Campus and Community

First Lady Dawn Amano Ige, MBA ’86 Visits Campus

April 29, 2019

Mrs. Dawn Amano Ige, MBA ’86 visited campus today to get an update from Chaminade President Lynn Babington and then sat in on an American Government and Politics class to hear from students about their concerns and interests.

Dawn Ige, MBA '86, Dr. Lynn Babington and Diane Peters-Nguyen

The discussion ranged from addressing sex trafficking in Hawaii to the empowerment of women. Students wanted to know how Hawaii’s First Lady can wield influence on decisions made by the Governor as well as long term solutions to the stigma affecting disadvantaged communities in Hawaii. She also responded to a student’s question of how a leader can be authentic by passionately talking about her upbringing in a working class family and how that has a large influence on who she is, her values and priorities.

She will be the keynote speaker at Chaminade’s upcoming commencement on Monday, May 13.

Chaminade Alumni Return for Reunion Weekend

April 15, 2019

On April 5–7, Chaminade University alumni of all ages and classes gathered on campus for the 2019 Alumni Reunion Weekend.

The theme of the reunion was A Weekend to Reminisce and offered alumni an opportunity to visit the campus and recall fond Chaminade memories with classmates and professors.

The reunion kicked off on Friday evening with a Welcome Reception in the Loo Student Center where alumni reconnected over drinks and appetizers. They were then invited to enjoy a night at the Mamiya Theatre with an opening performance of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Saturday, alumni were given the opportunity to tour the campus and view new expansions like the renovated Hale Hoaloha building and the new Silverswords Athletic Training Center and Locker Rooms.

Then came a night to remember under the stars at the Alumni Paina in Henry Hall Courtyard, complete with drinks, dinner and a live musical performance by local band Kapena. The event was open to alumni and their families.The weekend concluded on Sunday with mass in the Mystical Rose Oratory where alumni could renew their marriage vows. Finally, university president Lynn Babington hosted brunch where she shared her vision for Chaminade’s future and honored the class of 1969 for its 50^th graduation anniversary.

Chaminade University Hosts its Annual Criminal Justice Expo

April 2, 2019

On March 21, Chaminade University held its annual Criminal Justice Expo in the Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center.

Chaminade’s Career Preparation Office, the Criminal Justice Department and the Criminal Justice Club hosted the expo, which was free and open to anyone interested in pursuing a degree or career in criminal justice. Each year, the university welcomes representatives from various agencies in the criminal justice field to share about their work and answer questions from expo attendees.

Representatives from 38 agencies attended the expo, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Hawaii State Judiciary, Honolulu Police Department and The Queen’s Medical Center.

While the expo was open to the public, it served as a valuable opportunity for Chaminade students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program to meet potential employers and learn about jobs they might be interested in pursuing after earning their degree.

The Criminology and Criminal Justice program at Chaminade is known for being the largest and oldest in Hawaii. Students interested in careers in law enforcement, public safety, criminal justice or criminology can obtain an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree from the university. The Criminology and Criminal Justice curricula also provide a foundation for students planning to pursue an advanced degree in areas such as law or criminology research.

St. John’s Bible Encourages Chaminade to Reimagine Faith

March 20, 2019

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

March 19, 2019

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

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.”

#BalanceforBetter on International Women’s Day

March 8, 2019

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Chaminade University faculty and students take a minute to weigh in on what a gender-balanced world means to them:

Dr. Joe Allen
Associate Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
“A gender-balanced world recognizes the differences and the similarities between and within various genders and celebrates them. This celebration means the provision of equal opportunity, sharing the gifts that each of us brings to the table and embracing the idea that all individuals should be treated with fairness and dignity. Gender is a lesser category of one’s humanity. This should not be forgotten.”

Keʻalohi Canady ’20
Business Marketing major from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
“I believe we should live in a world where men and women have an equal opportunity to achieve their greatest dreams. A gender balanced world looks like everyone embracing inclusivity and being more open-minded.“

Dr. Katelynn Perrault
Assistant Professor, Forensic Sciences and Chemistry
“A truly gender-balanced world is not purely a numbers game. It is about creating a culture of gender balance. We need to actively work to create space in which women no longer feel the need to live in hyper-awareness—where we do not need to be on guard for subtle comments or behaviors that undermine our expertise, opinions or view that we deserve a spot at the table.”

Kiso Skelton ’21
Historical and Political Studies major from American Samoa
A gender-balanced world serves as a community where people embrace diversity and value all genders. It is important to have a gender-balanced world because we are stronger when we come together as one, and our purpose in this gender balanced world is to lift each other up, not the other way around. Furthermore, all genders are entitled to all opportunities that will positively impact them.

Dr. Lynn Babington
President
“A gender-balanced world is one where gender equality is a given—where people, regardless of their gender preference, have the same access to education and good jobs, and are equally represented in leadership positions and decision making. Gender balance, along with diversity and equality, in all sectors of society is critically important if we hope to build a strong and sustainable world.”

Skye Haraga ’21
Biochemistry major from Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi
“Gender diversity is about representing all genders. ʻAʻole pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.’ (Knowledge is not limited to one school). You are not limited by your gender.”

Ashley Hill ’22
Education major from Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi
“To me, gender balance is something that everyone should be entitled to. As our society is changing we need to continue to shed light on the importance of gender equality. I believe that if we maintain this shift toward gender balance, not only in the workforce but in our communities, the world will be a more efficient society.”

Andrew Ines ’19
Business Administration major from Kalihi, Hawaiʻi
“Gender equality is important because women deserve just as much credit as us men do. Women can be just as strong as men.”