2014 april 14

A K LEO T H E

MONDAY, APRIL 14 to TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014 VOLUME 109 ISSUE 74

Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

V O I C E

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@KALEOOHAWAII for BREAKING NEWS, UPDATES, WEB EXCLUSIVES & VIDEO COVERAGE.

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MORE MONEY FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS? ? $

? $

ALEX BITTER City Desk Since her first semester at the University of Hawai‘i, Heide Murakami has used money from several sources to pay for college.

Most helpful in that ef for t, the junior chemistr y major said, has been the Pell Grant she’s received from the federal government.

“It pays for quite a bit in college,” she said. “I’ve gotten a Pell Grant for three years so far, and each time, I’ve received $5,200 to $5,400. That’s roughly a little over half of tuition (at UH).”

Murakami is one of many low-income students at UH this semester who may get additional help paying for their degree thanks to a bill introduced in congress last week.

The bill, introduced by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and other members of Congress, would restore year-round

Pell Grant funding, an option created in 2008 and eliminated in 2011.

It would also make the spending on the Pell automatic, similar to existing programs like Social Security.

But one Hawai‘i-based financial aid expert says the congressional battle over increasing the need-based Pell Grant is just getting started and that any new funding that the federal government approves won’t reach students until 2015.

Continued on page 2

Page 2 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

News

K A LEO T H E

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EDITORIAL STAFF Editor in Chief Bianca Bystrom Pino Managing Editor Joseph Han Chief Copy Editor Kim Clark Assoc Chief Copy Editor Wesley Babcock Design Editor Roselle Julian Associate Design Editor Lilian Cheng News Editor Noelle Fujii Assoc News Editor Fadi Youkhana City Editor Alex Bitter Features Editor Brad Dell Assoc Features Editor Nicolyn Charlot Opinions Editor Doorae Shin Assoc Opinions Editor Kristen Bonifacio Sports Editor Joey Ramirez Assoc Sports Editor Hayley Musashi Comics Editor Nicholas Smith Photo Editor Jessica Homrich Assoc Photo Editor Shane Grace Web Specialist Blake Tolentino Web Editor Joanne Hayag Web Editor Robert Chang

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E-mail advertising@kaleo.org Ad Manager Gabrielle Pangilinan PR Coordinator Tianna Barbier Ka Leo O Hawai‘i is the campus newspaper of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

It is published by the Board of Publications three times a week except on holidays and during exam periods. Circulation is 10,000.

Ka Leo is also published once a week during summer sessions with a circulation of 5,000. Ka Leo is funded by student fees and advertising. Its editorial content reflects only the views of its writers, reporters, columnists and editors, who are solely responsible for its content. No material that appears in Ka Leo may be reprinted or republished in any medium without permission. The first newsstand copy is free; for additional copies, please visit Ka Leo. Subscription rates are $50 for one semester and $85 for one year. ©2012 Board of Publications.

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The Board of Publications, a student organization chartered by the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents, publishes Ka Leo O Hawai‘i. Issues or concerns can be reported to the board (Rebekah Carroll, chair; Alex Kasula, vice chair; or Mechelins Kora Iechad, treasurer) via bop@hawaii.edu.

Visit www.kaleo.org/board_of_publications

Twitter @kaleoohawaii | news@kaleo.org | Noelle Fujii Editor | Fadi Youkhana Associate

?

? $

CHALLENGES TO ADDRESS About 4,000 Mānoa students received money for the spring 2014 semester through the Pell Grant program, according to data provided by the university’s Financial Aid Services.

They received an average of $3,900 for the term, according to the data. The maximum amount one student can receive is $5,645, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

UH Director of Financial Aid Services Jodie Kuba said students who qualify for the grant can only receive it for 12 semesters.

While many UH students finish their degree in that time, others who take longer and qualify for the grant are cut off for their rest of their undergraduate career, she said.

This semester, for example, about 60 Mānoa students reached that cap, making them ineligible for more Pell funding.

The year-round grant was also challenging to administer because it allowed students to receive money for summer school, according to Kuba.

That meant financial aid of ficers had to ensure that students were enrolled in the minimum number of credits during summer to qualify for the funding, she said. “(That) required us to constantly monitor anyone on their second Pell Grant since any change in enrollment required revision or cancellation,” she said.

Current rules only allow students to receive Pell funding for two terms, including summer, each year.

Despite the administrative challenges, both the amount of money awarded and the number of

cover story students receiving it at Mānoa jumped dramatically after the year-round Pell was implemented.

In summer 2009, shortly after the change was approved at the federal level, Kuba said UH distributed more than $100,000 to about 150 students.

The following summer, those numbers increased to $800,000 awarded to 600 students, though both saw a steep decline after the yearround option was eliminated.

A ʻNEGO TIATIN G C HIPʼ But Frank Green, a board member of the Pacific Financial Aid Association, said Hirono’s legislation wouldn’t pass before the mid-term elections this fall.

He said the bill is an attempt to get Congress to talk about expanding the Pell Grant program ahead of a larger debate about reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, which governs much of the federal aid awarded to college students.

“They’re getting people looking at what might be out there and where the tradeoffs might be,” he said.

Since the next Congress isn’t likely to take up that legislation until next Januar y, Hirono’s bill and others like it are an indication of what higher education issues members of Congress are willing to fight for, according to Green.

“It puts negotiating chips out on the table,” he said.

Green, who hosts college finance planning sessions for Hawai‘i high-school students, said the year-round option encourages low-income students to finish school on time by taking summer courses.

$

According to Green, the details of Hirono’s proposal, including the automatic spending provision, would enable students to plan further into the future without worrying about funding.

“It lends a lot of support to (degree) completion,” he said. “Congress can’t take it away from you.”

TO GO OR N O T TO GO

In addition to encouraging current college students to finish their degrees, the Pell is also a deciding factor for many high-school students considering higher education.

Regan Honda, a college counselor at Farrington High School, said many of his college-bound students receive funding through the grant.

He said many of Farrington’s students who receive free or reduced school lunch also qualify for a full or near-full Pell.

“It might not be a full Pell Grant, but they qualify,” he said. “For our students, finances are such a big determinant.”

Ivee Cruz, Honda’s counterpart at the University Lab High School, said she thinks recent cutbacks in need-based financial aid like the Pell have forced students to consider options closer to home.

While about a third of the school’s seniors stayed in Hawai‘i for college when she started as a counselor at the school six years ago, she said about half have chosen to stay in-state this year.

According to Cruz, the debate about Pell Grants in Congress and the uncertainty about the grant’s future have made it difficult for her to advise her students.

“I hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” she said.

advertising@kaleo.org | Gabrielle Pangilinan Student Ad Manager

Page 3 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

72 hour film

challenge

APRIL

President’s Message

25 to 28

Aloha students, Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful spring break filled with fun, relaxa on, and even produc vity as we move forward with closing the semester off in just a ma er of weeks! Gradua on is closer than ever, and I want all of us here at UH Mānoa to have a strong finish of the Spring 2014 semester.

uhpro.org

April 25 to 28

Do you have a strong interest in

campus media?

ARE YOU LOOKING TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS? JOIN THE STUDENT MEDIA BOARD (SMB). THE BOARD OVERSEES:

• Ka Leo O Hawaii, the campus Newspaper • KTUH FM (90.3), the campus radio station • Hawaii Review, the campus literary magazine

We are also con nuing our Spring 2014 General Elec ons, with our campaigning period going on with vo ng beginning on Monday, April 7! Be a part of deciding who will help to lead the 102nd Senate into represen ng you by vo ng from April 7 to April 15 on your MyUH portal. A full list of the candidates can be found at our website, and stay tuned for upcoming events to learn more about each of them.

• UH Productions, the campus video production group

How to Apply:

Your ASUH Senate will be par cipa ng this year with the Hawai‘i Food Bank’s Annual Food Drive. As the only student organiza on par cipa ng on our campus in this ini a ve, we encourage all students to donate and to be a part of our team. For more informa on, please visit us at our office in Campus Center 211A.

Email or call Sandy Matsui at matsuis@hawaii.edu or 956-7043.

Printed application forms due at the Ka Leo Office in Hemenway 107 by FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2014.

There is also only a li le over a month le in this year’s legisla ve session, where many bills and resolu ons that can posi vely impact students at UH are s ll being heard and decided on by our state legislators. Let us know what ma ers to you in your me at our Mānoa campus – our state legislators are here to empower us and help in making a difference, and you can play a role in the future of student life now and into the future. If you are interested in learning more about the legisla ve process, and even playing an ac ve role as a student who wants to advocate for our campus, let us know so we can assist in empowering you to have an impact this year.

As always, let us know how we can be er serve you. Contact us at our office to learn more about our ini a ves and what we’re up to!

Sincerely,

Richard Mizusawa President, ASUH 101st Senate

Page 4 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Twitter @kaleofeatures | features@kaleo.org |Brad Dell Editor |Nicolyn Charlot Associate

Features

‘Gappers’ is persistently funny NICOLYN C HARLOT Associate Features Editor

Kennedy Theatre’s fi nal mainstage production of the season, “The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip,” is an amusing musical, perfect for children and adults alike.

The play revolves around Capable, a 10 -year-old girl who spends her days taking care of her father and grooming gappers off of her goats in the small town of Frip. Gappers are bright orange creatures with multiple eyes that love goats. However, the goats are unable to sleep when they are covered in gappers, so they become sick. When the gapper problem becomes too serious, Capable must figure out a new way to handle them, as well as how to handle her eccentric neighbors. The play finishes by hinting at uplifting morals that are perfect for children, and not too gooey for adults.

The wide variety of characters is one of the main reasons this production is lovable.

Capable is practical and charming, which makes her a good lead for a children’s play.

She also has a wonderful singing voice, which adds to the show. Her neighbors, however, are my favorites. The dynamic between Carol Ronsen and Bea Romo, who live on either side of Capable, is absolutely fantastic. Their wacky attempts to upstage each other lead to hilarity, which is further enhanced by the fact that the actor, Timothy Callais, who plays Carol, also plays her husband, Sid Ronsen.

The cross dressing alone is quite funny, but when the actor had to converse with himself in both roles, I could not stop giggling.

The gappers themselves are well done.

While they are cute characters designed to sing and amuse children, they also include some humor for older members of the audience. The Smart Gapper also has a great singing voice. The gapper ensemble makes it blatantly clear that they adore goats, but during the show that deep affection is ref lected upon, which produces an interesting dilemma for the gappers to solve.

A lthough the majority of the show is funny and cheerful, there are some poignant moments that are surprisingly heartfelt. The relationship between Capable and her father usually brings this out, as Capable’s mother died before the events in the play. Capable’s

father is heartbroken, but it is clear that he still loves his daughter and wants the best for her. The moments when their grief and love for each other come together produce touching scenes. These were nice additions to a play that is primarily lighthearted, especially because they impart good values to their audience.

While the show was ultimately enjoyable, it was not perfect. The lyrics to the songs are pleasant, but not particularly enthralling, and there were times when the group’s singing was out of sync. The plot was clearly designed for children, which, while not a bad thing, did make some parts of the show a little tedious for an older viewer. However, such moments are few and far between.

This production’s comedy treads a fine line between being over-the-top and just right. Luckily, it lands on the side of just right. Bea’s wacky opera singing, the gapper’s high-pitched screeches at the sight of goats and the silly interactions between the two sets of twins in the show are all balanced in such a way that children will be entertained, but adults won’t be annoyed.

Although some rather obvious sappy morals pop up toward the end of the show, they are not obnoxious or distracting, and they also make it more encouraging for people to bring their children to the production.

As long as viewers bear in mind that the show is designed for younger audiences, they will love this production as much as gappers love goats.

RATING:

‘The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip’

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNEDY THEATRE

Purchase Info Tickets are available at the Kennedy Theatre box office; the box office is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours on performance dates. Tickets may also be purchased online at etickethawaii.com, by phone at (808) 944-2697 and at participating outlets.

When: April 11, 12, 18 and 19, 7:30 p.m.; April 20, 2 p.m.

Where: UHM’s Kennedy Theatre Mainstage, 1770 East-West Road Tickets: $20 general admission, $18 seniors/ military, UH faculty and staff, $15 UHAA members, $13 students, $10 children 2-17, $5 UHM students with validated ID.

advertising@kaleo.org | Gabrielle Pangilinan Student Ad Manager

Page 5 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

DID YOU KNOW?

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Taking 15 credits is the same cost as taking 12 credits. You’re getting 3 credits for FREE!

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Monday A pril 7, 6:0 0am TuesdAY, A to pril 15, 4 :00pm via myuh.haw your aii.edu po rtal

What would you do if hundreds of little orange critters decided to take up residence on the family goat?

It’s Gapper MANIA!

April 11, 12, 18, 19 at 7:30pm April 20 at 2pm UHM Student Specials (UHM validated Spring 14 ID required)

t$5 to any performance tBuy-One-Get-One Free Night: April 18 Tickets available beginning at 5pm on day of show.

Supported by Student Activity Fees.

Tickets on sale NOW at Kennedy Theatre, online at etickethawaii.com, Stan Sheriff Center, Campus Center, and at 944-2697.

Visit www.hawaii.edu/kennedy for more info!

General Elections

Page 6 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Twitter @kaleoopinions | opinions@kaleo.org | Doorae Shin Editor| Kristen Bonifacio Associate

Opinions Likelihood of being incarcerated

32%

17%

6%

African-American male

Latino male

White male

Racism defined through privilege and oppression CAELAN HUGHES Staff Writer In this article, not only will I be following up on an editorial I wrote titled “Busting the myth of reverse racism,” but I will also be responding to a counter article called “Hitting rewind on the reverse racism issue: a statistical analysis” by Brad Dell.

As a white person speaking out against the concept of reverse racism, I was not surprised to see such passionate responses from readers, and I want to address the issue further.

WHY I WRO TE ABOUT RACISM According to NBC News, Hawai‘i, along with Texas, California and New Mexico, are states with a racial majority that is made up of minorities, particularly Asian-Americans.

As a white person who grew up in Honolulu, I was called “haole,” or “foreigner,” my whole life. I constantly felt this need to prove myself and my legitimacy to nonwhite people. I entered a college classroom and sat in my first women’s studies class only to face confusion as we learned about white privilege. I face discrimination as a white person all the time, so I denied the idea of “white privilege,” and I quickly grew defensive.

I thought: How dare these textbooks make me feel like I didn’t work for everything I have, and how dare they make me feel bad about historic events that I had nothing to do with? However, with the more research I’ve done, the more I realized that white privilege is not a personal attack on all white people, but it instead explains a deeper social issue.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, racism is

“poor treatment (of) or violence against people because of their race … a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce inherent superiority of a particular race.”

“Privilege” is defined as “a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others.”

RACISM IS ABOUT OPPRESSION This is where racism gets tricky, as it has many definitions and interpretations. Many would argue that racism is simply the act of hating someone based off skin color, but in fact, when looking at the issue more deeply, it is truly about systems of oppression.

Writer Tim Wise explained that though ideologically, anyone can be racist, systematically, people of color cannot effectively be racist in practice because of the inherent oppression minorities face in their lives.

He explained that there exist no institutional structures in the U.S. in which people of color could exercise final and controlling authority – “not in the school systems, labor market, justice system, housing markets, financial markets or media.” Therefore, the people of color are unable to oppress white people based on their race.

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY DoSomething.org delves into a statistical analysis about race and found significant results regarding privilege and oppression between different races in America. It reports that African-Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population and 14 percent of the monthly drug uses, but 37 percent of the

people arrested for drug-related offenses are African-American.

Similar studies indicate blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely to be pulled over and frisked by their local police forces, and African-Americans receive 10 percent longer sentences than whites for the same crimes.

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African-American male born in 2001 had a 32 percent chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male had a 17 percent chance and a white male only 6 percent.

Even more, 51 percent of Americans expressed anti-black sentiments in 2012, and 52 percent of non-Hispanic whites showed anti-Hispanic attitudes in 2011.

In “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” author Peggy McIntosh explained how she sees white privilege as an “invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day … like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear and blank checks.”

While the response to my article was statistic heavy, I believe it missed the premise of my intent in writing about the topic. The issue isn’t whether white people believe they are being discriminated against.

There are many factors that could lead to discrimination toward white people, such as sexual orientation or gender, which were not addressed, but in terms of racism, we know that it is a system of political oppression that is inescapable for people of color in America. And until white people are educated about their own privilege and the compassionate definition of racism, “reverse racism” will always be an issue.

advertising@kaleo.org | Gabrielle Pangilinan Student Ad Manager

ORK W O ?

NT T

O E L A FOR K

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Gain skills in reading, writing, editing and communication.

Page 7 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

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TAKING THE BUS?

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D OW N L OA D the Ka leo app for bus and shuttle times

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Campus Center Complex Communique COMING SOON

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Page 9 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Comics

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Page 10 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Games Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

UH ID Accepted Here

Try Hawai i’ s Best Burg er!

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OPEN LATE Sean Dobbin is an English teacher at the Community High School of Vermont (CHSVT) in St. Johnsbury. 12 students worked on today’s puzzle.

ACROSS 1 Steady look 5 Uneducated guess 9 Knife and fork separator, in a place setting 14 Black cat, to some 15 Like a guru 16 Long-eared hoppers 17 Hand Vac maker 19 Haloed messenger 20 Nocturnal annoyance 21 Once in a while 23 Until now 25 Road groove 26 Bermuda hrs.

29 Special “Jeopardy!” square 36 Stir-fried hodgepodge 38 Ad-lib comedy style 39 Hailed vehicle 40 Cavity filler’s letters, or, said another way, a hint to 17-, 29-, 49- and 65-Across 42 Comedian Cook 43 “The Real Slim Shady” rapper 46 Big name in gloves 49 A&E reality series featuring the Robertson family 51 Arid 52 Past-tense verb that sounds like a number 53 EMT technique 55 Squirrel’s discard 60 Continental bank notes 64 Hauled to the hoosegow 65 Computer component 67 Speak one’s mind 68 Good earth 69 Peak 70 Moisten, as a lawn 71 Tolkien tree creatures 72 Ash Wednesday-to-Easter time

DOWN 1 Zeus and Apollo 2 Idi of Uganda 3 None 4 Way in 5 Nor. neighbor 6 DVR pioneer 7 “Not a chance!”

8 Steeple section with a ringer 9 “The __ of the Opera” 10 Touch down 11 Jason’s ship 12 New driver, often 13 Immigrant’s subj.

18 Closing documents 22 German automaker 24 Cross-shaped Greek letter 26 Played a part (in) 27 SeaWorld orca 28 Poisonous, as waste 30 Mil. roadside hazard 31 Winona’s “Beetlejuice” role 32 Prom hairstyle 33 Mark with an iron 34 Introvert 35 “__ Breath You Take”: Police hit 37 Internal color of a medium steak 41 Puncture sound 44 1970s Mary Tyler Moore co-star 45 Folk story 47 Non-prescription: Abbr.

48 Used a keyboard 50 Tattoo tool 54 Not urban 55 California wine valley 56 Textbook chapter 57 Fork prong 58 Big cat 59 Test for a future atty.

61 Like a red tomato 62 Cookie cooker 63 Modern message between trysters, perhaps 64 Spreadsheet feature 66 Metric distances: Abbr.

ANSWERS AT KALEO.ORG

$8 Menu We’ll Deliver To Dorms

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 thru 9.

Puzzles will become progressively more difficult through the week.

Solutions, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com Go to www.kaleo.org for this puzzle’s solution.

2424 S. Beretania St. 808.744.2283

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Fri-Sat 10am - 2 am Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 thru 9.

Puzzles will become progressively more difficult through the week.

Solutions, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com Go to www.kaleo.org for this puzzle’s solution.

photos@kaleo.org | Jessica Homrich Editor | Shane Grace Associate| Antoinette Ranit Web

Page 11 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Photos @kaleophotos on Twitter and @kaleoohawaii on Instagram

WILDLIFE

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Page 12 | Ka Leo | Monday, April 14 2014

Twitter @kaleosports | sports@kaleo.org | Joey Ramirez Editor | Hayley Musashi Associate

Sports

Where there’s a Will(mon) there’s a way JEREMY NITTA Senior Staff Writer @NITTA_JEREMY

about it. But Lindsey knows what it is, and she’s accepted it for us. It hasn’t been without some bumps and bruises, but she has weathered the storm for the most part.”

Currently, Willmon is hitting .256 with nine homers, but Coolen believes Willmon is just scratching the surface of her ability.

“She could stay in the outfield and be a mainstay there for the next three years,” Coolen said. “I could also move her back behind the plate one day when the guys we have now are gone. She can settle ever yone down and control a game, and I think she’ll be a force for us, in the outfield or behind the plate.”

As head softball coach Bob Coolen described his starting center fielder this season, a University of Hawai‘i legend comes to mind.

“Home run power, ability to hit to all gaps, tons of speed, can be trusted to get on base,” he said.

His description invokes memories of last year’s star centerfielder Kelly Majam. But this is the present, and Coolen is talking about a different player.

Meet Hawai‘i’s new star center fielder: freshman Lindsey Willmon.

LOOKIN G AHEAD

S TAR TIN G FRESH

After losing a talented senior class last season, Coolen has turned to his incoming freshman class to replace them. Four freshmen have logged significant starting time this season, but none more than Willmon.

The native of Elk Grove, Calif., has emerged as one of the key contributors on this year’s Rainbow Wahine squad, starting all 35 games in center field for the ‘Bows.

“I wanted to be sure I would be able to make an impact when I got here and be part of the team and contribute as much as I can,” Willmon said. “It was something I wanted to do, so I worked hard over summer to make sure I was in shape when I got here. Everything has just kinda fallen into place, and I guess hard work does pay off.”

Her success has impressed Coolen, who brought her in to play more quickly than expected.

“We expect our scholarship players to be able to come in right away and make an impact somewhere on the team,” Coolen said.

“But her play in the outfield has surprised me. We asked her prep team to try her in the outfield her senior year, and she did OK. But she’s come in and done a great job for us.”

A QUIC K AD JUS TMENT

Willmon’s abilities shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who digs into her past. Her highschool accomplishments include two-time conference champion, three-time all-league and candidate for All-American and National Player of the Year as a senior. But all that came while playing catcher and third base.

Nevertheless, Willmon took the challenge of adjusting to the outfield head-on,

ANTOINETTE RANIT / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

Freshman Lindsey Willmon has hit nine home runs so far this season. determined to maintain her high standards at a new position.

“The hardest thing was learning to track the ball while it was in the air,” Willmon said.

“As a catcher and infielder, I was used to having the balls come in low or in the dirt. It was all up close and personal, and I didn’t have to

has given me a new skill set and a new perspective to look at the game through.”

REPL ACIN G A LEGEND Coming into the season, Coolen knew that the task before him of replacing an All-American and record-setter in Majam was a daunt-

I think she can get to the point where she is a feared and respected hitter.

– HEAD COACH BOB COOLEN

make so many adjustments to the ball hit up into the air.”

Despite the challenge, Willmon is grateful for all the hardship the position switch has brought.

“Coach Bob is always telling us to always be learning and dedicate yourself and be a student of the game,” Willmon said. “I think that learning to adjust to playing the outfield has just made me a better player because it

ing one. But in Willmon, Coolen feels he has found a player talented and dedicated enough to replace the Hawai‘i legend.

“Kelly was a player who can hit home runs, hit it to the gaps and play with a lot of speed,” Coolen said. “Their (leadoff hitters) job is to set the table for everyone else in the lineup.

That was Kelly’s job for four years, and Lindsey is doing it for us right now.

“It’s a hard role to fill, there’s no doubt

Although Willmon faces pressure and the high expectations that come with being compared to Majam, she has chosen to shrug it off and focus on the task at hand.

“I think that I’ve done pretty well,” Willmon said. “But like I always say, there’s always room for improvement. There’s always something you can get better at, as part of a team and as an individual. Coming here as a freshman and stepping into these roles has been a big adjustment and a lot of pressure on me.

But I looked at it as something to take on as a challenge. And for me, I always like challenges because they’re always what will make you a better ball player.”

And if you listen to what her head coach believes, the “better ball player” Willmon alludes to could be pretty impressive.

“I think that she can get to the point where she is a feared and respected hitter, like Kelly was,” Coolen said. “Opponents know she’s a freshman now, and they go after her. But with Lindsey, I know she’s going to keep getting better to the point where there’s no way to go after her.”

UPCOMING GAMES Hawai‘i vs. Cal Poly Friday, 6 p.m.

Saturday (Doubleheader), 2 p.m.

All Hawai‘i home games are played at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Admission is free.