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Campus Event

Show Time

April 6, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

Powerful Play Examines Race in the U.S.

Written and directed by Chaminade English Professor Dr. Allison Francis, “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man” is a three-act play adaptation that evokes the music, imagery and energy at the turn of the 20th century in America. 

Jason Lee Hoy plays the play’s lead character.

“James Weldon Johnson wrote the novella in 1912, and it was only about 120 pages,” says Francis, who is the first writer ever to adapt the novel into a screenplay. “The play will feature ragtime music, racial identity and depictions of lynching with the main character traveling across U.S. and Europe.”

The first fictional memoir ever written by a black person who was also the first black executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), “The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man” influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance, and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has continually compelled the reader to challenge assumptions about race. It has also given white readers a new perspective on their own culture, revealing the double standard of racial identity imposed on African Americans.

Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to “pass” for white, the novella describes a pilgrimage through America’s color lines at the turn of the century—from a black college in Jacksonville, Florida to an elite New York City nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast.

This is a potent, painfully honest examination of race in America, a canticle to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as the late poet Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, “the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year.”

The three-day performances will run from April 21-23, with shows starting at 7:30 p.m. on April 21 and 22, and a matinee program at 2 p.m. on April 23. Seating is limited at the Vi and Paul Loo Theatre. Click here for tickets.

“It’s an ambitious undertaking to stage this play,” says Performing Arts assistant professor Christopher Patrinos in praise of Francis. “Allison deserves a lot of credit for writing and directing such a challenging theme.”

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Faculty, Featured Story, Homepage Large, Student Life Tagged With: Campus Event

Celebration of the Arts

April 5, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

During the pandemic, most campus events went dark, including the Environmental + Interior Design Program’s annual art exhibition. However, as COVID restrictions lifted last year, Dr. Junghwa Suh decided to resurrect the program and named it Celebration of the Arts. This year, the associate professor of Arts and Design tacked on “Gala” at the end of the title to reflect what she hopes will be even bigger and better than last year’s celebration.

“This is to showcase the talent on campus,” Suh says. “Our art program is actually flourishing, and we’re seeing higher enrollment.”

Faculty and staff members, students and anyone with an artistic flair are invited to submit their pièces de résistance, from ceramics and drawings to paintings and poetry. The Chaminade Celebration of the Arts at the Sullivan Family Library held a soft opening on April 10 with a celebration gala held on April 19. The installation can be viewed until the end of the month.

The Celebration of Arts installation will be on display through the end of April.

Supported by The Marianist Sponsorship Ministries Foundation, the Chaminade Celebration of the Arts Gala will be a culmination of “The Marianists & the Arts” workshop series, which began in 2021. The year-long project was undertaken to engage Chaminade faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate student leaders in the historical stories of the transformative educational approach—witty, quirky and visionary—of the first Marianists in Hawaii in the establishment of Chaminade.

“The first year of the granted project focused on building ‘A Sense of Spirit; A Sense of Place’ with the study of six of the early Marianists in Hawaii,” explains Sr. Malia Wong, D.Min, Program Director for Chaminade’s BDK-Fujitani Interfaith Program. “The second year of the project focused on using the Hawaiian translation (‘olelo Hawai’i) of the Characteristics of Marianist Education to inspire others to reflect on these guiding principles in their lives, in their language, and hopefully as wisdom values to nobly live by. This is one way of perpetuating the legacy of Chaminade against the unique and diverse cultural richness of the environment embraced in the graciousness of the spirit of Hawaii.”

Suh has already commissioned works from students and adjunct faculty, guaranteeing that there will be a good representation of the various art mediums. “There is so much creativity on campus,” says the Discipline Coordinator for Arts and Design. “The Gala Night will feature food, a talent show and live music. It will truly be a celebratory event.”

Suh and Wong are excited about the inclusion of more three-dimensional art, more commonly referred to as 3D art. The term refers to any art that is created in three dimensions, rather than two-dimensional, like a drawing. This type of three-dimensional art can be made in many different ways, including sculptures, paintings and even photographs. 3D art can be used to create beautiful and intricate pieces that are sure to amaze and impress viewers.   

“We also emphasize the therapeutic and healing aspects of art,” Suh says. “I believe there should be a balance between the humanities and the sciences, and art is the perfect medium to achieve that equilibrium.”

The Gala is open to the Kalaepohaku community and neighboring residents and will be on display through the month of April.

Filed Under: Campus and Community Tagged With: Campus Event, Environmental + Interior Design

Words of Wisdom

March 10, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

Villanova scholar offers strategies during her ‘A Life Worth Loving’ lecture 

Two college students. Two different experiences. And one identical outcome: Brooke and Sophia (pseudonyms for two Villanova roommates) ended up, on separate occasions and during their same senior fall semester, in Dr. Anna Moreland’s office—in tears.

During her freshmen year, Brooke developed paralyzing anxiety about her future, which resulted in weekly therapy sessions. In her sophomore year, she decided to isolate herself, alienating her entire group of friends, and only talking to her boyfriend. The 18-year-old also chose to keep herself extremely busy, thinking that it would alleviate her angst.

“It didn’t work; it just made things worse,” read Moreland, sharing Brooke’s letter with attendees during her “A Life Worth Loving” lecture on Feb. 19. “It did help me fill my resume, and I thought it would help guarantee me a job. Now I’ve got what all my friends want: a well-paying job at a top bank. But, I wasn’t sure this is what I wanted. I felt backed in this career because it was something practical and prestigious.”

Dr. Anna Bonta Moreland received the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought.

In Sophia’s case, the then-freshman did not want to repeat what she felt in high school—burnout and competition. So, she decided that her college experience would be focused on what she wanted to learn, which was anthropology. However, in her senior year she had no idea on how she was going to go “from courses she loves to a life she loves and to a professional life that she actually wants to do,” according to Moreland, whose discussion centered around her third forthcoming book, “Daring to Live: A Guide to a Meaningful Life,” co-authored with former colleague Dr. Thomas Smith from Catholic University of America.

“This is a book that I almost randomly wrote,” Moreland recounted. “But I wrote it after 17 years of listening to my students and being concerned about them. I wanted to give them a wider vocabulary and a wider vision for a good life.”

Moreland offered three challenges that confront young adults in today’s world: the meaning of work; the meaning of leisure—which she quipped—they don’t even know how to spell; and loving relationships.

“Young men and women really suffer from choice paralysis,” Moreland said. “We need to help them move through this. We need to help them think more broadly, more ambitiously and more fully about the lives that they are building.”

During her lecture, Moreland asserted that Brooke and Sophia treated high school like a race with a clear end marker—college. They had won the race. And now that they were in college, they were again treating the experience like another marathon.

Lecture attendees listened to Moreland's "A Life Worth Loving."
Lecture attendees listened to Moreland’s “A Life Worth Loving.”

“But college is not a marathon,” Moreland said. “It’s a big confusing supermarket—think of Costco or Sam’s Club.

“Brooke races through the aisles, throws things in her cart, and races to the cashier,” Moreland added. “Sophia ends up being paralyzed in one of those overwhelming Costco aisles, unable to move or commit to the 84 rolls of toilet paper.”

They both suffer from choice paralysis. They’re both hungry, but they don’t know for what.

The Villanova Department of Humanities professor later spoke to Brooke and Sophia about four ingredients that would help them move through those aisles: 1) to rehabilitate their imagination; 2) to move away from pro-and-con lists and from right and wrong, and towards goods versus goods or rights versus rights; 3) to not think about what they’re good at, but to think about what they want to become good at; and, 4) to encourage them to seek companions.

The latter point is of great concern to Moreland, who said that young adults don’t know how to form long, loving relationships because of their fear of failure and rejection.

“The hook-up culture is not the problem,” Moreland said. “It’s actually the epidemic of loneliness.”

Dr. Moreland discusses the challenges that college students face today on campus.

It starts with technology, and being enslaved to our phones and, for some students, alcohol.

“Marry the two and it ends up being an exhausting social life and a toxic combination for leisure time,” Moreland explained. “How you spend your leisure time shapes you, molds you and changes you, just as much as how you spend your work time.”

Moreland believes we need to reclaim our free time, and redefine how we choose to spend that time.

“There’s an epidemic of loneliness on campuses across the country, and it is heartbreaking to me,” the religious scholar said. “And if they’re lonely, there’s no way to develop a great leisure life because friendship is at the heart of leisure practices. Loving is at the heart of human life, and friendship, loving relationships are at the heart of how we should spend our leisure time.”

In conclusion, Moreland ended with a hopeful story about a group of Villanova students who bonded through a shared passion for playing The Settlers of Catan and service.

Reciting a junior student’s letter aloud, Moreland read: During one night of heavy drinking, we all admitted to each other that we loved playing The Settlers of Catan with our friends and families growing up. We started jostling with each other about who could build the largest settlement.

By the end of the night, the group decided to start playing regularly, getting together once a week to play Catan, which eventually expanded to include other games.

“It was the first time in college that I had done any fun type of activity that was planned other than drinking,” the student wrote. “We became really close, and they’re still some of my best friends today. I actually met my boyfriend through Catan nights. This is my favorite memory of college.”

Filed Under: Catholic Tagged With: Campus Event, Guest Speakers, Marianist

History in the Making

March 9, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

Students from middle to high schools show off their historical projects

Participants work on an origami project with the guidance of members from the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

With easing COVID restrictions, this year’s Honolulu District History Day Fair was not held virtually for the first time since the pandemic. The hybrid format allowed students to attend in-person at Chaminade University’s Hale Hoaloha. In total, 114 students—from middle to high schools—registered from eight schools, including some ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi students; 65 projects were submitted; and 10 teachers acted as mentors.

“The Chaminade School of Humanities has a longstanding relationship with Hawaii History Day,” says Cheryl Edelson, Chaminade’s Dean of School of Humanities, Arts and Design. “In fact, Chaminade Professor of History, Dr. Mitch Yamasaki, is one of the founding members of Hawaii History Day—a program that since 1990 has brought together K-12 teachers, students and community members to research and create projects on the importance of history.”

Hawaii History Day coincides with the National History Day® (NHD), an educational nonprofit organization that engages teachers and students in historical research. The mission of NHD is to improve the teaching and learning of history in middle and high school through an innovative framework of historical inquiry and research. Students learn history by selecting topics of interest, launching into year-long research projects, and presenting their findings through creative approaches and media.

“The scope of projects and the innovative approaches presented by students is always exciting and impressive,” Edelson says. “In 2021, Hawaii History Day participant Keilani Kajiyama Tinkham of Laie Elementary School earned first place honors in the National Junior Division in Performance for her project The Rhythm of Resilience: Communication through the Bon Dance.” 

Social Studies teacher Jaimy Valerio helps students with their project.

Students can choose from one of five different project formats: Exhibit, Performance, Documentary, Essay and Website. On Hawaii Island, students can also enter their projects in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. This year’s narrative theme was “Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.”

“Hawaiʻi History Day is about community, connection, and the exchange of knowledge through storytelling, connecting our histories to our everyday lives and sparking inspiration for the future,”  says Shannon Cristobal, Director of Hawaiʻi History Day. “These community connections and storytelling exchanges have been particularly crucial for our students as they endured constant schedule changes and profound isolation during online learning through the COVID pandemic, which has really hit our educational community hard.”

Winners will go on to compete at the state competition at a later date. Their projects capture the human experience, showcasing the complex historical contexts that have led to the ideas, which have become so ingrained in our everyday lives.

“When students participate in History Day, they become expert detectives, writers, artists and storytellers,” says Devin Makizuru, Hawaii History Day Assistant Coordinator. “They find bits and pieces of a story, and bring them together to create a different one. This story they tell has a part of them in it, so it is special in that way. We may hear the same stories over the years, but the voices telling them are different. And sometimes, something very special happens…and someone tells a story that no one has ever heard before.”

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, Homepage Large Tagged With: Campus Event

White Coat Ceremony

March 6, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

Nursing students enter clinical phase of their education

Health care team work is most successful when team members respect each other, trust each other, and can depend on each other for the delivery of ethical and effective patient care.

Rhoberta Haley, Ph.D.

The journey to become a nurse often begins with a desire and commitment to help improve peoples’ lives. Along the way, several milestones mark a nursing student’s road to progression, including the White Coat Ceremony.

“Gaining entrance into nursing school and progressing to this point is an accomplishment, and we hope that this ceremony is associated with much pride and anticipation for all of you,” said Nursing and Health Professions Dean, Rhoberta Haley, Ph.D., in her opening remarks to the students. “The giving and accepting of a white coat in this ceremony symbolizes your commitment to the values and responsibilities of the nursing profession.”

Sophomores received their white coats during an annual ceremony.
Sophomores received their white coats during an annual ceremony.

What started in 1993 for strictly medical students, the White Coat Ceremony would later extend to nursing programs in 2014, recognizing the vital role that nurses play in the healthcare profession. Since then, more than 450 schools of nursing have participated, with Chaminade’s School of Nursing & Health Professions among them.

“This ceremony emphasizes the ethics of the profession, and the responsibilities that come with wearing the uniform of the healer,” Haley said. “You are making a commitment to grow your compassion, your ability to provide kind and wise care to patients, families and communities in any setting worldwide.”

A group of 112 mostly sophomores participated in the White Coat Ceremony, which recognizes students’ entry into the health profession as they undertake clinical education. After receiving their white coats, nurses-to-be took the International Council of Nurses pledge to uphold nursing ethics and deliver the best care.

“In addition to congratulating each one of you in receiving your white coat today, I would like to personally thank you all for your pledge to serve in this noblest of professions,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade president, who is also a nurse and former healthcare administrator. “Healthcare and nursing were my calling, and I’m proud that so many have made it yours.”

In her closing remarks, Haley delineated three cornerstones of the nursing profession: responsibility, trustworthiness and respect.

“At Chaminade, we believe in these values, and we are committed to help you achieve your highest level of performance and providing assistance when needed,” she said. “It is a privilege for Nursing faculty and staff to promote professionalism and share what we know and love about nursing with all of you.”

Filed Under: Homepage Large, Nursing & Health Professions, Students Tagged With: Campus Event, Honors and Awards

I Go To College

February 17, 2023 by University Communications & Marketing

Fifth-Graders Attend Classes and a Mock Graduation Ceremony

The excitement was palpable as 254 fifth-graders from Catholic schools across the islands descended on campus to participate in the inaugural “I Go To College” event. Gathering at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn, 20 students from St. Theresa Honolulu were playing cornhole, spike ball and Jenga, as they waited for fellow students to arrive from St. Catherine, St. Anthony’s on Maui, St. Theresa Kauai, Holy Family Catholic Academy, Mary Star of the Sea, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Saint Louis, St. John Vianney, St. Joseph Parish School, and St. Joseph in Hilo. Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed the students, their teachers and chaperones to campus.

“This is all they could talk about yesterday and today on the bus,” said St. Theresa Honolulu fifth-grade teacher Alyssa Yabes of the students. “Some of them were even saying that they were going to graduate from college even before their older siblings.”

Started approximately 15 years ago on the mainland, the “I Go To College” program aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education, even before they step onto a middle school campus. According to Llewellyn Young, Ph.D., superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools, this type of early exposure encourages these fifth graders to start thinking about attending college.

“I’ve seen the anecdotal results of these visits,” said Young, a former dean at Arizona Western, where “I Go To College” visits have taken place since 2010. “We want these kids to see that going to college isn’t such a far-fetched idea. It is achievable.”

Sitting across from each other during “What’s for Dinner? Setting an Interfaith Table” with Sister Malia Wong, Ph.D., Keslen Carroll and Julia Carlos from Holy Family Catholic Academy were enthusiastic about being on campus, both expressing that they plan to attend college.

Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.
Keslen Carroll receives her diploma from Drs. Lynn Babington and Lance Askildson during a mock commencement at Mamiya Theatre.

“This is going to be a good day,” said Carlos, with a wide smile. “I’m not sure where I want to go college, but maybe Idaho University because I like the snow.”

A seven-year longitudinal study* of a college prep program for middle school students showed that “college visits were an integral part of the program.” Students who went on a campus visit had more positive perceptions of college than those who did not. Research also shows the importance of starting college and career planning, and awareness in middle school. Early exposure to a college campus makes a difference, especially among first-generation college-bound, and other underrepresented groups, which are an integral element to increase college enrollment and diversity on campus.

“We’re trying to make the transition from grade school to university as seamless as possible,” said Dr. Janet Davidson, Chaminade Vice Provost and Academic Affairs Professor, who helped organize the day’s event. “We’re hoping that these kids will continue with their education and with their Catholic journey.”

Before setting off on their campus tour, students were divided into eight groups, offering a more intimate setting to simulate the typical Chaminade class size. Class topics varied from “Landing on the Moon on Mars—An Engineering Design Challenge” and EDventures in Science: Water is Life” to “Agriculture and Food Waste” and “Pocket Sharks & Water Bears: An Introduction to Biodiversity.”

“By the time they’re in grade eight or nine, it’s almost too late to spark their interest in college,” Young said. “We’re collaborating with Chaminade in a way that we’ve never collaborated in the past. When I approached Drs. Babington and Askildson about ‘I Go to College,’ they were thrilled, and immediately said yes. This is our pilot year and we’re already talking about how to refine it for next year.”  

Students ended the day with a “graduation” ceremony at Mamiya Theatre with Dr. Lynn Babington and Chaminade Provost Dr. Lance Askildson presenting them with certificates. 

“You are now part of our Silversword ‘ohana,” Babington told students. “I hope you learned a lot after completing your first full day of college.” 

*Research in Middle Level Education, Rich A. Radcliffe & Liz C. Stephens, 2008

Fifth-graders attended classes, toured the campus and participated in a mock Commencement during “I Go To College” event, which aims to expose 9-12-year-old students to higher education.

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Catholic, Diversity and Inclusion, Early College, Homepage Large, Institutional Tagged With: #hawaiicatholicschools, Campus Event, Marianist

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