A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • August 2015
Homeless in our backyard By Nakemiah Williams Ka L� staff writer
Stefanie Brisdo’ Sanciz looks like any other college student and mom. She majors in social work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has a 3.4 grade point average. And until recently she lived on the banks of the Kapalama Canal across from Honolulu Community College. “People can’t tell if I am homeless because of the way I keep myself, looking just like any other average person,’’ said Sanciz, 33, from Honolulu Coming out of an abusive relationship, Sanciz felt that being homeless was the safest option for her and her child. Having her daughter made her realize that she could no longer stay in that unsafe environment. “The only thing I left with was the clothes on my back because he won’t let me take anything else,” she said. She felt that starting over again was the only option. She had hoped that her mother would help, but when she went to see her, Sanciz was turned away. She began doing drugs to cope with the emptiness. Right now, she receives Social Security and government as-
sistance to make it through the months. She has been clean for eight months in order to focus on her classes. Swallowing her pride has been the hardest part. The community members along the canal treat each other like a family and everyone is making an effort to get out of that situation, she says. She knows that she has a family within the homeless community because all of them have family in that area but are disowned or looked down on. That’s creates a stronger bond between each other. People bring food and clothes to her tent, which puts the biggest smile on her face. “This place lacks aloha. Just a little goes along way,” Sanciz said. She wishes people wouldn’t think that because she lives on the streets that she doesn’t work hard. She’s getting her education still and nothing is going to stop her from accomplishing that, regardless of her situation. In late July, she was approved for housing and moved away from the canal, friends said. Ultimately, Sanciz said, she hopes to get her degree and open up a transition house for women between the ages of 18 to 24 to break the cycle of homelessnesss.
Ka LĀ photO by Nakemiah Williams
Stefanie Brisdo’ Sanciz lives with her daughter along the Kapalama Canal and attends UH-Manoa .
Despite efforts, encampment not going away By Chris Williams
Ka L� staff writer
Ian, a 26-year-old former Honolulu Community College student who had his car broken into twice in the two terms he attended school here, isn’t sure who is responsible. “The homeless that camp out at the canal are probably the ones who are responsible for breaking into my car, but who knows? It could’ve been anyone,” said Ian, a
former Navy electrician stationed at Pearl Harbor, who asked that his last name not be used. It’s no secret that the area around the school has seen a great rise in homeless people living nearby in the last year, but it’s not clear that they pose a real safety threat to students or others on campus. A short drive past A'ala Park or down Dillingham Boulevard and you can see any one of the many homeless camps set up on the
side streets. One of the biggest camps runs parallel to the canal on Kokou Street just west of the HonCC campus. Ian would park his vehicle on the other side of the canal, closest to school when he attended class. While many people feel uncomfortable, the actual statistics of crime around the campus haven’t increased that much. “I ended up parking next to the canal most days,” Ian said. “Parking at Honolulu Community
College is horrendous, and more often than not I wasn’t left with another option,” he said. Ian has transferred from HonCC to University of Hawaii at Manoa where he has yet to encounter any of sort of problem like the few he experienced here. “The biggest and most obvious reason is where the two schools are located. I’ve lived here for almost eight years, and Kalihi has Continued on Page 2
2 KA LĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i
August 2015
Ka LÄ , the campus
newspaper of Honolulu Community College.
Ka La publishes 800 copies monthly during the Spring and
Fall Semesters. Ka Lďż˝ and all campus publications
are funded by
student publication fees and
advertising. All materials published may not be reproduced
or reused without permission of HonCC Student Media Board.
Ka LÄ€ photos by Nakemiah Williams
Ka Lďż˝ is published under the
Kapalama Canal near the campus has become a home for manypeople who have nonowhere else to go
supervision of the HonCC
Student Media Board: Chairperson
Angelina Peralta Board members Alyssa Baligad
Krisangela Johnson
Devon-Jack Rosete Ka Lďż˝ Editor
Hillary Brown Faculty Advisers Emily Kukulies
Mike Leidemann Staff members Jared Paul Bonilla Cameron Bright Brian de Jesus Morales Taeler Javier Marla Jenne Monica Lerma Jackie Liu Jason Mar Paul Perry Christian Pestilli James Sedillo Sean Takehara Aimee Joy Tierra Christopher Williams Nakemiah Williams
Canal: New security measures planned Continued from Page 1 always been a tough area. Lots of homeless. Lots of crime. Not somewhere you’d want to go at night.� Billie Takaki Lueder, executive assistant to the HonCC chancellor and director of communications & external affairs, said school officials are highly aware of the homeless problem in the neighborhood and have been working with city leaders to find a solution. So far, despite regular sweeps in the area, there’s been little progress in
clearing out the canal encampment. Fixing any issue regarding homelessness is a tricky and lengthy process, Lueder said. In the interim, the school has concentrated on providing new safety features like new and brighter lights throughout campus, 24-hour security cameras, and sending the campus security guards through a longer and more detailed training program so they can be better equipped to help keep the campus safe and secured. School officials are
also working hard to do a better job of reporting all crimes on and near campus, as required by a federal law known as the Cleary Act, Lueder said The city is also talking about putting up a fence around the canal so the homeless could no longer set up camp, a quick fix that would also eliminate some off-campus parking for students. One homeless man, however, seemed angry about the idea. Daryl Anokii, 32, who said he has been homeless since he was 16 and
now lives along the canal, responded angrily when asked about the fence: “This is my island. If I want to stay here, I can. If I want to walk through your school, I will.� Regardless of your feelings on the homeless in the area these issues effect everyone in the community, not just the students and staff. Until a viable and reasonable solution is agreed upon and carried out between the Kalihi community and local government, this is something we should get used to.
Walk-in Clinic
Coming Soon
Contact Information
hcckala@gmail.com t
To HCC Campus!
Student Media Board Building 2, Room 115
Phone: (808) 845-9213
What you need:
Submissions
Ka LÄ invites letters to the editor, articles, events,
advertising, and classifieds. Ka LÄ reserves the right to
refuse or edit submissions.
Student editors and writ-
ers are responsible for content,
2 Days Only!
Insured
7KXUVGD\ 6HSW 0RQGD\ 6HSW

Insurance Card

Government Issued ID
DP— SP

Subscriber Birthdate
Non-Insured 
$30 Check or Credit Card Only

Government Issued ID
which does not necessarily
reflect the opinion of HonCC administration, faculty or staff.
Questions? Phone: 808-845-9282
E-mail: hcchlth@hawaii.edu
Website: honolulu.hawaii.edu/health
3 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
Student government to start over By Sean Takehara Ka L� staff writer
Honolulu Community College will start the fall semester without an active elected student government. Last spring, the school held its normal student body elections. However, only one student ran for any of the seven available positions. Now plans are being made to hold a new election in the fall that will attract more candidates and voters. Emily Kukulies, director of the Student Life and Development office, which helps oversee the student government, said the change may actually be helpful in reviving student government. In the past students who were elected to positions in the spring and trained over the summer often ended up quitting in the fall, due to school and other reasons, Kukulies said. “This way, the new student body will know what the responsibilities are and plan if they want to stay,” she said. “That is a good thing,” she said. Officially known as the Associated Students of University of Hawaii-
Ka LĀ photo by Alyssa Baligad
Student Life & Development workers clean out the ASUH offices in anticipation of a new group officers arriving this semester. HCC, the group’s mission is represent the interests of all students and bring concerns and problems to the attention of the school administration. The group, which is funded by student fees, also provides interested students the opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills,. Planning for the new student
government is underway. Interested students and those representing other student organizations planned to have a meeting in August to discuss the situation. For now, the past president will representative the student body along with the Student Life & Development staff. Then a “vote for the new consti-
Ka L� staff writer
12 15
CREDITS PER SEMESTER CREDITS PER SEMESTER
3 2
YEARS IN SCHOOL YEARS IN SCHOOL
Just because you’re full-time doesn’t mean you’ll finish on time.
In Hawai‘i, on average, full-time students take
4.1
YEARS for a 2-year degree
Those who graduate on time with a degree will save time and money.
Winners of the First UH Bookstore 15 to finish promotion who were randomly selected from all eligible 2013-14 freshman who took 30 or more credits in their first year.
IMPORTANT LINKS 15tofinish.com | www.star.hawaii.edu
there isn’t enough publicity. Available positions in the election include president, vice president, communications director and senators.
Duties include helping to plan social, recreational, cultural and educational programs on campus, engaging in meetings which allow the voices of other students to be heard.
New semester offers new job possibilities By Jared BonilLa
Why 15 to Finish?
tution for Student Government, which will outline the very basic guidelines, will go up for a vote on or before Sept. 17," , Kukulies said. However, the school still needs more involvement from the students. The question is why aren’t students participating? Is there enough publicity going around? Kukulies said the new election process will be publicized in ways “that get the word out: emails, posts on bulletin boards, campus calendars, Ka L�. the Get It! Welcome event, social media, and word of mouth.” Even with all these resources, many students said they were still not aware of the situation. Some students, who asked not to be identified, said they would like to get involved, but that they never knew about it, and that
The fall semester is coming up, and with that new on-campus jobs are starting to become available again. “Come to school and work at the same time,” says Carol Kagimoto, coordinator for Job Placement at HonCC. The school offers two different ways to help students find jobs. One, Student Employment & Cooperative Education, is for on-campus jobs; the other, the Job Center, is a new program helping students to find off-campus jobs. On campus jobs requirements through SECE include a minimum 2.0 GPA and enrollment with at least 6 credits. If students meets those standards, they’re eligible to apply for an on-campus job after creating a profile at Hawaii.edu/ sece. Working on campus, students will have the advantage of coordinating their work around their class schedule. On campus jobs are “a lot more
flexible” and “my boss is aware of things like finals” says Jamie West, an EMT student working at the Health Center. SECE offers a range of jobs on campus such as office assistant, tutoring, peer coaching and support techniques. Pay rates vary for each job, but are above state minimum wage, but a student is not allowed to work over 20 hours per week. Job Placement is another option for students looking for employment. Unlike SECE, job placement offers jobs off-camps, with no GPA requirements and no restrictions on hours. Jobs are constantly being added as needed to each website and employers are eagerly looking to fill those position before the fall semester starts. And both job-finding services are free. “The school is paying for a lot of programs and systems that not all students really know about,” Kagimoto said. For more information you can visit the center in the 3rd floor of Building 7.
4 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
Space gives students place to Recharge By Brian De Jesus Morales Ka L� staff writer
Students will have a new space to relax and work together on campus starting in the fall. Called the Recharge StationStudy Lounge, the new lounge room on the 6th floor of Building 7 will help students pass their time between classes without having to sit on the floor of the hallway or outside. The Recharge Station will also have counters with at six to 10 plugs so students can charges their phones, computers, and other electronics. It also has a 32-inch flat screen TV that will provide traffic reports, news, weather, etc. Also, it has a new $500 writing board that will allow students to write messages or draw pictures. The lounge room, which can fit up to 30 students, has tables, chairs, and a counter that students can use for their projects or to eat. Students who got a glimpse of the lounge over the summer said it will be a good place to relax, study, eat, drink coffee, or just have a break.
Ka LĀ photos by Alyssa Baligad
The Recharge station on the 6th floor of Building 7 will give students a place to relax between classes. "It's good because now we don't have to worry about going outside the campus or the building to eat or have a chill time," said one student. "They should make a lounge room in each floor," another student said. The idea of the Recharge Station came from Professors Jennifer Higa-King, Kara
Kam-Kalani and Fumiko Takasugi in the Social Sciences department. “We noticed that students were seating on the floor and didn’t have a place to wait,” Higa-King said. The project started in the beginning of this summer, using funds a 2015 University of Hawaii Community College System grant.
Other participants on this project included carpentry and electrician students. The designer of the wall-wrap and signage was Jason Oshiro. The Recharge Station-Study Lounge will open the first week of Fall 2015. It will be open to all students from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday- Friday.
Keeping us active? Board tries many ways By Paul Perry: Ka L� staff writerå
Few students realize just how many activities take place on the mall every semester. Even fewer participate. But the Student Activity Board will continue trying. This year it has more events planned for campus. “The school seemed like a ghost town, when I went there two semesters ago,” said former student Tiare Natividad. “Leeward Community College is way more fun.” Many students probably do not participate in activities on campus in most part due to other demands on their time, said Billie Takaki Lueder, executive assistant to the chancellor. It is estimated above 60 percent of student population is part time students, juggling families, jobs, personal lives, and other responsibilities. Full-time students have the same juggling act to perform as their part-time counterparts. Coming to school full time while managing a job to pay for it is no easy task and leaves few hours in the day for fun activities on campus. Another factor hindering stu-
Ka La file photo
The Student Activity Board has many events tied to holidays, like this offering of free crepes last Valentine's Day. dent participation may be the lack of space on campus dedicated for students to socialize or collaborate. Many students think the student lounge is unofficially the gamers hangout and is not the best place to study. Help is on the way. Lueder said the library is plan-
ning this year to redesign its periodicals area with all new furnishing, giving students a fresh place to relax and study. And another student lounge has been built to provide space for students to collaborate in an intellectual way. This lounge is in building 7 room 620. With more students being able
to stay on campus and be more comfortable when they do, it may bring more students to join in on the fun and educational events that the Student Activities Board arranges along the mall and other places on campus. In the last semester the Student Activities Board put together some exciting events. Games week included volleyball, life-size chess, and giant Jenga. Another fun and appetizing event was called the “Ice Cream Social” where students got to make ice cream sundays in the student lounge. The Student Activities Board likes to make events around holidays as well. They had events to celebrate Valentine's Day and Halloween last year. In addition, there are many events that happen along the mall as well as the rest of campus, but few students hear of them or actively participate. There are many more activities planned for the coming semester. When students participate in activities on their campus, it furnishes school pride which will spread to your classmates like a bad cold.
5 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
Textbook costs frustrate students, but relief could be around the corner By Jason Mar And Jackie LIU Ka L� staff writers
Every year students spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks – and the costs seem to just keep rising. On the bright side, changes are being made to tackle these problems. There are new and expanded book rental programs, book buyback plans and even a new push to make some textbooks available on line for free. College textbook prices rose 82 percent between 2003 and 2013, approximately triple the rate of inflation during the same time. To some it's manageable, but to others it makes a difference whether or not they can take the class or not. “This past year alone, I spent roughly $700 or $800 on just textbooks,” said James Sedillo, who took an English 100 course at HonCC this summer. Others either don’t buy the textbooks at all -- or choose not to take classes because of the price of the books, which sometimes cost more than the class itself. High textbook costs can have a ripple effect on students’ other academic decisions. A survey at Leeward Community College last year showed 55 percent of the students decided not to buy a required textbook for a course. And 41 percent of students felt they performed more poorly in a class because they chose not to buy the books. A national survey found that nearly half of all college students said that the cost of textbooks impacted how many or which classes they took each semester Many students also complained that they are required to buy expensive textbooks that get little used during the semester. And in some cases, the books only are required so that students can obtain an access code for online learning programs in the English and Math departments. "I believe every instructor requires you to purchase a textbook with that stupid access code," said
student Bryant Lei. "I don't think the textbook is useful because Pearson Lab has an eTextbook" that works just as well.
Student Kylie Tomoki Blasdell also said she didn't like the way instructors require students to purchase textbooks. "If the instructor requires us to purchase a textbook that's not going to be used at all, then don't make us buy it in the old way," she said. "We can purchase a code on Pearson's website it would save us more money," Several students said they want publishers to allow them to refund the textbook price, even though the access code has been used. In this case, it is a win-win situation because students can get partial money back and publishers can create more access codes for students to buy." However, demanding cheaper textbooks from the UH bookstores won’t help much either; the high price isn’t the bookstore's fault. “The publishers determine the prices of the textbooks,” said Shelly Oikawa, said Honolulu CC bookstore manager. In fact, all the UH bookstores only made profits of $501,561 this school year, and they even lost $76,571 last school year, according to their annual report. Last year, the UH bookstore System increased efforts to publicize its textbook rental program. The result: 17,395 total books rented, with a total of $1,167,206 textbook savings for students. UH Bookstores also introduced a price comparison tool online at (http://hawaii-honolulu.verbacompare.com/ ) to help students save money by giving students options for textbooks. Students can use the site to look up the classes they have, and it’ll list textbooks required and where to buy it with prices listed. UH bookstores also continued the tradition of buying back textbooks at the end of the semester. Students earned approximately $1,160,460 from selling their unneeded textbooks. The buyback program benefits students who prefer a physi-
Ka La photo by Alyssa Baligad Buying used textbooks, like these at the campus bookstore, might be one way
to cut down on the high costs of required texts. cal textbook instead of an online ebook,and it provides a supply of used textbooks for future students taking the class. There’s even bigger changes in the making; a program called OER, which stands for Open Educational Resources, is being developed nationwide, and interest in the idea is growing in the UH system. OERs are teaching, learning, and research resources in the public domain or released under
an open license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. With OER the cost of textbooks won’t be a major factor in whether a not students will take a class. OER needs more student support though. “Student support is needed to show administration that this matters so that they’ll put more effort and funding into the program,” said Carol Hasegawa, a librarian at HonCC.
6 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
They might even get you to enjoy math By Monica Lerma Ka L� staff writer
There are many resources on campus to help with student needs, but Building 7 has some secret weapons: Meet Kimi Carty along with Chantelle Galinato, Gerry Geronimo and Derrick Lee This team of tutors will give you a different perspective about mathematics; you might even come out loving a much hated subject. They can help with all classes from Math 9 through Math 206. These tutors are also students; you know they understand your problems because they took the same classes before you. Carty is married and has five children at home. with her youngest being 12, but she still manages to find time to help other students. After completing math 103. she was offered the job as a tutor and decided to give it a try. She’s been tutoring for the past four years. She enjoys helping other students, but the part that she likes most is “when the students pass their test and they give me a big smile. It makes my day.” You can clearly see that she
Ka LĀ photo by Alyssa Baligad
Kimi Carty, left, is one of the team of student math tutors available to help students at HonCC. has a passion not only for helping others but for teaching as well; she has an unbelievable amount of patience that makes her good at what she does. Christy Sambueno, a Fashion Technology major student, said “As a 60 year old coming back to school after 30 years, the math lab has been my saving grace. I love all of the tutors and I appreciate their patience.” Sambueno also said that she
Ka L�'s puzzle corner
likes the hours, the good energy that the room has and the help she gets for her homework assignments and tests. Galinato, Geronimo and Lee, are also students at HonCC who, even with their busy school classes and assignments, manage to help other students with math. Galinato has been tutoring for about four years. She can help you see a different way to solve an equation when
you really thought there was nothing else you could do with it. Geronimo, who has been tutoring for two years, always ensures that you are completely satisfied and understand what he reviewed with you before you move on to the next math problem. Lee has been tutoring for two and a half years, and he enjoys math so much that he takes math classes just for fun. He is always looking for someone to help; if he sees you with a puzzled face, he will go and ask you if you need help. Jordan Kagehiro, a 23-year-old full-time student majoring in Public Administration, said, “It has helped me with my confidence in math because they always correct me if I’m wrong and eventually I pick up what is right or what’s wrong.” He also said that the service is free, hours are good and the tutors are very nice and friendly. The student tutors are there to help. You just need to show up, no appointment necessary, but they do ask you to sign in. The lab is located in the 4th floor of Building 7.
Answers online at www.thekala.net
7 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
SPONSORED BY STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARD WITH STUDENT LIFE & DEVELOPMENT
DATES
Get INVOLVED
IT
Get IT! September 8-11, 2015 Campus Mall Come out to the court yard and see what HonCC has to offer.
Constitution Day
September 16-17, 2015 Bldg. 2 112, Student Lounge
t o d ay
Express yourself on our free speech wall or sign the document that shapes the U.S. to this day.
Games Day October 6, 2015 Cafeteria
Come together as the student body to enjoy some thrilling games together whether you're playing casually or competitively.
Disaster Prepardness September 24, 2015 Cafeteria You never know when a disaster might strike. Be prepared. Be ready.
Food Truck Day
October 15, 2015 Campus Mall
Halloween & Talent Show October 29, 2015 Cafeteria Come celebrate Halloween with some spooky festivities with your fellow students. Feel free to come in with your costumes and join our costume contest.
Ease your cravings with ono food. Brought straight to you by local food truck owners.
8 KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i A ugust 2015
TRIO program earns 5 more years By Marla Jenne Ka L� staff writer
TRIO has done it again! The program which has helped hundreds of first-generation college students get a start at Honolulu Community College, recently received a new grant for $230,000 to keep doing what it does best. Project Director Jolene Suda said the funding will continue to keep students on track, with a multitude of assistance programs for the next five years. Now known as TRIO-SSS, it began as Upward Bound, part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, in response to the administration's war on poverty. It currently offers six programs . The program offers help to low-income individuals, firstgeneration college students and individuals with disabilities. It extends services to all students, offering many types of assistance: tutoring, books, loan use of laptops, free printing, just to name a few. It also provides support for academic, as well as
Ka LĀ photo by Alyssa Baligad
Students participate in a summer bridge math class sponsored by the TRIO program on campus.
personal, guidance, financial aid advising, study skills, workshops, cultural and educational learning, These services are free. TRIO-SSS strives to provide a range of academic support, career guidance, transfer planning, and professional development oppor-
tunities to qualifying community college students. Students receive guided individualized assessment and planning, small group tutoring, mentoring, cultural and educational workshops, club and community service activities, and other academic support.
According to its website, TRIO-SSS is designed to increase the retention and graduation rates of eligible students; increase the transfer rates of eligible students from two-year to four-year institutions; and foster an institutional climate of support. It offers math and English courses, in conjunction with an interdisciplinary course IS-103, which is a 15-hour course that helps students gain self-discipline and efficiency to guide them through the program to completion. Getting started with the TRIOSSS program is very simple; you can just visit Suda, who has been head of the program since 2007. Suda has experienced the effects of TRIO first hand, utilizing the program herself while attending Colorado State University. Suda said she earned her master's degree in education administration knowing that she wanted to work in the higher education realm in programs that support the needs of not just TRIO- eligible students but for all students.
A piece of world history, tucked away, out of sight communist rule in East Germany. The Berlin Wall was constructed In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell and overnight then, separating East and West Germany, in effort to German reunification signaled stop the decline of population to the end of the Cold War. One of three pieces of this great wall and West Berlin. The wall emphasized the difhistoric event was granted a home ference between democratic and here in Oahu, and it's hidden on communist societies, and showed the HonCC campus. The historic what people preferred by fleeing site is unknown to many locals, to the west side. tourists, but most of all HonCC In 1992, former HonCC students. history professor Rick Ziegler “The wall is tucked away in a protected, green space on campus worked with a handful of students to obtain the piece from which we don't have a lot of,” said Billie Takaki Lueder, execu- the German Senate. The wall is a 12-foot, 3-ton piece that traveled tive assistant to the chancellor 12,000 miles from Berlin down and director of communications the Rhine River and across two and external affairs. oceans to finally reach its new “My guess is that in consulhome here on campus. tation with the architects and Tina Mehnert, a Honolulu school officials, they deemed the current location the best area architect who fled from Germany during this time, played a role to support such a large installation. If anyone just passes down in designing the monument that significantly stands in the same the campus mall, you will easily direction as it did in Berlin. miss it if you are not looking.” The "free" Western side is in When the Cold War began a ray of graffiti colors and is in in 1961, East Germans fled to West Berlin to get away from the blunt contrast to the communist By James Sedillo Ka L� staff writer
Ka La photo by Alyssa Baligad
The Berlin Wall monument is tucked away on campus near the Keiki center. program on campus.
gray, if-you-touch-me-you-die side of East Berlin. The round base of the monument symbolizes the reunification of Germany. The flagstones represent the "fallen wall" and the cobblestones on the eastern side represent the difficulty approaching the wall on that side, according to a school communi-
cation in 2010. “It seems such a shame that so many people can’t appreciate this piece because its unknown”, says HonCC student Brian deJesus, “It would be great to attract tourist, give locals/students a sense of pride, if we could just publicize this great piece of history we walk by every day."