Chaminade University of Honolulu

Campus and Community

School of Nursing Students, Ho`oulu Scholars Raise Health Awareness at ‘Hawaii Children & Youth Day’

Students from Chaminade University’s School of Nursing and Ho`oulu Scholars with the “I Am a Scientist” mobile outreach program raised awareness about the importance of healthy lifestyles during the 24th annual “Hawaii Children & Youth Day” at the State Capitol.

“This year is the fourth year that my junior nursing students participated in the fair,” pointed out Assistant Professor Eurina Yujin Cha. “Our purpose was to provide health screenings and nutrition education for parents and encourage physical exercise and vaccination education for children.”

Nursing students volunteering their time at the Oct. 1 event were: Abigail Adina, Mae Kimberly Corpuz, Ashley Farin, Airelle Guron, Eric Ganding, Jadelyn Yasuoka, Melissa Biador, Lauren Ngatuvai and Shayvell Noa.

Ho`oulu Scholars Cassandra Ainoa-Kanoho, Dairian Balai, Hi‘ilani Fujihara-Nagamine and Destiny Hamasaki underscored the importance of making healthy dietary choices by using hydrometers to reveal how much sugar is hidden in sodas, fruit juices and flavored milk.

In addition, the students showed more than 400 children how to read nutrition labels, while encouraging them to pursue college degrees and STEM careers.

“It’s important for people to understand that their children can have only a certain amount of sugar each day,” pointed out Hamasaki ’21, a Forensic Science major. Accordingly, this outreach educated “not only children who came to the table, but the parents who brought them.”

“This experience made me cut down on juice,” Hamasaki added, “so now I only drink water.”

Fujihara-Nagamine ‘21, an Environmental Studies major, said there were “many surprised faces” among children and parents when they realized how much sugar is contained in certain beverages.

“It was very eye opening for them, and some of the children even told me they were going to drink more water from then on,” Fujihara-Nagamine said. “A lot of the parents really appreciated that our booth was raising this awareness and thanked us for educating their children about how much sugar they intake just from sugary drinks.”

Fujihara-Nagamine described the outreach as “truly amazing.”

“Being able to help spread knowledge to families and children was really fun, and their enthusiasm was refreshing,” she said. “It reminded me of my childhood when I would learn about similar subjects. I never thought I would have the chance to be the one on the other side of the table teaching.”

Research Associate Lori Shimoda, who directs “I Am a Scientist” and founded the program in 2009, described the student volunteers as “fabulous ambassadors for Chaminade.”

“They were professional, cheerful and engaging,” Shimoda said, “with both little kids and their parents.”

Teacher Candidates Explore Hawaii Military History Through Partnership with Pacific Aviation Museum

Under a new partnership, the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is helping preservice teachers at Chaminade University gain a greater understanding of Hawaii’s military history so they can share this knowledge with students.

The future teachers are accessing the museum’s non-formal education resources that will eventually reinforce and expand formal classroom instruction in local schools. This includes materials from museum STEM camps, which integrate science and history for children as they explore aviation topics such as weather and atmosphere, flight planning and flight physiology.

The preservice teachers are also gathering information by visiting other Pearl Harbor historic sites, including the USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri Memorial and USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

The museum intends to use this partnership with Chaminade’s Division of Education as a springboard for outreach activities involving teachers statewide.

Working with the museum and other historic sites benefits teacher candidates in multiple ways, according to Chaminade Assistant Professor of Education Katrina Roseler, Ph.D.

“First and foremost, their final products for the Pacific Aviation Museum are a performance assessment demonstrating the integration of their three years of education coursework,” Dr. Roseler said.

The museum’s outreach to Chaminade is also beneficial, Dr. Roseler said, because it “models the types of relationships teachers should expect from their local educational resources.”

“This partnership demonstrates that teachers have resources available to them beyond their classroom and school,” Dr. Roseler said, “that can and should be leveraged to the benefit of K-12 students.”

Located on Ford Island, the nonprofit Pacific Aviation Museum is housed in two historic seaplane hangars that survived the attack on December 7, 1941, by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The museum features an extensive collection of warplanes and helicopters, including an iconic B-17E “Flying Fortress” heavy bomber from World War II.

Chaminade’s Division of Education offers bachelor’s degrees in early childhood, elementary and secondary education, and master’s degrees in teaching and education.

Cover Image courtesy of Pacific Aviation Museum

Educational Coalition Honors Chaminade with ‘Engaged Campus Award’ for Service-Learning

Service Learning Award
Candice Sakuda & Bro. Tom Spring, S.M.

Campus Compact, a coalition of nearly 1,100 educational institutions, presented the 2017 “Western Region Engaged Campus Award” to Chaminade University in recognition of its commitment to the public good. The award ceremony highlighted Chaminade’s meaningful community partnerships and service-learning projects.

“As a Catholic and Marianist university, Chaminade integrates service-learning throughout its curriculum,” pointed out Vice President for Mission and Rector Bro. Edward Brink, S.M. “These off-campus and on-campus projects not only promote the greater good, they help students prepare for successful careers and a lifetime of service.”

The award was in keeping with Campus Compact’s 30th Anniversary Action Statement, which calls for colleges and universities to “challenge inequalities, pursue justice and contribute to the health of our communities – economically, socially, environmentally, educationally and politically.”

Examples of Chaminade service-learning activities include:

  • An after-school program for K-12 students living at the Institute for Human Services women’s and family shelter;
  • Project SHINE, which teaches English and civic skills to older immigrants seeking to become U.S. citizens;
  • The Stock Market Game, an online simulation of global capital markets that helps school children understand economics, investing and personal finance;
  • “Palolo Pipeline” projects assisting students at Kaimuki High School, Jarrett Middle School, Palolo Elementary School and Palolo ‘Ohana Learning Center;
  • A tutoring and mentoring program for elementary school children at the Papakolea Native Hawaiian homestead community; and
  • Inclusive Recreation (I-Rec), which provides social activities for young adults living with developmental disabilities.

O’Rourke Named VP for Enrollment Management

Chaminade University President Dr. Lynn Babington has strengthened her leadership team by appointing Cathy O’Rourke as Vice President for Enrollment Management.

A former New York resident, O’Rourke has extensive experience in higher education administration. This includes senior leadership roles in undergraduate and graduate admissions, strategic marketing, student access, financial aid, staff development , and budget management.

During her tenure as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Champlain College in Vermont, O’Rourke increased first-year applications to historic levels for two consecutive years, enhanced net tuition revenue, and improved the academic quality of, based on standardized test scores and grade point averages.

As Director of Enrollment Services for New York University, O’Rourke provided strategic direction for the campus recruitment and marketing program. This resulted in the enrollment of highly competitive and diverse first-year and transfer students at ten undergraduate colleges and schools.

O’Rourke also served as Director of Admissions at The Wood School and at Marymount Manhattan College in New York, and as an enrollment management consultant for State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

Chaminade Holds ‘Prayer for Healing and Peace’ Interfaith Service

In the wake of the Las Vegas massacre and natural disasters in Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas, Chaminade University held a “Prayer for Healing and Peace” interfaith service in the campus Mystical Rose Oratory.

Chaminade Vice President for Mission and Rector Bro. Edward Brink, S.M. described the Oct. 6 gathering as “an opportunity for healing, reflection , and comfort.”

A homily/reflection by Deacon Michael Weaver pondered the question of how God could have let the Las Vegas shootings and catastrophic hurricanes occur. Deacon Weaver emphasized that “God was there” when first responders rushed to help the shooting victims. And “God was there” in the global outpouring of aid relief following the deadly hurricanes.

Campus Ministry Director Bro. Allen Pacquing, S.M. shared a quotation from Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, who counseled that  “you will find peace for your soul through prayer.” Bro. Allen also pointed out that Bishop Joseph Pepe of Las Vegas urged people to “stand together in the face of violence because we cannot let hate and violence have the last word.”

The service also featured prayers for peace from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist religions offered by Nashawna Smith, Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal (Associate Professor of Biology), Adam Perez and Lisa Furuta.

Concluding the interfaith gathering was a pledge for peace and candle-lighting ceremony. The pledge proclaimed “our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion,” while calling for mutual respect and esteem “to help bring about a peaceful coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions.”

Students with Hogan Entrepreneurs Program Raise Funds for Marianist School in Puerto Rico

The Oct. 11 kickoff event for this year’s Hogan Entrepreneurs Program at Chaminade University raised funds to assist a Marianist school impacted by Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm that caused catastrophic damage and power outages in Puerto Rico.

2017 Kickoff and Fundraiser

Students from the Hogan program’s 16th class collected more than $1,000 in donations for the school, Colegio San José. Established in 1938, this private institution in Rio Piedras educates boys in grades six through 12.

“Helping a Marianist school in its time of need is truly in keeping with our mission of social responsibility,” said Hogan Director John Webster. “After all, our motto is: Doing business things that make social sense. Doing social things that make business sense.”

The Hogan one- or two-year certificate program cultivates the entrepreneurial spirit in students through activities such as lectures, mentorships and study missions to China and India. The program is open to all Chaminade undergraduates and graduates, regardless of their majors.