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Spring 2017, Vol. 42, Issue 4, May
CIS Conference advocates action for sustainability issues By Amanda Dedicatoria Triton’s Call Staff
The UOG Center for Island Sustainability (CIS) held its eighth annual Island Sustainability Conference from April 19 to 21 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This year’s theme was “Cultivating Communities for Sustainable Action.” The event featured over 70 presentations, which included breakout sessions and posters; seven plenary panels; a networking reception; and a conference watershed adventure at the Valley of the Latte. The presentations and panels covered a wide range of topics, including energy, coral health, recycling, and conservation efforts. During the plenary panels, crowd members were encouraged to ask the panelists ques-
Audrey Meno, a sophomore at UOG, talks to some of the conference’s participants during a plenary panel. Photo by Amanda Dedicatoria
tions or give comments concerning their area of expertise. Questions about how to live sustainably, the status of certain research projects on the island, and climate change were asked. Some of the crowd members even shared stories about their own personal ventures in
using sustainable practices in their lives. One local farmer, in particular, humorously recounted how she sold onions back to PayLess when she learned that she could regrow them using their trimmings. The event served as a platform for the island’s scientific com-
munity to share their findings with the public and encourage discourse about environmental problems and solutions. “It’s really about providing a venue for discussion and talking about what our needs are in order to [build] a sustainable future,” said Philip Cruz, the sustain-
ability coordinator of CIS. According to Cruz, it was about making hard science more accessible. For the researchers, the conference provided them an opportunity to network with each other bring their work into the public light. “There is this sense of urgency in all the work that the participants do,” said Austin Shelton, PhD., the associate director of CIS. “We wanted to give them the tools to communicate that urgency to the public and hopefully inspire people to take action on these environmental and sustainability issues.” According to Shelton, the conference was committed to operating sustainably. Continued on page 2
Job fair attracts students and community members By Amanda Dedicatoria Triton’s Call Staff
Members of Guam Homeland Security presented to students at the job fair. Photo by Amanda Dedicatoria
With stacks of applications and business cards to hand out and smiles at the ready, employers greeted job-hunting students and community members at the UOG Career Development Office’s annual Job Fair at the Calvo Field House on April 26, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Representatives from various companies
and institutions such as Aflac, the National Guard, and Guam Homeland Security set up booths to discuss job offers, work environment, and training. “Spring’s the best time to have a job fair because it helps students find [work] in the summertime,” said Sallie McDonald, the fair’s program coordinator and Career Development office career coach.
McDonald said she was pleased with the event’s turnout, and the institutions that participated were a “good mix” this year. “I like it,” said Bernadette Cristobal, a psychology major at UOG. “I think it’s really cool how UOG holds this stuff annual and we get opportunities like this. It’s so conveniently placed and everything.
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University of Guam Triton’s Call, May 2017
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UOG student selected as Truman Scholar
David Borja Triton’s Call Staff Athena McNinch isn’t your average teen. The 19-year- old junior, double majoring in Criminal Justice and Public Administration, was recently selected to be the 18th UOG 2017 Truman Scholar. “I was completely off guard about it and surprised that I got selected and it happened all at once”,” McNinch said. McNinch explained that the road to becoming a Truman Scholar was an arduous one, as there are about 700 to 800 applicants each year who are whittled down to 199. From there, they are cut down to the final 62 inductees. “I initially thought it was a joke because I was just happy to be a finalist,” McNinch said. “So it was pretty surreal.” For those who know Athena and her extant endeavors, her receiving
Athena McNinch receives her nomination from President Underwood and Congresswoman Madeline Bordallo. Photo courtesy of UOG Integrated Marketing Communications this award may not come as a surprise McNinch’s involvement in, and support for organizations such as Blue Key and the American Cancer
Society, and her experience as a student member of the Imagine Guam! Strategic Visioning project all furthered her direction into this Truman selection.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was created by the United States Congress in 1975 to serve as the nation’s living memorial to Pres-
ident Harry S. Truman, founded upon principles of public service. Although the selection process is competitive, McNinch believes that coming from a small island is a plus. “These scholarships and internships are all open to people, so they just have to apply,” McNinch said, also stating that there is nothing holding undergrads back but rather just learning the steps to get to where they want to be. Not one to be self-absorbed, Athena attributes a great deal of this nomination to her upbringing. “I always wanted to help people since I was little,” McNinch said, “but my dad has been helping students and people for a long time so he was pretty much my mentor. I feel that people that credit me are also crediting my parents and the people that have helped me along the way.”
Conference serves as a forum for discussion Continued from page 1 There was not a single plastic bottle in sight. The food served at the conference was sourced from local farmers. Over 300 pounds of farm-raised tilapia was prepared at the event instead of fish from ocean fisheries. Glass tanks of live tilapia were displayed on the buffet
table. No beef dish made it to the table due to the large ecological footprint associated with producing beef products and having them transported to the island. It was the first time that the conference’s food was handled in this way. And instead of giving away items such as plastic bottles away, attendants were given tree seedlings, flash-
Publisher Francis Dalisay, Ph.D. fdalisay@triton.uog.edu
lights, and produce. Shelton was impressed about the conference as a whole. “I think the event was a success overall. We had a wonderful turnout and a wide range of presentations,” said Shelton. “I hope that it will make a difference as we go forward to [next year’s] conference and we hope that they take action on sustainability issues.”
Co-editors-in-chief, staff writers, copy editors David Borja Jose Castro Woody Castro Amanda Dedicatoria
UOG Triton Farm interns presented at their conference booth. Photo by Amanda Dedicatoria
Contributors Isabella Alvia Jason Aquino Kreeshia Aquino Calvin Cho Therese Martinez Rianne Peredo
Email us: tritonscalluog@ gmail.com tritonscall.com facebook.com/tritons.call twitter.com/tritonscalluog
By Woody Castro Triton’s Call Staff The UOG Chemistry Program and the College of Natural & Applied Sciences (CNAS) held a Chemistry Forum on Thursday, April 19 at the UOG CLASS Lecture Hall. The forum was open to the public. With a planning team that included Maika Vuki, Professor of Chemistry, Ph.D., the Chemistry Department and their sponsors, the forum was welcomed with a full house of aspiring students, faculty and staff. The forum hosted a notable panel of professionals who shared their stories and discussed career opportunities with the students. In the panel were Monica Salas, a scien-
The forum panel shared their stories and answered questions. Photo by Woody Castro
tist at the Guam Crime Lab; Jon Kristofferson, a senior officer of the US Navy; Karen Song, a pharmacist; John Limtiaco, a UOG Alumnus representing L&K Company; Denise Chargualaf, a teacher at Guam High School; and Claire Perez and Ana Capati, both undergraduate students at UOG.
Job fair offers career opportunities
Continued from page 1
It’s not every day that you get to go to a job fair.” Prior to the event, people were encouraged to bring a cover letter, resume, and to be dressed for success. In order to bolster the attendants’ confidence, workshops that involved mock job interviews were held the week before the event. Since the employers were in the vicinity, participants had the opportunity to be interviewed on site. “The first impression is always a lasting one,” McDonald said. According to McDonald, the job fair is just one of many opportunities for students to get their feet wet in the job market. During the fall
semester, the Career Development Office organizes workshops concerning how to write a resume, fill out applications, and how to dress appropriately are offered. Employer recruitment events are also held, offering students a more personal oneto-one approach with prospective employers. In regards to students who missed the fair, McDonald encourages them to make an appointment to visit her at her office. “I work with students very well with getting them prepared for the world of work,” she said. “I’d like to invite all students to make the effort to be at this kind of event. It is for their benefit and so we hope that they take the time out to [attend.]”
Frank Ishizaki was the featured guest speaker. Ishizaki is an adjunct instructor at the School of Business & Public Administration and an alumnus of the UOG Chemistry program. Ishizaki is also a recipient of the 2016 CNAS Distinguished Alumni award, and a former senator, police
commissioner, and FBI special agent. Ishizaki shared stories of his time as a student at UOG. His post-UOG journey took him places from Hawaii, California, to being a University of Pittsburgh student, and back to Guam. Upon returning to teach at UOG, Ishizaki expressed that he has seen a substantial amount of development in the Chemistry program. Ishizaki expressed there are many opportunities for anyone but you will have to make tough decisions and take risks along the way. “My chemistry journey took me many places in the world and allowed me to meet with and work with all kinds of
people,” Ishizaki said. “I am very thankful for my UOG education and can say to you that my education was great.” Gerard Chargualaf, a Tropical Agriculture major, said that it was a great event for the Chemistry Department to present their ideas to students and community members. “I think science in general is interesting because there is many different aspects of science that one can specialize in,” Chargualaf said. “Information can be shared through a cooperative effort with the science community as a whole to help each other learn about different concepts or to observe a specific phenomenon.”
School of Education holds Graduate Recruitment Fair By Jose Castro Tritons Call Staff John S. Sanchez, Ed.D., dean of the School of Education, presented at the Graduate Student Recruitment Fair on April 26 held on campus. The assembly recapped the different types of graduate programs that are going be offered for the upcoming Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters. Roughly 25 graduate students, teachers, school counselors, and aspiring educators attended the meeting. Sanchez stated, “The School of Education offers many types of degrees for graduate students who are
Sanchez looking to further their education…programs such as an MA in Counseling, MA in Elementary and Secondary education, an MA in TESOL (Teachers English to Speakers of Other Languages) and much more.” Michelle Santos, Ed.D., associate professor of Education, also spoke at the event.
“In order for teachers to become officially certified, it is essential that graduate students must go enroll in these programs,” Santos said. “The School of Education is seeking to expand the awareness of these degrees because they feel it is necessary to meet the demand of high demand of teachers,” Santos added. If you are interested in any the following degrees offered by the School of Education, you can contact UOG’s program coordinator, Joann Diego at joanndiego@ uguamlive.uog.edu or at 671-734-2442.
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Chemistry forum aims to inspire young scientists
University of Guam Triton’s Call, May 2017
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GVB vice president speaks to University students By: Jose Castro Tritons Call Staff Antonio “Tony” Muna Jr., vice president of the Guam Visitors Bureau, spoke at a seminar on April 19 at the School of Business of Public Administration. The presentation briefly recapped the 2016 impact on Guam’s most important business industry: Tourism. Last year, Guam welcomed about 1.5 million tourists from all over of the world. Although more than half of the demographic included Japanese tourists,
Guam has also seen an increase of Korean and Russian visitors. The Guam Visitors Bureau has marketing plans seeking to expand the diversity of these tourists, thus increasing the number of annual A group of shoppers pose for a picture at the Guam visitors. Plaza. Photo courtesy of the Guam Visitors Bureau For the last decade, GVB appears to be ro culture throughout many other tourist meeting its goal of the island. attractions that receive increasing the number GVB currently funds credibility. of tourists visiting Guam the village fiestas that Muna added that annually. occur monthly throughGuam’s tourism industry Another goal of GVB out the year. is “one-of-a-kind” and for 2017 is to expand Events such as the “dynamic.” Guam’s tourism market Agat Mango Festival He explained that outside of Tumon Bay and the Merizo Crab weekend boating trips and infuse the Chamor- Festival are two of to Cocos Island, visit-
BattleGrounds sparks interest in STEM David Borja Triton’s Call Staff The University of Guam’s Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EMC2) club hosted the Spring Battlegrounds 2017 event on . BattleGrounds is a bi-annual event that was created to spark interest in these particular fields. It may be puzzling to some onlookers as to how video games are relevant to sparking interest in these fields. However, Jason Morales, president of EMC2, sees otherwise. “Battlegrounds has dated back to before we were even called EMC,” Morales said. Morales spoke on the history of this event and how it has earned a great deal of members because it is a social event. “We started out pretty small but as we progressed over time we started to gain traction in seeing different people show up to these events,” Morales stated. The mission statement of EMC2 is “To excite youth and show them the
career possibilities and potential in the sciences with outreach events.” The night was filled with different gaming tournaments that featured different genres ranging from fighting games to role-playing games. With titles such as Super Smash Bros. 4, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Street Fighter V, and Pokemon Sun & Moon, contestants and spectators gathered from all across UOG. One of the contestants, Ian Fergurur, is also one of the founding members of the (Guam Fighting Game Community (GFGC). Fergurgur recognizes the pull for the STEM field as well as the promotion for the games here on campus. “The social aspect kind of just comes with this,” said Fegurgur. He also spoke on how students bond through having played competitively while learning about what goes on in EMC2 through their pamphlets and giveaways distributed throughout the night of the event.
ing historical sites, and even getting married at Two Lovers Point are just some of the many reasons why Guam is the perfect place to live, work and visit. “People are not only on island to have a great time, but to also get married,” said Muna. Last year’s data show that there were roughly 10,000 non-residential marriages that took place on island. With all of the events planned for 2017, GVB is hoping for their best turnout for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2017.
Campus improvements discussed at recent BOR meeting
By Woody Castro Triton’s Call Staff The UOG Board of Regents (BOR) held their most recent meeting on Thursday April 20 at the RFK Library’s AV room. The meeting began on a positive note, highlighting the achievements the university has reached so far and other plans for future developments. BOR Chairperson Antoinette Sanford made opening remarks. Sanford expressed that UOG will be graduating a set of 300 students, a great improvement from last year’s numbers. She also said there has been a significant amount of media promotion for the students who are going off-island for research-related activities in support of the mission of the University of Guam Research Corporation. Further in the meeting, several resolutions had been approved to expand a few of UOG’s
programs and provide other scholarship opportunities to the students. The Triton Awards Program was also discussed by UOG President and BOR Executive Secretary Robert Underwood and approved by the board. “The program functions at two parts: one is a revival of university-wide awards and the other is a process of honoring our outstanding employees,” said Underwood. The board had also approved all resolutions including the Rules and Regulations for the Tritons Athletics Scholarship Program, the Amended rules and Regulations for the Yamashita Teacher Corps and Health Professions Training Scholarship Program, and amending the Rules and Regulations for the Triton Summer Bridge Program for the 2017 Summer Semester and thereafter.
The board members who were present at the April meeting were Antoinette Sanford, Chairperson; Elizabeth Gayle, Vice Chairperson; Elvin Chiang, Treasurer; Robert A. Underwood, Executive Secretary; Regents Jillette Leon Guerrero, Mariflor Herrero, Chris Felix, Joaquin Santos, Jr., Hyo Sang Ji, and Austin Terlaje (student regent). Also in attendance at the meeting were representatives from the Student Government Association and various UOG faculty and professors. According to the UOG website, the University’s Board of Regents has general supervision over UOG. They “set the policies governing the duties, conditions of employment, compensation, and salary of all University employees.” Part of the BOR’s duty is to also submit an annual budget to the legislature.
By Isabella Alvia For Triton’s Call
Last month, we reported on the homelessness issue on Guam and its severity. Although we may not see them every day, there are actually hundreds of homeless men, women, and children on Guam. Homelessness has, in fact, been an ongoing issue on the island which is why it’s important to consider solutions to minimize the issue. The annual Point in Time Homeless Count for 2017 has yet to be released. Volunteers from various organizations around the island including the University of Guam’s School of Nursing, together with Salvation Army Captain Tom Stambaugh, have contributed to the homeless count. To take action in minimizing the homelessness issue, the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority (GHURA) has conducted the Emergency
Solutions Grant (ESG) Program. The ESG Program provides funding for outreach programs for homeless persons living on the streets. It improves the quality and number of shelters for both homeless singles and families, it assists the management of shelters, provides services to those in the shelters, grants re-housing, and strives to prevent individuals and families from falling back into the homelessness cycle. Many of those roaming the streets of Guam deal with the struggles of childcare, unemployment, and homelessness. Included in 2016’s annual homeless count were veterans, victims of domestic violence, and those suffering abuse and mental illnesses. The count also classifies homeless individuals along different characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, and barriers to employment.
There were more than 200 volunteers for the annual Point in Time Homeless Count who made their way around the island with safety vests, flashlights, and canned goods to assist whomever they could. The results of 2016’s Point in Time show that there were 900 unsheltered homeless persons, while the rest were staying in public shelters. There are, of course, language barriers and cultural differences that much of the homeless are facing. However, organizations such as The Salvation Army are continuously working on solving this issue. GHURA is in partnership with various organizations such as Guma San Jose Catholic Social Services and the Habitat for Humanity. Although Habitat for Humanity has not been as active as before, GHURA still provides home investment funds and proper-
ties towards community development. I had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Amor Say, A.D.A. representative and planner of GHURA and gather her opinions regarding this issue. Amor shares that there is an outreach team that constantly goes around the island in search for any homeless persons requiring assistance. “We have a WhatsApp group that if anyone from our team sees a homeless person, they simply just take a picture and message the location and we would go there immediately,” Amor said. As this has been an effective solution, Amor shares however, that it is very difficult to gain their trust as they feel cautious when taking action towards getting help. “Sometimes our team would go out there and help the homeless, other times they would just take pictures and send the location because they are
afraid of being viewed of as a threat,” Amor states. It is a very sensitive process that must be handled properly. Amor also shares tragic stories of various families and children suffering on the streets when faced with addiction issues. GHURA and other organizations, however, try their best to minimize this and help as many people as they possibly can. Along with Amor, Margaret Hattori- Uchima, Ph.D., dean of UOG’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences and current vice chair of the Guam Homeless Coalition, has contributed greatly to the homelessness issue. “I met Margaret in 2009 as a volunteer and most of her students even after they graduate, still participate in the annual homeless point in time count,” Amor shares.
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Reducing the stray animal population: Community involvement and education By Therese Martinez For Triton’s Call Being involved in the community and becoming educated in proper animal care could go long ways in helping to reduce Guam’s stray dog population. In last month’s issue, we reported that stray animals on Guam pose a problem to both people and other animals. Indeed, if all the approximated 24,500 stray dogs were to be brought into GAIN, their facility would not be able to handle such a large influx of animals. They would lack the capabilities and resources to save every animal that comes in through their gates. If owners lose their pets, the animals become a part of the growing problem. Animals are
not replaceable things; they are supposed to be lifelong companions. Melissa Savares, the mayor of Dededo states, “We have a big problem with strays and as a community, we need to come up with solutions to eradicate them.” Savares says her office alone gets five to six calls a week from people who report loose and stray dogs around Dededo. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals describes the best option to reduce the stray animal population is to spay and neuter cats and dogs to prevent them from reproducing. In 2015, Humane Society International came to Guam to work with local veterinarians to create a low–cost spay and neuter program. This
would provide pet owners with the option to sterilize their dogs as well aid in the island’s stray animal population. Kelly Coladarci, the Humane Society International’s program manager, noted that the low–cost spay and neutering efforts would lead into 2016. They, however, have moved onto establishing a dog spay and neuter clinic in Saipan since then. Alison Hadley, executive director at GAIN describes the program that was developed as an “aggressive spay/neuter initiative” that works with the Guam community. The clinic at GAIN officially opened on Dec. 1, 2016. “This is a very good first step,” Hadley said. “ Right now we are focused on working with
already owned animals, or animals looking to be adopted.” Hadley describes the first few months of the clinics opening as going pretty well, with GAIN reaching its 500th spay and neutering surgery on April 20 of this year. The number of surgeries included both cats and dogs. However, Hadley explains that spaying and neutering animals doesn’t solve the problem entirely. “Many of those animals end up stray because they are a part of an endless cycle of unfixed parents that could have been owned or stray themselves,” Hadley said. She explains that there needs to be a change in our community’s perception of pet ownership. So many people around
Guam allow their dogs to run free around their house and neighborhoods and this is only contributing to the population growth of stray animals. Dr. Joel Joseph, a Micronesian exotic animal specialist and veterinary service doctor at Wise Owl Animal Hospital, describes his discontent for the focus always being on spay and neutering. He explains that the only thing that has been proven to alter the stray dog population is education. If the education starts at a younger age, the better the long-term results. “Desexing is and should be a part of the problem is that we are not educat-
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University of Guam Triton’s Call, May 2017
Solutions for mitigating homelessness on Guam
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University of Guam Triton’s Call, May 2017
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Tobacco 21: Improving health on Guam
By Jason Aquino For Triton’s Call The Guam Legislature proposed Bill 9-34 to raise the legal age of tobacco use on Guam to 21 years. Known as the Youth Protection Act of 2017, it has later lapsed into law on Mar 23, 2017, by Gov. Eddie B. Calvo. As such, the law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2018. By the numbers, Guam ranks the highest in smoking among young adults. According to Cathy Rivera Castro of the American Cancer Society Guam Chapter, “Guam’s youth smoking rate is 17.6 percent, and the national average is at 10.8 percent. One in three of Guam’s high school students and one in four middle school students uses electronic cigarettes.” But what’s so important about raising the legal age of tobacco use to 21 years? What are the benefits? Issues on the passing of Bill 9-34 have generated some ambivalence among some of Guam’s residents. Yet, the lapsing of this law is better because it promotes a healthier lifestyle for Guam’s future. Making the legal age of tobacco use to 21 years has raised issues among the citizens of Guam. Individuals such as Speaker BJ Cruz and support Bill 9-34 because of the health benefits it promotes. Speaker BJ Cruz, stated that it was a win against Big Tobacco after the bil lapsed into law. He added that it was not about money but about preventing the future generations from disease and death from tobacco use. In an interview with KUAM, the executive director of the Guam Cancer Care, Terry Cuabo, mentioned that it was the right thing to do. He noted that he understands the opinions of those who opposed the bill. However, he said that the bill was aimed to save lives, which would benefit the community. According to the Insti-
Figure 1: Limitation rate of tobacco use based on minimum legal age. Graphic by Jason Aquino
tute of Medicine lowering the initiation rate of tobacco use can be correlated with increasing the legal age of tobacco use. Their study shows that youth 15-17 years are the most affected if the legal age is raised. Based on Figure 1, making the legal age of tobacco use to 21 years decreases the initiation rate on youth 15-17 years by 25 percent. That is 15 percent higher than raising the legal age to 19 years. The committee of the Institution of Health concluded that raising the legal age to 21 would also have health benefits among youth. There will be a reduction in the side-effects of smoking and the deaths caused by smoking. Data Catherine Rivera Castro, a representative of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, provided documents that show the numbers of tobacco use in Guam. Guam is actually ranked #1 of having more than 17 percent of youth who smoke. Also, 65 percent of deaths were related or worsened by tobacco use. These numbers are alarming compared to a lower average in the United States of having around 50 percent. In addition, 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 10 middle school students in Guam currently smoke. Indeed, an Institute of
Medicine in 2015 predicted the benefits of raising the age to 21 years. First, there would be 4.2 million fewer years of life lost for those born between 2000 and 2019. Second, tobacco use prevalence would fall an estimated 12 percent compared to 3 percent if it was raised to 19 years. These predictions, if accurate, indicate that the health of youth of Guam would benefit when the smoking age is raised. E-Cigarettes E-Cigarettes are battery-operated devices made to resemble cigarettes that deliver a nicotine containing aerosol. E-cigarettes have many names such as e-cigs, hookah, vapes, or mods. Dr. Annette David, the chair of Guam’s State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), mentioned that electronic cigarettes are popular among youth. She added that e-cigarettes are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The State Health Officer’s Report on E-Cigarettes stated that the number of teens who used e-cigarettes tripled from 1.5 percent in 2012 to 4.5 percent in 2013. According to the Guam Youth Risk Behavioral Survey in 2015, 1 in 3 high school students and 1 in 4 middle school students currently use e-cigarettes. The percentage of e-cigarette users on Guam is significantly
higher than the United States. 32.3 percent of high school students and 23 percent of middle school students in Guam use it compared to 16 percent and 5.3 percent in the U.S. Dr. David mentioned that since e-cigarettes are new, the youth adapted to these items and made them into a fad. Around 60 percent of youth on Guam have experimented with e-cigarettes. The number could be a result of the promotion of its harmless appeals. “E-cigarettes come in many different flavors like bubblegum and cappuccino,” said Dr. David. The California Department of Public Health in their Health Advisory adds that the use of cartoons and fashion accessories promotes them to younger audiences. Harms Even with the so-called harmless appeals, e-cigarettes also contain nicotine, which is a harmful neurotoxin. It also contains other carcinogens such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzene. The nicotine is in a liquid form and exposure to it can harm brain development among youth. Smoking e-cigarettes also emit toxic chemicals in the form of an aerosol. At least 10 of the chemicals in the aerosol are on California’s Proposition of 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer and other harms.
A risk present in e-cigarettes is the explosion of the device. Several cases have surfaced in which e-cigarettes have exploded and caused damage to its users. An instance of an exploding e-cigarette in Guam had a user suffer severe trauma to his face, hand, and eyeball. The surgeon, Dr. Ng, said in an interview with KUAM, that the user’s eye was severely damaged. Advocacy Speaker BJ Cruz, Ms. Catherine Castro, and Dr. Annette David pushed for Bill 9-34, which will the legal age of tobacco use in Guam to 21 effective Jan 1, 2018. The bill also recognized e-cigarettes as tobacco products so those under 21 cannot purchase e-cigarettes. Ms. Castro met with each senator of the 33rd and 34th Guam Legislature to advocate the smoking bill. Even with the bill passing in the Legislature, she mentioned that she continued to petition for it. With a high number of youth who use e-cigarettes, Dr. David still feels that more policies could be proposed to significantly lower the number of users. She mentioned policies such as no vaping in public places and placing higher taxes on tobacco products could help. Raising the legal age of tobacco use to 21 years is the right step for a positive change. The number of smokers on Guam may decrease which means fewer youth smokers. There may be fewer cases of lung cancer deaths. Dr. David mentioned that Guam as a community needs to work together to inform people about the risks of cigarettes. Raising awareness and mobilizing support might lower the number of cigarette users in the future. This can prevent the youth from developing the adverse side effects of using cigarettes.
By Kreeshia Aquino For Triton’s Call For as long as I can recall, roads on Guam have always been the target of jokes in general conversations. Even before I could drive my own car, I already held the notion that I would be swerving and plowing through potholes and cracks on almost every road on Guam. The local news media usually bring up road repair funding and politicians promising better roads as a priority throughout the years. For example, reporter John Borja published a Pacific Daily News article on Feb. 12, 2017. The article mentioned that government officials, village mayors, and senators have been discussing Benjamin Cruz’s Bill 3634. According to Bill 36-34, $50 million will be borrowed from the bond market to be used on village roads. At an annual interest rate of five percent, the money would be paid back at $3.5 million a year for the next 25 years through the Guam Highway Fund 9. In total, the Government of Guam will have paid nearly $90 million at the end of the 25-year term. In my opinion, I think the initial $50 million is not enough to fix Guam roads. There is something I needed to first clarify. According to Acting Highway Administrator Joaquin Blaz, Guam roads are divided into two main categories, routed roads, and village roads. There is also a third category, which are private roads. The federal government funds Guam’s routed roads, while the Government of Guam uses local funds to pay for the village roads. Some of the sources of the Guam Highway Fund used for routed road repair and maintenance each year come from vehicle owners paying fees for vehicle registrations, driver’s
Figure 3: Total village road costs of three main roads per district. Graphic by Kreeshia Aquino licenses, and gasoline 6. The category I will be focusing on is the village roads. According to Public Law 33-185 or Guam’s Fiscal 2017 Budget Law 9, the Mayor’s Council of Guam received about $1,036,026.00 from the Tourist Attraction Fund for street maintenance and beautification. The Tourist Attraction Fund is one out of the four sources that help fund the need of the Mayor’s Council of Guam organization. Money is distributed throughout the 19 villages on Guam based on each village’s local mileage. According to the Guam’s Fiscal 2017 Budget Law 9, each village is given a lump sum of $20,000 plus the remaining amount from the $1,036,026.00 based on the local mileages. There has been recent news about several proposals to help fund village road repairs and maintenance. First, Gov. Eddie Calvo proposed a plan that would increase the Liquid Fuel Tax by at least four cents a gallon1. This idea was mentioned in his State of the Island address on Monday, March 06, 2017. Second, Senator Tommy Morrison proposed another plan that would appropriate about $2 million in general fund revenue to Public Works
for road repairs. If this plan goes through, it would begin around the 2018 fiscal year 2. In response to Calvo wanting to increase gas prices, Morrison explained that increasing gas prices will be a problem to the Guam community and that there are other ways to solve the road funding issue 4. Lastly, the most costly decision is that Speaker Benjamin Cruz offered another plan. He proposed to borrow about $50 million to also help and fund village road repairs. If this proposal does go through, it would be the single largest local investment in village road repair and construction on Guam in years 3. Cruz supports his idea by pointing out that if Guam borrows for shortterm needs then the people are in debt, but if Guam borrows for the long-term needs, like fixing roads, then it is a community investment 3. I do agree that Guam needs to borrow for longterm needs, but it still means that Guam puts itself in a position to be in even more debt. Many of Guam’s mayors are concerned about their roads within their villages. According to the 2009 Guam Village Streets Master Plan, the mayors listed three roads that needed the most
repairs in each of their villages. These roads amounted to about 20 miles in total. After calculations, the cost to fix these 20 miles amounted to about $14.5 million. Fifty-million dollars is not enough to fix village roads because based on the numbers given, it seems that the villages need more than that. For example, the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite in total have 20.59 miles of non-routed public roads. The cost appropriated to the MTM mayor for street maintenance is $39, 615.18. Knowing that about 20 miles of village roads will cost about $14.5 million, why do the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite are only given about $40,000 to fix their 20 miles of road. This does not make sense, and it shows that more money needs to be given to each village for road repairs. Dededo has seven times more non-routed public roads than MTM. Would this mean that Dededo would be given seven times more the budget to fix the roads than MTM? That would mean a lot of money. In a recent article, Public Works Director Glenn Leon Guerrero mentioned that Guam actually needs about $1 billion and that the previous records
show that the amount needed an increase from $746 million back in 2009 8. Road conditions have gotten worse, causing the cost to rise up over the years. This $1 billion is specifically for the village roads and not including routed roads on Guam. Borrowing $50 million is a good start, but GovGuam will need to come up with more ways to properly fund all of Guam’s village roads. This could mean allocating money from other funds because borrowing money means more debt. Can Guam handle more debt than it already has? Temporary road fix with cold-mix I have seen a lot of potholes on Guam, and I wondered if the people who are supposed to be in charge of funding, fixing, and maintaining the roads are seeing what many drivers see when they are on the road. I also wondered if there are enough people who actually complained to these politicians and public officials to fix the potholes scattered around. Guam roads are made with asphalt—a mixture of grounded coral and oil 1. The roads are not repaired by repaving the roads, but by covering potholes with cold-mix. This solution to the continuing problem on Guam’s roads is not efficient in the long term and costs more money in doing so. I think that the coldmix solution is okay for temporary fixes and considered a “band-aid” solution, but there should be more push for repaving the roads completely than just filling potholes that will eventually grow bigger and worse in a couple of months. There is not enough funding to fix and maintain all the roads. I also learned that many of the road’s funding does not go directly to road repairs, but allocated to other
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Guam village roads in need of more funding
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The need to expand awareness of hiking’s risks Rianne Peredo For Triton’s Call Many people in Guam enjoy hiking—walking outside in a natural environment, often following a pre-charted path known as a hiking trail. However, some hikes involve more challenging terrain and other conditions for participants. Examples of such conditions include hills, mountains, and rivers. Hiking safety is important, and I believe Guam’s residents should be more aware of the precautions before going on a hike. The activity turns into a more daunting task without adhering to precautionary measures that have the potential to reduce harm toward participants. Bodily harm First, there are certain medical conditions associated with hiking such as Lyme disease and Leptospirosis. Lyme disease, which has up to 300,000 reported cases annually in the United States, is contracted by a bite from an infected tick. Meanwhile, Leptospirosis is caused by close contact with a contaminated water or soil source. The bacterial species, Leptospira, can be found in the urine of infected animals and deposited to water or soil sources. The bacteria can be viable in a source for weeks or even months. The disease itself thrives in tropical climates, which is a cause for concern to local hikers. Knowledge of Leptospirosis is important for hikers in Guam because of its reported cases on some hiking trails. Two prominent, reported cases of a Leptospirosis outbreak occurred in 2000, followed by another in 2014. After the 2014 outbreak, the Pacific Daily News, in collaboration with the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, issued a warning and provided
information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website about the disease. The Guam DPHSS also determined that the disease could be contracted from southern rivers in Guam. Additionally, another part of the release was specifically geared towards the local population: “hikers should avoid swimming in Guam’s rivers during the rainy season or, if they do swim, avoid swallowing water or getting water in their eyes or nose.” Additionally, because of Guam’s tropical marine climate, which has fairly consistent temperatures year-round, hikers will be exposed to not only different types of terrain but also the possibility of other bodily harm such as dehydration and fatigue. Hikers also are prone to blisters and skin rashes, to name a couple of other bodily harms. Other risks Second, there are other risks involved with hiking in Guam related to the level of difficulty of some hiking trails. Guam Boonie Stompers, Inc., a local nonprofit organization, organizes and participates in hikes on a regular basis. Their namesake derives from the term “boonie stomp” which is local slang for hiking trail. Those people who go on boonie stomps, in turn, refer to themselves as “boonie stompers.” Although there is a fee assessed for each eligible person participating on a hike, the organization ensures that a guide who is knowledgeable of the given trail accompanies hiking groups. Jimmy Roark, a former hike leader of Guam Boonie Stompers Inc., shared information about hiking safety and the organization’s classification system. The system, in particular, determines a hike’s level of difficulty. Currently, Roark is in charge of the official GBS
Facebook page. According to Roark, most of the people that are unprepared for hikes in Guam are visitors/tourists. He says that these visitors “want to try out a bit of adventure and often they do not know the dangers of hiking.” However, his perspective on local residents and their knowledge of hiking safety was that they either come prepared or do not participate in the hikes due to awareness of the possible risks. In the table, Figure 1, I compiled information listing hikes and level of difficulty from the GBS articles featured in the Pacific Daily News and on its official Facebook page for the January to May 2017 hiking schedule. GBS also has a hike rating system of easy to very difficult. I have assigned numeric values of one to four (one equals an easy level of difficulty) in order to make a pie chart, which provides a visual representation to further categorize the hikes. The GBS’s classification system is determined by the following factors: length (in miles), type of trails, time spent on the trail, and required technical skills. The pie chart, Figure 2,
highlights the fact that out of the 21 hikes in Figure 1, 67 percent of them are ranked as difficult. The Mt. Santa Rosa Caves hike is one that is classified as difficult, as it involves navigating through caves and swimming. The need for outreach Because of the variety of terrains and bodily harms hikers can be exposed to on these trails, I think that there should be more public outreach such as PSAs and other campaigns. I believe there would be a significant impact on the local community if there were positive but also preventive media and campaigns to focus on the
issue of hiking safety. A recent PSA posted on YouTube entitled USNH Guam - HIKING SAFETY: Leptospirosis provides information such as identifying the illness and prevention methods. Two U.S. Navy sailors stress the importance of Leptospirosis awareness and prevention as they walk outdoors to Tarzan Falls. The video’s conclusion gives viewers a brief overview of the standard attire and supplies, which are emphasized by organizations such as GBS. The PSA serves as an example of how public outreach can occur in the future by other public and private companies.
By Amanda Dedicatoria Triton’s Call Staff Illegal dumping has gained traction as a problem plaguing the island. The inappropriate disposal of waste products advertises no benefits other than temporary convenience. Over the years, villages such as Yigo and Dededo have witnessed the ugly wrath of illegal waste disposal. As a case in point, several trash bags swollen with moldy clothes and empty bottles lie beside large waste materials such as beds, couches, and appliances the roadside near Chalan Bada in Yigo, which is near the Starts Guam Resort. At times, even junk cars can be found in the area. Household items can even be found in places like the beach and deep in the jungle. Although the area has been cleaned by Yigo mayor Rudy Mantanane’s office, the dumping would still continue. “It’s a huge societal ill that we need to be more responsible about,” said Nicholas Lee, the public information officer of the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (GEPA). Lee said illegal dumpsites pose many environmental concerns, such as the possibility of runoff from hazardous waste contaminating sources of the island’s drinking water. Another problem is that the amount of waste in dumpsites is not easily quantifiable and that the types of waste in them are not always easily identifiable. “A huge worry and concern for us is that we don’t know what people are dumping,” Lee said. “ It’s not just limited to your municipal solid waste like your household trash. We’re seeing a bunch of things from construction debris, white goods, and electronics.” There are a number of reasons why people illegally dispose of their waste. They may be reluctant or unable to afford to
pay disposal fees, or they may do it because they are unwilling to invest so much effort in into getting rid of their waste properly. Alicia Fejeran, the Waste Management supervisor of Guam Solid Waste Authority reported in a recent opinion piece that 80 percent of residential waste is recyclable. Recycling services are free and non-recyclable waste can be processed at a residential transfer station for $7.50 for up to three cubic yards of trash. Another reason why people illegally dump could be ignorance of its harmful effects on the environment. Greentumble, a website that discusses environmental issues, said that dumped trash can become caught in rainwater runoff and contaminate water supplies. According to an article in The Pacific Daily News, some northern illegal dump sites have been found close to water wells. Because northern Guam’s land is made out of porous limestone, there is a chance that waste may pollute the groundwater. Dumped waste can also harm wildlife. Marine animals may get caught in articles of trash such
as plastic mesh and soda rings that could severely deform their bodies. Animals that have consumed waste can develop health complications. In extreme cases, floating garbage patches, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, can be created when the tide takes in trash. Many household appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers, may contain harmful chemicals which can be damaging when released. For example, they can contain either tetrafluoroethane or chlorofluorocarbon, both of which destroy the ozone layer. Lastly, dumped waste is an eyesore. The sight and smell of trash can reduce tourism and community revenue, which in turn, can result in losing funds that could help deal with the issue. This is unfortunate because the cleanup of trash takes resources such as money and manpower that could have been used for better environmental care efforts rather than in something that was thoughtless and completely preventable. And even when an area is cleaned up, there is always a risk that it will be trashed weeks later.
Illegal dumping may be convenient, but it is a short term solution with a number of long term consequences. It does not have to be this way. It is possible to have a more eco-friendly island if we look into how other places have been successful. As a country, Japan recycles 77 percent of its waste and that is due to their strict waste disposal laws. As a rule of thumb, combustible trash is kept separated from noncombustible trash. Depending on where a person lives, they may be required to further divide their garbage. Stores and restaurants are encouraged to recycle their waste and must pay a fine if they decide that they want to dispose of it anyway. For Guam, an island with a limited amount of landfill space, its people should be pressured to be more responsible with how they handle their waste. It is the community’s obligation to take care of the land around them. If people were to sort through their trash and take the time to divide it, they might become more aware of their output and more conservative with their trash.
“It’s amazing how much you can reduce landfill waste by doing aggressive recycling,” Denney said. “You just have to care a little bit.” Denney also said that if members of the community are struggling to take their waste to a transfer facility, she offers her assistance. I also believe that educating people about the effects of dumping and the benefits of properly disposing their trash would be vital in the effort to lessen acts of improper waste disposal. Education and outreach, for one, should be of the utmost priority, because how are people supposed to know how badly improper waste disposal can harm them and their community? “It’s more of a matter of helping people understand the negative impacts of litter and its impact on the tourism industry as far as the beauty of the island,” Denney said. People need to know that they have options in cases like this one. One of the reasons why people illegally dump, according to Peggy Denney, the administrator of i*recycle, is that they just do not know where the waste transfer stations are or are unable to pay the fee for proper disposal. Denney, a proponent of the three R’s of green living - reduce, reuse, and recycle - urges community members to get their families and neighbors together to separate and recycle their trash so that they can share the costs of disposing their waste. As far as enforcing existing legislation surrounding littering, things can get a little tricky. Guam law states that dumping on public or private property can carry fines up to $1000 per violation. The Guam EPA solid waste division does issue notices to people who illegally dump, but in order for dumpers to be Continued on page 10
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The challenges in curbing illegal dumping
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Part II: Law enforcement and the ice epidemic By Calvin Cho For Triton’s Call There is no hiding the problem of “ice” on the island. Some experts in the drug and substance abuse fields have expressed just that: the drug problem on Guam is a lot worse than what we see on the news. Valerie K. Reyes, a director at Guam’s Lighthouse Recovery Center, explained that sometimes crimes occurring on the island are linked with drug usage, but they are not labeled alongside with it.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “methamphetamine and marijuana are two of the principal drugs of choice on Guam.” The DEA estimates the street value of methamphetamine on an island in the range of $500 to $700 USD/per gram. In the last year, GPD acquired about 18 pounds of methamphetamine in a singular drug bust. Through the help of a mutual friend, I came in contact with Dennis Anthony Quenga Santos, the supervisor of the Guam
Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit. Santos has served at GPD for more than 20 years. I asked him about his thoughts regarding the meth situation on Guam. “My stance is that I agree that it is an epidemic, there is absolutely no doubt about it,” Santos said. “And not only is the actual user the victim but then you have the indirect victims as well, such as the user’s friends and families.” Looking at the past couple years, the number
of drug cases, criminal felonies and misdemeanors have gone up in both the Juvenile drug court and the adult drug courts for both. With the rates only looking to go higher, I asked Mr. Santos on what exactly is GPD is doing to help prevent the spread of ice on Guam. According to Santos, GPD has established the Mandaña Drug Task Force. This task force comprises of a group of law enforcement officers from different agencies, who not necessarily from
GPD. The Mandaña Drug Task Force was established on Feb. 10, 2017, by Gov. Eddie Calvo. In a press release, Calvo’s said the task force’s goal is “to suppress the importation, distribution and selling illicit drugs in Guam.” Santos also explained that through the help of the Mandaña Drug Task Force, GPD can have the multi-pronged approach to investigating drug-related crimes. “We are working along-
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Illegally dumped waste poses many problems Continued from page 9 charged, they would practically have to be caught in the act because otherwise it would be difficult to prove that they committed the crime since these acts are usually done in secluded areas. If the crime is reported and the person who called it in refuses to testify in
court, then no further legal action could be taken. Lee said in order to catch these individuals, members of Guam EPA’s solid waste department sort through dumped identity of the person who may have disposed of the waste. Once they find something with a name and address, then the person’s information is cross-referenced using
resources from Revenue and Taxation so that the department may go out and look for the individual who may be held responsible for having the trash improperly disposed of. An issue with that method, however, is that some violators could be taking the time to cut out any information that may tie them to the waste. Lee also elaborated about the new govern-
ment taskforce, Basta Y Basula, which targets illegal dumping. The taskforce was conceived after Islandwide Beautification Day, in which litter was cleaned up from various areas of the island. The task force is comprised of representatives from Guam EPA, the Department of Public Works, Parks and Recreations, the Department of Corrections, the Guam
Police Department, and the Department of Waste Authority. The task force organizes clean-up, outreach, and education efforts about improper waste disposal. Perhaps in time with education, outreach efforts, and stricter disposal laws, the island of Guam will become a lot cleaner and more sustainable than it is today.
Road maintenance: a costly concern for Guam Continued from page 7 maintenance. According to Mangilao Mayor Allan G. Ungacta, each district is given a set amount of $20 million, along with the district local mileage amount. The district of Mangilao received a little over $68,000. “With the money given, part of it goes to supplies for the daily operations of the office, labor, and repair for equipment, signs for streets and off course repairs for our roads,” Ungacta said. Mayors of each district use the funds for the local non-routed public roads. The routed roads
are funded by another source. Department of Publics Works (DPW) maintains all roads on Guam. Mayor Ungacta said the potholes are filled with cold-mix as a way to sort of fix the roads. Cold mix is asphalt material made to repair potholes in the village streets. Ungacta said people have called or visited his office to complain about the potholes. These have included people complaining that potholes on their neighborhood streets have caused their tires to deflate. The graph, acquired from the Guam Islandwide Program Management Services, shows the road conditions of
the routed roads on the island. Many roads on Guam are poor and unacceptable, and there are very few acceptable roads 2. These do not include the local village roads. Based on the graph, the cold-mix solutions are not helping with keeping Guam’s roads acceptable to drive on well. There are two types of mixes, one is a hot mix and the other is a cold mix. Guam uses the cold-mix version. Cold mix is also known as cold patch or cold asphalt 4. Cold-mix is quicker to use because it does not need to be heated. It is also considered less expensive and it does
not really need special expensive heavy rolling machine to apply it to the potholes 4. When one compares the benefits of cold-mix with the more expensive and longer process of re-paving, then this temporary and easy fix sounds like a solution. Mayor Ungacta said, “Cold-mix works temporarily. It actually does the job at filling in the potholes. But in due time, run-offs and large trucks can ruin the repairs made.” Another mayor has also voiced out his concern about these “temporary fixes” on the roads 3. The mayor of Inarajan, Doris Lujan, men-
tioned that she wants a more permanent fix on these roads and that these roads are dangerous to drivers. Mayor Lujan also mentioned that the temporary fixes create a bumpy road and that this cause wear and tear on vehicles 3. My main concern is if many people already know that this “band-aid” solution is not really a good solution, why can’t Guam just save up all the money and eventually pay for a real repair for each road on Guam. It may cost more and take a bit longer, but the results will last longer. Guam drivers deserve smoother and safer roads.
Continued from page 5 ing anymore,” Dr. Joseph said. Nowadays, people just drop off their animals and never interact with an animal technician or a veterinarian. Dr. Joseph compares it to “back in the old days”, when they would sit with pet owners for 30 – 40 minutes to educate them on proper animal care. When asked if community involvement is important in reducing the dog population on Guam, Dr. Joseph responded, “If you do not have community involvement, you have failure.” He explained that a system to reduce stray dogs was proposed to the Government of Guam. The system would reduce the population within 6 to 12 months, or longer if slowly introduced. It was a plan that would permit the euthanasia of stray dogs upon capture. However, it did not pull through due to conflicting in beliefs and the government becoming uninter-
ested in what else he had to offer. In short, the program would start with a collar or tag system that that is given away to potential pet owners for free. Each collar or tag would have a specified number unique to each animal and whenever an animal is found, there would be a way track pets via all media
aspects. This combined with proper education on animal care would create a better system of animal control and a more knowledgeable community. This plan goes more into depth about the how animals are picked up, how the collars would be paid for, and for where and how long animals that
are picked up will be kept. There is already an implementation of a law to license and restrain animals passed back in May 7, 1993 by Governor Joseph F. Ada, called Public Law 22-13 on licensing and keeping animals, and on the operation of animal shelters. In the law in § 34102 it states that all owned pets
above the age of three months are required to have pet licenses for their animals and a violation is punishable by law. More importantly the law also talks about the leash law, which requires pet owners to restrain their animals by a leash or within a confined area in their property. Mayor Savares says that the way Dededo deals with the problem is by passing out notices to residents about this law. She then advices residents to tie up their animals, because she works with the Department of Agriculture’s Animal Control officers to round up strays. The overreaching solution being that before we are able to solve the stray population on Guam we must first enforce the laws we already have. Spay and neutering alone is not a solution, pet owners must be informed of the requirements of taking care of animals and maybe then we will be able to see the differences on Guam.education process.
Mitigating the island’s homelessness issue Continued from page 5 The University of Guam has been very active in participating, especially with the homeless count. Students and faculty are advised to take action
towards this matter and contribute what they can whether it’d be participating in the annual Homeless Point in Time counts or simply sending messages to GHURA regarding any prominent and serious issues encountered on the streets of the
island. “We’re trying to increase the funding and provide as much housing as we can but we can only do so much,” Amor said. “As far as solutions, I’d say that our organizations continuously work together to assist the homeless in any
way we can and advise the community to do so as well.” Community support is needed. If you are interested in volunteering, call Angelina Cruz at 300- 1588 to sign up and register for a mandatory training.
Donations of canned food and hygiene products are strongly advised as it is rounded up and distributed among those in need. To know more information about the updated homeless count, contact Amor Say of GHURA at 4751406.
The role of law enforcement in the ice epidemic
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side postal inspectors but also the customs ports of entry to see what we can do to cease what is coming in before it actually gets distributed down to the streets,” Santos said. “We [GPD] also use intelligence information as to
who is actually receiving these packages coming in from wherever they may come from wherever the drugs come from and try to identify who these packages are for so that way we can actually make the arrest and try to shut it down from the actual dealer perspectives rather than just the users,” San-
tos said. The new programs to deal with drug use and distribution has been showing a great effect over this past couple of months. Just in the news, we can see a greater amount of drug busts and arrests of suspected distributors and users.
Although we have made great improvements in preventing the distribution of drugs, this does not mean the problem will disappear overnight. With his 20-plus years in the police force, Santos says that the island still has a long way to go and that the ice epidemic is just not something that is
going to stop overnight. He feels that the solution will require a concerted community effort. “I believe there should be education programs in the primarily and secondary school system to try and educate the children to stay away from drugs such as ice,” Santos said.
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Dealing with the stray animal population
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