Chaminade University of Honolulu

Humanities, Arts & Design

Chaminade Students Present Abstracts at National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Three Chaminade University students – Madison Choi, Alexander Jankowski and Kawehiokekai Moefu – were among the presenters at the 2017 National Conference on Undergraduate Research. The 31st annual event, held at the University of Memphis, promotes research, scholarship and creative activity in diverse fields of study.

Choi, whose faculty mentor is English Professor Allison Paynter, gave an oral presentation entitled: “A Critique of American Reality T.V. in Collins’ The Hunger Games.”

“The entire process of preparing, editing and delivering my speech – both methodical and emotional – was a learning experience I definitely could not have received in a classroom setting,” Choi said.

“The pressure to deliver to an audience of people I don’t know was daunting, but now I know that I’m capable to doing it so next time I won’t be as nervous or apprehensive,” Choi continued.

“The positive feedback I got from other students and faculty was also encouraging to hear and gives me a newfound excitement not only for research, but also for the specific topic of pop culture, film and literature.”

Moefu, whose faculty mentor is Dr. Cheryl Edelson, gave a presentation entitled: “Disney’s Moana (2016) and Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1997): The Depiction of the Female Heroine in Film Spanning over Twenty Years.”

Moefu pointed out that the conference is “not just about research work” but also “acts as a stepping stone for graduate school.”

“I had the opportunity to talk with representatives from some universities that I have an interest in attending for graduate school – like Purdue University, University of Georgia and NYU – to gather contact and program information,” Moefu said.

Madison Choi, Professor Amber Caracol Noguchi, Professor Eva Washburn-Repollo, Kawehiokekai Moefu, and Alexander Jankowski
Madison Choi, Professor Amber Caracol Noguchi, Professor Eva Washburn-Repollo, Kawehiokekai Moefu, and Alexander Jankowski

“I would recommend that every undergraduate student take the opportunity to do research on a topic that they are interested in, and then go and present it to an audience,” Moefu added. “It will forever change the trajectory of their life’s course and possibly guide them to travel even further in their academic journey.”

Jankowski, whose faculty mentor is Communications Associate Professor Dr. Eva Washburn-Repollo, gave a presentation entitled: “The Kids are Alt-Right: A Cultural Window Into the Disenfranchised.”

Choi and Moefu developed their abstracts through Chaminade’s Title III-funded Undergraduate Research Mentor Program, which helps students in the humanities and social sciences strengthen their applications to graduate schools.

Information is available at: https://chaminade.edu/undergraduate-research/

Chaminade University Announces Legacy Gift of Over $1.6 Million

Angela Starke’s (BGS English ’85) bequest will go toward supporting the Bridges to the Future campaign

Chaminade University announces the receipt of over $1.6 million bequest through the estate of the late alumna Angela Starke, BGS English ’85. The major gift will support Chaminade’s ongoing Bridges to the Future campaign. Starke’s generosity represents one of the largest, single private gifts from an individual in support of the campaign, and the largest bequest in school history.

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, Angela Starke graduated from Chaminade University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in General Studies. Continuing her passion for emphasizing the importance of higher education and showing her appreciation for her professors, Starke established the Fr. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award benefitting Chaminade faculty members, and also made charitable gift annuity contributions to further the university’s educational mission.

“Angela was a lifelong learner,” said Chaminade President Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM, PhD. “Her history of giving to Chaminade began the year after her graduation and continued steadily throughout her long life. As a non-traditional student, Angela became close to many of our faculty and staff, particularly Dr. Al Lum and Fr. John Bolin, SM. When she established the Fr. Bolin Award, Angela remarked, ‘a university is only as good as its faculty.’”

In 2008, Angela and her husband, Vincent Mainelli, were inspired by the history of the Marianists in Hawaii, and in particular, a collection of rediscovered nineteenth century photographic glass plates of the Hawaiian Kingdom, taken by Bro. Bertram Bellinghausen, SM, the first president of Saint Louis School. In a letter written to then Chaminade President Sue Wesselkamper, Starke and Mainelli announced that they would donate $100,000 towards the “preservation, expansion, and maintenance of the Bertram material and other archival material relating to the Marianists in Hawaii.” The exhibit later traveled to the neighbor islands and Washington D.C.

“My Chaminade experience didn’t end with a degree in 1985,” said Starke, in a 2002 interview for Chaminade Quarterly. “Instead, it spelled out reasons to give back to the university. I appreciated the quality education I received at Chaminade.”

ABOUT BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE
Bridges to the Future campaign focuses on four critical areas: (1) ensuring student access and support; (2) advancing academic programs; (3) building a richer campus life; and (4) renewing Chaminade’s athletics tradition. To contribute to the campaign, interested individuals should contact Diane Peters-Nguyen, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at [email protected] or (808)735-4772.

ABOUT CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY’S PLANNED GIVING
The Planned Giving Program creates a lasting legacy and supports the continuing educational opportunities for future students and tomorrow’s leaders. In 2016, Chaminade University was selected as a participating organization in Hawaii Community Foundation’s two-year Legacy Giving Campaign.

‘Outstanding Graduate’ in Pastoral Theology Starting End-of-Life Spiritual Care Program

In recognition of his educational achievements, leadership skills and “sincere heart to serve,” Gerald Streff was named the “Outstanding Graduate” in Chaminade University’s Master of Pastoral Theology program.

Streff and five other students graduated from the program this spring.

Gerald StreffStreff, who retired in 2012 after a 39-year career with the U.S. Air Force, will use his academic training to launch an end-of-life spiritual care volunteer program at the Saint Jude Makakilo parish. His initiative addresses growing concerns about caring for seniors in Hawaii, which has one of the highest percentages of elderly residents in America.

“Gary’s academic acumen, his generous desire both to help develop an end-of-life ministry program for the people of his parish, and to serve to emerging concerns of the larger professional health care community of Hawaii have more than qualified him for the graduate award,” according to Father Paul Fitzpatrick, SM, director of the pastoral program.

Streff says Father Paul’s mentorship, friendship and method of teaching “opened me up to God in a way that no one else has ever done.”

“It was Father Paul’s constant challenges that made the Bible and other sacred writings come alive and relevant,” according to Streff. “His personal dedication to God, the Catholic Church and the fulfillment of his Marian mission were very inspirational.”

And although Streff says he “thoroughly enjoyed his military career and its challenges,” now he’s finding pastoral work “much more fulfilling and definitely worth it.”

Chaminade’s Master of Pastoral Theology program is part of the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts. Specialized certificate programs are offered in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction and in Permanent Diaconate Education to prepare for ordination as a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.

Chaminade University Celebrates 2017 Spring Commencement

Hundreds of exuberant graduates celebrated their achievements with their families, friends, faculty, staff and colleagues at Chaminade University’s 59th Commencement. Approximately 429 students graduated this spring semester with nearly 335 participating in the May 15 ceremony held at Neal Blaisdell Arena.

The program featured as its keynote speaker Shelley J. Wilson, the president and chief executive officer of Wilson Homecare and vice chair and secretary of Chaminade University’s Board of Regents. In 1996, Wilson founded Wilson Homecare, one of Hawaii’s largest private-duty home health care agencies. Wilson Homecare provides in-home health care services island-wide. Also in 2013, Wilson Senior Living Kailua, a state-licensed Adult Residential Care Home opened in the Aikahi neighborhood.

Wilson inspired the audience with her story.  She found her passion during one of the most difficult times of her life.  Returning to civilian life as a wounded warrior, Wilson had to deal with the challenges of recovery in the home.  Her experiences gave her empathy for in-home-care patients. In response to those hard times, she founded Wilson Homecare.  She encouraged the soon-to-be graduates to find a cause and to dedicate themselves to that cause with a passion as a way to find purpose and meaning.

Commencement student speakers were Taylor Seth Stutsman, the undergraduate representative, and Rezettakahealani Eric Mulitalo, the post-graduate representative.

Stutsman graduated with his B.S. in Forensics Sciences, Cum Laude.  That night his family came from five different states to cheer for him. He moved to Hawaii from Pennsylvania and appreciated the diversity of Chaminade. “Hawaii has taught me more about acceptance and tolerance than I could have imagined,” he said, appreciative of the multi-cultural experiences made available to him at Chaminade.

Mulitalo graduated that night with her M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration. Raised in Western Samoa, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wellington, New Zealand. “You do not have to know what you are going to do with the rest of your life yet,” she reassured the graduating students. She advised them to remember what the Scottish scholar William Barclay had said. “’There are two great days in a person’s life –the day we are born, and the day we discover why,’” she quoted. “Watch your choices, follow your dreams and love what you do.”

The Fujitani Interfaith Program at Chaminade University Focused on Pathways to Peace

Maya Soetoro-Ng, Ph.D., the keynote speaker, asked the crowd to reflect in silence on their personal definitions of peace and peacebuilding.  The nearly 100 people in Mystical Rose Oratory obediently paused and reflected.  They had gathered on April 28 – a Friday night – for a presentation by the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK) Fujitani Interfaith Program of Chaminade University featuring “Pathways to Peace in the Workplace: How Practices of Faith Bring Peace within Diverse Career Fields.”

“All right, please share your thoughts.  We’ll do it popcorn-style,” said Soetoro-Ng.

People popped up with their definitions, ranging from personal peace, spiritual harmony, and working in harmony. She encouraged people to connect with strangers around them and share their definitions of peace.

Affirming everyone, Soetoro-Ng shared that the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution also defines peace as action and will work through public policies and innovative social projects.  The organization looks for “opportunities to nourish peace in the actions we take” as a way to develop peacebuilding leaders.

Soetoro-Ng serves as the director of Community Outreach and Global Learning at the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution and earned her doctorate at the University of Hawaii in multicultural education. She has taught multicultural education, social studies methods, and peace education for many years at the University of Hawaii’s College of Education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels

Soetoro-Ng told stories of her mother as a social-cultural anthropologist and as a bridge builder. Soetoro-Ng recalled the poignant story of her mother’s desire to have her ashes scattered in the ocean so that “Mom could share herself and connect with all the people she had ever worked with and loved in her lifetime.”

Soetoro-Ng also shared stories of compassion shown across diverse communities that she saw during her global travels. “The vast majority of the world are comprised of the faithful. What if people of all faiths mandated peace and peacebuilding as their goal? Can you imagine how expansive that embrace would be for the family of humans?” she asked.

Soetoro-Ng then turned the discussion to the respondents.

Vima Lamura had led the audience in meditation earlier that evening.  As the audience meditated aloud, she orchestrated the diverse sounds into a chorus and pulled the participants into a harmonious choir.  Lamura spoke about the value of being at peace and in harmony in work with choirs and orchestras.  She had spent her life immersed in the traditional ancient wisdom of the Vedas, chant, sacred sound and mantra, which have inspired her creative works in music, speaking and writing.  She shared how meditation was useful for her inner peace and in building peace with the people she collaborated with on music tours, concerts, studio recordings, and operas.

Pieper Toyama, the founding head of the Pacific Buddhist Academy, spoke of integrating Buddhist values in an academic setting.  The school discipline, curriculum, and relationships between students, faculty, and staff needed to reflect these values, including the fostering of peace, pursuing inner peace and the practice of peace with others. Toyama has retired from Pacific Buddhist Academy, the first Shin Buddhist high school in the Western Hemisphere, and currently serves as president of Hawaii’s organization of Hongwanji’s 34 Buddhist temples.

James P. Walsh, Jr., the director of Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Honolulu, worked in Hawaii’s medical field from 1975 to 2009 in various executive positions at Straub Clinic and Hospital and with HMSA.  He has taught at Chaminade University from 1979 to 1999 as an adjunct Business professor. Walsh spoke about negotiating between employees and employers and practicing his faith through conflicts. He encouraged people to become more aware of what they are grateful for and challenged them to look for opportunities to correct inequities.

Soetoro-Ng asked the audience for their thoughts and questions, as well as to connect with others in the room. The discussion was robust.

In closing, Soetoro-Ng shared an Indonesian phrase she learned as a child that translates to “wash your eyes.” “Yes, wash your eyes; refresh your gaze,” she repeated. “Make a commitment to faith and peace in action. Remember small connections can build an organism that can grow to supplant major power. ”

The Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Reverend Fujitani Interfaith Program, established in 2003, brings together the Buddhist community with all other religious communities in Hawaii to promote interfaith dialogue and provide opportunities for understanding and action for peace and justice in our communities.

Chaminade’s Religious Studies program offers the student an opportunity for in-depth reflection into the nature of religious experience, the communities which arise in response to it, and their actions. Grounded in Roman Catholic theology and Marianist educational philosophy, this reflection is ecumenical and conducted in the context of a multicultural, interfaith dialogue, exploring the meaning of the faith and working for justice among many peoples and cultures. The program fosters an understanding of human responses to the sacred that invite personal and communal commitment to faith in action and spiritual growth.

Vita In Verbo Presentation Asks, “Why Teach Slave Narratives?”

Chaminade University associate professor of English Allison E. Paynter, Ph.D. was one of a select group of faculty members chosen nationwide by the Council of Independent Colleges and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to participate in a special American history seminar on “Slave Narratives.” The multidisciplinary seminar for faculty members in history, English, and related fields used the slave narrative–as well as some other assigned secondary reading–to comprehend the lived experience of slaves in the transition from bondage to freedom. From a pool of 66 highly competitive nominations, 27 faculty members were selected to participate in the seminar held June 19-24, 2016 at Yale University.

The Gilder Lehrman Yale Fellow presented her findings to her Chaminade colleagues at the March 8 Vita in Verbo session. Her PowerPoint presentation titled “Why Teach Slave Narratives?” introduced different narrative forms: confessions, memoirs, and autobiography.  At Yale, she studied the slave narrative approach and its importance as a genre in studies, regardless of the discipline or field.

Paynter demonstrated that slave narrative was integral to pre- and post-Civil War American history and culture.  Rhetorical choices and stylistic techniques informed American literature during the post-Civil War through dialogue, American sensibility, and the psychology of escape and freedom.  American writers influenced by slave narratives included Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mary Todd, Harriet Wilson, Mark Twain, William Edward Burghardt “W. E. B.” Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Ellison. Contemporary films inspired by slave narratives included Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003); Manderlay (2005); 12 Years a Slave (2013); Tula: The Revolt (2013); Birth of a Nation (2016); Free State of Jones (2016); 13th (2016); Roots and Underground miniseries (2016).

Paynter pointed out that slavery continues to inform popular culture in America, but stereotypes and fallacies abound. Students should have a foundation by which to analyze this “American institution” called slavery. She gave stereotype examples such as Uncle Tom, Aunt Jemima, Zip Coon, Sambo, and Pickaninny.

Paynter is currently writing an article on the powerful and disturbing book Kindred, which she teaches in her class. She also recommended the novel Underground Airlines: What Price Freedom? for additional reading. She noted that though the 13th amendment was created in 1865 to ensure slavery would never return to America, there was still in existence modern slavery in the form of sex trafficking.