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A Student Publication of the University of Hawai`i • Honolulu Community College • September 2011
Tuition increase?
UH regents are studying a proposal to raise community college tuition rates 32 percent over the next five years. Pages 3
Phantom returns
Windward Community College scores a stunning success with a new production of "Phantom of the Opera." Page 4
Going green
A new farmers' market offers fresh produce and homemade jams at HonCC. Page 6
Fall sports
Intramural sports and a trip to see the UH wahine volleyball team in action. Page 8
Honorable mention Star-Advertiser readers name HonCC the best vocational school in the state
KaLā Photo illustration supplied by Matthew Ursua
By Tyler Takamiya Ka Lā staff writer
There was a somber mood on the Honolulu Community College Sept. 12 as students, faculty, staff and visitors gathered to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks 10 years earlier. Among the more than 3,000 people killed in the attacks were 343 firefighters. When the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, the firefighters were trapped in the rubble. The faint chirps of their emergency locators, which are activated when they
are lost in an emergency, were a sad reminder of just how many first responders were lost in the attacks. At the HonCC memorial, fire science students took part in the ceremony, watching from seats near the front of the audience. For them the event had special meaning. These students are taking classes so they too can put their lives on the line, just like the firefighters who went before them. The HonCC memorial was held Sept. 12 in remembrance of all those who lost their lives and loved ones in the attacks. The
event was also a rededication of the school’s Sept. 11 memorial, created in 2005 by HonCC sheet metal students. Since the memorial was first made, extra features have been added. One of the most notable new features is a stainless steel coating. Associate professor of sheet metal Danny Aiu explains: “We added stainless steel because you can look at the monument and see a reflection of yourself. Everyone who looks at the monument sees something different because everyone had a different 9/11 experience.” Continued on page 2
KaLā - News KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 2
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Adina Murakami Carlos Quintana Ronald Santos
Tyler Takamiya
Matthew Ursua September 2011
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September 2011
10 years later, we remember Continued from Page 1
The ceremony began with a presentation by Farrington High School’s Color Guard team. The colorful display of the flags was followed by Taryn Takebayashi, singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Afterwards, Farrington High School’s JROTC presented arms in remembrance of the attack. This was followed by HonCC’s Chancellor Mike Rota opening the ceremony and was followed by a lei decoration by the children of Keiki Hauoli Children’s Center while Kaysea Buscher sang “Grand Old Flag.” Emcee Ryan Adverderada then told the tale of victims in the Sept. 11 attacks who were from Hawaii. HonCC graduate Christine Snyder was one of the heroines on Flight 93, the plane that crashed into the western Pennslvania field. After the plane’s pilot was killed, the passengers on Flight 93 decided to fight back. They managed to take the plane back from the terrorists, and prevent the plane from being used as a weapon. Unfortunately, they were not able to turn the plane around, and all the passengers were killed. They sacrificed themselves to save others from being hit by the plane. Later in the ceremony, HonCC speech professor Barbara Dias, who was an eyewitness to the attacks, shared her story. “It was 80 degrees, and sunny,” Dias explained. “I worked right across the street from the Pentagon. I worked in avionics.” But Dias’ story turns. “The TV was on, and we see the attacks. Then we hear a rumbling outside. The Pentagon was hit. We could only see the roof, but moments later, it collapsed.” Dias went on to talk about the compassion that could be seen on TV and in person as well. “The metro was down, people commuted to work. People in cars would come and offer rides, even if it was out of the way,” Dias said. Dias ends by saying, “Freedom is not free. But through resolve, honor those who died, and died for our country.” Afterward HonCC English instructor Eric Shaffer shared his Sept. 11 poem “Flying Flag.” Shaffer’s poem touched on ideas of seeking vengeance for the pain dealt to America. But “Fly-
KaLā Photo by Ronald Santos
HonCC students in the fire science program were in the front row at the remembrance service to honor the firefighters killed in the 9-11 attacks. ing Flag” also explained that the terrorists were men with beliefs in god, and their own ideas of freedom and justice. Former HonCC student body president Howard Kam told the story of his Sept. 11 morning. “I woke up early, and I watched the news before work like I always do. When I turned the TV on, I saw one of the towers on fire. I thought it was an accident, but when I saw the second plane coming, I knew it was beyond the scope of an accident,” Kam explained. “After I left the house, I saw a man on the overpass, waving the American flag,” Kam said. HonCC Veterans Club President Ryan Yamada, who was a sophomore in high school at the time of the attacks, told how serving in the military was his dream job as a kid. After he graduated, Yamada joined the armed forces, he looked around at the other recruits; he
knew that each of them understood what they were getting themselves into. “This was not just an attack against America; this was an attack on world interest,” Yamada said. Yamada said he is proud to have been part of the less than 1 percent that answered the call of duty. A hula was then performed by Harmony Brighter and the hula halau Na Pua Kula Nui O Ke Kaiaulu to the song, “For a Peaceful World.” The HonCC fire science students followed up the hula by leading the audience in a moment of silence. Flowers and lei were then placed on the memorial by the students and audience members, some of whom had family who were killed in the attacks. As the flowers and lei were placed, the commemoration ended with Taryn Takebayashi singing “Amazing Grace.”
KaLā Photo by Matthew Ursua As the ceremony came to a close, students, faculty and others came to the memorial to offer flowers, lei and prayers.
KaLā - NEWS KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 3
Regents planning 32 percent increase in CC tuition rates By Carlos Quintana
University of Hawaii Tui2on Briefing
Ka Lā staff writer
Honolulu Community College students could see their tuition go up by as much as 32 percent in the next five years under a proposal being studied by the UH Board of Regents. Currently all community college students who are residents of Hawaii pay $92 per credit hour. Under the five-year plan being studied by the regents, that could rise to $122 per credit hour by the 2016 school year. But the increase would come gradually. Next year, for instance, the charge would be an extra $4 per credit hour, or about $60 per semester, for a student who takes an average of 15 credits each semester, according to UH officials. In the following years, the increases could add anywhere from $75 to $120 per semester for a fulltime resident student. That means students at community colleges in the year 2016 could be paying as about $1,830 per semester in tuition and fees. UH officials say the increase is
Proposed Tui2on Schedule UH Community College Average Tui2ons & Fees + $12,000 $10,262 $8,000
$8,765
UHCC NR
$4,000
$3,971
UHCC Res
$2,981 $0 2011-‐12 2012-‐13 2013-‐14 2014-‐15 2015-‐16 2016-‐17 Year One Dollar Increase Res: $60/semester(15 cr) NR: $90/semester (15 cr)
KaLā Graphic by YUN Shi LI
necessary to offset rising costs and declining revenue. “The modest tuition increases we are proposing are prudent, within the reach of our students, and absolutely critical to our long-term survival,” UH President M.R.C Greenwood said. Other schools in the UH system will see even bigger increases under the plan. The top priority for using the
money will be putting more money into financial aid, she said. A hearing on the increases at Honolulu Community College is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. Please come and voice your opinions and concerns related to the tuition hike. The UH Board of Regents is expected to take final action on the recommendation to raise tuition rates at a meeting in mid-fall.
Manoa in the spring of 2011, Ryan Yamada made the choice to step forward and take the lead. Yamada, who up until that point had been the club’s vice president, is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Yamada took over a fledgling club and has provided direction moving forward. Club participation, which hovers around 10 active members, has been a roller coaster ride. Yamada admits that they struggle to keep an active membership: “It’s tough for our club because we are so specific in what we are doing,” he said. The Veteran’s Club hosts monthly meetings for its members. To maximize participation, the meetings are held on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The meetings cover the same topics and serve to provide a chance for all club mem-
bers to attend a meeting at their convenience. Yamada went on to say, “the biggest problem we face is that many veterans and military members who attend school here are typically done with classes around mid morning and leave for their jobs or other commitments.” Yamada receives help from club advisers Scott Parry and Akiu. Recruitment is ongoing and the club is exploring possible events. “We will continue to work with the student government to participate in events as well as meet with incoming students through our Passport to College sessions. We welcome everyone who is connected to the military or even supports the military. We are here to make sure our veterans and their families get the education they deserve,” Yamada said.
Club offers support to veterans returning home to college By Ryan Adverderada
Ka Lā staff writer
Serving in the military during war time requires a certain type of toughness and self sacrifice. For those who return from their time overseas, transitioning back to civilian life can be difficult. It is with this knowledge that the Honolulu Community College Veterans Club was formed last fall. Previously, the campus did not have any student organization directed toward military personnel or veterans. With the urging of English professor Jerry Saviano and Veteran’s Certifying Officer Phillip Akiu, a small group of vets started their own club. The initial club president was Cliff Crenshaw. When Crenshaw decided to move on to the University of Hawaii at
September 2011
9-11 honors, food drive just the start of fall plans The fall semester is in full swing, and things are only beginning to heat up. I would first like to thank the students of Honolulu Community College for coming out to the recent Welcome Week and HIV/ AIDS testing events put on by your ASUH-HCC student government and Student Life & Development offices. We will continue to put on events that are fun and beneficial for the campus. I would also like to thank faculty members Karen Hastings and Leilani Hinds for their hard work and imagination in putting together a moving 9/11 ceremony. I was proud to be a part of the commemoration and pleased to see so much support from both the students and administration of Honolulu CC. In the coming month the ASUH-HCC student government will be sponsoring a campus wide food drive to benefit the Hawaii Food Bank. It is my vision to see our campus working together to help the community. Our goal is to raise over 2,000 pounds of food for the Hawaii Food Bank. We have many events coming up over the rest of the school year. Be on the look out and get involved. If anyone would like to volunteer or get involved in any of these events or even get involved with student government, the ASUH-HCC Senate office is located at Building 2, Room 116. If we are not getting better, we are only getting worse. Ryan Adverderada ASUH-HCC President (808) 845-9269
KaLā - Features KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 4
September 2011
Windward's "Phantom" is a success By Adina Murakami
Ka Lā Editor
Originally “Phantom of the Opera” opened in 1986 at the West End in London, England, and won the Olivier Award that same year. It opened on Broadway in 1988 and won a Tony Award for best musical. It has been viewed by more than 100 million people in more than 149 cities in 25 countries over the past 25 years. The show prides itself on being the highest grossing entertainment event of all time. In New York the production grossed $800 million, making it the most financially successful Broadway show. Now, “Phantom of the Opera” is playing at the Windward Community College’s Palikū Theater. This show opened Sept. 9 and will have performances through Oct. 16. Renowned local director Ron Bright noted several challenges in authentically staging the show in the Kaneohe theater. These included the style of the theater itself, as the original stage was set in Paris in 1881, which housed an enormous chandelier, a labyrinth, a boat and an enormous blue elephant, exquisite costumes and box seats on either side of the stage. All of the issues were not
the audience into the past as the chandelier descended and was elegantly maneuvered over the crowd. The phantom was played by Miles Wesley, who expressed enough despair to move even the most skeptical critic. His voice radiated a deep sorrowful sound, urging his love, Christina Daaé, played by Lydia E. Pusateri, to surrender to the music and his love. Lydia’s vocal abilities were astonishing and held the audience captive while she vacillated between marrying her childhood love, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, played by Kyle Malis, or yielding to the music and the phantom’sinstruction. The supporting cast and music are the heart and soul of this production; without them the performance would be lacking enthusiasm, drama and spirit. The choreography was mesmorizing, and it is easy to see why this performance has been in demand for more than 25 years. It has been 13 years since the last showing the “Phantom of the Opera” in The program cover from Windward Community College's "Phantom of the Opera" Honolulu, so don’t miss your opproduction. portunity to go see it. Many of the show dates are already sold out, only expertly addressed in the ful and masterfully crafted. It was Windward production but also easy to be immersed in the fantasy so order your tickets quickly. For more information, go to: http:// exceeded expectation. of the 1881 Paris Opera House. The set was spectacular, colorSkillfully the cast and décor thrust etickethawaii.com/paliku.html. · hairstyling · manicures · pedicures · waxing ·
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KaLā - News KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 5
College plans are found in the Star By Jennifer Kakio
Ka Lā staff writer
Honolulu Community College's counselors have always encouraged students to use STAR, the web-based system that guides students through credit counts and course requirements. This month, counselors campaigned to promote it. September is Star Month, featuring a contest in which students have a chance to not only learn about the STAR tool, but to earn cool prizes like one-semester free campus parking, free auto body car detailing, and gift cards to businesses on campus. “The purpose of STAR Month is to introduce STAR to students, faculty and staff so that the entire HonCC community/ohana supports and encourages use of STAR,” said Marilynn Ito-Won, an HonCC academic counselor. STAR is an online information system available 24-7 where you can find what courses you have to take next, your GPA, what classes you already took, and most important of all, how much more you have to do before you graduate. “Students become self-reliant and empowered as they spend their own time independently
going over their academic journey and plans to complete degrees,” said Ito-Won. STAR has many other features, but the most interesting one is the “What If Journey” tool. With this tool, students can figure out the question “what if?” For example, what if a liberal arts student wanted to become an auto body technician? With the “What If Journey” tool, this student could figure out how many of his or her courses would transfer or what kind of classes are needed. This tool gives a sense of direction and time line for the student’s future. STAR is an essential tool for students to have during their University of Hawaii career, whether they plan on graduating from HonCC or moving on to one of UH’s campuses. During STAR Month, students
have three ways to qualify to earn some prizes: by seeing a counselor during walk-in times at the Native Hawaiian center, appointment, submitting names online (www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/star) for “Name The Stars” contest, or attending the academic planner or scholarship workshops. The STAR one-on-one sessions can run from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much the
September 2011
student knows. The STAR team recommends to block an hour. If one-on-one is not your thing, there will be two workshops available to all HonCC students that will count toward winning a prize. If you already are a pro at STAR, this would be a great opportunity to learn the new features added on the STAR website. A new feature that many students can partake in is the STAR Scholarship tool. Since fall 2010, HonCC has given out $16,650 in scholarships, according to the UH Student Scholarships Awards & Internships website. STAR will even find the best fit scholarship for you. When using the STAR scholarship tab, the STAR team strongly recommends that all students apply for Federal Student Aid (www.FAFSA.gov) before looking for scholarships. Regardless of whether you are a two-year or four-year student, every student should know how to use STAR. It would be a shame to realize that three of the classes you took last semester don’t count towards your degree. This could all be avoided simply by checking STAR.
Hawaiian enrollment climbs; overall total is down By Mathew Ursua
Ka Lā staff writer
Honolulu Community College is meeting some of its top goals by getting more Native Hawaiian students to enroll and handing out more scholarships to all students. University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood has said that increasing the number of college graduates by 25 percent by 2015 is one of her top goals and has emphasized the need to include more Native Hawaiian students in that number. Therefore, HonCC set a goal of having at least 806 of its students being Native Hawaiian by the fall of last year. Instead, more than 1,200 of the students in classes at HonCC that semester identified themselves as Native Hawaiians. While pleased with that prog-
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ress, counselors at the school’s Native Hawaiian Center say that is only half the battle. “We know that since the [Na-
tive Hawaiian Center] started, Native Hawaiian enrollment went up,” said Native Hawaiian Center counselor Leon Florendo, “but
the number of them graduating hasn’t.” According to a report from Chancellor Michael Rota in August, 102 Native Hawaiians were awarded degrees or certificates at the end of 2010. That’s 25 below its goal of 127. Overall, HonCC’s total enrollment decreased slightly (about 2.5 percent) this semester. However, the 4,656 students enrolled at the start of the school year makes us the third largest community college in the system. Part of the continuing high enrollment at HonCC may be due to the increasing amount of financial assistance available. In 2009, for instance, 805 students were attending college using Pell Grants. That’s 28 percent above the school’s goal, and HonCC hopes to up that number to 1,456 by 2015.
KaLÄ - Activities KaLÄ€ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 6
September 2011
Farmers' market comes to campus By Ronald Santos
Ka LÄ staff writer
Though nothing beats the convenience of a supermarket when it comes to grocery shopping, there’s something about a farmers’ market that many others prefer. Maybe it’s the closer connection to the produce you buy. Seeing the people who actually grow the fruits and vegetables elicits a feeling of comfort, which comes from being able to know your seller and how they get their produce, and learn if they will eventually cut you a deal on some out-of-season mangos. When you become a regular customer at a supermarket, the clerks may greet you by name. At a farmers’ market, when you be-
Announcements Farmers Market Every Sunday 8 a.m. -1 p.m. . September is STAR Month. Stop by the Counseling Office or Native Hawaiian Center for more info. Malama Aina Day: Kahana Valley. Fri. Oct. 7, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 17 is last day to apply for fall graduation. Oct. 25 is the last day to drop a class with a W grade. Campus-wide food drive: Oct. 3-21.
come regular, the seller may save you the best of the lot or offer up the occasional freebie. Along with great service, eventually you’ll get the sense of a community every morning the farmers’ market operates. That is the goal of the farmers’ market that is held at Honolulu Community College on Sunday mornings. KaLÄ Photo by Jennifer Kakio Its promoters want to make it Fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables, homemade jams and drinks are just someday as big as the one at Kapisome of the items available at the new farmers' market on campus. olani Community College. The promoters hope news of to homemade smoked meat jerky. local produce in the Kalihi area, this new farmer’s market will These things have become come down to the front parking spread through the Kalihi area and unique to this market since the lot of Honolulu Community Colincrease its popularity, bringing vendors operate on such a small lege. It is open every Sunday from more vendors and diversity. scale. The exclusivity of the prod8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are already some interestucts alone is enough to attract the It is a nice way to stock up on ing vendors who go there every eye of a potential buyer. groceries after church or Sunday Sunday. You’ll find unique things from organic honey from Waialua So if you need a place for quality morning football.
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KaLā - Profiles KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 7
September 2011
He dreams of cooking, not cleaning By Mathew Ursua
Ka Lā staff writer
Peter Haliniak’s old job had him wearing a white, double-breasted chef’s uniform and toque. Until December of last year, Haliniak was head chef of Honolulu Community College’s cafeteria. The university’s budget cuts brought an end to the position Haliniak had held for 3 years, but it didn’t end him. He found work not far away. Haliniak shows up at 6:30 a.m. wearing a T-shirt and work pants. He’s a janitor in Building 7, and that’s where you’ll find him most days, tidying up on floors three, four and five. “I’m just thinking about getting my job done,” Haliniak says. That doesn’t mean he’s forgotten what he used to do. Haliniak was more than a chef. In three years at the cafeteria, he worked with over 100 different cooks. All of them were high school students at risk of dropping out who were recruited by Windward Community College’s Employment Training Center. The culinary program allowed them to earn high school credit. As cooks fed Honolulu Community College, worked toward getting diplomas. Haliniak first got word that there was a budget problem in late
Ka La Photo by MATTHEW URSUA
Peter Haliniak works as a HonCC janitor, but still hopes to resume his career as a chef and teacher in Honolulu. 2009 when the center’s director said ‘things aren’t good,” but he was still “shocked” three months later when it was made official that the Employment Training Center would dissolve. “Everyone was somber that day,” Haliniak said. “I feel bad for the inner city youth that depend on this,” Halin-
iak said in 2010 “The ones who come here succeed.” Nearly a year after losing the position, Haliniak still sees former cooks at malls, football games, and on beaches. “The first question I ask them is ‘did you graduate?’” Haliniak said. “And 90 percent of the time, I get a ‘yes, chef.’ ” Haliniak says the best part is that
“they still call me chef.” Unlike his former cooks, Haliniak didn’t struggle in high school. “I was an honor student, I had a 3.5 G.P.A., I played four sports,” he said. College was different. He made it through his junior year at UHManoa, but frequent low grades and academic probation, something Haliniak attributes to partying too much, made him leave. Haliniak says he thinks about finishing college, and that the tuition discount afforded him as a UH employee makes it all the more tempting. “My tuition would be really cheap,” he said, “but I have to be here working.” On Aug. 30, Haliniak auditioned for a chance to host a TV show on Food Network. “I want to share the island flavor with the world,” he said. Haliniak said about 200 others auditioned. He hasn’t got the call yet, but if TV doesn’t work out, Haliniak has a backup plan. Haliniak says he’s always wanted to open a lunch wagon. There’s one problem. His janitor’s paycheck doesn’t leave enough to save for the start-up expenses. Haliniak thinks about his college ambitions often, but there’s one place where he never let himself do that. “I never think about it when I’m here,” Haliniak said.
No debate about it: he helps a lot of students By Leilani Kimura
Ka Lā staff writer Ever been afraid of public speaking? Douglas Raphael sure was until he learned to conquer it. Now, Raphael is a speech professor at Honolulu Community College helping others overcome their own fears about public speaking. And he is co-adviser for the HonCC debate team. During his college years, Raphael took a speech class and was also on a debate team. His personal feeling of the debate team was this: “Being on the debate team in college helped tremendously as far as getting rid of those fears and being more comfortable with expressing different ideas and dif-
ferent points of view.”
Raphael, who is from Long Beach, Calif., came to Hawaii in July 2003 for graduate school. After starting classes at the Doug Raphael University of Hawaii at Manoa, he found that majoring in speech was his calling. He also thought that being a speech teacher was a good career path for himself. After being a teacher’s assistant for a year in the fall of 2004, Raphael decided to follow his teaching goal completely. His result? He
taught at many different schools such as Kapiolani Community College, Windward Community College, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is now at Honolulu Community College; all in the speech department. He had been teaching at HonCC since the fall of 2005. Raphael also is the co-adviser for the debate team. After enjoying and learning from his debate years, why wouldn’t he want to go back and teach it to others? The debate team meets up twice a week for practice rounds. In the practice rounds, a topic is given, the debate team is split in two with each side arguing their supporting positions, and then the opposing team has to make a revert.
The debate team also has competitions with other schools such as: UH, HPU, WCC and mainland schools who fly to Hawaii for competitions. Outside of school and debates, Raphael has his own special hobbies: swimming, surfing, playing tennis, and is currently getting ready to run this year’s Honolulu Marathon. When asked to give students advice about speaking or just life itself, this is what he said: “Keep at it. Don’t be worried if the first time you try something and it doesn’t go very well. You just gotta keep trying it and keep doing it, and it just gets better with time. Almost everything increases with practice.”
KaLā - Sports KaLĀ • Honolulu Community College, University of Hawai`i 8
September 2011
Volleyball fever ignites the fans By Adina Murakami
Ka Lā Editor
It was a hot and balmy afternoon at the end of August. The trade winds hit a lag in the afternoon. Gently, as evening approached, the sun made its journey across the horizon, creating a wake of tangerine, crimson to purple. It was a picturesque view igniting the senses. However, the excitement in the air was generated by the thrilled local fans who support our UH Rainbow Wahine Volleyball team. It was the opening night of the season at Stan Sheriff Center on UH-Manoa campus. As a show of support, several different versions of the school’s insignia, in all shapes and sizes, were being sported on a field of dark green by adoring fans. It was electrifying to watch people mill outside of the Stan Sheriff Center at the will call office, collecting their coveted tickets and discussing the advantages of their seat location. Anxiously waiting in line for tickets, fans were discussing the incoming freshmen and what skills they brought to the game. There was quite a bit of talk about Jane Croson, an incoming freshman, No. 11. There was also some discussion of senior Kanani Danielson, No. 5, and her remarkable abilities on the court. Being a novice, I was enthralled with the enthusiasm of the fans and their knowledge of the players. Ticket in hand, we were escorted to our court-side seats by an usher. Yeah, that’s right. We sat on the court with the team. They were so
close I could almost imagine myself in the game. The cheerleaders were within an arm’s length of my seat; exuding passion, they reminded me of Energizer bunnies on steroids, shouting support and encouragement to the players and the fans. It became apparent that this was a full participation activity. We were not going to be able to sit idly by. We had to actively dodge flying volleyballs during the warm up session, avoid the camera people as they milled about, and watch out for flying Cheerleaders. Everyone in the building engaged in some portion of the evening. The volleyball KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami players on and off The action on the courts at a UH wahine volleyball game is fast and furious, but there's just as much the court played activity in the stands and sidelines all through the match. against the other who then in turn, set the fans on ment this event could yield. I was team and also during their time fire with games and prizes, throw- pleasantly surprised. The Rainbow outs, they practiced right in front ing T-shirts in the air with the Wahine created a fan for life. I of us. Terminator cannon. would strongly encourage you to The volleyball team was expectNever having experienced a colattend a game or two if you are ed to play a flawless game with lege volleyball game, I was a little ever given the opportunity. I know passion and team spirit, which in hesitant as to how much entertain- I won’t pass up another chance. turn supported the cheerleaders,
Intramural sports catching on in a big way By Ronald Santos
Ka Lā staff writer
When student athletes graduate from high school, they sometimes feel the need to compete again. Sometimes these students want to relive some of the fun they had with friends they graduated with. Some students just want to do something to stay active. Others wish to create new friendships through sports. Whatever the case may be, the UH intramural league
answers the call. Last year Honolulu Community College sent one team to represent the school in flag football. Word got around, and soon people came flooding into the student life office to get more information on the intramural sports. This year, HonCC is offering a full range of sports. from basketball and indoor soccer in the fall to volleyball and softball during the spring semester. So far, it has been a difficult road putting together a proper system
to get players together and on a roster. However, the students show great enthusiasm towards the fact that they can play in an official league. “I think it’s a really good experience. My friends from high school were glad to know there were sports available,” said freshman Halsein Rioca. Students are signing into www.imleagues.com using their Myuh portal to join premade teams.' The problem with this is that the
number of teams is limited and people miss the chance to join the intramural league. There is also the problem of not having anyone to send to the team captain’s meeting at Manoa, since technically the person who makes the team is the captain. Ultimately, the goal for this fall intramural season is to introduce students to the Imleagues system, so that they can become familiar with the website and ultimately create their own team at HonCC.