Ka La May 2013 issue

A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • April/May 2013

Ka La photo by Noahlani Siaosi Aviation Mechanics student Charley Tauanuu looks like he's celebrating, but he'll be back on campus to finish his degree work next year.

As graduates move on, returnees face changes

By Mathew Ursua

Ka La editor

As more than 600 HonCC students prepare to graduate with certificates and diplomas, continuing students will be returning to a campus in transition and new questions about their futures.

Accreditation issues, building renovations, and distance learning opportunities are all up in the air for next fall.

School officials are working hard to meet an October deadline for accreditation approval. The school has been issued a warning to improve in several areas or risk more severe sanctions.

Meanwhile, officials still can’t say exactly what will happen when renovations begin on Building 7’s middle and upper

floors starting next semester.

If all goes according to plans, renovations on the middle floors will be complete by the end of fall semester, and work on the top floors will begin the semester after that. The ramifications of construction on the upper floors, five and six, are still unknown.

That’s because school officials still aren’t certain if portable classrooms set up in the gravel lot can adequately handle all the displaced classes and offices caused by the construction.

The majority of the college’s language arts and humanities courses are taught on floors five and six.

Ross Egloria, the distance education department chairperson who has been trying to find solutions to the anticipated lack of space, told Ka La that no

one knows just yet whether there will be as few as six classrooms in the portables or as many as 20.

It all depends on how construction crews will be able to divide the large modular buildings into classrooms.

Chancellor Erika Lacro said that special ventilation would have to be installed when the partitions go up.

She said that the original plans called for a simple system of partitions that would not be sound proof. That would be bad for instruction, making it hard for students to focus on what their instructor is lecturing when another lecture is in ears’ reach feet away.

The problem could lean to using

Continued on Page 2

Arts issue Inside find four pages of creative writing produced

by HonCC students this semester.

Pages 5-8

Graduate profiles A special page featuring photos and comments from some of our graduating students.

Page 9

Ka La has been voted the best

college newspaper in the state by the Hawaii Publishers Association.

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 2

April/May 2013

Ka Lā is the campus newspaper of Honolulu Community College. Ka Lā publishes 2,000 copies every month during the Spring and Fall Semesters.

Ka Lā and all campus publications are funded by student publication fees and advertising. All materials published in Ka Lā may not be reproduced or reused without permission of the HonCC Student Media Board.

Ka Lā is published under the supervision of the HonCC Student Media Board: Chairperson Jennifer Kakio Publications Director Mathew Ursua Editor Ieva Bytautaite Digital editor Derek Choi Faculty Advisers Emily Kukulies Mike Leidemann Staff members Hillary Brown Misty Chiechi Sohany Figueroa Duke Komomua Barrett Maioho Amanda Rico Noahlani Siaosi April/May 2013 Contact Information editor@thekala.net Student Media Board Building 2, Room 115 Phone: (808) 845-9498 Submissions Ka Lā invites letters to the editor, articles, events, advertising, and classifieds. Ka Lā reserves the right to refuse or edit submissions. Submissions must be signed and include a daytime telephone number and email address.

Editors and writers are responsible for content, which does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HonCC faculty or staff.

Ka La photo by Mathew Ursua

Building 7 construction will continue all next year, with work moving to floors three and four in the fall.

Library to reopen in summer New facility will feel like an old friend again

By Mathew Ursua Ka La editor

Librarians are getting ready to pack up and go back to Building 7 after a semester of being relocated to a portable building in the gravel parking lot.

Librarian Nadine Leong-Kurio said in April that she peeked at the construction in Building 7. She liked the progress construction crews were making. “At first I was a little worried,” she said, “but now it really looks like it's coming along.”

Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services Brian Furuto said that the library would be returning to its permanent location in Building 7 in the first two weeks of June.

The library, which has been located in a portable building, missing most of its books and computers for the entirety of the semester, is expected to reopen in the lobby and 2nd floor of Building 7 with all of its amenities for the 2013-14 academic year.

Some say having a fully stocked library will help them while others say they weren’t affected by the temporary relocation.

During the library’s semesterlong relocation to portable building 7A, students who wanted to borrow books sometimes had to

wait more than a week for them to be delivered from other libraries in the UH system or had to visit one of those libraries themselves.

“Some students have said it's been difficult,” said Head Librarian Irene Mesina.

Mesina said that because the college's reference and Hawaii Pacific collections contain books not found at other UH libraries, some were out of luck when it came to getting what they needed.

That’s because most of the library’s books are in storage now.

They’ll come out before the library reopens in Building 7.

A local moving company is going to reshelve the books, “hopefully in the order they were taken off,” she said. The boxes are alphanumerically labeled to correspond with

labels on the new shelves.

Mesina said that once the movers put everything back, library staffers and assistants will have to do a check of the shelves to make sure everything is in the right place.

On May 10, the library will close at 3 p.m. as it has on Fridays since the start of the semester.

"The major changes in the

library are a new air conditioning system, new energy efficient lights and newly painted walls," Mesina said.

"I think the color of walls will be the first thing the students notice," she said. "The first and second floors have their own color scheme.

I won't say what those colors are - I want the students to see for themselves when we reopen."

More campus changes ahead Continued from Page 1

more “hybrid classes,” which meet in person once a week and online the other times. That would cut down on classroom space needs.

Egloria stressed that it was only one option -- and an option that, if implemented, would only last one semester. It would end after renovations on Building 7 wrapped

up and the classes and instructors could move back in.

But there’s another problem looming.

The college was issued a warning by its accreditors this semester after it failed to follow recommendations made more than six years ago. Among the problem areas cited was distance education plans and general education requirements for some students.

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 3

April/May 2013

Online classes face new scrutiny

By Sohany Figueroa Ka La staff writer

Since a school accreditation report criticized distance education courses at Honolulu Community College and contributed to the school being given an official warning, administrators say they are increasing their efforts to fix the problems.

The accreditation report earlier this semester singled out distance education as one of the areas that needs to be improved quickly at HonCC. “In order to meet the standards . . . the team recommends the college develop a formal assessment process to evaluate the effectiveness of its distance education program,” the accrediting group wrote in its warning letter to the school. “The process should include a systematic evaluation, analysis, communication and improvement of the program, including assessment of how well each online course is satisfying its student learning outcomes, support for staff development and technical assistance for faculty.”

School officials say they are rushing to meet the demands of the letter in time for another evaluation in October.

The changes in the school’s distance education will include an evaluation of differences between on-line and in-person classes.

“Since instructors develop their own courses, teachers meet and compare students’ papers to analyze their own teaching methods,”

All around the country the number of online classes is inclreasing exponentially, but there are still questions about how effective they are. At Honolulu Community College, administrators want to know if participants are achieving the same student learning outcomes as their fellow students in face-to-face classes.

said Ross Egloria, the school’s distance education coordinator.

“What is important here is that no matter who is teaching the class, whether classroom or distance education, that the student is learning the same outcomes.”

Support and training for both faculty and students are highly encouraged in DE courses. Egloria said that the DE department is “concerned about the support students should have” during a semester of online courses.

Another concern is the potential for problems in online classes.

“Distance Education courses

are highly scrutinized by accreditations because of financial aid issues,” according to Egloria.

Some students register for classes online and do not do any of the work. Since there is no faceto-face interaction between faculty and students, there is potential for cheating in both testing and requests for financial aid.

If anything, the school is likely to be offering more distance education classes in the near future.

One reason is the potential loss of classroom space next spring when floors five and six of Building 7 are being renovated. Most of the

school’s English and humanities classes are taught on those floors.

Anticipating that not all the classrooms may be relocated, administrators are studying the need to offer more online and hybrid classes, which meet once a week in person and once online, Egloria said.

One challenge facing teachers not used to teaching online is “conceptualizing how to offer the course,” Egloria said. Training is being provided to faculty members who volunteer to teach more online classes, he said.

questionable. But in the worst case scenario, the commission ultimately could put the college on notice that it could be closed -- or taken over by another institution.

That’s what’s happening now at City College of San Francisco, which has more than 100,000 students in four campuses and is waiting to hear whether it will close or will make enough changes to avoid the severest of sanctions.

Officials here at HonCC say they are working hard to fix things in time to avoid similar measures for their college. They have until October to show that they are making progress on the problems noted in the report.

By mid-October, the school must issue a follow up report to the accrediting commission. If the school has not addressed the commission's suggestions -- some dating back to before 2006 a --- Honolulu

Community College will likely be placed on probation.

When accreditors put the school on notice for failing to follow recommendations dating back to 2006, the message was clear: something had to be done.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges accrediting commission issued the college a “warning” in a letter to the Chancellor dated February 11. At a town hall meeting in early March, Chancellor Erika Lacro said that she almost had tears in her eyes after she opened it.

Now the school is making changes. Among them is revising its general education policy to meet national standards, something that will require more reading, writing and math courses for those pursuing associate’s degrees in applied Sciences.

The school is also retraining

instructors to do a better job of tracking student learning outcomes. That’s to ensure that students are actually learning what’s promised them at the beginning of every class.

Lacro, who has been chancellor for less than a year, said that her biggest concern is the accreditation warning. “It’s the only thing going through my mind right now,” she said, “day and night.”

The commission's report was the result of a months-long re-accreditation process that wrapped up late last year.

“Warning is issued when the Commission finds that an institution has pursued a course deviating from the Commission's Eligibility Requirements, Accreditation Standards, or Commission Policies to an extent that gives concern to the Commission,” reads the commission’s letter to the college.

School facing October deadline for accreditation

By Mathew Ursua Ka La editor

The college is facing its biggest challenge in years; the administration says it’s doing everything it can to make sure it stays accredited.

Honolulu Community College this semester joined a number of other colleges around the nation put on warning status by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

“I wish to inform you that under U.S. Department of Education regulations, institutions out of compliance with standards or on sanction are expected to correct deficiencies within a two year period or the Commission must take action to terminate accreditation,” reads the commission’s letter to the college’s Chancellor Erika Lacro.

Just what might happen is still

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 4

April/May 2013

You can be the change you wish to see in world First, I want to congratulate the Class of 2013 on succeeding and finishing your journey at Honolulu Community College. May your dreams take you wherever your heart leads you, knowing that you can accomplish anything.

Remember, YOU can be the change you wish to see in the world. I want to thank all the students for allowing me to be your voice and electing me your ASUH-HCC president. It has been an honor and a privilege serving and being the voice for you.

To the newly elected ASUHHCC Student Government, congratulations on your victory! Remember to listen to one another, and work together as an ohana.

To my 2012-2013 administration thank you for being an awesome team. To my Vice President Sugki Suguitan thank you for all your hard work, and being an awesome friend (don’t forget about KK’s). To my Communications Director Ieva Bytautaite you have been a joy to work with, and wish you the best in everything that you do. To all my Senators-at-Large, Ryan Yamada, Raquel Adverderada, Jim Cardenas, Gigi Gragasin, Janel Dulan, Misty Chiechi and Amy Akina, each one of you has touched my life in a very special way, and for that I am so grateful to call you all friends. I love you all!

Finally, to my advisors Nadine Leong-Kurio, Patrick Patterson and Larry Meacham and mentors Emily Kukulies, Mike Leidemann,and Chancellor Erika Lacro: I want to personally thank you all for guiding me in the right direction, and always believing in me with unconditional support. Your encouragement really made ASUH the best it possibly could be. For that I am always grateful.

Mahalo Nui Loa and A Hui Hou,

Kaleo Gagne

ASUH-HCC President

Ka La photo by Steven Olinger HonCC student Justin Cooper gets ready for lunch at the cafeteria.

Finding family at HonCC 'It's going to be hard to leave this place'

By Noahlani Siaosi Ka La staff writer

I can truly say that this year has been a journey for me.

I remember coming to Hawaii and not knowing anyone. When I started at Honolulu Community College, I was one of those kids who came straight to school and went right back home. I had no friends on campus and my experience was not that great. It was not until I got tired of working off campus and commuting to school that all this changed.

I applied at Student Life & Development and got hired a week later. I quit my off campus job to begin a new chapter in my life, working on the campus. I must say, it was nerve-wrecking when I started at SLD. This job requires you to be social, and at that time, I

was closed off.

I had just lost my mom and things were hard for me. But it was through this job that I networked and made lasting connections with people that I never would have if I had not worked there.

Working there also helped me to become a part of Ka La. I found another love I never knew I had, and that love is writing. This year, I have tried and experienced new things. I recently competed in a debate tournament; I completely hate debating, but my team won all of our debates and I took home the top speaker award.

I also got selected to sing the national anthem again this year at graduation, but what is even more special is that, this year I am graduating. I decided to try something different for the anthem,

so come out to graduation if you want to hear it.

I have really grown being at this school. I used to feel all alone, but now HonCC has become a family to me. I have made so many friendships here; it is so amazing.

I have become so attached that it is going to be hard for me to leave this place.

This fall, I will be starting a new chapter at Manoa pursuing a social work degree. I can honestly say that here at HonCC, I have truly experienced the ultimate college experience. So keep pushing, get involved, and most of all, enjoy life; it is too short! Eleanor Roosevelt put it best when she said, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

New ASUH officers elected

By Mathew Ursua

Ka La editor

Kaleo Gagne will be the college's student president again.

Gagne, who was unopposed, was re-elected in April.

Also elected were Misty Chiechi, vice president; and Janel Dulan, communications director.

Their victories were guaranteed when the deadline to submit paperwork to run for office came and went and no others ran.

Duke Kalena Komomua, Jacob Morton, Jacob Choe, Christoper S. Kim, and Zhuolin "Brian" Zhang were elected as senators at large.

Gagne said that the low num-

ber of candidates for executive board positions stemmed from the success of his administration, rather than a lack of interest in student government.

Gagne's administration plans to tackle issues ranging from cafeteria food to the accreditation warning in the upcoming year.

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 5

April/May 2013

The art & soul of HonCC A very talented campus Talent is easy to find at Honolulu Community College. From the singers jamming on the campus mall to the art work displayed around campus, students' hard work shines through.

It is a tradition for the Ka La to highlight HonCC students' work in the last issue of the semester. In this issue we wanted to share a few poems and essays written by our talented students. Along with the poetry, we hope the following photos depicting everyday campus life will always remind you what Honolulu Community College is all about - diversity, friendship and moving forward through education.

Until next year,

The Ka La Staff

Ka La photos by Noahlani Siaosi

A Monday From Hell

The whole house shook as the front door slammed shut. I opened my eyes and reached for my phone to check the time.

“Crap! It’s 8:25!” I leaped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom.

I got to school at 8:45, only fifteen minutes late which was a new record. I waited for the elevator in building 7 and I noticed a gentleman standing nearby. We got into the elevator together.

“What floor did you need?” I pointed to the numbers on the wall of the elevator.

“Five and a half,” he paused, then asked, “hey, do you want this banana?” holding out an aged banana. It was well past its prime.

“Uhh, no thanks,” I answered as I took a step away from the stranger. The elevator seemed to not be moving because it wasn’t. Getting stuck in an elevator with a creepy stranger when I was already late for class was just my luck.

The man inched closer toward me, “Heh, how about an orange?” he asked. “Might as well have some breakfast since we’re gonna be in here for a while.”

I pressed the call button and pounded on the elevator doors in frustration. “Please get me out of here,” I whispered under my breath.

“Let’s play a little game while we wait,” the strange man reached for his backpack and stared at me.

“Sorry, but I don’t feel like playing any games. I’d appreciate it if you just left me alone.” I took another step away.

“As you wish,” his voice faded and when I looked up he was gone. I closed my eyes and opened them quickly to verify what I saw, or what I didn’t see.

“What the --,” my heart was now racing and I was the most confused I’ve ever been. And then my alarm went off.

Lauren Guerrero

Wake of the Windmills

Staghorn ferns blanket the mountains

of Waimea Valley. Wind smoothly breezes

through trees like swells of the ocean traversing the earth. The wind begins o grow stronger and wails over ‘Ōhi'a and Koa trees.

The view of Mount Ka`ala is marred by thirty mechanical monstrosities. The four hundred

foot tall towering windmills standout in the landscape like hunters wearing orange in a forest. From hilltop to hilltop nature flows until abruptly stopped

by the modern man’s contraptions. Windmill blades churn the gusting wind into a loud electric hum like the feedback from an electric guitar amp.

The sound does not belong in the mountains.

Amid high-rises and bustling traffic the same sound is heard.

Michael Glass

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 6

April/May 2013

Crane Game

The hungry machine, wearing window-walls and trapped-toys, beckoned us near.

We fed it a dollar.

You watched from the front and maneuvered the stick.

I watched from the side, guiding you to the plushie

you wanted.

Claw and toy aligned, you pressed the button.

The claw fell, hitting the stuffed-animal on the head.

The claw, clenching its fingers and scratching the bear’s nose, came up empty---twice.

Disappointment on your face, you swore you won all the time at DnB. That night, I smiled, though I was disappointed you didn’t get the one you liked.

Earlier that night, I picked up the one I liked:

the small one that turns pink

and smiles when she’s angry.

Jhomar Sarmiento

Prick Us, Yet We Do Not Bleed

Drake Kasen stood at the door of the Orbital Shuttle that had been commissioned for Orbital Skydiving. Drake sealed his

protective suit and jumped out into the thin atmosphere. Drake felt the fall and thought back to why he was doing this. Drake closed his eyes and a tear would have fallen from his eye if he had any tear ducts left. As Drake’s body accelerated through the air he would have felt the heat from re-entry, if he could feel anything that is. Drake had no sense of touch. He had none for many years and it saddened him. Drake would often wonder if he was truly alive, for didn’t people say, “Pain is the body’s way of letting you know you are alive,” so if he felt no pain, then was he alive? Taking note of the distance from the ground, Drake tried to pull the cord for his chute. Nothing happened. Drake began to panic. If the chute didn’t deploy in time, he would be nothing but a smear on the ground. Drake began to pull at the ripcord, but it was jammed and wouldn’t release the chute and the ground was getting closer and closer. Finally, Drake pulled the cord with all his strength and the chute deployed. Unfortunately Drake was far too close to the ground by now and all the chute could do was lessen the impact. With a large crash, Drake hit the earth. Pulling himself out of the small crater, he looked at his arm through his shredded flight suit. His skin had torn, but instead of muscles and blood, there were metal cables. Drake signed, ever since the accident he never felt pain, for a robot feels no pain.

Kyle Takemoto

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 7

April/May 2013

Sunday Driving

Light drizzling rain, birds chirping, and the sweet open road.

Turning on the car has the same effect as coffee in the morning.

Pulling out of the driveway is as sweet as candy.

Take the long way home or just drive as fast as you can because today is Sunday. Drive alone or race a couple of friends for fun because today is Sunday. Sunday driving is as good as anything can get.

Now is the weekend so just drive until the emotions of the week

smoothen out like the road. Having fun with that little alone time

that we all could call heaven is spectacular. Flying through the road just like birds fly through the air. Sunday driving is like having a slice of fresh out of the oven pie with a side of ice cream. Sunday driving is pretty cherreh

like the little red topping that Jack In The Box hands out with every milkshake.

Sunday driving feels so good like a massage after a long day of labor.

Sunday driving is like looking back at the days where hopscotch

was the best game in the world. Sunday driving is eating fresh fried chicken.

Driving on Sunday with an open road always a thrill.

Have fun with a Sunday Drive.

Ka La photos by Noahlani Siaosi

Eric Ucol

Memory of My Father

I stand on the summit of Haleakala.

I am with my father.

The night is filled by the black darkness of the new moon.

I look up to see the bright stars sparkling in the sky.

I see the Milky Way revealed in the heavens above.

There are no sounds, just a peaceful silence.

I feel the ice-cold air of Haleakala like tentacles wrap around me.

My father speaks in a soft voice.

My father quietly tells me about the ways of my ancestors.

My father points skyward first to the constellation Orion, the warrior

then to Polaris, the North Star, stars that were once guides to my Hawaiian people.

He explains how these very bright stars brought guidance to those Hawaiian travelers brave enough to cross great threatening seas.

I listen with great interest as his words are like rain falling on dry land that gives birth to gardens of vibrant green.

The meanings of my father’s words pierce me like a bowman’s arrow.

He explains my alii heritage to lead, my birthright,

and my responsibility to teach my children the ways of our Hawaiian ancestors.

I feel the Hawaiian gods looking down upon me as I now ponder his words.

I have the memory of my father standing beside me as he shared his wisdom and his love.

Whenever I look up to the stars,

to those very constellations my father so accurately described, they too guide me as they did my ancestors.

The stars guide me to the summit of Haleakala where I learned about my Hawaiian ancestors.

Max Kanahele

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i

8

My Deep Thinking Favorite Picture I have a picture of a stone with a red leaf. I took it when we traveled on the Big Island. I took a picture of them because I had a strong feeling since I saw them. One day we drove to a beach and stayed there to watch the young people surfing. I was gazing at the beach where there were a lot of stones and crashing waves. An idea came to my mind. I wanted to dig in the sand because I had had a strong feeling I could find something that was interesting. Then I jumped up and started my digging job. I found a few pieces of pottery or green glass. I was looking at them and thinking that maybe they had lain down under the water many years because they were smooth. Suddenly, a piece of stone that had two shells stuck on it caught my eyes. I picked it up and took a closer look at it. It was a common blue cobblestone. On this beach there were many stones like it, so many people who had arrived at this beach didn’t notice it. It was special for me because it was a trace of life.

It made me think about what my past life was, and it was my biggest discovery of that day. When we left that beach, I saw a big red leaf was lying on the ground, which was near our car. Even though it was a fallen leaf, its beauty still was showing that it had an unusual life. I put the stone beside the leaf and took a picture, and I thought it would be my deep thinking favorite picture in my mind.

Yan Bratakos ESL 3

April/May 2013

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i

The staff at the Ka La wants to congratulate all the 2013 graduates on this terrific milestone. On this page we feature just a few of the graduating students and what they loved most about HonCC and their biggest challenges.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disapointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover."

"My biggest challenge at HCC was trying to balance work, school and church activities.

I loved how HCC felt like a family. I felt like I belonged."

Simeon Kekomu Administration of Justice "My biggest challenge at HCC was taking the first step and actually enrolling into a class. After a few classes, I felt more inclined."

Apriil/May 2013

Hats off to the 2013 graduates!

Makana Jet Liberal Arts "I loved my professors and faculty support. I enjoyed all the potlucks we had in classes, especially sociology classes with Dr. Fumiko Takasugi."

Mark Twain

Noahlani Siaosi Liberal Arts

9

Judith Wiltfong Communications "Definitely I liked the teachers. The passion they had for their subjects encouraged me so much. Each of my teachers was so into their class; it really inspired me to study something I love."

Khoa Nguyen AEC “I’m happy I made the right decision to attend HCC. This school gave me my first job and the stepping-stone to get to UH Manoa.

Kaliko Rk Allen Liberal Arts "My biggest challenge was to travel out to the campus from the west coast. I liked the friendly staff, teachers and students being that I was also a new student to the campus coming out of the Leeward coast."

Jaron Nocon Human Services "My biggest challenge was the test taking. I liked the teachers and friends I made."

Marc Anthony Moises Sheet metal "My biggest challenge was overcoming my shyness with working and cooperating with my peers. I liked the events held on campus the most. "

Ashley Damo Liberal Arts "I like the friends that I have made from HonCC And the fun experiences that I have had."

Jovi Lavarro Liberal Arts "The classes and instructors were very challenging, but the staff was friendly. Working on campus was a big help."

Sugki J. Suguitan Liberal arts "Honcc was the most accepting and supportive school I had ever attended and I will miss it dearly."

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 10

HonCC

Academic Calendar Spring Semester May 1, Last Day of instruction.

May 6-9, Final exams

April/May 2013

It's a lot more than just testing Skills center offers big variety of other services

By Amanda Rico Ka La staff writer

May 10, Graduation

Summer Session 2013 May 28-Aug. 15, Summer Session I

July 8-15, Summer Ses-

sion II

Fall Semester 2013 Aug. 16, Statehood Day

Aug. 19, Official Faculty Duty.

Aug. 26, First Day of

Instruction

Sept. 2, Labor Day

Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day

Nov. 28, Thanksgiving Nov. 29, Non-instructional Day

Dec. 12. Last day of in-

struction

When thinking about the College Skills Center, most people think about the Compass placement test administered there, but the center has a lot more to it than that. The staff is eager to share information about the center.

Hanwell Kaakimaka, testing coordinator, explains that the center provides testing help, not just for the placement tests but also for distance education classes and students who need to make up in-class exams.

Although it primarily helps HonCC students, it also offers its services to others in the UH system. If you happen to live in the area and go to another campus, the CSC can administer tests your teacher has set up.

“When I first went in, they were helpful and they made sure I understood how everything worked,” said Selene, a student who did not want to give her last name.

Each test is closely monitored by a high-tech system to ensure there’s no cheating. Two monitors can view what you are doing on the computer.

Ka La photo by Amanda Rico The staff and student tutors at the College Skills Center are eager to share their knowledge and help in all kinds of ways.

And it’s not just for testing. The center also can provide general help, including all-around tutoring for students and faculty. It has eight to nine tutors to help with anything one might need. HonCC students get priority.

CSC also offers English and math brush-up courses, which are open to everyone.

“The math brush-up course helps students proceed to their major faster, and it helps them with their goal to graduate or transfer,” said Cory Takemoto, coordinator for the course, which is self-paced, costs $40 for six weeks and can be done at home or in the

center.

The center also administers the local VISTA volunteer program and offers Jumpstart, a program that gives students 16 and up a chance to earn college credit while still attending high school.

Students appreciate the help they can get at the center.

“It’s not only nice to get help here, but it’s also a nice quiet place to study,” said student Jeremy Balmores.

“They’re like a family,” added Aaron Ceaser. “They genuinely care and are willing to help from the most simplistic problem to the most difficult one.”

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 11

April/May 2013

Cats stir more campus debate

HCC team second in cyber contest

Officials want more cooperation, traps

By Duke Komomua Ka La staff writer

One student says they stink.

A staff member says they are fine.

A couple of people say they should be controlled.

A security guard says he hasn’t received any complaints about them.

They are the Honolulu Community College cats. You either love them or hate them or maybe don’t notice them at all, but make no mistake, they are an issue and the subject of a hot debate on campus.

Last month, members of the Keiki Center on campus complained that the cats, which can be seen in great numbers at night, were posing a danger to children and others on the school grounds. Cat feces, urine in the sand box, and fleas are some of the concerns staff members raised about the cats.

“I am respectfully asking you to please stop feeding the cats, so our school can be a safe place for everyone,” ASUH-HCC President

School officials say they are making progress dealing with the issue of feral cats on campus, but there's more work still to be done.

Kaleo Gagne wrote in a plea to others on campus.

Brian Furuto, vice chancellor of administrative services, said the school has set up 13 cat traps around campus to deal with the problem. When cats are trapped, they are taken to the Hawaii Humane Society.

The school hopes to buy more

traps, which cost between $200 and $400 each, in the future, he said, but the administration is not intent on eradicating the cats entirely, Furuto explained.

“Everything is good in moderation; we do need to reduce the numbers,” he said.

Others, though, said they didn’t see the need for action. Several staff and faculty members were seen feeding the cats, which largely go unseen by most students during the day time.

One staff member said the cat population seems to increase around February, when there are a lot of kittens, which some people feed.

“A hungry cat is more dangerous than a fed cat,” one faculty member said.

Despite few vocal complaints, some agreed that the cats pose a problem.

“They probably carry fleas,” said one student even though she hadn’t heard about the children center’s issue with fleas.

A team consisting of students from HonCC and UHWest O'ahu placed second in a recent cyber security competition.

The regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition consisted of teams from four-year universities in Hawai‘i, Alaska, Utah, Wyoming and Pennsylvania and community colleges in Hawai‘i and Alaska.

The CCDC is a three-day cyber security competition, which specifically focuses on the operational aspects of managing and protecting an existing "commercial" network infrastructure.

The Honolulu CC-UH West O‘ahu team consisted of Team Captain Thomas Dwyer, Michael Caralos, Taylor Kina, Christopher Pacholczak, Joseph Santiago, Jianjun Tan, Anthony Vandegrift, and Zhi Hai Wu.

Congratulations The Student Media Board at Honolulu Community College wants to congratulate the new officers and inductees of our school’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society. The HonCC chapter was recently named one of the top 100 chapters in the country

2013/2014 Officers President: VP Leadership: VP Service: VP Scholarship: Regional Rep: VP Fundraising: Chapter Senator: Communications:

Jamie Rodrigues (Human Services) Kaila Wang (Liberal Arts-Pre Med) Oni Jarrett Kahookele (Electrical Installation & Maintenance) Raina Mailou (Liberal Arts) & Lehua Rowland (Early Childhood Education) Jhomar Sarmiento (Liberal Arts-Journalism) Ramic Santiago (Liberal Arts) Christina Laseter (Human Services) Betram Booker (Liberal Arts-Engineering)

New Members Brittney Albeso Daniel Anderson Shawn Apau Jonathan Ayson Ryan Batt Jocelyn Belden Karen Billaber Bertram Booker Sean Brown-Hussey Clayton Cadorna Amber Carlson Kimi Carty Darrid Carvalho Alan Castillo Michael Chinen Daniel Ferguson Jessica-Ashley Fernando Jiangli Guo Nicholas Hudson John Ichiyama

Jenifer Jenkins Jarrett Kahookele Yuka Kanno Leina Kelly Robert Ladds Christina Laseter Evelyn Lee Rayna Mailou Mary Jane Makua Blake Marks Waldean McCoy Micah Medeiros Ryan Mojica Selaina Nagaseu Amanda Noonan Ryan Oato Pamela Pang Melissa Pascua Shari Perreira Sonia Peynado

Brian Powell Nicholas Rascon Arthi Reddy Alphonse Matthew Rigor Lehua Rowland Jonathan Sadoyama Ramic Santiago Jhomar Sarmiento Julius Peregrine Serrano Ronald Schmidt David H. Takahashi Leila Tamayori Kuuipo Todd Matagi Toilolo Adrian Villoria Christie Wagner Jamie West Nelson Yuen

KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 12

April/May 2013

Ka La photo by Amanda Rico

Caring for the keiki

Students in HonCC's Early Childhood Education Program have the opportunity to work with youngsters attending the school's childcare facility. .

ECE program teaches students how to work with children

By Amanda Rico Ka La staff writer

It is not daycare. It’s childcare.

“We don’t take care of the days, but the children,” says Linda Buck, coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Program at Honolulu Community College and an advocate for early childcare throughout the community.

The early childhood education field is certainly a topic of interest lately. Society is becoming more and more aware of the impact education has at an early age. This year Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has proposed increasing state funding for preschools so that all children can experience their benefits. The community is recognizing that early childcare is a lot more than just babysitting. It is about teaching our future generations, and the ECE program at HonCC understands that.

The program at HonCC is open to anyone who has met the English 22 requirement. Throughout the ECE program, you will gain knowledge on how to work with children and their families.

Everything connects through the one source, which is the child, and

"It’s more than just liking children; it’s really about respecting children as whole human beings from the moment they are born."

Linda Buck

Early Childhood Education coordinator by just starting off and taking the first ED courses this is apparent.

The ECE program is designed on a continuum, where each class leads into the next, and certificates and degrees prepare you for learning at the next level. All classes are applied toward the certificate and AS degree, and these can be used toward a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences and early childhood education at UHWest Oahu. Beyond the bachelor’s degree, UH-Manoa offers a master’s degree in the ECE field.

So HonCC has proved a good starting point for many looking to advance into different degrees.

“The teachers are very knowledgeable and experienced; they expose their students on up-

to-date teacher media in early childhood,” said a former HonCC ECE student with a masters in the field.

Buck also has a sense of pride when she speaks about the faculty.

“They’re an amazing group of people, and all are highly qualified with experience. They know what it takes to work in the early childhood field,” she said. Getting into the field comes with big and growing responsibility as society understands more about the development of younger children.

“It’s important to really think about young children and ask if you’re really curious about how children learn and what they’re doing. It’s more than just liking children; it’s really about respect-

ing children as whole human beings from the moment they are born,” Buck said.

Two different AS degrees are offered at HonCC; one in the preschool option and another in the infant/toddler option. The AS degrees require 62-63 total credits.

Both have the same basic structure but change as the last courses in the sequence become more specific.

The AS degree also requires 12 to 13 general education credits.

The AS degree gives you the opportunity to get a bachelor’s in social sciences with a concentration in early childhood education.

The program also offers several certificate programs. Online ED courses are available to anyone interested in the distant education option. The ECE program also offers the PACE program created 20 years ago; it is a program for anyone in the community looking to get into the ECE field. Students can take these courses, which can be converted to college credits if they choose to go on to a certificate or degree. Classes of PACE are in Kapolei, Kailua and central Oahu.