A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • FEBRUARY 2014
Ka La photo by Angelina Peralta
Warning status lifted Chancellor Erika Lacro reviews the letter she received in early February notifying the school that its warning status has been lifted.
Accreditation board responds favorably to improvements school has been making By Mathew Ursua
Ka La editor
The college’s accreditation warning status has been lifted by its accreditors, removing a serious cloud that had been hanging over the school for almost a year. The removal of the warning, which came in a letter to Chancellor Erika Lacro in early February, clears the way for the school to remain in good academic standing for years to come. The accreditation commission acted to remove the warning it issued last year. Lacro said she received the letter on the first Friday in February by email. “The college worked very hard over the last year to address the
recommendations the commission made in 2013,” Lacro said. “I expected, given the amount of work accomplished, that we would have our accreditation reaffirmed and that we would be removed from warning,” she said. There were good signs in November when the head of the accreditation team, Mary Okada, president of Guam Community College, commended the college during a visit. Okada cited the way the college acted quickly to remedy the most crucial recommendations pertaining to Distance Education and General Education. Okada also noted that the college had done a good job of emphasizing standards and student learning outcomes, adding that it had begun to permeate the school’s culture.
Being on warning forced administrators to act quickly. Lacro told Ka La in October that despite the bad press, the situation was forcing administrators to implement better practices and focus more on student success. “Even though the good work is spurred by us being put on warning, it helps accelerate us looking more closely at the experience for the students,” Lacro said, “Even though we’re under warning and it’s a lot of pressure, it’s a good time to make improvements.” But Lacro said there’s more to do in the upcoming year. In an email to faculty, Lacro said that the work “doesn’t stop here.” The accrediting commission will ask all UH community colleges to submit follow up reports by midOctober this year.
In their letter to the school, the accrediting commission said that there are still deficiencies that need to be corrected. As part of turning things around for the better, the school tasked dozens of staff and faculty members with reviewing the accreditation committee’s recommendations and implementing fixes for the problems. It all began less than a year into Lacro’s chancellorship when she received a letter from accreditors saying the school was put on warning for failing to fix problems that were found as long ago as 2006. In her email to faculty, Lacro thanked everyone for their “hard work,” and promised more information on the next steps.
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 2
Ka Lā, the campus
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FEBRUARY 2014
The new normal
Could Hawaii be next state to legalize pot? Kaleo Gagne Kā La Staff
Is there a possibility of legalizing marijuana in Hawaii anytime soon? The state Legislature this year is considering several bills that would either legalize or decriminalize marijuana in the state – or at least make it legal for medical marijuana patients to buy their weed safely. Many people may not know that Hawaii has had a law for 13 years allowing for the possession of medical marijuana. But even those patients can’t legally buy the drug anywhere. Then-Gov. Ben Cayetano signed the medical marijuana law on June 14, 2000. That law removed statelevel criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana for patients who were diagnosed by a physician with covered diseases, which included cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and nausea. With this law patients were able to possess up to three ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than seven marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature. That law established a mandatory, confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. But patients still have no legal way to buy the marijuana. Last year Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed two separate measures dealing
At the Hawaii state Capitol, lawmakers are considering a number of bills that will liberalize, if not legalize, the sale of marijuana in the state.
The HonCC legislative report ASUH-HCC President Kaleo Gagne is a serving a full-time internship this semester at the state Leglsiature. He is providing a series of reports from there about subjects that are of continuing interest to UH students. Watch for them here or at www.thekala.net
with medical marijuana. The first measure transferred the administration of the state’s medicinal cannabis program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Public Health, and established a special fund for the program within the
state treasury. The second measure, increased the quantity of medicinal marijuana that may be possessed from three ounces to four, and increased the total number of mature plants that may be legally grown by qualified patients from three plants to seven. This law will take into effect in 2015. But now that two states, Oregon and Washington, have legalized marijuana sales for everyone, not just medical patients, is there a chance that more changes could be in the works for Hawaii, too? A recent poll by the Medical Cannabis Coalition of Hawaii showed that 85 percent of people are in support of some liberalization of the marijuana laws. One bill, HB 1708, calls for Hawaii to decriminalize and regulate small
amount of marijuana and establish a licensing scheme for the cultivation, sale and use of small amounts of marijuana, and let the state tax those sales. The bill says that the legalization of marijuana for personal or recreational use would be “a natural, logical, and reasonable outgrowth of the current science of marijuana and attitude toward marijuana.”
Thirty other states are considering bills to either create new medical marijuana laws, to impose only a fine for possession, and/ or regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. Of course, ot everyone agrees with these changes and it’s not likely that the Hawaii Legislature will go that far this year. But the discussion has begun.
Bill would ban tobacco, e-cigs on all UH campuses By Ka staff
State lawmakers are moving forward this year with a bill that would ban smoking at all University of Hawaii campuses. If passed, the bill would
prohibit smoking and tobacco use by any person on any campus. That would include electronic cigarettes, too. The bill has already been passed by one House committee and is moving
forward. It notes that more than 700 universities and colleges across the United States already have bans on tobacco use, and many colleges are also moving to include electronic smoking
devices in their bans. A number of anti-smoking groups, including the Coalition for a Tobacco-free Hawaii and the American Lung Association, have already testified in favor of the complete ban.
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 3
Alert program working well By Ka la staff
A newly expanded service available at HonCC is helping struggling students get the help they need before they fall too far behind. The program, called Academic Alert, has existed at the school for several years, but was ramped up last fall to reach more students. Academic Alert runs a system in which faculty and staff can refer students who are not attending class or falling behind in their work. Once Academic Alert receives a referral workers will attempt to reach the student, usually by phone or email, in order to assess why the student is doing poorly and what can be done to improve grades. The program works with the student to get connected with valuable on-campus resources such as tutors or labs for additional help with materials. Even if somebody has fallen too far behind in a course to pass, Academic Alert actively encourages the students to keep trying
605
Number of students who were referred to the program by their instructors or others in spring semester.
103
Number of students who earned a "C" or above in classes from which they were referred.
198
Number of students who were referred and are registred for the spring 2014 semester
and to not drop out of school when they are discouraged. "Some students just need a little encouragement," said Ina Miller-Cabasug, coordinator of Academic Alert, who described the first semester of the expanded program as a success. The initial goal was to help 150 students, she said. "We easily exceeded that," she said. In fact, Academic Alert went on to process over 600 referrals by the end of the Fall 2013
semester. With such a large volume of referrals and the time needed to work with each student, MillerCabasug said that one major obstacle was reaching every student. Success came at the end of the semester with 103 students who had been referred to the program ended up passing their class with a C grade or better. Another 132 students were able to withdraw from their classes before receiving a failing grade,
February 2014
she said. Even more impressive, 198 students who were referred to the program last semester, are back in classes this semester. "I am so proud of students who are able to overcome any challenges and acomplish their academic goals," Miller-Cabasug said. This is what makes my job so rewarding." According to Miller-Cabasug, Academic Alert has a goal of reaching a student and getting back to the faculty member with a report in 48 hours. The program is particularly valuable for distance education students who don't have the face-to-face support of the faculty and may not be aware of on-campus services that are available to them, she said. The program has had positive results and will be expanded again this smester so all HonCC faculty, instructor or not, are encouraged to refer students in need. This story was written by students in HonCC's Journalism 205, News Writing class.
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KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 4
February 2014
Sean's gaming corner Nidhogg: as much fun as it is unpronounceable Nidhogg, developed by the two-person independent development team Messhof Games, blends one-on-one fighting games and sidescrolling platformers into a fast-paced, white- knuckle fight to the finish. Two players are literally dropped into a psychedelic Atari-era flat pixelated world, techno music thumping to the beat of the technicolor backgrounds. Both players, represented by single-colored stick figures, are armed with a fencing sword, capable of stabbing toward the heart, the stomach, or the head. It only takes a single stab to kill the other player. Both players begin opposing one another, freely able to move left or right, to jump, to run, to roll, to crawl. The playing field is split up between nine screens, and both players begin in the center fifth screen, with goals for each player placed behind the opposing player. The goal of Nidhogg is simple: make it to your goal by any means necessary, and stop the opposing player from making it to their goal by any means necessary. The rules and controls are simple. The types of strategies available with this small selection are complex. Matches between new players start with clumsy fumbling to understand the controls and fundamentals. Rematches then devolve to shouting, screaming, and laughing as both players work to outright destroy the other player. While Nidhogg initially seems very simple in design and aesthetic, it is instead an extremely competitive, extremely fun two-player game that will be remembered as either a fantastic party game, or an amazing fighting game. Both are certainly applicable. By Sean Brown
Once again, the forever roses made by HonCC sheetmetal students were a big hit on Valentines Day. Students made and sold more than 500 of the roses, which had people lining up on campus early in the morning for a chance to buy a special gift for a loved one.
Got an itch for pho? Don't scratch it here Song Hye Han Ka La staff writer
I was rather excited to read recently that there was a Vietnamese restaurant right across from campus. I had seen the reviews of Mixed Plate Café in Ka La and on Yelp, and thought it could be just the place to satisfy a pho craving. Wrong. The waitress took forever to bring me a menu, and the sad part was that there were maybe like three other patrons there at the time, all of whom had their meals already. I sat there and tried to pass the time by studying. After maybe 5-8 minutes, the waitress came over and dropped off a menu. No greeting, no eye contact, just slapped the menu on the table and dug out. She was a young girl, so I tried
Local eats
to cut her some slack, but there was really no excuse considering it was slow. Another 5 minutes went by; I was waiting to order the same thing I get every time I go to a Vietnamese restaurant: Pho Tai, meat outside. The waitress made no effort to come over to me, so I had to flag her down by flailing my arms around like Wacky Inflatable Floating Arms Guy. She finally came over with a grimace, no greeting again, just a blank stare as I told her what I wanted. I specifically asked for extra lemon, and when I got my garnish I had two slivers of lemon. I could have read a newspaper article through the lemon. Perhaps the
lemons come from her paycheck? The food took forever to come out,which I thought was a good sign because if it's taking forever... it must be good right? Wrong again. The soup was lukewarm, yet the noodles were overcooked. There was barely any taste to the broth, and it was so cold it could barely cook my meat. I understand that she was just one waitress in the whole restaurant, so I get that she could have been tired. But if you expect me to tip, I expect you to at least be a little nice to me. I don't understand how this place is rated as high as it is on Yelp. Honestly, if I'm going to pay more than $8 for a bowl of pho, it better be delicious and I better get good service.
Attend meetings or lose funds, ASUH warns groups By Jacqueline Miszuk Ka La staff writer
The student government president is worried about low attendance at the meeting of the HonCC student senate. On the general meeting Jan. 27, President Kaleo Gagne declared that the executive board was
considering revoking the voting right of organizations and student groups that don't attend meetings. Because of the absence of student organizations’ representatives, the ASUH general meeting was unable to make the quorum to approve any student activity proposal in the last two meetings.
It delayed the approval of the Early Childhood Education Club’s proposal until this meeting. Some representatives were absent from the first meeting of this semester. 14 for approval of their proposal. Gagne announced that the board would discuss revoking the voting rights of absent groups.
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i
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February 2014
World traveler brings fashion designs home By Jacqueline Miszuk Ka La staff writer
Uoleni Tupuola is a fashion student at Honolulu Community College who incorporates culture into his aesthetic. As a world traveler, his recent trips to Bali, Paris, Venice, Milan, and Barcelona have given him inspiration to incorporate into his senior fashion runway line. Tupuola was born in Hawaii but raised in American Samoa and explained how you can be a visitor to Hawaii without knowing its history, but in Europe you cannot escape seeing it. “It has history you can’t run away from,” Tupuola says of his time vacationing in Europe. Born to parents of a mixed cultural background, it makes sense that Tupuola would seek perspective from outside his immediate surroundings. Tupuola was raised a Christian and attended church bible study and continues to incorporate those strong religious values, such as compassion, into his life today. Tupuola returned to Hawaii from Samoa to live after his 2001 high school graduation and has been working with the Polynesian dance company, Tihati Produc-
tions, for the last 12 years. Tupuola dances hula but also works on creating costumes for the company performers. Most of the costumes are hand woven and braided, unlike what he sews for school. After a visit to New York City back in September of 2009, Tupuola was inspired to, “seek more knowledge, more avenues,” in a fashion, related degree. He has since been attending the fashion technology program at HonCC and will be graduating this spring. Joy Nagaue, associate professor of the FT program at HonCC, said that Tupoula will do well after graduating if he continues working with Polynesian attire. Although Tupuola has a rich background in Polynesian culture and dance, he has no reservations about living outside of the islands if his career in fashion should take him elsewhere. This spring his line will be walking the runway showing jungleinspired camouflage with “flashes of bright colors.” You will see “a tribal woman who wants to be fashionable using her environment, the jungle,” Tupuola said of his designs. For Tupuola, sleep and free time are
Ka La photos by Angelina Peralta
More than 100 students, faculty and staff from HonCC signed up to participate in the annual Great Aloha Run this month. They joined thousands of others participating in the fun run from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium on a rainy morning.
Ka La photo by Jacqueline Miszuk Fashion Technlogy student Uoleni Tupuola works on one of his designs in the HonCC classroom.
a luxury, as he is always hard at work to finish his design projects. Tupuola showed off the first design of his line, which incorporated hand-painted embellishment on the fabric he chose. During his three weeks in Bali, Tupuola was able to attend a class working with batik, which is a wax resistant dying technique. He purchased the tools that this skill required and brought them back to Hawaii to utilize.
After graduation he hopes to find work for a fashion house where he can apply what he has learned into design. He has also given thought to owning his own boutique, but no plan has been set in stone as of yet. For now Tupuola remains sewing his days away in the fashion technology department classrooms preparing for the Spring Senior Fashion Show.
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i
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February 2016
Sandy Sanpei, the communications arts faculty representative and program liaison, left. heads a demanding program at HonCC that emphasizes creativity and professional responsibility. Below, students work in a classroom on campus. "It's about creating, networking and competing to be the best," said fourth-semester student Alex Kawamoto.
CA requires creativity, responsibility by Fredrene Balanay Ka La staff
Of the many programs and degrees offered at HonCC, the Communication Arts program is one of the few that combines art and technology. “It’s about visual literacy,” said Sandy Sanpei, HonCC’s Communications Arts faculty representative and program liaison. “And in this day and age it is just as important as any other field of study.” According to Sanpei, the program is specifically designed to encourage creativity and responsibility for one’s work. “In this profession if you miss your deadline, your client can and probably will sue you. Also, if there is a mistake you will probably have to pay the bill,” she said. “However, nothing compares to the satisfaction of seeing your work, your creation in its completion.” Over the past 15 years students in the Communication Arts program have participated in the American Advertising Federation Competition. Up until a year ago, HonCC was the only two-year degree program participating in this competition geared toward four-year degree programs or higher. Nonetheless, out of the 15 competitions entered, HonCC
has taken home 10 Pellet awards as winners of this competition. When asked her secret to success, Sanpei responds, “It's the students.” “The mindset of the students, as in most art-type programs, is they are very caring,” Sanpei said. “They share with one another. Also, some students are so talented they encourage and inspire others to be their best." “Students should come prepared to work,” Sanpei advises new students who are entering the program. “In the first two semesters you will focus on learning the software. It’s difficult to conceptualize or create when you are fighting with the computer.” Other expectations of the communication arts program include a nontraditional sense of lecture and course work. The assignments are designed
to mimic projects and situations as expected in the real world, and the lecture courses go beyond bookwork and classroom discussion. And as with these career oriented situations, students should expect to put in time outside of class to complete their work and ultimately succeed. However, for fourth semester student Alex Kawamoto, “Communication Arts is not only about communicating. It’s about creating, networking, and competing to be the best at what you do.” Kawamoto who came to the program in 2011 as a transfer from the Santa Barbara Art Institute of California reflects on his semesters here at HonCC, “Academically, it’s a two-year program but has been a better experience than the program I came from in California.” Kawamoto’s
decision to enroll at HonCC came unexpectedly. “It was my senior year of high school,” the Mililani graduate recalls. “I remember speaking to a recruiter and soon found myself in California at the Santa Barbara Art Institute after graduation,” Kawamoto continues. “After a year in that program I realized it wasn’t what I was looking for. I was doing well in all my classes and had a pretty impressive GPA but in reality I was just not happy.” With the support of his parents in his decision to return home, Kawamoto’s mother informed him of another option to consider regarding his education. “It was my high school teacher, Todd Yoshizawa, that suggested the program here at HCC,” Kawamoto said. “I was enrolled, registered and ready to go by the time I returned from California.” When asked what a first time student should expect and prepare for, Kawamoto said. “Your instructors are there to help you. They are there to take your creation to the next level, to improve the quality of your work and prepare you for a competitive industry. “You must be able to take criticism at a professional, not a personal, level.
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i
Latest chapter in life brings Luck to campus By Ana Monaghan Ka La staff
Talented and colorful, Christina Luck started her all-girls band as a way for her friends to better learn how to play their instruments. Now they are poised to take off and perform. Luck, a HonCC student who plays guitar and has written several books of poetry, says she is intensely absorbed in a spirit she channels into music and sound. "I used to hear music in my sleep, but that experience eludes me now,” she said. “Maybe I am just too preoccupied with other things. I'm wondering how to get that back... sort of waiting for an answer on that. I wonder how that happens.” Luck said the latest chapter in her life started about two years ago, when she was home in Hawaii while living in Oakland, Calif. "It all started when my friends and I met at night in a parking lot,” Luck said. “I told them, ‘If I come back to
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stay, let's play music: You play drums, and you play bass, and I'll play guitar.' Luck went back to living in Oakland then, but soon the gang violence increased and the city began to wear on her. It was cold, and she more than ever became a recluse, spending days on end inside the house. After being robbed at gunpoint, she missed Hawaii more than ever, moved back home and made good on that promise to start the band, called Already Sweaty. They played their first show in January. "With a space to practice into the late hours of the morning, we formed our own sound. It started off with us, just learning our instruments, but now that we know how to play we actually make songs that are listenable,” she said. Moving back to Hawaii resulted in positive changes to Luck's life and surroundings. Now, she’s outside in the sunshine – and in love. Life is full of twists and turns. "The songs I felt moved to write before were full of anger, but that's
February 2014
Honolulu Community College student Christina Luck practices with her band, Already Sweaty. She says enjoys the music and gets inspired by the band's energy and a crowd's reaction to it.
not how I feel any more,” she said. “I used to hear that kind of music in my sleep. I'm now just kind of waiting for the inspiration to come. I feel kind of in limbo, as I'm not mad anymore; but I have never written anything else. I'm just kind of in limbo, waiting for the words and music to come.” Luck said these days she enjoys activities in Hawaii that inspire her, including playing music in front of a crowd with a lot of energy and interaction. But sometimes life is as simple as
coming in from a long day at school or work, and playing music, sometimes with some beer. Those things help negate any bad feelings carried or brought in from the outside. It’s these moment she hopes to transform and evolve into a provoking lyric and her next song. She spends time "finding God in the moments of man, which can inspire, even from the strum of a dissonant chord or a thought, and evolve into a provoking lyric".
ASUH-HCC
2014 Elections Positions Available:
President
‣ ‣ ‣
Vice President Communications Director
‣
5 Senator-at-Large
ASUH student government is a voice for all students. ASUH is there to listen to any ideas, or concerns that you may have. We believe in honest, and transparency. Wednesday, March 5, 2014Applications for candidacy are due by 12:00pm. Must include 8”X10” campaign poster, and also jpeg picture. (If it is not turned in by noon your application will automatically be disqualified.) Monday, March 10, 2014- Mandatory campaign meeting with all candidates. Location, Student Life and Development conference room. Bldg. 2 Room 114. 1:00pm-2:00pm. Monday, March 17, 2014- Campaigning Starts !!! Monday, March 31, 2014- Candidate forum Student Lounge. 1:00pm-3:00pm. Monday, April 7, 2014, 12:01am-Thursday, April 10, 2014 11:59pm- Election Begins!!!
Pick up applications in Student Life and Development Bldg. 2 Room 113 or in ASUH Bldg. 2 Room 116
Art Battle WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM CAMPUS MALL CONTACT US Bldg 2, Rm 113 (808) 845-9498
Do YOU think you got the skills to battle other artists? Participate in HCC’s first ever Art Battle where winners will get the chance to receive a prize! Sign up at Student Life to get involved! Only 10 slots available!
hccsld@hawaii.edu honolulu.hawaii.edu/studentlife
@honolulucc #honccsab
KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i
The background Two states, Colorado and Washington, have recently legalized the sale of marijuana, and many other states are watching closely to see what the results of that experiment will be. Hawaii, like several other states, already has a law that allows certain medical patients to possess relatively small amounts of marijuana to treat their conditions, but there is no legal way for those patients to buy their marijuana. At the state Legislature this year, efforts are underway to fix that problem and, perhaps, to legalize or decriminalize the possession and sale of marijuana for everyone. But it's not altogether clear that those efforts will be successful. For details, see story on Page 2.
Brandon Vazquez, 22, Administration of Justice
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February2014
Campus question and answer
By Sean BROWN
"What are your thoughts on current marijuana legislation, and what do you think should be done? Continue to be banned? Decriminalization? Legalization?"
Adam Baron, 19, Liberal Arts
Alex Linneer, Biology
Trenton Omuro, 18, Administration of Justice
"I think it should be legalized, but within limits, such as seeking alternative treatments for illnesses before jumping straight to marijuana."
"I'm from Texas, where marijuana is a huge problem, especially with all the cartels down there. Current legislation is fine, and shouldn't be loosened!"
"Compared to other drugs it's just not nearly as bad, but otherwise, I really don't have an opinion."
Conred Maddox, 52,
Writing Center Supervisor
Doreen Reformina Cafeteria Cashier
Jarrett Masunaga, 24, Liberal Arts
"Honestly, if it's needed medically, sure. It can't be bad for you if it's grown naturally, and if they need it, yeah, it should be legalized."
"Legalize it. Hell, tax it to improve the economy. Alcohol is much worse, after all. The legal age limit for access should be 26, though."
Kari Arakaki, 20, AT
Rebeckah Lee, 22, Liberal Arts
Sierra Seamon, 20, Fire Science
Zach Lagrimas, 23, Animation & Arts
"Well, there'd be less arrests, and people need it for medical reasons, so maybe there could be a fine, but no arrests."
"It's not that big of a deal. Some people, maybe, just kinda need to get high to function anyway, cuz of how stressful life is. Prohibition didn't stop alcohol, after all."
"I don't think it should be illegal anymore, cuz people tend to do things just because they're illegal. "
"It's a toss-up. I just think overall it should be legalized. Statistically, it causes no actual problems, so why not?"
"I don't think it should be legalized, since people will freely smoke it with or without any health issues. It would set a bad example for kids."
"A lot of legislation is half-assed, with many laws just old carryovers. We should just legalize it."