Ka ‘ohana September 2015

Volume 44, No. 1 September 2015

Ka ‘Ohana now on Facebook

K a O h a n a O n l i n e . o r g

Bust out the coolers and beach chairs, load the family in the car and

drive on over to Kāne‘ohe, it’s time for the 15th annual Windward Community Col-lege Ho olaule a.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, WCC will once again roll out the welcome wagon. If you enjoy local entertainment, ono food, a variety of arts and crafts, and family oriented activities, then WCC is the place to be.

Windward Ho‘olaule‘a is the largest annual event on the Windward side of O‘ahu drawing up to 15,000 people island wide.

The free, family-friendly festival will feature the sounds of Kapena, Jerry Santos, Hi‘ikua and other top island entertain-ment; hula dancers; art exhibits; keiki rides and activities; edu-cational and community dis-plays; local kine grinds; shop-ping; a college-sponsored silent auction and much more.

There will be special Imagi-narium shows. Show times are: 10 a.m., “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” (a Sesame Street production); 11 a.m., “Flying Monsters” (debut of new full-dome show about flying dinosaurs); 12 p.m., “Fly-ing Monsters” (hosted by Sir David Attenborough).

The WCC silent auction will close biding at 5 p.m. at Hale Ākoakoa.

Gallery Iolani will be open

b y P a t r i c k H a s c a l lKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with “Re-vealed, the Myth of Disability.” The exhibit features works from 20 inspiring artists, and admission is free.

“It’s a great day for the whole family,” said event chair Bonnie Beatson in a news re-lease. “We like to highlight the community partnerships between the businesses of the Windward side and the educa-tional opportunities at Wind-ward Community College.”

Windward Ho‘olaule‘a is coordinated by the Kaneohe Business Group and Windward Community College. Proceeds will fund scholarships for WCC students. Last year, more than 20 deserving WCC students—many who are Native Hawai-ian—were awarded scholar-ships to attend the college.

“The most rewarding thing is to see lives change with scholarships going to those who cannot afford to go to college and now can pursue their dreams,” said Beatson.

If you are interested in learning about WCC and at-tending classes, student and staff-sponsored booths are

available with educational dis-plays from each department to help guide you on your way.

Flagship sponsors of the event are Hawaiian Electric Co., Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Ameron Hawai‘i and The Blue Zone Project.

So mark your calendars and tell your friends. Come spend a fun-filled day and feel the aloha at the Windward Ho olaule a.

For more information visit www.windwardhoolaulea.com.

10 a.m. WCC Hawaiian Studies students 10 - 11 a.m Kahalu‘u ‘Ukulele Band 11 - 12 p.m. U.S.A.F. “Small Kine” Band 12 - 1 p.m. Abrigo ‘Ohana 1 - 2 p.m. Pila Nahenahe 2 - 3 p.m. Hawai‘i Loa 3 - 4 p.m. Jerry Santos & Kamuela Kimokeo 4 - 5 p.m. Chinky Mahoe’s Halau Hula o Kawaili‘ula 5 - 6 p.m. Hawaiian Soul 6 - 7 p.m. Hi‘ikua 7 - 8 p.m. Kapena

Come to WCC’s Ho‘olaule‘a Oct.3

This year’s WCC Out Loud event will feature some-

thing new: banned books.“It’s a way to celebrate the

freedom to read,” said English instructor Jenny Webster.

The event will take place in the atrium of the library Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 4-5 p.m. Students and members of the public will have the opportunity to read 3-min-ute excerpts from various banned books. The readings will be videotaped, submitted to bannedbooksweek.org and featured on YouTube.

The idea for the event

Celebrating banned booksb y D e b b r a B a e t z

Ka ‘Ohana Editor in Chief

began a year and a half ago during a discussion between Webster and technical services librarian Mariko Kershaw

about banned books. Now after much planning, WCC has its first banned books class and event.

According to the Ameri-can Library Association, a banned book is one that has been removed from a cur-riculum or library based on the objections of a person or group.

Webster teaches Introduc-tion to Literature: Banned Books this fall, in which stu-dents read “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison, “The Com-plete Persepolis,” by Marjane Satrapi, and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Steven Chbosky.

Ho‘olaule‘a schedule of entertainment

10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

SEE BANNED PAGE 3

COURTESY OF KAPENA

Kapena (top), Jerry Santos (bottom left) and Hi‘ikua (bottom right) will be performing at the Ho‘olaule‘a.

COURTESY OF HI‘IKUAJESSICA CRAWFORD JESSICA CRAWFORD

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5

W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

2 CAMPUS NEWSKa ‘Ohana

A new smoking poli-cy went into effect Aug. 1 designating

six smoking areas on WCC’s campus.

S m o k i n g a r e a s a r e marked by “designated smok-ing area” signs and equipped with benches and receptacles. Smokers must remain within 20 feet of the posted signs.

It is also a violation to smoke in your car while driv-ing or parked on campus.

“You’re st il l blowing smoke into the air in a non-designated area,” said Rick Murray, WCC Safety and Security Manager.

Electronic smoking de-vices or e-cigs are not part of the new policy. The use of e-cigs are not allowed within 20 feet of building entrances, exits, windows and vents, or

New smoking areas on campusb y T a m m y P r a t t

Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

within 50 feet of designated pick-up or drop-off points on campus, including the bus stop.

“We made an excep-tion for e-cigs,” said Murray. “Most people use e-cigs as a way to wean themselves off tobacco. We didn’t think it was fair to put e-cig users in the same designated areas as tobacco smokers. Who wants to smell tobacco smoke when they’re trying to quit?”

This spring, WCC had the option of becoming a smoke-free campus. Commu-nity feedback was collected through a discussion board and open forum.

“We’ve given the commu-nity what they’ve asked for,” said Murray. “We wanted to find a medium for smokers and non-smokers. We feel that the new policy fits the best interest of everyone.”

So far, there have been

A map of the six designated smoking areas located on Windward Community College campus.

few infractions. “We are re-ally very happy with the level of compliance thus far,” said Murray. “Enforcement comes within. Self-discipline—to

know what the right thing to do. If the designated ar-eas don’t work out, there is still the option to become a smoke-free campus.”

For more information on the smoking policy, visit https://windward.hawaii.edu/Adminstrative_Servic-es/Smoke_Free.

Now in its 11th year, Pacific Cen-ter for Environmental Sciences

(PaCES) in partnership with Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) has been opening the minds of young people to the environmental challenges facing our island.

Nineteen of Hawai‘i’s junior and senior high school students spent the summer at WCC conducting hands-on research and activities to learn about the Windward watershed system and come up with solutions to problems they found.

“PaCES was created in 2004 because we wanted to make science education more relevant by connecting it to the special environment in which we live and to traditions and practices of the host culture of these islands,” according to Dave Krupp, project director, instruc-tor and one of the founders of PaCES.

Besides engaging in outdoor scien-tific exploration and restoration projects, students attended college-level lectures from science professors and researchers and compiled their findings in presenta-tions given in a symposium on the last day of the program.

Their eight projects ranged from broad subjects like the effects of humans on the water quality at Lanikai beach to detailed studies like examining the effects of ultraviolet radiation and sun-light exposure on collector sea urchin egg DNA.

In one activity, students set out to assess the health of the reef in Kāne‘ohe Bay. They arranged transect lines and a square PVC-framed tool called a quad-rat—used for the study of ecology and biodiversity—to isolate an area to iden-tify and record species in the habitat.

“We determined that the reef area

PaCES cradles future environmental scientistsB y A r m i H a b a l


surveyed was composed of 60% liv-ing coral,” said Dave Krupp in a news release.

La Pietra Hawai‘i School for Girls student Aolani Zidek enthusiastically commented in the news release that she felt she was doing “something of value.”

“It felt like I could have been one of Hawai‘i’s marine biologists performing an underwater survey,” said Zidek.

Krupp said he hopes that the stu-dents’ experience in the program will motivate them to a career path or life choice of preserving a quality island life that is not at the expense of the environment.

PaCES has received much commu-nity support due to its success. Planning for next year’s program is underway.

To learn more, go to https://wind-ward.hawaii.edu/paces/summer.php.

COURTESY OF CELESTE YEE

PaCES students after a snorkel survey of the coral reef at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island.

Ka ‘OhanaW I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

CAMPUS NEWS 3S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5

A payload named PIP was launched into suborbital flight on Aug. 12 aboard a NASA

rocket. It was the culmination of a year of designing, fabricating and testing for 16 students from University of Hawai i’s Community Colleges at Honolulu, Kapi‘olani, Kaua‘i and WCC.

Project Imua, named for the Ha-waiian word “to move forward,” has demonstrated to the people of Hawai i and the world that four community colleges working together can achieve out of this world ideas.

“It gives the students a real hands-on, real life project to work on,” said project manager and physics, astrono-my and mathematics professor Joseph Ciotti. “It’s engineering–the same type of project the students would do if they were a contractor for NASA.”

Payload PIP had three devices aboard: a UV spectrometer, photosen-sors and an accelerometer. Students from all four community colleges were responsible for integrating the subsys-tem and components of PIP.

WCC and Kaua‘i campuses were in charge of the aluminum mechanical housing. WCC also built and tested the UV spectrometer and tested the pho-

NASA sends UHCC payload into spaceb y Z a c h a r y R u p p - S m i t h


tosensors and accelerometer.“The most difficult task was com-

munication,” said Ciotti. “We had four different groups of students, and we used Google Hangouts and other sources to communicate four different ideas together into one device.”

During the Aug. 12 launch, the pay-load was fitted to a Terrier Improved Malemute sounding rocket, which shot up from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia into suborbital flight for 15 minutes before falling back to Earth. “The maximum velocity of the rocket reached Mach 5.7, just under hyperson-ic Mach 6,” said Ciotti. “That translates into nearly 3,800 miles per hour!”

During the suborbital flight, the payload’s UV spectrometer pointed toward the sun and measured the UV irradiance, which is the amount of sun-light that reaches the earth. Data from the experiment will allow further un-derstanding of UV or ultraviolet light.

UV light is extremely dangerous. Studies have shown it is a leading cause of skin cancer and that people with fair skin are at extra high risk. The UV extreme variance from solar sunspots may also have significant impact on the earth’s upper atmosphere.

Project Imua is funded through a $500,000 grant from NASA to Hawai i Space Grant Consortium. The grant

provides the opportunity for the 16 students to help build two payloads for two separate launches.

With the success of the PIP payload launch, Project Imua now enters its second phase, which is to build new devices for another payload launch in 2016. WCC will build a novel (small) rocket motor with a fuel source other

than typical rocket fuel. Once reaching suborbital flight, the novel rocket will detach from the larger rocket and be shot farther into space.

To watch the Aug. 12 rocket launch into suborbital flight, go to the WCC homepage and find the link, or type in http://aerospace.wcc.hawaii.edu/project_imua/pip_launch.html.

Payload PIP’s UV spectrometer, photosensors and accelerometer were all tested successfully in suborbtial flight.

Pl a n s a r e u n d e r w a y to open a lunchroom

on the first f loor of Hale ‘Ākoakoa. Students enrolled in Hi‘ilaniwai Food Service Innovation Training will prepare and serve lunch for WCC students, faculty, staff and the general public from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

T h e n e w f o o d s e r -vice training program is named af ter Hi‘i laniwai s t r e a m f l o w i n g f r o m Pu‘ukeahiaKahoe, the peak that towers above campus. Hi‘ilaniwai was one of the three wives of Kāne, the god of water.

“Hi‘i laniwai students receive on-the-job training in the ‘Uala Leaf Cafe and quali f ied graduates wil l move into restaurants or food service careers,” said workforce development co-ordinator Charlene Akina. “Hi‘ilaniwai’s mission is to provide basic education and technical skills training in food preparation and pro-duction. Students will also gain an understanding of food science and nutrition in addition to culinary skills.”

Designing and equip-ping a fully licensed training

‘Uala Leaf Café opening soon in Hale ‘Ākoakoa b y F l o r a O b a y a s h i

Special to Ka ‘Ohana

kitchen is no small project, and kitchen manager and food service coordinator Mike Roth is immersed in all the tasks such as generat-ing bid requests to vendors for commercial refrigera-tors, prep tables, stoves and ovens.

“We plan to open the ‘Uala Leaf Café by spring 2016,” said Roth.

A campus food service survey was conducted in Apri l with quest ions on hours of operation, menu

choices and prices. Based on the results, ‘Uala Leaf Café will serve hot lunches daily.

The program is entirely self-supporting and does not access any outside funding.

Students, faculty and staff can look forward to a grand opening and blessing in the spring.

Until then, meals and snacks will continue to be available at the Hub coffee shop in Hale La‘akea and the ‘Uahi Island Grill food truck parked near the library.

COURTESY OF ‘UALA LEAF CAFÉ

COURTESY OF ‘UALA LEAF CAFÉ

“The books in my class have been banned because they deal with rape, incest, abor-tion, drugs, teen sex and pro-fanity,” said Webster. “These books definitely provide content that can be contro-versial and upsetting, but they give us the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.”

Other banned books are American classics like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London, and “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville.

Participants who are interested in reading at the

Banned booksevent should contact Web-ster by Tuesday, Sept. 22 at [email protected].

FROM PAGE 1

ZACHARY RUPP-SMITH

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Every year, WCC’s Debate Club hosts and participates in numer-ous speech and debate activities

around the island. Each event gives club members

the opportunity to share in the joy of victory or the disappointment of a loss, as well as the benefit of learning something new.

Debate Club coach and speech in-structor Audrey Badua wants students to know that debate isn’t about who is the better arguer, but rather who can add to the discussion.

“I want you to be your best critic, not your worst,” said Badua. “I want you to be able to play devil’s advocate with your own beliefs and see how and why you would reinforce those beliefs ... or change them.”

Badua’s approach to speech and debate is similar to that of American slam poet Taylor Mali’s presentations: “It is not enough these days to question

authority, you gotta speak with it too.”The Debate Club has been busy

this year, hosting its annual workshop on Sept. 10 with three programs: “The More PIE, the Better the SHITS – and Don’t Forget the CRAAP” presented by WCC English instructor Annette Priesman, “Rebuttals: A Crash Course in Always Being Right” by LCC’s Chris Gilbert, and “A Moot Panel Group Dis-cussion” by UH Mānoa’s Daniel Hugo. The workshops were activity-based and included a meet and greet.

The club will have a debate tourna-ment on Oct. 10. In the past, students from WCC, HCC, LCC, UH Mānoa, Hawai‘i Pacific University and Waipa-hu High School participated in topics such as whether Simba is fit to lead or if the penny should be abolished.

“The goal of every tournament is to not only learn and have fun, but to have the students wanting more,” said Badua. “This year we’d like to expand on what we already have. In addition to having a debate tournament, we’d like to give the students the whole

Speak your mind, debating matters

Imagine shaking out your arms and legs to ease your

nerves before doing a speech in class. WCC speech lectur-er Linda Shkreli has many exercises to help students perform more comfortably.

Other tips are to remain in control of one’s breath, stretching and warming up.

“If you can control your breathing, you can control your nerves, your fears and your overactive mind in gen-eral,” said Shkreli.

Public speaking is a valu-able tool because “it is an essential skill that translates into any industry or medium and can be adapted into in-terpersonal communication events,” she added.

For much of her l i fe, Shkreli has been on a per-sonal and professional jour-ney of discovery.

‘Speech Experience.’” WCC speech lecturer Linda Shkre-

li will offer students an opportunity to express themselves in a non-competi-tive participation based event in con-junction with the debate tournament. EthoS (Experiences in Speech) will include four presentation categories:

Performer or speech teacher, you choose

“I found myself strug-gling as an undergraduate to find the discipline I was interested in ... kind of pick-ing and grabbing at theater, literature, history and politi-cal science,” said Shkreli.

“I was a big lover of lan-guage and really drawn to writing,” she added. “I found myself writing short plays about what I was learning in my international policy class just for fun.”

After Shkreli received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State Uni-versity, she did what most adults in their twenties do: move to New York. Shkreli independently studied play-writing and poetry at Co-lumbia University.

She then moved back to Michigan to pursue a graduate program in English language and literature at Eastern Michigan.

“New York is a great place to get lost in,” said Shkreli. “It fueled me, but it didn’t give me everything I needed.”

At EMU, Shkreli discov-ered performance studies, a multidisciplinary program

that explores performance as a stagecraft and a method of research.

“It wasn’t until I took that class that it brought all those things (subjects) to-gether,” said Shkreli.

One of her professors, Annette Martin, suggested she check out Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge for its performance studies program. With no family or friends in Louisiana, Shkreli went to visit and “fell in love with it.”

After receiving her doc-torate in communicat ion studies, Shkreli taught at California State University Northridge.

She visited Hawai‘i for an academic conference and felt there was something that she could gain by living in the islands. Her research interests have included com-parative spirituality, immer-sive learning and creative

b y K a ‘ O h a n aNews Staff

The Debate Club discusses relevant topics and lets the audience decide who won the argument.

Impromptu Speeches, Performance Poetry, Dramatic Monologues and Prose, and Dramatic Scenes.

For more information about the speech events or to participate, email Audrey Badua at [email protected] or Linda Shkreli at [email protected].

b y M a d i s o n C o l eSpecial to Ka ‘Ohana

Last year, the language arts depart-ment raised more than $4,200 for

WCC’s vet tech program to honor colleague and speech instructor MJ Lewis (1997-2014), who died unexpect-edly in May 2014.

“It was heartwarming to see so many WCC members open their hearts and wallets and generously donate to this worthy cause,” said department chair Robert Barclay.

Language Arts raises funds for ‘Cat Castle’b y D e s i P o t e e tSpecial to Ka ‘Ohana

Lewis’ “Cat Castle,” a room with secure accommodations for felines awaiting medical care, was ceremoni-ously dedicated April 24, 2015, and at-tended by faculty, students and staff.

What began as a modest fundrais-ing goal to raise $750 to name a “Cat Condo” in Lewis’ honor evolved into an effort to raise funds to support a permanent endowment and name the “Cat Castle” permanently in her name.

According to natural sciences department chair Ross Langston, an

endowment will provide a continual source funds for the vet tech pro-gram. It will help to pay for medical care, such as spay and neutering sur-geries or dental cleanings. It will also help with supplies and tests, which can run as high as $100 per patient, and continuing education for techni-cian instructors.

This year, the language arts de-partment continues the drive and will be hosting a booth at Ho‘olaule‘a.

The booth will showcase the de-partment’s course and program offer-

ings, such as Ka ‘Ohana, Pueo Literary and Art Journal, the Debate Club, Windward Film Group and more.

It will also offer patrons a chance to adopt books at a steal, buy raffle tickets for a chance to win super prizes and in the spirit of “critter love” have their faces painted as a favorite domestic critter.

Those interested in helping the vet tech program and honoring Lewis may donate via the UH Foundation website at http://uhfoundation.org/GiveToVetTech.

sustainability.The timing was impec-

cable; she landed a position at WCC filling in for speech instructor Audrey Mendoza, who was on maternity leave.

Since then, Shkreli has ga i ned moment um pro -fessionally. This fall, she and Mendoza are running “Et hoS: Exper iences in Speech” concurrently with the WCC debate tournament on Oct. 10.

In addition to perform-ing in Honolulu’s Fringe Festival last February, which showcases exper imental theater, she recently traveled to Portugal for a conference about spirituality in the 21st century with support from WCC’s staff development grant and the chancellor’s advancement fund.

To lear n more about participating in the EthoS program, email Shkreli at [email protected].

Linda Shkreli, speech lecturer.

COURTESY OF WCC DEBATE CLUB

JESSICA CRAWFORD


CAMPUS NEWS 5S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5

On July 24, WCC’s new hale for the Hawaiian Studies program received a traditional blessing.

The 19-by-40 foot thatched wooden structure located next to Hale A‘o near the campus entrance is now part of the mahi‘ai kalo (kalo cultivation) class taught by Hawaiian Studies lecturer Liko Hoe.

Hanalei Marzan, a kumu kaka‘ōlelo (master of chanting) from Hālau Mele performed the ceremony. Chancel-lor Doug Dykstra, Hawaiian Studies assistant professor Kalawaia (Peter) Moore and kumu Palani Sineci, the head of Hālau Kuhikuhi, a guild of Hawaiian builders, also participated in the ceremony.

“The hale will be our home base for expanding the Hawaiian cultural garden out here,” said Moore. “The hale will be used as a teaching tool for the māla (garden) of about two acres behind the hale.”

Hawaiian Studies blessed with new haleb y P a t r i c k H a s c a l lKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

The new hale next to Hale A‘o (top left). Master chanter Hanalei Marzan blesses

the new hale (top right). Hanalei Marzan, Doug Dykstra, Palani Sineci and Kalawaia (Peter) Moore (bottom

left). Inside the new hale (bottom right).

One night, Professorial Over-lord Barclay looked to the

starry heavens (because it was nighttime), searching soulfully for an answer to life’s deepest ques-tion: what should the new name of our literary and art publica-tion be?

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a massive and cul-turally significant owl soaring through the skies of beautiful Windward Com-munity College. He let out a gut-tural scream because it was just so beautiful!

The owl swooped down to the ground and sunk its claws into a plover, just as one sinks their eye into a good piece of art.

The Plover was assimilated into the Pueo’s being, devoured, just as one would devour a good story with a slice of cake on the side.

“Aha!” he screamed. “The name of The Rain Bird should be changed to Pueo!”

And thus the name of WCC’s l iterary and ar t journal was changed forever to Pueo Literary and Art Journal!

He rushed to the three sacred

Rain Bird reigns no more; Pueo has risen ... and he’s hungry!

B y M a r y O t t , D e v a n M e i n h a r t , R y a n T o n g a n d N i c h o l a s G a m a


PUEO DESIGN BY GLENN FREITAS

locations—the Library, the Bookstore and ‘Ākoakoa 236—and placed the entry forms along with the legendary entry boxes.

“Let it be known that today, on this unspecified day in time, that The Pueo calls for sustenance in the form of short stories, poetry and art!” he announced.

A n n a P e t t y, Mary Ott, Devan

PATRICK HASCALL

PATRICK HASCALLCOURTESY OF BONNIE BEATSON

COURTESY OF BONNIE BEATSON

Meinhart, Ryan Tong and Nicholas Gama heard the call to action. They pledged themselves to the mighty Pueo, and pledged their loyalty to English 280: Book Production.

And this is the part of the story where you become a legend! Submit your art and writing to the Pueo at the library, bookstore or ‘Ākoakoa 236 for a chance to be in an actual, physical, real, in-your-hands pub-lished book.

Employers love this kind of stuff! It’ll make your résumé look WOW!

So swoop on by and grab an en-try form. A description of this year’s theme is on the back. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Preserving Hawaiian cultureb y T a m m y P r a t t


Hawaiian culture abounds in counselor Winston Kong’s office

in ‘Akoakoa 210. His door is adorned with photos and flyers, Hawaiian stickers and a coconut hat. On the hat sits a sign that reads “I SMELL Like IMU-boiled PEANUTS!!” Slippers lay atop a lauhala mat.

Kong is the adviser of Kū Pono Ha-waiian Club and exemplifies Hawaiian culture at its finest. The club practices traditional Hawaiian values through community service projects.

“Through our daily expression of these values, we hope to symbolically reconnect with the po‘e kāhiko, ancient people,” said Kong. “Bring the Hawai-ian way into modern time. Preserve our culture.”

The club originated as Hui Lau-lima in the early 1980s by Frank

Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, a well-known kumu in the Hawaiian commu-nity. Its purpose was to bring people together. Currently, the club has 50 members, who include WCC students and members of the community.

One of the club’s activities is main-taining Kīheipua Māla ‘Ai, a Hawaiian garden located near Hale A‘o. Several varieties of kalo and native Hawaiian plants are cultivated. In addition to the garden, the site will eventually feature a multimedia art gallery and a perfor-mance mound. Club meetings are held there every other Saturday.

Ho’olaule‘a is the club’s biggest fundraising opportunity. Monies raised help to support the club. “In the past, we’ve helped our own members with books, school supplies and toilet-ries,” said Kong.

To join Kū Pono Hawaiian Club, contact Winston Kong at (808) 235-7458 or [email protected].

Members of the Ku Pono club help build a Hawaiian garden located near Hale A‘o.COURTESY OF WINSTON KONG

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5



Journalism takes a new directionb y A u s t i n W e i h m i l l e r


Storytelling isn’t just a bed-time ritual—it’s a tradi-tion deeply rooted in hu-

man civilization that traverses all mediums from speech to print to visual.

Set to debut a video jour-nalism course fall 2016, WCC’s journalism instructor and Ka ‘Ohana adviser Kimberlee Bassford believes in good sto-rytelling.

“Students will make their own short documentary films,” said Bassford. “We’ll be doing the same thing we do in print, but taking it to the visual me-dium.”

Newspapers no longer hold a monopoly. In the 21st century, there are online, photography and video outlets in addition to the papers. Journalists have to be multi-skilled and adept at different ways of communicat-ing a message.

Bassford is passionate and ready to help move WCC to-ward the digital media era.

The video journalism class will teach students the technical as-pects of filmmaking, from cine-matography to sound recording to editing. Students’ films will then be published online.

Bassford believes having more skills will make students more marketable and better storytellers.

“I think it [storytelling] matters no matter what you do in life, even if you aren’t a journalist or a filmmaker,” said Bassford. “When you go to job interviews, you have to tell a story about who you are and why you want this particular job. Being able to articulate clearly and persuasively is im-portant in all fields.”

Robert Barclay, English associate professor and co-adviser of WCC’s film club, agrees that storytelling matters immensely.

“It puts a human perspec-tive on things,” said Barclay. “It’s not telling you about peo-ple; it’s telling things through people.”

He said storytelling allows

one to inhabit other charactersʻ points of view and gives us a sense of their humanity. As vi-sual creatures and storytellers, we are seduced by stories, and we seduce others with them.

Although in her first se-mester at WCC, Bassford is al-ready excited about the future. She chuckles with admiration when asked about following predecessor Libby Young’s legacy at the college.

“It’s a little intimidating coming after somebody who obviously built the program, but it’s also kind of wonderful,” said Bassford. “You’re not start-ing from scratch. We’ve [Libby and I] been in touch over the summer, and she shared with me what she’s done.”

Bassford has already made a stamp in the video journalism community. Her latest project “Winning Girl,” the four-year journey of a local teen judo and wrestling phenom, premiered last fall at the Hawai‘i Interna-tional Film Festival. She is cur-rently working on three new documentary projects.

“What I love about film is that it’s something that con-nects us,” said Bassford. “We dream in film. The way we dream and process memories is more akin to film than a book.”

Barclay mused, “You can take the skills you get from that and not only make video jour-nalistic pieces, but you can take those skills and make creative

pieces.”For students, Bassford said

her course could open up a whole new realm for people and is ideal for anyone pas-sionate or curious about telling stories.

Keep your eyes peeled during registration next year. It’s time for WCC’s stories to go digital.

The journey from filmmaker to teacher b y T a y k i n I d e t aSpecial to Ka ‘Ohana

For WCC s new journalism instruc-tor and Ka ‘Ohana faculty adviser

Kimberlee Bassford, the journey to becoming a storyteller began with a single film, a short documentary about Hawaiian history called “Then There Were None.”

Bassford saw the film as an under-graduate at Harvard University, a time when she was looking for ways to feel connected to Hawai’i.

But the film took her by surprise. Not because she didn’t know the his-tory being relayed, but because, for the first time, she felt the power of the doc-

umentary form—and of storytelling. Soon after college, Bassford

decided to pursue filmmaking. “I wanted to do something creative, visual and meaningful—something with a social impact,” said Bassford. “Film, and specifically documentary, seemed like the ideal fit.”

Bassford studied documentary at the University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. It was there that she truly had her first taste reporting and writing stories.

“In journalism, you don’t need a lot of experience to get started,” said Bassford. “You learn by doing.”

It was also at Berkeley where she found a role model: Jon Else,

a renowned cinematographer and Academy Award-nominated film-maker, who was also the head of the documentary program.

Bassford credits him with provid-ing her with a solid background in journalistic ethics and filmmaking techniques. He also taught her that the very essence of journalism and documentary is storytelling—a notion she holds close to her heart.

Life as a FilmmakerBassford has made several docu-

mentaries over her career. She had her directorial debut with “Cheerleader” (2003), a short documentary that fol-lows a California cheerleading squad of young girls on its pursuit of the national cheerleading championships. The documentary won a Student Academy Award and aired on HBO Family.

She worked on two national PBS documentary series: “The Meaning of Food” (2005), in which she told cultural stories about food, and “Un-natural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” (2008), in which she pro-duced a story about health issues in the Marshall Islands.

In 2008, Bassford produced, di-rected, wrote and co-edited “Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority,” about Hawai‘i s late Patsy Mink, the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress and co-author of the landmark gen-der equity legislation Title IX. The film won the audience award at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival and aired nationally on PBS.

Empowering OthersWhile Bassford plans to continue

making films, her focus is now on WCC and taking its journalism program into the 21st century by incorporating multimedia reporting and techniques.

She is also teaching a new course Journalism 150: Media and Society, which aims to make students active and critical consumers of media. Stu-dents learn how to discern between fact and opinion, be aware of media bias and evaluate information so that they are not passive receivers of news. Drawing on her documentary background, Bassford shows docu-mentaries about the media and uses documentaries as teaching tools.

As adviser to Ka ‘Ohana, Bassford wants to incorporate more photojour-nalism and social media. The online version of the newspaper will eventu-ally include videos and supplementary content such as follow-up stories.

The stories themselves will re-main student-driven. “Whatever the students are passionate about usu-ally make for the best stories,” said Bassford.

Ultimately, Bassford hopes to in-spire confidence in her students so that they feel empowered to tell their own stories. “Students have so many stories to tell,” she said. “Sometimes they just need validation to know their stories are worthwhile and help focusing and articulating their ideas. That s what Iʻm here to do.”

Bassfordʻs most recent documentary “Winning Girl” (2014) about a local teen-age judo and wrestling phenomenon can be seen on OC16 this month. Go to http://oc16.tv or http://makingwavesfilms.com for airdates and times.

COURTESY OF KIMBERLEE BASSFORD

Bassford (left) celebrates with documentary subject Teshya Alo at the premiere of “Winning Girl” at the 2014 Hawai‘i International Film Festival.

JESSICA CRAWFORD

WCC’s new Journalism instructor Kimberlee Bassford.


Editorial 7S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5

Ka ‘Ohana is published monthly by the students of Windward Community College. 45-720 Kea‘ahala Rd, Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744. Phone (808) 236-9185. The newspaper reflects only the views of its student

staff. Visit Ka ‘Ohana’s website at www.KaOhanaOnline.org.

Ka ‘Ohana(The Family)

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Debbra Baetz

STAFF REPORTERS

Tammy Pratt

Zachary Rupp-Smith

ADVISER

Kimberlee Bassford

LAB ASSISTANT

Armi Habal

WEBMASTER/ LAB ASSISTANT

Patrick Hascall

What do you think of the $1 million pay raise being given to University of Hawai’i executives and managers?

One million dollars certainly is a sharp pay raise. It would be fantastic to see that extra money invested back into the school, such as repairing and updating sections of the school, fund-ing clubs and programs, and making expenses less costly for students.

– Thomas Rose

Personally, I don’t mind the $1 mil-lion pay raise because UH executives and managers got to where they are by working hard and working smart. However, executives and managers are probably paid well enough to live com-fortably, more comfortable than most I assume so even though the UH execu-tives and managers may have “earned” the pay raise perhaps the money could go to people who actually need it.

– Daniel Conley

I think UH big wigs needing a pay raise would be a lie, but there will always be ways and reasons for these people to line their own pockets. What is most offensive about it is how much these very same people cry how cash-strapped and poor UH is and raise tuition. The real question that needs to be asked is where is all this suddenly available money coming from? My guess would be from the very same coffers they claim are constantly empty as they slash budgets and hike up tu-ition and parking rates. They do this because they can, as they are the one making the decisions. This issue is not uncommon in modern American uni-

versities and just goes to demonstrate the need for oversight when it comes to public higher education.

– Bryson Cheung

I think a $1 million pay raise for UH executives and managers is a ridic-ulously exceeding amount of money on top of the already ridiculously high amount of money they already make and the money could be better used for the homelessness issue! I believe it’s important for the head of the edu-cation system to be compensated for their work since it benefits everyone’s future being that education is key to success, but there should be a limit to the luxuries they are allowed. Since the students aren’t even able to afford going to school anymore. The money could be offered as scholarships to help aid tuition fees. Without students, they wouldn’t have a job.

– Cindy Ke

One million dollars is a lot of money. I’m not sure what the job description consists of for UH execu-tives and managers; however, I believe a majority of that money would be better spent on the actual teachers and professors. People educating our future generations are most important and yet don’t get paid well.

– Amanda Mundon

I am all for this $1 million pay raise; however, I am against who it is going to. I feel that these monies

should be going to professors who have more contact and greater influ-ence on students. I am pretty sure that an average professor does not make a ton of money and that they are under paid. I know a few professors who are working a second job. I feel that the monies should go to the professors because they fully devote themselves to students. They are not just at the college working; I guarantee it. Why is it that executives and managers get this money? I feel that the professors go unnoticed and are not credited for all that they do to ensure students are gaining knowledge.

– Yecenia Perry

This pay raise angers me a little. The cost of education at Mānoa is pricey even for residents. This is money that could be going toward more scholarships or to make parking free on campus. Mānoa’s parking per-mits are over $400 and sell out within the first week. I have two classes at Mānoa and each week it costs me $24 just to park. A pay raise is great for the executives and managers, but I don’t see how or why they should be the only ones who benefit.

– Rhiannon Callahan

It’s ridiculous. In an effort to help our economy, the pay raise should be given to those who make minimum wage and aren’t making enough to live. I imagine that UH executives and managers are paid enough that they can provide for their families, and then some. In what way is raising a person’s salary and likely living a comfortable lifestyle improving the economic state in Hawai’i? The workload these people have might be the same, if not lesser than that of a full-time mechanic or a full-time teacher. Most people are overworked and underpaid at their jobs. Why is it that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? To me, it is because of unnecessary pay raises and the lack of attention given to those working just as hard and barely get-ting by.

– Nālani Stanley

I think that it is completely and utterly disgraceful for an academic official to receive such a substantial amount of money while our schools still need so much. Hawai’i is one of the slowest and under-funded states

when it comes to education so this truly is a blow to the faculty and stu-dents. Profiting in the academic world is always a terrible trade-off for the stu-dents. I would argue that the job they do NEVER is deserving of that much money. Think of all the upgraded books, new computers, sidewalk and road repairs, microscopes and many other things that the schools are not re-ceiving because of this greedy bonus.

– Kyle Leland

They are important people in the school system so they must feel that it’s a good thing. I hope that these people are thinking of ways that it would ben-efit the UH system. The pay raise must have been given out only to improve UH so I feel it is a positive thing. On the other hand, I’m feeling like how does the government just hand out $1 million when there are other issues that need to be addressed. The home-less could sure use that $1 million to find a program to improve the chances of more homeless in the future.

– Travis B.W.

I just recently heard about this $1 million pay rase to the executives and managers at UH. Personally, I find it ridiculous. These employees should be putting that $1 million back into the school to further benefit the youth and students attending UH campuses. Most teachers, counselors, office work-ers or student instructors are not here working for the pay. They are here to help us succeed through school. It is never about the money.

– Kennedy Kugle

I feel that a $1 million pay raise to the executives and managers of UH should also consider the un-derpaid faculty and students going into debt. It would better the face of UH if instead they took that money and lowered tuition costs and raise the pay of faculty. The faculty are the people who work the hardest to provide students with a better education, and lowering tuition costs would inspire many students who can’t afford college to give it a try. I completely disagree with the $1 mil-lion pay raise to be given to the UH executives and managers. There will be a right time for a raise, but right now is not the time.

– Casey Maloney

To learn more go to www.windwardsuccess.weebly.com

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5


8 Arts & EntertainmentKa ‘Ohana

For some, overcoming a disability is a challenge. For others, it’s a solution.

“REVEALED, The Myth of Dis-ability” is the new exhibition at WCC’s Gallery ‘Iolani from Sept. 13 – Oct 9. It features the work of artists who deal with unique challenges.

“It’s the overcoming that is so pow-erful,” said Toni Martin, art professor and Gallery ‘Iolani coordinator.

Martin said that she always want-ed to do an exhibition to recognize art-ists who create works despite difficult or extreme challenges.

Mikki O’Phelan was 19 years old when a sharp pain suddenly struck her right hand revealing rheumatoid arthritis–changing her life forever. She learned to push herself beyond her disability by embracing pain in order to create photographs of her deformi-ties. The effort to take images of her hands and arms in different positions was hard, demanding and extremely painful. “These images have brought me at times to the edge of insanity or to the precipice of redemption,” said O’Phelan.

Michael Yano suffers from depres-sion stemming from early childhood trauma. Medical treatment has al-lowed him to complete his paintings. “Doing art reflects the healing-ness of calm and healing within myself,”

Dispelling ‘The Myth of Disability’b y D e b b r a B a e t z


Hawai‘i’s performing arts community shared a

bittersweet moment when Tom Holowach’s production “Hairspray” at Palikū The-atre won big at the Po’okela Awards on Aug. 10 at the Ko’olau Ballrooms.

Why bittersweet? It was the last musical production that was directed by the late Ronald E. Bright, a teacher and extraordinary director of musicals who died July 7. His memorial service took place at the Ko’olau Ballrooms on Aug. 7.

“We were just t here (Ko’olau Ballrooms) Friday

Hairspray wins nine at local theater awardsb y D e b b r a B a e t z


for the memorial service for Ron. He wasn’t present to see ʻHairspray’ ... win nine awards,” said Holowach, manager of Palikū Theatre.

The Hawai‘i State Theatre Council’s Po’okela Awards are Hawai‘i’s version of the Tony Awards and recognize excel-lence in local theater.

“Hairspray” won nine awards in Overall Production of a Musical, Director of a Musical (Ron Bright), Musical Director (Clarke Bright and

said Yano.Isa Shimizu cannot express him-

self through words. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4, yet he enjoyed drawing since he was young. He and his mother came to Hawai‘i from Japan when he was 16 because his mother wanted broader opportunities for him. His artwork has been shown in Guam, Saipan, Japan and Hawai‘i.

Local boy Kurt Tateishi has a brain injury, which prevents him from work-ing at his former job. So he started taking ceramics at WCC. Focusing is a frequent and difficult challenge for him, but not when making art. When he creates with clay, he leaves the world outside.

“Challenges often invigorate the human spirit,” said Martin. “The creativity is endowed in all of us, but for some people incredible challenges must be overcome to have a voice.”

(Top right) Mikki O’Phelan’s “Knots: Self-Portrait #1” archival pigment print. (Bottom left) Painting by Michael Yano. (Bottom right) Painting by Dennis Okada.

Miguel Cadoy III), Choreogra-pher (Marcelo Pacleb), Leading Male in a Musical (Johnny Reed), Leading Female in a Musical (Pomai Lopez), Fea-tured Male in a Musical (Leon-ard Villanueva), Set Design (Sandy Riford) and Costume Design (Lac Rohlf). Palikū Theatre also received the Ex-cellence in Service Award (Jocelyn Ishihara).

Bright directed more than 85 musicals and plays at Castle High School where he taught

and retired from in 1993. He also directed productions at New Hope Christian Fellow-ship, Kamehameha Schools and Palikū Theatre.

Bright received many ac-colades throughout his life such as State Teacher of the Year, University of Hawai‘i Lifetime Achievement Award, National Milken Teacher of the Year Award, Guardsman of the Year, Father of the Year, Federal Citizen of the Year and Living Treasure of Hawai‘i, to

name a few.Bright’s capacity to love

was “enormous,” said Ho-lowach. “He touched thou-sands and thousands of souls with his contagious smile, hearty laugh, big hugs and twinkling eyes.”

In an interview on the KHON2 television program “Living808,” former student Dr. Ligaya Stice described Bright as “a supporter in what-ever you endeavored and your biggest cheerleader.” Stice also said that “feeling of com-munity, that feeling of being a part of something larger than ourselves” was important to Bright.

Holowach is set to direct and act in “Side by Side by Sondheim,” a performance that will run Oct. 2-4 and 9-11 at Palikū Theatre and will star some of Bright’s former students, who are now pro-fessional actors. “The whole show is in tribute to Ron Bright who taught us all well the level of quality that he expected from everybody,” said Holowach.

As the saying goes, “The show must go on!” Bright’s legacy will continue.

The cast and crew “Hairspray” celebrate their wins at the 2015 Po’okela Awards.

Tom Holowach (left) with the late Ronald E. Bright.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BONNIE BEATSON

COURTESY OF TOM HOLOWACH

COURTESY OF TOM HOLOWACH

Documents

Ka ‘ohana September 2015