Aug 2011

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By Adina Murakami Ka Lā editor “Estria” Miyashiro, John “Prime” Hina and several local graffiti artists are generating a buzz with a vibrant, comprehen- sive illustration of local water issues, utilizing the side of the JBL building near Honolulu Commu- nity College as their super-sized canvas. The 5,500 square foot mural which fronts HCC’s gravel park- ing lot is the third in a series of 10 planned “Water Writes,” murals Miyashiro is planning to address global water issues in local com- munities around the world. “We look at using public art as a bull horn to address community rights and environmental issues. KALĀ www.thekala.net Passport to College Program gives incoming students their first glimpse of campus. Pages 3-4 Campus essentials A one-stop guide to essen- tial campus locations and buildings. Page 3 Campus sculpture The story behind the big- gest sculpture on campus. Page 5 Coming attractions Student Media Board to introduce digital signage, podcasts. Page 6 Slam jam Honolulu CC graduate Sterling Higa is off to the national poetry slam. Page 8 Top security Campus security guards keep a safe watch over students, and faculty alike. Page 10 Going green A new dry land taro patch emphasizes sustainability. Page 12 New mural creates mauka-makai scene Continued on Page 2 KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami The "Mauka to Makai" mural at the end of the student parking lot features a large image of Queen Lili‘uokalani.

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www.thekala.net Page 10 Page 12 Pages 3-4 A one-stop guide to essen- tial campus locations and buildings. Page 5 Page 3 Page 6 Page 8 Student Media Board to introduce digital signage, podcasts. Campus security guards keep a safe watch over students, and faculty alike. Honolulu CC graduate Sterling Higa is off to the national poetry slam. The story behind the big- gest sculpture on campus. A new dry land taro patch emphasizes sustainability. By Adina Murakami Continued on Page 2 Ka Lā editor

Transcript of Aug 2011

By Adina MurakamiKa Lā editor

“Estria” Miyashiro, John “Prime” Hina and several local graffiti artists are generating a buzz with a vibrant, comprehen-sive illustration of local water issues, utilizing the side of the JBL

building near Honolulu Commu-nity College as their super-sized canvas.

The 5,500 square foot mural which fronts HCC’s gravel park-ing lot is the third in a series of 10 planned “Water Writes,” murals Miyashiro is planning to address

global water issues in local com-munities around the world.

“We look at using public art as a bull horn to address community rights and environmental issues.

KALĀwww.thekala.net

Passport to College

Program gives incoming students their first glimpse of campus. Pages 3-4

Campus essentials

A one-stop guide to essen-tial campus locations and buildings.

Page 3

Campus sculpture

The story behind the big-gest sculpture on campus.

Page 5

Coming attractions

Student Media Board to introduce digital signage, podcasts.

Page 6

Slam jamHonolulu CC graduateSterling Higa is off to the national poetry slam.

Page 8

Top security

Campus security guards keep a safe watch over students, and faculty alike.

Page 10

Going green

A new dry land taro patch emphasizes sustainability.

Page 12

New mural creates mauka-makai scene

Continued on Page 2

KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami

The "Mauka to Makai" mural at the end of the student parking lot features a large image of Queen Lili‘uokalani.

KaLā - News

KaLĀ 2

Mural visualizes a future ahupua`aFirst. we wanted to

address "Water Writes' and water issues, which seems to be the over arch-ing theme,” Miyashiro said. The $12,000 mural is sponsored by The Estria Foundation in conjunc-tion with 808 Urban and local youth organiza-tions, along with dona-tions from Home Depot, Benjamin Moore and sev-eral other contributors. The project began in June and took more than 340 cans of spray paint to create the 25 foot tall, 185 feet long backdrop for the parking lot of Honolulu Community College. “From Mauka to Makai” is the depiction of a journey through time; the 25-foot tall Queen Lili‘uokalani is center stage. “She (the queen) repre-sents all of the people of Hawaii,” Miyashiro said. “Her throne is behind her and blends into the mountains; her sash will be a waterfall, represent-ing that she is one with the land and we are caretakers of the land. In Hawaiian wai means wa-ter, waiwai means riches, pu`uwai means heart, and pu`uwai means hill of water, so it's literally like she is still opening her heart out to us, her people,” said Miyashiro, who was was born in Hawaii but came to fame as an artist in Oakland, Calif.

On the right is an ancient ahupua‘a, a land division from mountain to ocean, which was usu-ally divided by a natural running steam. On the left side of the mural is a depiction of a modern day ahupua‘a, which supports renewable resources to conserve Hawaii’s future.

The ancient illustration shows the diversion dam at Iao stream on Maui as

a source of fresh water, which could yield and sustain multiple food resources if the water was diverted back into the stream. The diverted water could flow into a lo`i (wet taro patch), pre-ferring cold low nutrient rich water; that same water could support a secondary food source like a Tilapia fish pond, in which the fish thrive on warmer, nutrient rich brackish water. Further down the stream could be a third source of food like corn. Utilizing the

same water source could yield several resources and continue to the stream exiting into the ocean.

“As we increase the steam flow, more moss and plants grow, the `O`opu (fresh water fish) and `Oama (small goat-fish) start running and grow larger. So, as far as 25 miles out to sea, you have bigger fish coming in to eat them. This cre-ates a better food source in the ocean and on the land,” said Miyashiro.

The left side of the

mural is a modern day ahupua‘a, and includes Honolulu'a all green buildings, glass instead of walls to reduce elec-tricity, solar panels, turbines, and water catchment systems to grow plants on the build-ings. All these future cars would fly and have solar panels. So, that’s our vision of what the future ahupua‘a would look like,” Miyashiro said.

The goal is to encour-age all the key players and to support sustain-ability.

Miyashiro said his foundation is paying the cost of the mural, which is believed to be the larg-est aerosol paint mural in the islands.

The first two murals in the series were painted in Los Angeles and Oakland. Miyashiro said he plans to paint the next mural in the Gaza Strip.

KaLā Photos by Adina Murakami

Flying cars, above, and giant waves, below, are depicted in a futuristic ahupua`a.

Continued from Page 1newspaper of Honolulu

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Fall Semesters.

publications are funded by student publication fees and

advertising. All materials

be reproduced or reused without permis-sion of the HCC Student Media Board.

of the HCC Student Media Board:ChairpersonJulia Ching

Publications DirectorJennifer Kakio

Radio/Broadcast DirectorJoel Chasteen

Adina Murakami

James Rodden Faculty AdvisersEmily Kukulies

Mike Leidemann

Staff members Ryan Adverderada

Angela BaslevRachel ChenJulia Ching

Julias “Alex” GilfileyHoward Kam

Adina MurakamiCarlos Quintana James Rodden

Ron SantosCharles Sinfuego Preston TaulauTyler Takamiya Matthew Ursua

AUGUST 2011Contact [email protected]

Student Media Board Building 2, Room 115Phone: (808) 845-9498

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must be signed and include a daytime telephone number

and email address. Editors and writers are re-

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KaLā - News

KaLĀ 3

Your guide to essential places around campus

By Ryan AdverderadaKa Lā staff writer

Thousands of new students will be roaming the halls of Honolulu Community College when the semester begins. Many will be fresh from high school while some are returning to school after an extended break. All of them, how-ever, will have at least one thing in common: Each of them attended the new Passport to College ses-sions prior to their start here at Honolulu CC.

Passport to College is described on the Honolulu CC website as a chance to “receive a compre-hensive balance of academic and co-curricular information.” The sessions are required for all new students attending Honolulu CC and are suggested for any return-ing or transferring students. For

new students, Passport is required prior to registering.

Emily Kukulies, director of

Student Life & Development at Honolulu CC, explains: “Passport is a hybrid of previous new stu-

dent orientations and new stu-dent registrations. We are trying something different this year by having smaller groups of around 30 students rather than the tradi-tional big groups of 100 to 200.”

The smaller group sizes mean there were more sessions over the course of the summer. In previ-ous years there would be two or three orientation days with group sizes around 200. This summer there were a total of 37 passport sessions.

Passport is primarily run by stu-dent workers, also called student success facilitators, who received training on giving campus tours, cultural sensitivity, conflict resolu-tion, and interpersonal commu-nication. The tours, which began

Office ..................................................................................Location............................................ Phone

Admissions/Advising ................................................................ Bldg 6 ..................................... 845-9129/845-9270Apprenticeship .............................................................................. Bldg 4 ..................................... 845-9247/845-9245Bookstore (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. .................................... Bldg 2-107 ...............................................845-9105Business/Cashier’s Office .......................................................... Bldg 6 .......................................................845-9102Career & Job Placement (Mon-Fri, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) . Bldg 6 .......................................................845-9204Children's Center (Keiki Hau`oli) a.m. ...................................... Bldg 11 .....................................................845-9466College Skills Center ..............................................................................http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/skillscenterDisability Services (Student ACCESS) ....................................... Bldg 5-107B ........................... 845-9272/844-2392Distance Education ...................................................................... Bldg 7-313 ...............................................845-9234Financial Aid ................................................................................. Bldg 6 ......................................................845--9116Health Office (Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) .............................. Bldg 2-108A ............................................845-9282Library ............................................................................................ Bldg 7 ..................................... 845-9199/845-9221 ............................................................................................................................ http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/libaryStudent Media Board (KaLa) ...................................................... Bldg 2-115 ...............................................845-9498 ........................................................................................................................................................ [email protected] and Found ............................................................................ Bldg 2-113 ...............................................845-9398Mental Health Wellness (Mon - Fri from 8a to 4:00p) ............. Bldg 6 1st floor .......................................845-9180Native Hawaiian Center .............................................................. Bldg 20-4 .................................................847-9805 ....................................................................................................................... http//honolulu.hawaii.edu/hawaiianOff-Campus Education Program ................................................ Hickam Moanalua .................................421-4350PRIDE Project ................................................................................ Bldg 5-107B .............................................844-2386http://honoluu.hawaii.edu/prideParking ........................................................................................... Bldg 6 .......................................................845-9102Registration/Records ................................................................... Bldg 6 .......................................................845-9120Security ........................................................................................... Bldg 4 Emergencies ..................................................................................................................................................284-1270 Non- Emergencies.........................................................................................................................................271-8436Student Computer Lab ............................................................... Bldg 2-405 ...............................................845-9293Student Life ................................................................................... Bldg 2-113 ...............................................845-9498 ....................................................................................................................http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/studentlifeStudent Government (ASUH-HCC) .......................................... Bldg 2-116 .......................................................................................................................http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/asuh-hccTechonolgy Training Center (Fujo Matsuda) ...............................................................................................845-9298All other departments and faculty (main switch- board) .......................................................................... 845-9211

KaLā Photo by Adina MurakamiFirst-year students stop in front of the library on their orientation to the campus before the start of school.

Continued on Page 4

Passport

KaLā - Features

By Ron SantosKa Lā staff writer

The sculpture between Build-ings 2 and 7 is due for refurbish-ing some time in the fall 2011 semester. Since there is a renewed interest in the maintenance of the sculpture, there should also be an interest in the true significance of its design elements.

Over the years the meaning of the sculpture was lost. Now, if a handful of people were asked what it represented, each of their stories would be completely dif-ferent from each other. So it begs the question: What’s the real story behind the art work?

In a project to help beautify the campus 20 years ago, an Art Advisory Committee at Honolulu Community College asked artist Laura Ruby to create a sculpture that was unique to the campus. Her design was titled Mise en Scène, a French term meaning set-ting the stage. A mise en scène is al-ways life size to encourage view-ers to experience it in a way they would become a part of it like actors in a play. “I like interactive art. I intended this sculpture to be a nice place to hangout and eat lunch or even have events,” Ruby said. After extracting ideas from

the surrounding Kalihi area Ruby designed a miniature model. By the end of 1991 the sculpture was completed with the help of 125 volunteers from the community and trades programs at HCC. She chose to place the sculpture be-tween Buildings 2 and 7 because of its centralized location.

Since Ruby took inspiration from the Kapalama area to design her sculpture, its elements would make no sense anywhere else.

“I took inspiration from the canal, Dillingham bridge, the narrow roads of Kalihi Uka, and the Dole Cannery. At that time the cannery was in full swing and you could see it from campus, so I wanted to capture the liveliness of the workers with the pineapples that everyone thinks are dinosaur eggs,” she said.

According to Ruby the large arch represents the library build-ing, the smaller arches were from the little details of the Dillingham bridge, the blue paved rectangle on the ground represents the ca-nal, the stacked slabs of concrete represent how the narrow neigh-borhood streets and look like ter-races, the “eggs” are pineapples without the tops so that people can sit on them.

Sculpture tells our neighborhood storyKaLĀ 5

KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami

The Mise en Scene sculpture is at the heart of the Honolulu CC campus.

PC or Mac? At computer lab, you can chooseBy Rachel ChanKa Lā staff writer

The computer lab at Honolulu Community College is located on the third floor of Building 2 in a relatively inconspicuous room found off a white, monotonous hallway like so many others on campus.

Even though it is tucked away, it’s still one of the most valuable resources available to students on the campus.

Most students are used to go-ing to the computer lab when they need to use a computer for research or writing. But students also can use the lab to print their homework. Unlike some other places on campus, printing is free here, but you have to bring your own paper.

And while other places on cam-pus, including the library, Native Hawaiian Center and English Es-sentials complex, offer computers to use, the Building 2 lab is prob-ably the most convenient place to

find an open computer. And it has both PCs and Macs,

so you can choose the type you are most comfortable with.

While the computers in the library can fill up quickly depend-

ing on the time of day, it’s relaxing to know that you’ll almost always be able to find a computer in the Building 2 lab and finish that es-say which is due in a few hours

“We help students when they need help. We also help students to login their email account, we are here to help students when they need help,” said John Rayn, a student worker in the lab.

The lab is open in the fall semes-ter Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The lab is also the place where students can go to sign up for their own UH email account.

For more information about the lab, call 845-9293.

The lab offers a variety of options for students needing computing help.

KaLā - Features

KaLĀ 6

By Adina Murakami Ka Lā editor

The new head of student gov-ernment at Honolulu Community College is looking to plant seeds of volunteerism within the student body and promote a feeling of compassion and camaraderie at the school.

Ryan Adverderada was elected last spring to serve as president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii-Honolulu Community College until the end of spring 2012.

Adverderada worked as a promotions intern for two years and acknowledged the value of utilizing the media to promote his agenda for the Honolulu CC student body.

“The goal is to get students to stay on campus longer. The more time they spend on campus, the more they meet people, the more they will care for the campus and what happens on campus.” Ad-verderada said.

One place to cultivate volunteers is during the Passport to College sessions as the new freshmen are oriented to the college and given information on all clubs and op-portunities for active participation on campus. "It’s really impor-

tant to get the clubs involved in every Student Life & Develop-ment, Student Media Board and ASUH-HCC event, Adverderada said. The more activity the better the chances that students will see what an active role clubs play on campus, he said.

Past ASUH-HCC President Howard Kam actually recruited his incumbent. “So when I first

took the administration I had to learn everything myself I had to find out what the budget was, to work through all the little bugs,” Kam said. “It was hard, but I’m glad I took that step. That way I built relationships with people at administration office and faculty members and learned how to do things myself.”

“So, I was talked into coming

here by Howard,” Adverderada said. “He asked me to come to this campus instead of going to Leeward Community College. He told me he was the new president and that maybe I could help him. I came aboard, so last year was basically me learning the school, the campus, the people, but also learning how to work behind the scenes.”

The Senate hopes to host several events this year to promote a sense of community on campus.

“To my knowledge Springfest was started three or four years ago as an event to get the student and community involved in the campus. Last year it was a little difficult with scheduling because there were a couple of events in downtown Honolulu at the same time. It was really unavoidable be-cause of the Japan tsunami,” said Adverderada.

There's a lack of enthusiasm re-garding hosting a huge Springfest event again this year. Considering the lack of participation last year and the high cost, ASUH-HCC hopes to spend the allocated $18,000 to host five or six events to support student clubs and boost commitment and participation campus.

Old, new set course for ASUH future

SMB plans digital signs, magazine, podcast By Preston TaulauKa Lā staff writer

The Honolulu CC Student Media Board has a few projects in store for the fall semester. The SMB’s plans include integrating digital signage on campus, the publication of an art and literary magazine, and the unveiling of the board’s new broadcast division.

The digital signs will be a big step toward making the Honolulu CC campus more eco-friendly as they will reduce the use of paper for flyers advertising campus events, important campus in-formation, and even emergency alerts.

Initially, signs will be put in four or five prominent locations, including the cafeteria, student lounge, administration building and the English Essentials com-plex. Funded by student fees, the signs will have big display screens capable of showing a variety of

information, including everything from a listing of upcoming events to slideshows of activities around the campus and the neighborhood.

The signs will also have some standard information that stu-dents can use: the daily weather and surf forecasts, news from local and cable television stations, even a video feed of events from around the world.

The SMB will allow all school departments and student clubs to submit advertisements that can be displayed on the digital signs.

The art and literary magazine that the SMB is working on will feature student work in the fields of literary arts, photography, and graphic design.

The Honolulu CC’s Publica-tions Director Jen Kakio, and Ka

been working “non-stop” to get the magazine up and running. The magazine “will give our students, who are exceptional writers,

photographers, graphic artists, and more, the opportunity to be professionally published by SMB,” according to SMB Chairperson Julia Ching.

The new radio division of the SMB is being headed by Radio/

Broadcast Director Joel Chasteen. Chasteen will debut a new

podcast series which will provide “another media outlet for live in-terviews, student music showcas-ing, (and) event updates,” Ching said.

KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami

Past ASUH-HCC President Howard Kam meets his successor, Ryan Adverdarada.

KaLā Photo by Adina MurakamiStudent Media Board members include, from left to right starting in the back: Julia Ching, Ron Santos, Adina Murakami, Emily Kukulies, Mike Leidemann,, Jen-nifer Kakio and Ryan Adverderada.

KaLā - Features

KaLĀ 7

Ten years later, 9-11 memories live onBy Ryan AdverderadaKa Lā staff writer

Ten years ago a commercial jetliner slammed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Then another jetliner hit the South Tower. Then there were reports about similar events involving the Pentagon and a jetliner crashing in a Pennsylvania field. The attacks took a matter of minutes. Before the majority of Hawaii residents had even began their morning rituals, the world had changed forever.

It is 4,968 miles from Honolulu to New York City. The geographi-cal distance never felt so small as on that tragic September day.

The distance did not shield the pain from the Honolulu Commu-nity College community. Christine Snyder, a Honolulu CC alumna, was killed when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylva-nia field. She was 32, and she will be forever remembered on campus by the 9/11 memorial located next to the Berlin Wall monument just beyond the children’s center.

The monument was designed by sheet metal instructor, Danny Aiu, and was built using donated funds. It is made of polished steel and Plexiglas. The two pillars holding the American flag repre-sent the World Trade Center Tow-ers. Located behind the pillars is a nugget-sized piece of rubble from the World Trade Center Towers. It was donated anonymously to be added to the monument.

“There are days when I feel

stuck and I look outside and see the monument. It puts life into perspective. Makes you think,” said Honolulu CC student How-ard Kam. “At least they got the guy who planned the thing.”

Kam is not alone in feeling that

the 10th anniversary has crept up without much noise.

“I didn’t even realize it until someone mentioned it in class. I was so young when it happened it’s hard to forget the image of the planes hitting the buildings

though,” said student Ronald Santos.

A Honolulu CC memorial ser-vice marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks is being planned, and details will be announced be-fore the event, school officials said.

KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami

The Honolulu CC 9-11 memorial is located between Building 2 and the keiki center.

Boulevard Island Cafe starting second yearBy Tyler TakamiyaKa Lā staff writer

After a long class session, noth-ing hits the spot like a delicious meal. Fortunately, the solution to a Honolulu Community College student’s hunger is not far away. The answer is in the campus caf-eteria: The Boulevard Island Café.

This is not same cafeteria it was a year ago. The school cafeteria was previously run by Employ-ment Training Center, a nonprofit company that trains food work-ers. Last year, ETC ran out of their state-funded money, and since the spring of 2011, the award-winning

catering company Creations by Catering has run Boulevard Island Café.

Among the changes brought by Creations by Catering are a new look, feel and menu.

“We turn off the lights in the daytime and use the sun’s natu-ral light,” says Lisa, one of the Boulevard Island Café managers. “We also have begun to use paper plates instead of plastic ones, so it’s biodegradable.”

Apart from the environmentally friendly changes, there is also a change in decoration. When ETC ran Boulevard Island Café, there were no decorations. Now there

are giant Hawaii-style flowers, couches, and book cases.

“I like the look of it, and the variety.” said Joanna, a Boulevard Island Café cashier and a liberal arts student at Honolulu Com-munity College. “I enjoy meeting students and faculty; it' nice.”

Lisa ,the manager, laughed: “Sometimes students come in here and just sleep on one of the couches like they are at home or something.”

Boulevard Island Café also has a comment box where people can write down their comments and opinions about food and service.

“What determines what we

serve is what the chefs make well, and what the kids ask for” says Lisa. With enough popular de-mand, your desired meal could very well find its way onto the menu.

“We try to make the menu always have chicken, fish, beef, and pork,” said Cameron, another one of the Boulevard Island Café managers.

You can like the Boulevard Island Café page on Facebook, where you can keep up on their latest installments and the daily specials.

KaLā - Features

KaLĀ 8

Higa slams his way to success By Tyler TakamiyaKa Lā staff writer

In high school, Sterling Higa had no idea Slam Poetry existed. But now, two years later, the 20-year-old Roosevelt High School and Honolulu Community College graduate will be representing Ha-waii in The National Poetry Slam, a competition where slam poets from across America compete to see who reigns supreme.

Higa began writing slam po-etry after a Youth Speaks Hawaii writing workshop in September 2009. Two months later in Novem-ber 2009, Higa had his first slam poetry performance at the Youth Speaks Hawaii Fall Interscholastic.

Slam poetry is the competitive art of performance poetry. Typi-cally, slam poets perform in front of crowds in competition, and are judged by five random audi-ence members. The use of props is prohibited.

Higa is no newcomer to The Na-tional Poetry Slam. He competed last year too. Higa competed with an adult team that placed 39th out of 76 competitors and a youth team that placed fifth out of 50

competitors.“It was a valuable learning expe-

rience,” Higa said, as he describes last year’s competition.

At this year’s competition, Higa will be competing with a team consisting of Travis T, Bridget Gray and Hong Guang Pyo. Although Higa’s Team has been meeting for only about a month, Higa is confident. The competi-

tion takes place from Aug. 8-13 in Boston, Mass.

“This team is great. We all have different voices and are attempting to put some team pieces together” Higa said.

Higa said he is not nervous, but he is focused and preparing the best he can. The team has shown its skills at the April First Thurs-days in preparation for the big

competition.“Audiences are usually support-

ive and energetic,” Higa said. “In Hawai'i we have some of the best crowds.”

Higa’s team encourages the audience to participate “so the performances are more like conversations.”And there is defi-nitely (finger) snapping,” Higa laughed, referring to one of the unique ways that audience mem-bers show their appreciation for poets and their works.

For inspiration Higa looks to the slam poets Robbie Q Telfer and G Yamazawa. Higa is also influenced by the artists Rafael Casal, George Watsky, and Blue Scholars.

Never ceasing in improving his skills, Higa says he has written a poem for every day of 2011.

As for the future, Higa will be attending the University of Hawaii'i at Manoa this fall.

“Currently we're establishing a RIO at Manoa to promote slam poetry and other poetic art forms. Look for HIpoet Society events be-ginning in September,” Higa said.

Sterling Higa, shown at his commencement ceremony in May, is among those representing Hawaii at the National Poetry Slam.

By Angela BaslevKa Lā staff writer

English teacher and writer Eric Shaffer has been part of the University of Hawaii system for 11 years. He started his teaching journey in Maui, as a lecturer, then moved to Honolulu Community College in 2007.

Today, he is an assistant profes-sor and chair of the Honolulu CC Language Arts division.

In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, Shaffer is also a prolific professional writer.

He has published five books of poetry, three chat books, and his first novel, Burn & Learn, in 2009. This summer he’s been working on a novel for young adults.

Literature, Shaffer says, is "find-ing something worth reading and

wanting to share with others."Before he arrived in Hawaii,

Shaffer got his doctoral degree at the University of California-Davis, then lived and taught in Okinawa for six years.

He then made his journey to Maui in 1998 and started with the UH system in 2000. Before he arrived in Hawaii, Shaffer had successfully written five books of poetry, three chat books of poems, one manuscript, and one novel.

Shaffer has some advice for all the aspiring writers and teachers at Honolulu Community College: "Read an hour a day. If you have grammar problems, solve them. If you aren't credible you can't be taken seriously."

And last but never least, he says, "If you have a good strategy, use it."

KaLā - Features

KaLĀ 9

Secrets of becoming a professional writer

Security making a differenceBy Howard KamKa Lā staff writer

Every day, crisp blue shirted security officers patrol the cam-pus. They navigate the walkways and surrounding perimeter with precision. Honolulu Community College campus security is the caretakers of campus safety. They spend the majority of their day on patrol in their electric carts. They ensure that the students, faculty, and guests of the campus are focusing on what the college does best: learning.

Tasked with safety, they offer to escort students and faculty back to their cars when security is an is-sue. In fact, Honolulu Community College is one of the safest schools on campus compared to other community colleges. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Campus Safety & Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool of the Of-fice of Post Secondary Education, Honolulu Community College has zero incidents of violent crime from 2007-2009. Only six disci-plinary action incidents because of alcohol on campus were reported in 2009.

Security also takes the time to interact with students on campus by talking to them and letting the students know that they are avail-

able. John Asi, one of the newest se-

curity officers said “I wish the stu-dents would speak up more.” Asi is often seen smiling and enjoying the time he spends on campus.

Security guards have private lives as well.

In their spare time both John Asi and Ben Ocol, head of security, enjoy everyday activities that you

and I enjoy. “Spending time with friends and family is just as impor-tant,” Asi said. They don’t like to show off, but John and Ben also enjoy working out.

Derek Choi, a student at Ho-nolulu Community College said, “Seeing them on campus, seeing them as an authority figure, makes the campus safer.”

As the security team makes their

rounds on solar powered assisted electric carts, students sometimes ask “What is the difference be-tween the brown and blue shirted security officers?” The answer is that those dressed in blue shirts are the main campus security, and the brown shirts are the parking enforcement for the school. Dur-ing the school year, security is there from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Eric Shaffer heads Language Arts Department at Honolulu CC.

KaLā - Activities

KaLĀ 10

Student clubs seeks members

Want to have an extrodinary experince at Honolulu Com-munity College? Get involved, join a club or volunteer your time. The following clubs and organizations welcome new students as members. Get more information at the Student Life & Development office, Building 2, Room 113.\

ASUH-HCC. Phi Theta Kappa (honor

society)Fashion TechnologyCosmetologyRighteous RainbowVeterans ClubDebate ClubConstruction AcademyCommunication ArtsCENTJapanese Club

Who is your favorite teacher and why?

Jocelyn Borje

Steven Mandraccia, math

"Easy to under-stand. Gives students

a chance to learn. Humorous!"

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Announcements

The Student Media Board is seeking submissions of artwork & literature for publication in the 2012 a literature and arts magazine.

September is STAR Month. Stop by the Counseling Office or Native Hawaiian Center for more info.

See Honolulu CC Catalog for addtional academic information.

HCC calendar of events for August and September

Jean Mooney

Dr Jennifer Higa-King

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Po Sataua

Patrick Patterson, History

Gina Santos, art

Carlos Quintana

Doug Raphaelspeech

over my fear of public speaking."

KaLā - Programs

By Howard KamKa Lā staff writer

Honolulu Community College’s PRIDE program is more than just a fancy acronym for Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Excellence. The program helps eligible students succeed in col-lege by offering tutoring, no-cost equipment loans, and textbooks for students that need them. To succeed in college, a student must be properly equipped to do the work. This is where the PRIDE program excels.

The PRIDE program has been at Honolulu Community College since 2005 and is entirely funded by the federal Department of Edu-cation and will be for at least the next five years, according to Jolene Suda, the program head.

“We are currently finishing up the first year of a five-year grant," Suda said.

When students need help, they can turn to the staff members at PRIDE, which has mentors and tutors who are knowledgeable on many different subjects.

However, PRIDE offers more

than just tutoring and mentor-ing services. Many students who need to print their homework assignments often find their op-tions limited. For example, the HCC Library charges 10 cents per page, and the computer lab insists that you bring your own paper. PRIDE-eligible students can use the printer free of charge; furthermore, eligible students can also access textbooks, instructional DVDs, and participate in work-shops. These workshops prepare the student for future success.

“We also provide life skills workshops that range from note taking, basic computer skills, re-sume writing, interviewing skills, managing your finances, how to use a calculator, healthy eating & healthy body, STAR, Laulima and so forth. We offer workshops we feel students are in need of or sug-gest to us and utilize the profes-sionals we have on campus,” Suda said.

Besides the workshop classes, PRIDE students also participate in functions beyond the HCC campus. Iolani Palace, Queen Emma's Summer Palace, Honolulu

Academy of Arts, Kumu Kahua Theater, slam poetry, hiking to his-torical places and various trails are among the places PRIDE students have visited.

Other activities have included the “UH Manoa Leisure Center, Manoa Valley Theater, Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theater, Campus Visits (Chaminade, UH Hilo, Ha-waii Pacific University and Maui College) to name a few,” Suda said. Bobby Wen, PRIDE office manager, adds that students are very surprised by all of the ser-vices that are offered.

With all that PRIDE has to offer, many students wonder if they are eligible. According to Suda, the program services first generation college students, low income eli-gible students, as well as disabled students. Each student needs to be working towards an associates degree.

You can also stop by their new location located in Building 3 next to the portable buildings at the corner of Kokea Street and Dill-ingham. More information can be found on their website: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/pride.

KaLĀ 11

PRIDE helps with success in college

Native Hawaiian Center: friendly, helpful and coolBy Rachel ChenKa Lā staff writer

Looking for a cool place that helps you with your educational and financial needs? Or even a place where you can relax with your friends and study quietly for your classes? Then the Native Ha-waiian Center at Honolulu Com-munity College may be a great place for you to explore.

It's a wonderful facility located in Building 20, and the faculty and staff are superb. They of-fer many useful services such as financial aid/scholarship services, tutoring/mentoring, guidance counseling, academic advising, workshops, cultural enrichment activities, and a computer lab with up to date technology.

The Native Hawaiian Center

consists of four rooms, all con-nected to each other.

Room 01 consists of the Native Hawai-ian Career & Technical Edu-cation Program called Po‘ina

Nalu, which provides support ser-vices and help navigating through higher education to Native Hawai-ian students in career and techni-cal education programs.

Some of the services NHC provides are peer mentoring/tutoring, free summer Math and English classes, and cultural en-

implement Hawaiian values and

concepts such as laulima (working together) and lokahi (unity).

“ We provide services for stu-dents, like tutoring, financial aid, scholarship and transaction to the career path," said Nam Le, a tech-nical specialist with the center.

The center can also be just a fun place to hang out, socialize or study.

Room 03 is the computer lab area, which consists of 20 large 24-inch iMac computers. If you are not proficient with Macs, you can switch to Windows, which is avail-able on all the computers.

Or if you aren’t proficient with computers at all, the staff can help you step by step with the comput-ing process.

The computer lab is the main area where financial aid and schol-arship workshops and many other

workshops are held. Room 04 is the First Year Expe-

rience office and NHC counseling office. First Year Experience is one of the services NHC provides to new and upcoming college fresh-men by providing the support and resources necessary to successfully transition into college.

For more information about this program, visit http://www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/fye.

The Native Hawaiian Center is a great place for Native Hawaiian as well as other students and is a great place to visit. Everyone there is friendly and is there to help you, whether it is with school or finan-cial aid or academic advising.

All the information on work-shops and event dates is online at http://www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/hawaiian.

KaLā Photo by Adina Murakami

KaLā - News

KaLĀ 12

Working toward sustainability

By Adina MurakamiKa Lā editor

The most recent buzz around the state promotes going green. And Honolulu Community College is joining the movement in a big way.

“The campus is taking steps toward going green to support more renewable resources and less waste,” said Alapaki Luke, an instructor and coordinator of Hawaiian Studies at Honolulu Community College.

Taking a leisurely stroll around campus, you may have noticed the several unique additions since last

or dry land taro garden, accompa-nied by a new tool shed and stone wall just behind the Keiki Hau‘oli Children’s Center.

“The Carpenters Apprenticeship program and James Niino built the shed for us and uses the area be-hind us to practice building hous-es,” Luke said. The small garden filled with lush native plants will support the dry land taro patch.

wall, was crafted with care and respect for the ancient Hawaiian traditions, according to Luke.

The hope is to give back some natural resources to the commu-nity and “raise awareness about the need to support renewable resources as well as educate others about the value of supplementing what we already have,” he said.

Unfortunately, new soil had to be brought in because of all of the

from dredging the Kapalama Ca-nal. “We found asphalt, all kinds of rubbish, nails and screws. It was just easier to start with fresh soil,” Luke said.

In 1875 there was a natural spring with two small tributaries providing fresh water to the fish ponds below in the area where the new garden is located, he said.

“No fertilizer will be used,” Luke added. “Instead, the hope is create a compost pile to naturally fertilize the garden and water it via a “drip irrigation system, which is most effective,” he said.

“Eventually, we hope to use the

condensation buildup from Build-ings 2 and 7 to create a small lo`i or wet land taro patch,” Luke said.

He hopes to work closely with

Ralph Kam, the dean of Honolulu CC’s University College, to make this dream a reality as this water now empties into the storm drain.

“Why not take the best founda-tion of the old,blend it and make it better for everyone in Hawaii?” Luke said.

Ka La photos by Adina Murakami

Over the summer volunteers led by Hawaiian language instructor Alapaki Luke constructed a new kalo mala on campus.

Dry land taro patch blends old and new