Fall 2015, Issue 1, September
UOG enforces parking policy Left: Shown above is one of the two new UOG Overflow Parking lots put into effect this fall semester. These are temporary parking lots intended to accomodate for the larger enrollment of students.
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INSIDE Page 2: $6 million awarded to Marine Lab Page 3: Harassment incidents prompt responses Page 6: A critique of GAX
By Kreeshia Aquino Triton’s Call Staff
Brittney Toves, a junior majoring in anthropology, noticed something different as she drove through the gates of the University of Guam on the first day of the
fall semester. Toves found it difficult to find an available parking spot. The grassy areas near the School of Nursing and Health Sciences Building, where people parked last semester, were closed. Toves drove
further from the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, until she finally managed to find one near the Administration Building. Like many students returning from the summer break, Toves received a
notice about the parking lot and changes. On Aug. 1, 2015, the University of Guam’s Student Life Office sent students an email continued on page 2
Enrollment stats show steady rise By Kevin Tano Triton’s Call Staff Student enrollment at the University of Guam has seen gradual increases for the past 10 years and its fall 2015 semester could be its highest yet. For 2015 Fall se-
mester, the certified student enrollment totaled to 3991, about a 1% increase over last Fall semester, according to Deborah D. Leon Guerrero, director for the Office of Academic Assessment and Institutional Research. UOG President
Underwood Robert Underwood said this year the university could be seeing another increase
of about 150 more students directly out of high school. This growth has brought some noticeable changes, such as an increase in the university’s faculty and the addition of parking spaces for students. The university has
recently hired 21 new faculty members, totaling about 175 on a full-time basis. “We actually have more people who are from Guam on are faculty than we ever had before,” said continued on page 2
University of Guam Tritons Call – September 2015
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Campus parking: common violations continued from page 1 regarding the revised parking policy. Attached to the email were two documents. The first document was a map of UOG showing where the two overflow parking areas were designated. The second document was a copy of the revised parking policy. According to Jonas D. Macapinlac, director of integrated marketing communications at UOG, there has been a steady increase of student enrollment in the last four years. “Last fall we had about 3,958 students, and that’s the most of any fall semester we have ever had.” This semester we are even looking at more than that, probably
breaking the 4,000 mark,” said Macapinlac. More students are choosing to come to UOG. More people means more traffic. “The school is expanding, not just by enrollment but growing with more facilities.” Macapinlac said. “We have looked at large pieces of lands that can be used as parking.” There are currently two overflow parking areas. One is located near the Fieldhouse, where it is already used as parking for events such as commencement. The second is located a few spaces from the paved roads across the Lecture Hall, HSS building, and English and Communications building. Expanding the Student Center,
creating an Engineering Annex, and a President’s Grove near the Health and Science buildings are also in future plans. According to Macapinlac, there have been a number of concerns students have brought up about the two overflowing parking areas. The first concern is that the parking lots are far from the classes. It gets too hot or when it rains these are prone to flood or get really muddy. Plans to place gravel on these areas have already been thought out. Due to future constructions, these overflow parking areas will be frequently used. The second concern is if there will be more parking areas available, and some people
say these areas become overcrowded too. Macapinlac explained that when the university was looking at large pieces of land to use for parking, the areas chosen were the best. “We now have well over 2,300 parking slots available on campus,” Macapinlac said. “This is sufficient, but we will continue to monitor.”. The parking lot policy has been revised to include specific terms such as ticketing and towing at the owner’s expense. Citations that are given only serve as a warning. Tickets are issued by the Guam Police Department and all rules and fees apply. A towing company can also be called to tow vehicles. The most recent common violations have included cars that
Enrollment: Underwood sees bright future continued from page 1 Underwood. “But we also have more international faculty.” Underwood wants the students feel more at home, but also have an experience that challenges their everyday learning goals and extends them beyond that. During the start of the fall 2015 semester, two new overflow parking areas were opened and provided students with more than 700
extra spaces. “Now we have a whole better parking system than we had last semester,” said Underwood. Future of UOG With the student enrollment on the rise more changes are expected to happen to the university to accommodate those students needs. “What we really want to improve is the student experience,” said Underwood. Sometime during this academic year, Underwood plans to have a one-stop
center where students can be serviced in one convenient location. He added that they want to make sure students are given proper advisement and ensure them that the university is a secure and safe place to be in. In addition, an infrastructure plan had been included to expand the Student Services Center as well as a School of Engineering annex, which should be implemented sometime
this year. Underwood said one area they are particularly focusing on is their online presence. He anticipates a growth in the enrollment at least 2% ever year and predicts that about half of the students enrolled into the university will be online. “Thank you for making the natural choice and thank you for finding your home here. This is a great time to be at the university,” said Underwood.
are parked illegally at the motorcycle/scooter section, ADA parking, and on the islands or non-designated parking areas. According to Macapinlac, so far, only seven vehicles have been towed. Macapinlac and Okada’s main concern is safety. “We want to thank the University community for recognizing our parking policy and following the guidelines” Macapinlac said. “That’s a good point, given the number of vehicles we have seen, we estimated 98-99% of the people who come here for whatever reason are trying to make the policy work and that’s just great. That is really important and enlightening to see.” Okada added. Triton’s Call staff Publisher Francis Dalisay Editor-in-chief John Mugol Assistant editor Kevin Tano Chief copy editor Kyle Twardowski Web editors Kreeshia Aquino Rianne Peredo Contributors Alissa Eclavea Ari Santos Alan Seid Email us at tritonscalluog@ gmail.com
By John Mugol Triton’s Call Staff The news of the sexual harassment case from a University of Guam psychology professor and a man requesting for sexual favors from women around campus have sparked some concern among students. Angelica Carlos, a senior majoring in sociology and psychology, said she was not surprised to hear about the cases. “Female students shouldn’t have to go the extra mile to prevent these incidents,” said Carlos. “This is a university campus, where all students expect to be safe.” Maile Rechirei Ngiriou, a senior double majoring in biology
and social work, said these types of incidences have the potential to happen anywhere. “No matter where you are, even on campus there are… sex offenders walking among us and we don’t even know about it,” said Ngiriou. Both Ngiriou and Carlos agree that the university should be a safe-learning environment and to have a proper policy to handle this situation. “Female students shouldn’t have to go the extra mile to prevent these incidents,” said Carlos. “This is a university campus, where all students expect to be safe.” According to the UOG Student Handbook, “the incidence of sex offenses is
Galvez very slight and the University makes an effort to maintain that environment.” Any suspicion of sexual misconduct from students, faculty, and staff are therefore brought to disciplinary action. Eden Suarez Galvez, the program coordinator at the UOG Student Life Office says to protect one another. “These events were a shocker and you must protect
your sisters, encourage them to report these instances of any kind,” said Galvez. Ngiriou, who believes that there are unreported cases at school, also feels that UOG has the responsibility to keep students aware. “UOG is doing a good job notifying and educating its students about violence against women as well as sexual harassment,” said Ngiriou. The university has programs available to keep students aware of this issue such as the Women and Gender program, the Violence Against Women Prevention Program (VAWPP), the Isa Psychological Clin-
ic, the Student Life Office, and the Enrollment and Management Student Services – just to name a few. Suarez who agreed that there are incidences that are unreported and kept confidential says that the university is available to seek help. “First and foremost we’re here to help, the student shouldn’t be embarrassed to tell, the student is what we wanted to protect,” said Suarez. For incidences of sexual offenses, violence, sexual assault, or stalking, you should contact the Safety and Security Office at (671) 7352365/70, the Security Cell (671) and the VAWPP at (671) 7352890.
Harassment incidents prompt responses from officials By Kyle Twardowski Triton’s Call Staff
In late August, women who were walking alone around the UOG campus had reported that a man was harassing them. The two reported incidents involved the same suspect who had been described as a dark skinned male wearing a tank top and driving a black pickup truck. The individual was also reported as driving up to, and asking for sexual favors from women who were jogging on campus. These are all the de-
tails that were reported on the individual, and he has not yet been identified. “Once we got the second incident report in, we immediately put out a notice to the university community telling them to be vigilant and to watch out for this particular individual” said Jonas Macapinlac, director of integrated marketing communications at UOG. The victims involved in the incidents reported what they could remember to the best of their ability. “The event that had happened had phased
the two victims so much that they weren’t able to go ahead and think straight to be able to keep information for the license plate, just enough for a general description” said Felix Mansapit, a safety administrator at UOG. The campus and administrators do ensure that the safety protocol and programs implemented at UOG do work well. Within the past couple years, the campus has seen little to no violent incidents. “We can’t prevent a perpetrator from coming in, because we don’t know when and where
they are going to do it. If the opportunity arises, they’re going to be here. Our protocol is apprehension and deterrence, and to carry that out as quickly as possible” said David Okada, UOG chief planning officer. Okada added that the University of Guam isn’t the most well lit campus at night. With the Vision 2025 master plan for UOG, they are looking at building lighted, covered parking structures throughout the campus and replacing some other areas with new, highly lit structures
which will alleviate the ongoing lighting issue on campus at this time. As far as short term goals, they are looking for alternatives as far as lighting goes, however, there is nothing as of now that will be done about this issue. However, students are offered certain services to help ensure that they are safe. UOG does offer programs such as Safe Ride and Safe Walk that allow students and employees to call the security office to be escorted to their vehicle Continued on page 7
University of Guam Tritons Call – September 2015
Expert emphasizes awareness on campus
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“Mothering Guahan” debuts at UOG
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By Rianne Peredo Triton’s Call Staff The University of Guam hosted a free screening event of the film “Mothering Guahan” in the CLASS Lecture Hall on Aug. 26. The film, which was spearheaded by director Leiana S.A. Naholowa’a, resulted from her thesis project. Her thesis focuses on mothering in post-colonial Chamorro literature in Guam. The film featured interviews with Chamorro women who are mothers and indigenous scholars who have done research on Chamorro women and mothering. The film also portrayed a round table panel discussion between five women in the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center. Despite Naholowa’a’s academic background in the English depart-
ment, she said she always had an interest in film making. Producing and directing “Mothering Guahan” served as an opportunity for her to incorporate her personal interests and provide more representation of Chamorro people in the mass media. She also said the film would serve as a reminder that women in the ChamorPhoto by Rianne Peredo ro culture are powerful, A full house shows for a screening of “Mothering Guahan,” a film by Leiana S.A. Naholwhich can be easily owa’a, a faculty member at UOG. forgotten. Naholowa’a also wantNaholowa’a’s projwhich was given back progress and the “sneak ed to explore the many ect team consisted of after completion. The preview” shown at roles of a Chamorro director of photograother sheet included UOG was funded by mother through the phy/lead editor Brian discussion questions grants awarded by orperspectives of three Muna, project advisors and information on ganizations such as the generations of womFaye Untalan and Laura the panelists that were Guam Council of the en. The women’s ages Souder, and project present for a question Arts and Humanities ranged from mid-20s consultant Carlene and answer session Agency and National to around 60. Certain Okiyama. post-screening. Endowment for the moments in the film One of the purposes Another reason for Arts. However, Naholwere also dedicated of the screening was to the screening was owa’a said that the projto indigenous scholcollect public feedback to generate interest ect’s future endeavors ars expanding on the on the film. Attendees amongst the public to would be crowdfunded. history of Guam, which were given two sheets fund the remainder of Naholowa’a has plans featured a matrilineal of paper. The first was the project. The film to incorporate more society. an evaluation sheet, itself is still a work in local artists and actors.
UOG Marine Lab awarded $6 million grant the scope of Internet connectivity in various local sites while using the program Internet2, The University of which aims to “accelerGuam Marine Labate research discovery, oratory was recently advance national and awarded a $6 million global education, and grant from the National Science Founda- improve the delivery of public services.” tion’s Environmental Jason Biggs, Ph.D., Program to Stimulate associate professor of Competitive Research marine biology, said (EPSCoR). plans for the Marine The grant, which is Laboratory were threeone of largest grants awarded to the Univer- fold. In addition to sity of Guam, would aid providing more opporthe Marine Lab’s coastal tunities for graduate students enrolled in the ecosystems research. This involves expanding program to experience, By Rianne Peredo Triton’s Call Staff
there is a focus on coral reef systems. Biggs also added that the Marine Laboratory used some of the grant money to purchase 10 kayaks and there would be a chance to reapply for the grant after three years. The two specific coral species being examined are acropora surculosa and porites rus. Some points of observation of these coral species include bleaching as well as environmental stressors due to climate change. The survival of these coral species
is important to island sustainability and retaining biodiversity as well as preventing further erosion of local coastlines. The Marine Lab would also have a biorepository, which enables them to store and collect biospecimens for future use. For example, if a certain species becomes endangered or extinct, it can be cryopreserved in the biorepository to examine at a later date. Finally, community participation would
be addressed through programs such as restoration and reforestation efforts. By using research that examines environmental trends that stress coral reef systems such as sedimentation and bleaching, there would be more chances for the public to be informed and implement change. The Marine Lab’s reputation as a top research location would be further enhanced by the opportunities and possibilities funded for by the grant.
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UOG presents “Rashomon” By Alissa Eclavea For Triton’s Call The University of Guam’s Theater program will be presenting “Rashomon” on Sept. 24 to Sept. 26 and Oct. 1 to 3. All showings will start at 7 p.m. in the UOG theater at the Fine Arts Building. “Rashoman” is a play by Fay and Michael Kanin, based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The stories are set during the Heian era in Japan. Samurai officer
Takehiro’s murder, played by Serf Mannaky, is put to trial while the notorious bandit, Tajumaru, played by Justin Losinio, and the samurai officer’s wife, played by Sara Untalan, recall what happened and are reenacted through a series of flashbacks. Takehiro expresses his side of the story by communicating through a medium. Mannaky, Losinio and Untalan are all UOG students majoring in theater.
“What people should look forward to is definitely the fight scene,” said Mannaky. “We’re using real swords.” Losinio added, “the audience should brace themselves.” “I’ll just tell you that it has a lot of crude humor.” The general admission fee is $10. The fee for other students and seniors is $7.50. For more information, contact Michelle Blas at mcblas76@yahoo. com.
Business workshop to be held on Sept. 29 at SBPA By Alan Seid, Jr. For Triton’s Call The (WIB): How To Start a Farm Business workshop will be held on Sept. 29 from 8:30am to 12:00pm at the University of Guam’s School of Business and Public Administration room 148. This workshop will cover information on local government agencies’ rules and regulations for businesses, how to obtain a business license, and the basics for creating an effective business plan that all prospec-
tive farm business owners must be aware. This workshop is presented by The Guam SBDC Bank of Guam Women in Business (WIB) Program with the support of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. The registration deadline is Sept. 23 and the event fee is $40. For more information about the (WIB): How To Start a Farm Business workshop, contact Nicole Tesiro at (671) 735 2590 or email her at- nicole@ pacificsbdc.com.
University of Hawaii scholar to visit for film lecture By Ari Santos For Triton’s Call The University of Guam’s Communication Honor Society will host its annual lecture with Dr. Thomas Brislin on Sept. 29, from 11 am-12 pm at the CLASS Dean’s office conference room located at the third floor of the Humanities and Social
Sciences building. Lambda Pi Eta or LPH, the University’s Communication Honor Society, will be sponsoring this event. Dr. Brislin is the head juror for this year’s Guam International Film Festival (GIFF), and associate dean at the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Minoa.
sor, this year’s theme will be “Commodifying vs. Preserving Culture in Film.” Dr. Brislin will “focus on the issues of representation, whether Photo credit: UH-Manoa cultures and Brislin their people have rights to According to Dr. how they are porLilnabeth Somera, trayed in film. current LPH adviHe will offer some
University of Guam Tritons Call – September 2015
EVENTS
suggestions revolving around “cultural consultancy,” which seems to have worked in Australia and New Zealand (and to a lesser extent in Hawaii).” For more information please contact, Dr. Lilnabeth Somera, LPH advisor, at 735-2700, or Ari Santos at ariane_nicolesantos@hotmail.com.
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OPINION TC staff member critiques GAX By Kyle Twardowski Triton’s Call Staff The Guam Art Exhibit is not only a place to see and appreciate local art and talk to some of the artists on their experience, but in another aspect, it’s a bridge for local artists to cross over and display their works of art for the community and other artists to appreciate. To get your work out there and to get recognized by someone is on the top of any artist’s wishlist. I would know. I’m trying to make it out to fame just like everybody else. The Guam Art Exhibit is in its eighth showing with this year’s theme being “The Portrait”. The exhibit was live from the 19th of August to the 7th of September in the Agana Shopping Center. The opening night was filled with the unveiling of the work and also a photobooth, open bar (before the drinks ran out), and closed the night off with a performance from “The John Dank Show”. Over the course of the few weeks being open, the directors also held live art displays and classes where artists can bring in their work and receive tips from the staff and other artists
on improvement of their art. The final night was showcased around spoken word, where poets, songwriters, musicians, and rappers showcased their skills to end the 8th Guam Art Exhibit. For the weeks coming up to the Guam Art Exhibit, any artist interested in submitting work was asked to do so. The invite was publicized and everything, for open submissions. I was one of those artists who went out on a limb to submit some work in hope of getting an acceptance email. Well I didn’t. Sadly, I wasn’t accepted to participate, which is fine. I was a little irritated at first, but hey, I got over it. But there are a few things that did irritate me about the whole altercation with GAX. Not only was my work not accepted, I received an email with a description on how to make my work better and then maybe they might consider my work to be viewed. “I feel what is necessary is either heavy Photoshop work to bring the production value higher or possibly a reshoot” read the email I received from a GAX coordinator. This is the golden rule that you should not break when dealing with an
artist, unless they ask for it. If I said “oh hey, here’s my submission, I’d also like some constructive criticism while you’re at it”, then ok I asked for it. But of course I didn’t. They told an artist, how to make his own art. Everything I put into my work is for a reason. If I wanted it to look a certain way, that’s what I wanted the piece to look like. Don’t tell me what it wrong with it, because it’s not wrong to me. That’s what it means to be an artist. I can do what I want with my work, I’m free. That’s the beauty of it. What I’m saying is that they pretty much lost an artist over this, me. The other issue I had was that there were visible budget cuts. But who am I? Don’t take my word for it, this is just my opinion, but that’s what it seemed like. My point is that the facility was not fit for something like this. A bigger facility should have been sought out to hold this event to allow for more submissions to be displayed. I know this is easier said than done, however, this is part of throwing an event like this. Be prepared. To go along with the facility issue, I also felt that some pieces, especially some of the photographs, were a
Photo Courtesy of GAX Staff crazy size for display. Using all of that space for three photos, takes away from the allowance of more submissions. “We have a bit of a smaller space than previous GAX shows so we have to be very selective of what’s going to show” read the email I received from a GAX coordinator. So we’re going to limit pieces for acceptance so we can put up monstrous pieces? A possible limit on piece size for submission could have been in order to help fit other’s needs. And I’m not even talking about the giant wall sized painting in the back that covered about six or seven feet up and down. That’s just too much. With these things
being presented, there are visible flaws that do need to be worked out, but overall the Guam Art Exhibit experience is still for the community. The events held through the GAX do shine a different light on the community and act as inspiration for upcoming artists. However, my outlook has been changed through the event of not being accepted. But it has taught me a couple things. To stay hungry and to not care what other people think. It’s now seared into my brain, thanks. Kyle Twardowski is a Communication major, copy editor of the Triton’s Call and avid photographer and filmmaker.
By Kyle Twardowski Triton’s Call Staff The Guam International Film Festival is right around the corner running from Sept/ 26 to 30 at Tango Theaters in the Agana Shopping Center. The festival is also turning five but is bringing one of its heaviest lineups of film yet with 58 films from 30 different countries and is sure to not disappoint its audiences. “We ourselves are surprised we lasted this long” said Kel Muna, programmer and co-founder of the Guam International Film Festival. Since the first year that the festival was running, they weren’t quite sure what was going to happen. In other countries, such
as the Phillipines and the U.S., film festivals are not something to be considered as taboo and are easily recognized and understood in their worth. With GIFF being the first of its kind on Guam, the founders we’re running on trial and error. With the festival now running top tier films from around the world, it should stand that the GIFF is serving its purpose through the community, education, and entertainment. “In terms of the programming of the festival and the types of movies the come through, we don’t have the expectation of an increasing measure of expertise or production knowledge in terms of the movies coming in. I always
Muna wipe the slate clean every year” said Muna. Thinking of how some of the directors have grown and the quality of some of their submissions has improved over the years, is what Kel Muna does. He says that he goes in every year without expectations but it is easy to see the improvements in the quality of work that comes through the festival. “Being in the position
to present and admire someone else’s vision is great, and presenting that to the masses is great” said Muna. With this being said, the festival has had and is going to have some repeat directors showcased at the international level. Julian Higgins is a Grand Jury Award Winner from the inaugural GIFF in 2011 and is now back for the second time with a short film entitled “Winter Light” which is also a Grand Jury Nominee for Best Narrative Short at the 2015 GIFF. “Unbelievable, just unbelievable, it goes toe to toe with the feature films we have programmed this year” said Muna. The development of directors and work is what filmmaking is
all about, and being able to see it first hand through the GIFF submissions was a heartwarming experience and being able to showcase this to the audience is even greater. The GIFF also has two feature films which will be competing for the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, “Welcome to the Happy Days” coming out of Taiwan and “That thing Called Tadhana” coming out of the Phillipines. “The Phillipines and Japan have always kind of dominated the ring as far as feature films go, but we’ll see how it goes this year” said Muna. “The community has backed it, and supported it, and we have to deliver the goods now” said Muna.
Safety and security precautions highlighted continued from page 3 at any point in the day if they feel uncomfortable with the security of their surroundings. This program is there to fill in the gaps of campus safety, to help ensure the students and faculty that they are safe. “We try to advertise this as much as possible, for employees and students alike, if they need to use the service it’s there and it’s ready for them” said Mansapit. The current contact number to reach the security officer that is on duty at this time is 888-2456.
“Vigilance is always a necessity. The more we empower our students and employees the better, because they are our first responders.” – David Okada, UOG chief planning officer Aside from having this program, Mansapit conducts a safety orientation with the dorm student, the student life organization, and also some of the criminal justice classes at the beginning of each semester. These orientations include everything from having an active shooter on campus, down to the recent incidents that occurred. Currently, a contract that was implemented back in 2009 permits that the campus is allowed one security
officer per shift, three shifts a day, 24/7. There is always at least one security officer on patrol at all times protecting the campus. Alongside campus security, the Guam Police Department does randomly patrol and scan the campus and dive through from time to time to at least make a presence be known. David Okada, chief planning officer at UOG does want to state some quick safety tips for students, such as observing
vigilance, enrolling in self-defense classes, participating in a buddy system or group system, parking under lights, and not leaving valuables in cars. “Vigilance is always a necessity. The more we empower our students and employees the better, because they are our first responders” said Okada. There are no restrictions on devices to keep students or faculty members safe such as mace, pepper
spray or tasers, however, they are recommended to be properly trained on the use and handling of the devices before carrying or using them. Weapons such as guns are not permitted on campus, even if permitted and carried by a licensed handler, since UOG is a gun free campus. But personnel who are authorized to carry these weapons 24/7 such as U.S. Marshals or GPD officers are authorized to have them on campus. “We just want to let you know that it is a safe campus and environment, and we want to keep it that way,” said Macapinlac.
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Guam Int’l Film Festival in its fifth year
University of Guam Tritons Call – September 2015
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