Issuu

Cover Photo Stories

Future of UH System Takes Flight at UHWO (page 10), Pueos Appreciate Movies (page 3) and Start With Your Heart (page 8)

EDITOR’S NOTE

Aloha mai k!kou,

My name is Leviticus Kaopuiki. For the past year and a half, I have been a part of the amazing organization that is The Hoot. This semester, I am grateful to have the opportunity to step up into a new leadership role as the editor-in-chief.

A special thank you to our advisor Ku‘ualoha Kauanoe-Luda for her constant support and insight through every issue we put out. To Rouel Velasco and Sharla Hanaoka, thank you for your feedback and experience over the years.

Thank you to Carley Matsumura, our previous editor who graduated this past Fall! Your dedication to each issue and the guidance you've given have made great impacts in The Hoot.

Finally, to the awesome UHWO faculty, sta", and students – thank you for your support. We look forward to featuring more of your voices in our stories. Hope you enjoy this issue!

Mahalo nui loa

Leviticus Kaopuiki

The Hoot’s calling you!

If you are interested in journalism or community building, apply for The Hoot. Writers and photographers will always be needed to share their perspectives and the stories of others. Reach us by email at thehoot@hawaii.edu and connect through social media via our Instagram account @thehootnews

E!ITOR-I&-CHIEF

Leviticus Kaopuiki

MA&AGI&G E!ITOR

Josephine Paige Uson

LAYO-T E!ITOR Tre Zamora

STAFF WRITER.

Moises Alhambra Jr.

Georcelle Lozano

Chelstine Tavares

Landon Tupper

As my first issue as editor, I want to recognize my hard working sta": Josephine Paige Uson, Tre Zamora, Moises Alhambra Jr., Georcelle Lozano, Noah Padilla, Jheanna Carlos and Landon Tupper. I look forward to working more with you all in sharing these important stories. University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information. Nor does the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu warrant the use of the works is free of any claims of copyright infringement. All views expressed are those of the page author and not of the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu and/or the University of Hawaiʻi system, and any concerns or comments about these pages should be directed to the page author, and not to University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Noah Padilla

Jheanna Carlos Christian Villavicencio

SPECIAL THA&K. TO UHWO Communications

SMB A!VI.OR. Sharla Hanaoka

Rouel Velasco

Ku‘ualoha Kauanoe-Luda

MARKETI&G I&Q-IRIE. thehoot@hawaii.edu

SMB Q-E.TIO&. smbwo@hawaii.edu On The Cover & Photo Credit Future of the UH System Takes Flight at UHWO, Pueos Appreciate Movies, Start With Your

Leviticus Kaopuiki Editor-In-Chief

For The Love Of Teaching

How one professor goes beyond the numbers to connect with her students

BY GEORCELLA LOZANO | PHOTOS BY JHEANNA CARLOS

Teaching is not just a job; it’s a calling that goes beyond textbooks, lesson plans and lectures. For Dr. Veny Liu, assistant professor of Mathematics at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, teaching is a labor of love that demands intellectual expertise, emotional investment, personal sacrifices and an unwavering commitment to student success.

While many imagine teaching as an inspiring, noble profession, the emotional work involved o$en remains unseen. It’s not just about sharing knowledge; it’s about forging deep connections with students and being there for them when they need it most, even when it means sacrificing personal time.

“Sometimes, I miss family events because I’m grading or I end up skipping events to do student work. But I enjoy it, even if I complain sometimes,” Liu said.

Being a professor, Dr. Liu adds, involves more than preparing lessons or grading papers. It’s about staying emotionally connected to students and adapting strategies to support them through challenges – academic or personal.

“I think one thing that surprised me as a professor was how much emotional work it requires – staying connected with students, providing support during stressful times, and adjusting my teaching strategies to meet their needs,” Liu said.

With the many hats professors wear, burnout is an inevitable part of the job. Liu has faced her own struggles with balancing administrative duties, grading, and maintaining a personal life.

“It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the grading and committee work,” Liu admits. “But what keeps me going is knowing how much my students benefit from what I do. I’ve learned to lean on my colleagues for support, and that’s really helped.”

Her perspective on self-care is grounded in the importance of creating a balance.

“We all need support. As teachers, it’s easy to put ourselves last, but we can’t forget to take care of ourselves. You can’t pour from an empty cup,” Liu said.

TikTok Ban Sparks Broader Cybersecurity Concerns

Think twice about the apps you use

BY MOISES ALHAMBRA, JR. | PHOTOS BY JHEANNA CARLOS

On January 19, TikTok went dark in the United States following the Supreme Court decision to uphold the law banning the social media platform under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Applications Act. TikTok Inc. is owned by ByteDance Ltd., which is operated and maintained in China. Many users and content creators were angered by the decision in which the Supreme Court emphasized threats to national security.

To understand the nuances of the ban and other security concerns that motivated the law, we consulted Professor Joshua Margolin, adjunct professor in the Information Security and Assurance (ISA) National Security Agency (NSA) Certificate of Excellence program at University of Hawaii-West O’ahu. These are his personal views as a cybersecurity professional including tips to protect yourself from potential cybercrimes.

Margolin said that the Supreme Court found the law does not violate freedom of speech/expression.

“Has it been proven that TikTok is a national security threat? Could there be a future scenario where a foreign country introduces a seemingly harmless social media application with undetected embedded malware that could trigger a logic bomb exploding millions of American cell phones? Under this scenario, it [TikTok] would be a national security threat and the Supreme Court could be correct in its ruling,” Margolin said.

But the law that's meant to protect Americans could create more harm than good. Another consequence of banning TikTok is the number of U.S. jobs possibly impacted by shutting down the company. Developers, cybersecurity professionals, marketing teams and content creators are just some who would be directly a"ected.

“What is the harm and economic impact to millions of Americans who depend on this application for their income?” Margolin questioned.

However, China isn’t the only country that collects information on Americans. Section 4872(d)(2) of United States Code Title 10 identifies certain places as "Covered Nations," or foreign nations of concern. They include Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Several of these countries have companies that operate in the U.S. Margolin pointed out that companies such as Kaspersky (Russia), Huawei (China), and Pegasus (Israel) are all operated by foreign countries.

“Evidence suggests that Russia and China have used companies to infiltrate both U.S. critical infrastructure, industrial bases, and private companies to destabilize or extract national security, military and industry trade secrets,” Margolin said.

Margolin described Huawei as one of the most powerful telecommunications companies in the world. He hypothe-

sized that a compromise of operations for them could mean taking control of worldwide communications while North Korean actors use embedded so$ware to steal crypto currencies and hack bank accounts to fund their operations.

Another company, backed by Israel, is Pegasus which, according to Margolin, is designed for espionage among its own citizens. In 2021, the Associated Press reported that governments were using the app to surveil a number of journalists, activists and politicians amongst others. At least 11 U.S. State Department employees were hacked by the spyware.

Singling out TikTok as a foreign threat to national security might be a loss of focus as there are many companies in the U.S. that could be more damaging. Such are the cases for Meta and CrowdStrike, both U.S. companies. Margolin reported that the 2013 Facebook data siphoning of personal details facilitated manipulations of 2016 elections among other sensitive national democratic issues.

In 2024, CrowdStrike a"ected disruptions of operations in infrastructures such as airlines, financial institutions, healthcare, and media and broadcast outlets, when they updated their so$ware, which caused a logic error that crashed multiple systems. The damages were estimated to be around $5.4 billion.

“Accountability should be consistent across the board,” Margolin said.

How to protect yourself from becoming a victim of cybercrime:

• Ensure privacy settings are set to maximum protection on social media apps.

• Understand the dangers of social media apps (e.g. data harvesting, privacy siphoning, embedded malware, etc.) before you download and use them.

• Use strong complex password combinations with 15 characters or more.

• Use multifactor-authentication.

• Don't click on links, public posts or respond to unknown messages.

• Use anti-virus so$ware. Don't download unknown files.

• Follow news, trends and reports on apps that have been compromised.

• Ensure your PC has a firewall enabled.

• Minimize usage of apps that you absolutely need for productivity.

• Limit your online banking to a clean device. Consider having 2 devices: one for professional use and one for gaming, social media and “junking up”.

• Don’t get scammed by phishing, unknown calls or deals too good to be true.

Start With Your Heart

Running into the new year with a healthy heart

BY MOISES ALHAMBRA, JR. | PHOTOS BY LEVITICUS KAOPUIKI

The Pueo Pacers, started in the fall of 2024, is a walk/run club that promotes physical fitness, health, and community building to UHWO students. Members of the club, Grace Sapolu, Noah Padilla, and Bryson Bucao are seen walking together on a set route around the campus. Through these community walks, members of the club build connection with each other as well as help to encourage physical fitness and heart-healthy practices

The heart beats non-stop throughout our life beginning at our mother’s womb–so just how important is taking care of your heart?

Most New Year’s resolutions are geared toward weight loss by promising an increase in physical activity and dieting. Some of the e"ective methods that support weight loss most likely have an additional benefit not many think about past an improved physique: a healthier heart

“As the center of your cardiovascular system, your heart is vitally responsible for just about everything that gives your body life, ranging from the transportation of oxygen to the success of your immune system,” said Stacey Kelly, University of Hawaii-West O‘ahu’s health services nurse.

In a 2024 statistics report by the American Heart Association, an estimated 127 million Americans as young as 20 years

of age have Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke or hypertension. As listed in the report, 24% of United States adults do not meet national recommendations for physical activity. According to Kelly, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for about 1 in 5 deaths.

To prevent CVD, Kelly recommends eating healthy food, walking, exercising and getting enough sleep on a regular basis. She also advises staying away from smoking, vaping and drinking alcohol in excess.

In support of good health, UHWO provides a Basic Needs Program with resources for proper nutrition. Activities such as intramural sports and garden workdays are among UHWO’s o"erings to keep students active and healthy.

Since nutrition is key, Kelly also suggests watching your diet by cutting down on excessive fat and red meat, and instead eating more fish, vegetables and fruits to keep a healthy weight. Furthermore, monitoring your blood pressure, reducing stress and being aware of your health history are supportive of a healthy heart. Knowing the status of your heart condition should also be a priority.

“Routine health check-ups play a vital role in detecting potential health issues in early stages. Once a year is a good guideline a$er age 40,” Kelly said.

When creating goals, don’t forget to prioritize your heart health.

“Caring for your heart health should start early and be a part of each person's selfcare to improve their quality and longevity of life,” Kelly said.

Future of the UH System Takes Flight at UHWO

Wendy Hensel meets with students and staff

On January 1, Wendy Hensel took up the presidency of the University of Hawai‘i’s 10-campus system. Hensel kicked o" her term by visiting each campus, with her first stop at the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu, to propose her plans for the system’s future. Here, she held an open forum where students, faculty and sta" of UHWO came to ask questions and communicate their ideas on issues and visions they have regarding the future of their campus.