Meeting Minutes
Feb 6, 2026

I. Opening Protocol

1. Land Acknowledgement: Chair Stan Orr
2. Mele Honouliuli: Sen. Carrie Larger

II. Administrative Reports

1. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Administration (Vice-Chancellor David McDonald)
   1. Farrington Road Construction: Upgrades and widening have been delayed and may skip over the campus entry initially, with construction affecting the campus ingress expected around summer, possibly July. To mitigate traffic, ingress will continue via Farrington, while egress will be routed past ACM through Holomua and onto Kualaka‘i due to road narrowness and park-and-ride bus constraints.
   2. Legislative Session & Workforce: The legislative session has begun with expectations of very limited funding as the state prepares for potential federal funding reductions. There is a sharp Senate focus on workforce alignment, and the campus should be prepared to effectively demonstrate its workforce impact
2. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (Director of Student Development Dee Uwono)
   1. eBanner Transition: Acknowledged ongoing challenges and manual processes, noting that President Hensel has committed to making fixes a first priority. Faculty are urged to immediately report any glitches to Vicki and Martin.
   2. EAB Navigate Rollout: The system is on track for campus testing in April or May, with a planned rollout for student use by June.
   3. Basic Needs Program: A driver is urgently needed for Sunday food pickups at the Liliha Farmers Market. Volunteers are also requested to help sort food on Wednesdays, with the possibility of redirecting spoiled perishables to local farms.
   4. We Go West: The third annual incoming freshman event is scheduled for Thursday, April 2nd, and faculty are encouraged to host tables.
   5. Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT): The traditional BIT is currently inactive, and cases are being managed via an ad hoc, multidisciplinary response. A formal re-evaluation with Chancellor Peñaloza is underway, with updates expected in March; in the interim, concerns should continue to be reported through the existing form monitored by Chris Neves
3. Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Vice-Chancellor Harald Barkhoff)
   1. Tenure & Promotion: Expressed a profound “big mahalo” to the TPRCs for completing their reports on tenure, promotion, and contract renewals.
   2. Schedule Rollout: Assured the Senate that despite the eBanner transition challenges, Academic Affairs is working closely with the scheduler (Becky) and remains confident in rolling out the summer and fall schedules.
   3. Modality Strategy: Clarified that the current gap analysis of online-only programs is strictly for programmatic evaluation; there is no intention to eliminate in-person classes. Exploratory collaboration discussions with Leeward CC are also in progress.
4. Office of the Chancellor (Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza)
   1. Administrative Processes: Engaging in process improvements via delegations to reduce operational bottlenecks, and explicitly requested suggestions via email.
   2. Joint Advisory Group (JAG): A new advisory group spanning UH West Oʻahu and Leeward CC is forming to explore collaboration. The Chancellor has requested three nominees from the Faculty Senate by the end of February, with the first meeting anticipated in March.
   3. Legislative & Federal Updates: Noted legislative scrutiny regarding campus space utilization, necessitating better data context. Also shared that federal FY26 budgets restored funds for TRIO and GEAR UP programs.
   4. Communications: Announced upcoming shifts in the Communications Office aimed at enhancing the university’s external narrative and storytelling

III. Action Items: Approval of Faculty Senate Minutes

1. The January 2026 minutes were distributed by Senate Vice Chair Katherine Aumer and approved without objection.

IV. Committee Reports

1. Academic Affairs and Planning (Sen. Tom Scheiding): No report was provided.
2. Budget and Resources (Sen. Lisa Rosenlee):
   1. The application portal is now closed, and the committee has established a review process.
   2. The committee is targeting the March Senate meeting to present its approval list.
3. Curriculum Committee (Sen. Robyn Tasakao, Vice Chair):
   1. A motion was made to adopt the committee’s approvals and recommendations, which were formally adopted without objection
4. Distance Education (Katherine Aumer, Chair)
   1. Discussed a potential shift from course-based approvals to instructor-based approvals, highlighting needs for LMS training, ADA compliance, and IT support
5. General Education (Sen. Megan Ross):
   1. No new course approvals were presented.
   2. Reminded faculty that the system-wide GE changes are open for comment until March 20. General Education Committee Materials
      1. UH Campus Senates need to submit feedback by March 20th 2026)
   3. Two informational Zoom (Friday February 13th (at 10am) and Wednesday February 18th at 1pm) sessions will be hosted over the next two weeks via the No`eau Center Zoom Room, and the GE subcommittee will convene on February 20 to consolidate collective feedback.
6. Program Review (Sen. Joy Mahiko)
   1. The BSNS program will request a one-year extension to refine its established-program proposal due to budget scrutiny and enrollment projection requirements.
   2. Labor Studies and Cyber programs will submit established-program applications this spring.
   3. The Humanities program is finalizing plans for an external reviewer visit in April.
7. Sustainability (Sen. Rouel Velasco)
   1. Sustainability-Focused (SF) course designation applications are due February 13.
   2. Urged the campus to participate in a cardboard collection campaign for the Māla student organic garden.
   3. Promoted Kokua Care Services for student basic needs and requested faculty to volunteer or host interactive activities for Earth Day on April 22.
8. Student Affairs (Sen. Ke’alohi Perry): No report was provided.

V. Faculty Senate Chair Reports

1. ASUHWO Update (Pres. Rigoberto Gomez)
   1. Shared insights from the system-wide Holopilihou conference in Kaua‘i and requested faculty engagement in recruiting student leaders for upcoming spring elections.
   2. Committed to publishing insights from student consultations
2. Faculty Senate Chair Report (FS Chair Stan Orr)
   1. Resolutions: Progress is being made on the backlog of Senate resolutions currently with the administration; a 2025 resolution was ratified, and charter updates are forthcoming.
      1. Resolution passed (2025-01)
   2. Consultations: Faculty are encouraged to provide comments on active-duty military and system-wide AI policy consultations.
      1. Consultation on:
         1. EP 2.13
         2. EP 2.17
         3. Consultation on RP.5.213
         4. Consultation EP.5.217
         5. EP on AI
            1. Draft
            2. Consultation Feedback Form
   3.  Joint Advisory Group (JAG): Detailed the workload for the JAG, noting meetings will span the spring, summer, and next academic year. After consultation with the Chancellor on confirmed composition of the group, Chair Orr will be able to provide process. Chair Orr invited prospective nominees to contact him. 

VI. Faculty Discussion in Executive Session

A. Executive Session was held.