Chaminade University of Honolulu

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Student Nurses’ Association Receives National Recognition

The Chaminade Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) will be recognized by the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) as one of its Stellar School Chapters at the NSNA 67th Annual Convention next month. According to Chaminade’s chief nurse administrator and nursing professor Edna Magpantay-Monroe, Chaminade is the first school in Hawaii to receive this designation.

School of Nursing students

Stellar School Chapters are recognized for their continuing participation and contribution to the national association, and for their dedication to shared governance and professional development.

Schools that applied for this award were assessed based on five categories of criteria such as official constituency status and chapter leadership participation, and NSNA program involvement and service learning. Applicants were required to submit explanations and evidentiary material that demonstrated how they met the criteria.

Completing the application for the Stellar School Chapter Recognition was a team effort for Chaminade’s SNA. Club president Spencer Lee spearheaded the effort under the direction of faculty advisors Lorin Ramocki and Sharon Jensen.

Jensen will be taking a group of Chaminade nursing students to the NSNA convention on April 3-7 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they will accept the award. Chaminade is one of eight schools to receive the Stellar School Chapter Recognition this year.

The NSNA Annual Convention provides more than 3,000 nursing students with an opportunity to attend workshops and network. NSNA consists of 60,000 members from all 50 states as well as from the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Athletics Gala Raises Funds for Student-Athletes

Chaminade University’s 11th Annual Intercollegiate Athletics Gala, held on March 14 at the Ala Moana Hotel, raised $167,000 to support the school’s 10 sports programs and 140 student-athletes that compete in the NCAA Division II and Pacific West Conference.

It was a night dedicated to honoring student-athletes, thanking sponsors and growing the Silversword Hall of Fame with two new inductees.

Recognized at the gala as the 2019 Hall of Fame inductees were alumna Martha B. Smith and former Chaminade Women’s Volleyball coach, Glennie Adams.

Martha B. Smith

Smith graduated from Chaminade with her Master’s in Business Administration in 1991 and is currently the CEO for Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. She sits on the Chaminade University Board of Regents, is an Athletic Booster Club member and helped to establish Hawaii Pacific Health as the “Official Healthcare Partner of Chaminade University Athletics” last year, which ensures that all student-athletes are well cared for.

Adams is known for her time at Chaminade as the winningest head coach of women’s volleyball, with 176 wins. In her 15 years at the university, she also held the titles of Assistant Director of Athletics and Senior Women’s Administrator. She now serves as the director of athletics at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and will go down in history for being the school’s first female director of athletics.

Glennie Adams

Among the 360 attendees were sponsors from Hawaii Pacific Health, First Hawaiian Bank, the Star Advertiser and many more. The funds raised go directly toward Chaminade’s athletics program to help student-athletes thrive. Celebrated at this year’s gala was the construction of the new Silversword Training Center and Locker rooms, which would not have been possible without the help of generous donors.

In addition to ushering Smith and Adams into the Hall of Fame, the gala program included a student performance by Chaminade’s Hawaiian Club, dinner, musical entertainment, a video presentation on Chaminade Athletics, remarks by university president Lynn Babington and a student-athlete speech made by Antonio Bonnetty.

Senior student Bonnetty, who has been on the men’s cross country team since his sophomore year and serves as student government president, singled out cross country head coach Shadrack Nabea as a source of support throughout his athletic career and as someone who believed in him when he didn’t believe in himself.

“I have learned skills from [Nabea] and others in Chaminade and athletics which I employ today,” Bonnetty said. “I have learned how to believe in myself, how to believe I was better than a C average and make A’s, how to not be crippled by my weakness and see them as strengths, and how not just to live, but thrive. I have come this far because of my family, athletics and Chaminade.”


St. John’s Bible Encourages Chaminade to Reimagine Faith

The Saint John’s Bible is a theological and artistic masterpiece commissioned in 1998 by a group of Benedictine monks in Minnesota and led by renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson. Imitating the grand manuscripts produced in Medieval times, the St. John’s Bible was hand-written and hand-illuminated by a team of six scribes and six illuminators, using vellum (calfskin), quills and ink from minerals and plants.

The project was estimated to take three to four years and cost a few million dollars to complete. But only after 12 years and approximately $13-15 million was the bible finished.

Currently, there are 299 sets of 7 volumes of the St. John’s Bible in existence. Through the generosity of Joanna Sullivan, a loyal benefactor of Chaminade University, one of these copies has been on display in the Sullivan Family Library since June 2010.

Although the St. John’s Bible, based on the New Revised Standard Version, has been accessible to the Chaminade community for the last nine years, no one at Chaminade has had the training to explain it or teach on it. But during the week of March 11, Chaminade welcomed Bob O’Connor, Ph.D., from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, whose roles are project director of the St. John’s Bible Heritage Edition and university ombudsman.

Throughout his visit, O’Connor led three sessions in which he helped attendees understand how the sacred art found in the St. John’s Bible can transform lives. O’Connor began each session with a lecture-style presentation and concluded by allowing attendees to ask questions while they viewed the bible. The on-campus sessions were open to the entire Chaminade community.

O’Connor explained that the ultimate goal of the St. John’s Bible is to “ignite the spiritual imagination of the world,” which he believes occurs when people look at the volumes.

One of the unique aspects of the St. John’s Bible is that the illuminations include modern-day events, technologies and discoveries in a way that celebrates science and connects it to religion.

For example, weaved throughout the Psalms Frontispiece are oscillograms, recorded lines of sound, taken from ancient chants of cultures from around the world. O’Connor noted that Jackson chose to do this because the Psalms are intended to be sung, not read.

In addition to the Psalms, other illuminations that O’Connor touched upon in his presentation included Creation, Garden of Eden, Sower and the Seed, Eucharist, The Life of Paul, Anthology of Luke and Genealogy of Jesus.

A theme that remains constant throughout the entire bible is flecks of gold scattered across the illuminations and texts. According to O’Connor, gold—which doesn’t oxidize—signifies the presence of the divine, meaning the presence of God.

Brother Edward Brink, vice president for mission and rector, hopes that by inviting O’Connor to Chaminade to teach about the St. John’s Bible will help members of the Chaminade community become more imaginative about their faith.

“[The St. John’s Bible] has the possibility of capturing imagination and making a link for both our students, our faculty and staff to the basis of this university,” says Bro. Ed. “I think it could open doors and windows for people to think about and imagine our faith in a different way.”

This reimagining of faith already seems to be happening on campus. Bro. Ed says that roughly 40 people attended the first session of the week, many of which were students participating in Campus Ministry’s Awakening Retreat. According to Bro. Ed, two of those students were intrigued to learn more and were among the 20-25 people who attended the second session.

In addition to the three public sessions, O’Connor also visited two Chaminade classes during his trip—Christian Prayer and Gospel of John and Poetry and Drama. He also presented at six religion classes at St. Louis School and ended his week on Friday with a private presentation for Bishop Larry Silva and a presentation to the young adults from EPIC Ministry.

Bro. Ed hopes that now, people at Chaminade will be inspired to become trained on the St. John’s Bible or that the university can continue to bring people like O’Connor in so that informational sessions like these can happen on a regular basis.

“It can be a very creative way of helping people to understand their faith,” Bro. Ed said. “I’m a big believer that part of what God wants us to do is to imagine. He wants us to think beautifully, He wants us to use the creation that He’s given us to understand who He is more, and I think that the artwork is part of that.”

Chaminade Impacts Community Through Service-Learning

At Chaminade University, learning extends beyond the classroom and into local communities through an enduring commitment to service-learning.

2019 Service Learning Day

Each semester, more than 20 professors integrate service-learning into their course curricula. They challenge students to actively participate in service projects that relate to course material and benefit the community. Service-learning promotes a sense of civic responsibility and prepares students for life after graduation by bringing meaning to what they learn in the classroom through real-life experiences.

In honor of all the service-learning projects that take place every year, Chaminade hosts an annual Service-Learning Day in which students, faculty and community partners share their reflections—the most important component of service-learning and what sets it apart from other volunteer experiences—in a group setting. This year’s Service-Learning Day was held on March 8.

It began with a luncheon in Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center. There, service-learning participants shared their reflections with a specific focus on how they impacted their respective communities and how their experiences impacted them. Following the luncheon was the Service-Learning Opportunities Fair in Eiben Hall, which was open to the entire campus. The fair gave participants an opportunity to share their projects and the work of their organizations with members of the Chaminade community who were interested in learning more.

Among those that attended Service-Learning Day were representatives from community partners like Palolo Elementary School, Project SHINE, Mālama i nā Ahupua‘a (MINA), Inclusive Recreation (I-Rec) and others. On average, Chaminade works with 45 community partners each year.

But the spotlight shined on the students who each shared a unique takeaway from their individual experiences. Professors that require service-learning as part of their curricula also require students to submit a reflection essay, journal or presentation at the end of the semester.

Nicole Cienna began volunteering at Project SHINE (Students Helping in Naturalization of Elders) last semester as a tutor and was so impacted by the experience that she returned for a second semester as both a tutor and a coordinator. SHINE tutors help elderly Chinese immigrants to learn English so that they can pass their citizenship exams.

She explained how at first, she was nervous to tutor at SHINE because she didn’t know any Chinese but has since gained confidence in teaching and has built a lasting friendship with the woman she tutors.

Through volunteering at SHINE, students also gain insight into the legal and ethical issues surrounding poverty, immigration and ethnicity in society.

Representing the students who volunteer at I-Rec, also known as the Ohana Club, was Shae Smith, who has dedicated her last four years at Chaminade to the organization. Barbara Poole-Street, former Chaminade professor, was inspired to create I-Rec by her son Ethan who has Down Syndrome. She feared he would lack social interaction once his siblings left home for college.

So she created I-Rec, which brings young adults with developmental disabilities together with Chaminade students for social activities held on Thursday and Friday evenings, which Shae said she gets excited about every week.

Pamela Carr, Intro to Nursing instructor, attended the luncheon with two of her students and spoke about how she was impacted by her class of freshmen who were all first-time service-learning participants. She said reading her 90 students’ reflection papers was humbling because nearly all of them wanted to continue volunteering at their service-learning sites.

“Even though it was a requirement for the course, it was no longer a requirement,” Carr said. “It was a need. They continued to want to do it. Even though it’s within this program, it’s embedded into them now.”

Chaminade University to Welcome Argosy University’s PsyD Program

HONOLULU, HAWAII (March 18, 2019) – After extensive investigation and collaboration, Chaminade University of Honolulu and the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology today announced it will continue to offer a PsyD program. The program was formerly hosted by Argosy University, which closed its doors and permanently suspended classes and programs earlier this month.

The only program of its kind in Hawaii, the PsyD is a five-year program that culminates in a professional doctorate in psychology degree preparing graduates for practice in psychotherapy and psychological testing. The program is home to approximately 100 students and faculty members, all of whom will be welcomed at Chaminade.

“The PsyD program has been instrumental in the instruction and grooming of mental health providers here in Hawaii,” said Dale Fryxell, Ph.D, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade. “Mental health is an incredibly important need for Hawaii and I am confident this program will be a strong addition to our academic offerings. Many of our graduates have already obtained degrees through this program.”

Chaminade advisors will work with the students to ensure a smooth transition. Students will be able to continue on their current PsyD program with their same faculty members and courses.  “The stability and success of our students is our number one priority, and we thank the many team members who worked quickly and extensively to make this a reality,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “We also appreciate the swift action, pending approvals from the two accrediting agencies, the American Psychological Association (APA) and WSCUC (WASC Senior College and University Commission), to ensure a seamless transition for the affected students.”

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Chaminade University of Honolulu provides a collaborative and innovative learning environment that prepares graduate and undergraduate students for life, service and successful careers. Established in 1955, the university is guided by its Catholic, Marianist and liberal arts educational traditions, which include a commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian population. Chaminade offers an inclusive setting where students, faculty and staff collectively pursue a more just and peaceful society.

Students Redesign Mystical Rose Oratory Patio

Two environmental and interior design students met with Marianist brothers in late February to propose a new design for the Mystical Rose Oratory (MRO) patio. The Environmental + Interior Design department at Chaminade University was approached by the Marianist community earlier in the school year to create a new design proposal for the patio. The Marianists wanted a space that was both beautiful and functional and could be used for large campus and community gatherings.

E+ID students Aurelia Vining and Jacqueline Harbin presenting their MRO project

Two students, Aurelia Vining ‘20 and Jacqueline Harbin ‘20, met with the Brothers from both Chaminade University and St. Louis School to determine their needs and wants. The current patio space has 1,700 sqft. of useable space, and they wanted to increase that. They wanted something low maintenance that was protected from the sun and included lots of natural lighting.

The two students worked closely with their professors to create two design options that both increase the useable space to 3,000 sqft. The first, titled “Petals,” played off the rose design of the MRO, extending the petals from the roof of the MRO onto the patio. The second, titled “Contrasting Lines,” was inspired by nature and focused on celebrating the surrounding natural landscape.

The Brothers will now bring the two design options back to the Marianist community for input and will continue to work with the students for alterations and refinements to the designs moving forward.