Ka Pe‘ahi Lono: Monthly Message for May
Date/Time sent: 05/01/2023 12:00 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!
In this month’s Ka Peʻahi Lono, we feature a special message from Dr. Jeff Moniz, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, titled, What I Have Learned. Jeff has led our academic hale through multiple changes that have served to streamline operations, pivot and strengthen our programs, and fortify the foundation of our core endeavors – learning, teaching, and service. He will be returning to the faculty as a Professor in our Education Division. Living his dream job of preparing teacher leaders to serve our current and next generation of educational leaders. We are grateful for his service and we know he will continue to be an advocate for UH West Oʻahu and a mentor for faculty, staff, and students.
Graduation is just around the corner! Time to celebrate the accomplishments of our brilliant graduates! This Spring we have invited graduates from 2020 through the COVID years to join us and “finally” march across the stage and be recognized!! And, while we will be celebrating at the Stan Sheriff on the campus of UH Mānoa, we will bring our special west-side spirit and flair. More importantly our graduates can invite their entire ʻohana and extended ʻohana!! Hereʻs a graduation reminder and update from our graduation committee:
The Spring 2023 Commencement will be held at the SimpliFi Stan Sheriff Center in Mānoa this Saturday, May 6, starting at 9 a.m. We’re delighted to present a celebration of our graduates’ accomplishments with lei-giving festivities at the Les Murakami Stadium following the commencement program. Graduates from 2020, 2021, and 2022 have been invited to participate in this celebration. We are pleased to feature TWO student speakers, Anthony Miguel (Education) and Gabriel Navalta (Creative Media), who will share their inspirational stories about their respective journeys.
This transition to the SimpliFi Stan Sheriff Center and the Les Murakami Stadium improves the experience for our graduates and their families and friends, increases our attendance and parking capacity, and addresses many health and safety concerns – including weather threats.
We’re excited for our candidates for graduation and are grateful for our faculty, ambassador volunteers, and all those who will contribute to making this a memorable and uplifting experience for all. Check out our Commencement FAQs, for information on directions, parking, and what you can/cannot bring into the arena. Tickets and parking passes are NOT a requirement for this commencement.
Email uhwograd@hawaii.edu if you have any questions.
E ʻeleu mai ʻoukou! Step lively, let’s move together!
As we roll through the closing of another spectacular academic year, I would like to mahalo you again for stepping up and being a partner in our recovery efforts. Enrollment is on an upward trajectory – and while we have to continue to be intentional and relentless – we will soon surpass our pre-COVID numbers! We are learning how to best provide our classes, i.e., in-person and blended, hence, utilizing our campus more efficiently. Oh yes — mahalo for your patience as we continue to make repairs to our beautiful library. And, while we are moving through a period of leadership shifts, we are being thoughtful and inclusive to ensure we are guided by the best thought leaders committed to UH West Oʻahu and the communities we serve.
Please scroll through this lengthy May Ka Peʻahi Lono to the Hoʻomanaʻo Mai section. There you will find the following messages: (1) Update on the Food Bank, (2) Onizuka Day of Exploration 2023, (3) Student Basic Needs Report, and (4) New HIP Portal.
Wishing you all good summer thoughts and adventures!
E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor
Health and Well-being Reminder
The COVID-19 vaccines are still one of the best tools available to protect against the COVID-19 virus. The virus remains a serious health concern, especially for those in high-risk categories. See more information on the new COVID-19 bivalent booster, vaccination options for children and vaccination sites near you.
The new booster is specifically designed to protect against original COVID-19 and Omicron sub-variants.
Keep in mind, kūkulu 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!
Important Highlights
Here are our April highlights you might have missed:
- Grateful alum supports Pre-Nursing at UH West Oʻahu
- Commencement student speaker is grateful and inspired
- ‘Grit and determination’ part of commencement student speaker’s message
Our Spring 2023 Kūkulu Kaiāulu Building Community Quarterly Impact Report features our successful teacher education students. Each making a significant impact on the lives of their students and the communities they serve.
Spring 2023 Humanities Capstone Colloquium. Just in case you missed this years colloquium, for your listening pleasure here is Precious Eligio, who is graduating this semester with a Certificate in Music and a BA in Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology and Sociology:
Hana Lawelawe: On Leadership
A message from Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jeff Moniz
What I Have Learned / My Takeaways from the Last Seven Years:
Thoughts I’d Like to Leave with You
Springing from the Academic Soul
Chancellor Benham graciously asked me, as I prepare to leave the role of Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA), if I could share what I have learned from the last seven years as VCAA. I realize that many of my learnings have yet to reveal themselves. Ask me, again, after I gain a new perspective with some distance from the VCAA position. Here is, though, what I’ve learned, thus far:
Together, we are powerful. I think of what we’ve accomplished, especially the goals we’ve achieved, in the face of relentless challenges and obstacles. Examples include the building and development of new academic programs, while running the gauntlet of gatekeepers. They also include, of course, how our campus community successfully met the challenges of the pandemic, in service to our students and each other. In these examples, togetherness through teamwork has always been key to helping us overcome daunting obstacles.
We are poised for an even brighter future. UH West O‘ahu continues to represent great promise. I still believe that the opening of the rail will bring appreciable gifts our way. Our potential as a campus community lies between what is and what we know we can be. Identifying those gifts and using them to help our potential materialize should result in the realization of our learners’ dreams. It’s been a joy to witness and participate in the fulfillment of collective and individual visions. I’m excited about the prospects of their contributions to creating the vibrant and just world, as described in our value proposition.
Finally, I have learned how fortunate I am to have worked with such a richly diverse and dedicated team of faculty and staff. I’m filled with gratitude for the privilege of living and learning with you for the past seven years. I am honored to have served in the wonderful role as the chief officer responsible for the academic soul of our university. Thank you for having me. I look forward to contributing more as a professor and am excited about continuing my learning journey with you in the next season of my life.
Hoʻomanaʻo Mai
UHWO Foodbank Food Drive Committee
Aloha UH West Oʻahu ʻohana,
The Hawaiʻi Foodbank has kicked off its Annual State Employees Food Drive, which runs through May 18, 2023. The issue of hunger continues to be a major challenge facing our community, affecting those most vulnerable among us, and the University of Hawaiʻi ʻohana is not immune from this issue. With the higher cost of food and the elimination of emergency allotments provided to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawaiʻi Foodbank is bracing for higher demand of their services.
Hawai‘i Foodbank’s state employees food drive’s goal this year is to raise $150,000 and 70,000 pounds of food.
Drop off items from Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Nāulu Center, starting today through Thursday, May 18. Call 808-689-2673 if you need assistance with drop-offs.
The five most needed items are monetary donations, canned proteins, canned meals, canned fruits and vegetables, and bags of rice. Please note that monetary donations are also being accepted via the Hawaiʻi Foodbank’s Online Donation page – be sure to select UH West Oʻahu!
Mahalo for your generosity!
Mahalo! Onizuka Day of Excellence
We were honored to host the Boy Scouts of America’s Onizuka Day of Excellence on our campus. And, while it was difficult to ascertain the final numbers the campus was energized with the dreams of exploration and inquiry. Did you get to see the Blackhawk and the Apache that landed on our great lawn? Mahalo to all UHWO ʻOhana who made this a very special day!
Hereʻs a message and a couple photos from Brad Ashburn who enjoyed the day with friends and family:
“What a great day seeing so many people enjoying themselves on our campus! It felt like Fall 2019 again when I joined the UHWO ohana. Mahalo for bringing this opportunity to engage with the community. I wish all the faculty could have felt the energy.”
For more photos and a story about Onizuka Day of Excellence please go here.
Student Basic Needs Report from the UH System
Trends, Resources Available to Address
Student Basic Needs Insecurity Across UH System
As the spring semester wraps up, we would like to remind our university community of the prevalence of food and other forms of student basic needs insecurity, nationally and in the UH System. This insecurity encompasses students who lack access to nutritious food, secure housing, reliable transportation, mental and physical health support and/or financial stability.
The UH System Basic Needs Committee was formed in 2019 by the University of Hawaiʻi System to address this issue. This committee aims to provide comprehensive support and resources to students experiencing basic needs insecurity. The committee includes students, staff, and faculty across the UH system. Initiated by the Committee in 2020, the UH System Student Basic Needs Master Plan sets forth priorities and action items identified by all ten campuses across the state.
In response to the increasing demand for basic needs resources, the UH system has compiled a list of available resources on each campus. The resources include food pantries, housing support, emergency funds, and counseling services. Students can access a range of on-campus resources by visiting our UH Student Basic Needs website. The UH System has also partnered with findhelp.org to provide students with access to community, state and federal basic needs resources.
According to de-identified user data collected by findhelp.org, a platform that connects students with basic needs resources, 3,268 students have used the service since the site’s launch in March 2021. 17,047 searches for basic needs resources have been conducted since then. Of these searches, housing, money, and food made up the highest percentage of searches by category from March 2021 – March 31, 2023.
A summary of trends in de-identified UH student findhelp.org user data (March 2021 – March 31, 2023) may be found here.
New Virtual Basic Needs Café Launched!
Supported by a generous grant from the Stupski Foundation, the UH System has now launched a Virtual Basic Needs Café to support students during the evening hours. The Café operates Sunday – Thursday (8.00pm – 12.00am) and provides a safe and welcoming space for students to connect with professional staff and access basic needs resources. Interested students can access the Virtual Basic Needs Café here. Students are also welcome to reach out to Café staff via email at uhsbn@hawaii.edu.
The UH system recognizes that basic needs insecurity can significantly impact a student’s academic success and overall well-being. Through the efforts of the Basic Needs Committee and the availability of resources and support, the UH system hopes to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Human Resources: For Faculty and Staff
Starting in May 2023, your HIP portal will have an updated look.
