminder that the UHWO Human Resources team will be off campus attending a System-wide Investigation Training session at Mānoa on March 4, 5, and 6. Please let your management teams know that while we will have our laptops, and the ability to periodically check our emails, our responsiveness will be limited and/or delayed during this time.
We encourage you and/or your teams that for any matters or impending transactions that may require immediate or urgent HR attention, action, or processing to please contact us or submit before March 4 to mitigate any delays caused by the limited UHWO HR staffing/availability on March 4, 5, and 6.
Hawaiʻi Foodbank Drive
The Hawaiʻi Foodbank has kicked off its Annual State Employees Food Drive, which runs through May 9, 2025. The issue of hunger continues to be a major challenge facing our community, affecting those most vulnerable among us, and the University of Hawai‘i (UH) ʻohana is not immune from this issue.
According to The State of Food Insecurity in Hawai‘i 2023 study conducted by the Hawai‘i Foodbank, the issue of food insecurity certainly hits home for many of our students. The study found that 49% of young adults ages 18-29 were most affected by food insecurity, and concurrently, 44% of those currently enrolled in higher education were food insecure. Throughout the years, the Hawai‘i Foodbank has distributed food to the various campus food pantries across the University of Hawai‘i (UH) System, with 819,082 pounds of food distributed, so a donation to the Hawai‘i Foodbank is a donation to help those in our student population and others needing assistance and support.
Hawai‘i Foodbank’s state employees food drive’s goal this year is to raise $167,000 and 50,000 pounds of food (which would provide food for 500,000 meals).
The top 5 most wanted items:
- Financial contributions
- Canned healthy proteins
- Canned meals
- Canned vegetables or fruits
- Rice (5-10 lb. bags)
Please note that monetary donations are also being accepted via the Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s Online Donation page.
In 2024, UH employees accounted for over $53,000 and over 11,900 pounds of food for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank (which provided food for more than 125,666 meals), making UH one of the largest contributors among all State offices.
We look forward to continuing the UH’s long tradition of support for the Hawaiʻi Foodbank.
Please take a moment to consider contributing to assist those who are most in need.
Information about this year’s Food Drive can be found at http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/president/foodbank.
Mahalo!
University of Hawaiʻi
Data Governance and Information Security Briefing
Faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to attend UH’s semesterly data governance and information security briefing. We are pleased to have Steven Merrill, our current UH Director of Emergency Management and former FBI Special Agent who retired as Special Agent in Charge of FBI Honolulu, as our guest speaker. He will address his role at UH, risk assessments at our campuses, and emergency planning and response. Other topics covered will include current threats, vulnerabilities, and compliance updates.
WEBINAR INFORMATION
Date: Monday, March 24, 2025
Time: 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Register in advance for this webinar
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Please do not share your Zoom link with others. It is a unique link tied to your registration, not a public link, so others will not be able to log on to the session if they attempt to use the same link.
The session will be recorded and made available at https://datagov.intranet.hawaii.edu/training/.
Questions? Email infosec@hawaii.edu.
UH Google AND AI
We are excited to announce the availability of the Google AI Essentials course to all University of Hawaiʻi students and employees. This self-paced online course is designed to help you harness the power of generative AI tools to boost productivity, enhance decision-making, and foster creativity in your daily tasks.
Course Highlights:
- Duration: Complete the course in under 10 hours at your own pace.
- Content: Learn from AI experts at Google through engaging videos, hands-on activities, and practical applications.
- Curriculum Includes:
- Introduction to AI
- Maximizing Productivity with AI Tools
- The Art of Prompt Engineering
- Using AI Responsibly
- Staying Ahead of the AI Curve
Upon successful completion, you will earn a digital badge issued by Credly, which you can showcase on your professional profiles and resumes.
Limited Licenses: The University has secured a limited number of licenses for this course, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Course Access: Once registered, you will have 30 days to complete the training.
Renewal Option: Three days before your access expires, you will receive a reminder email with the option to renew the license for an additional 30 days.
Access the UH – Google AI Essentials Registration Page and follow the enrollment instructions. This is a valuable opportunity to develop in-demand AI skills and stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. For assistance with technical questions, please contact the ITS Web Group at webhead@hawaii.edu
Quarterly Report from the UH Strategic Plan Student Success Committee
The UH Strategic Plan Student Success Committee expresses our appreciation to everyone who continues to implement the student success imperative of our Strategic Plan 2023-2029, Hawai‘i’s University for Today and Tomorrow.
We share with you our first quarterly newsletter of 2025 where we provide program and student stories that were contributed by the campuses and System offices.
Planning for next quarter’s newsletter is already in progress, so if you have any student success stories that you’d like to include in a future Student Success newsletter, please send them to Chassidy Sakamoto at cksakamo@hawaii.edu.
Student Success Committee Co-Conveners
Alan Rosenfeld, Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Policy
Farrah-Marie Gomes, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs