ka ‘ohana march 2016

Volume 44, No. 6 March 2016

Ka ‘Ohana now on Facebook

K a O h a n a O n l i n e . o r g

March is Women’s History Month, and WCC will cele-brate with its annual Women’s

Film Festival on March 15 and 17. All screenings will be in Hale ‘Ākoakoa 105 and are free and open to the public.

On March 15, Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority, which was directed by WCC journalism instructor Kimberlee Bassford, will be screened.

The documentary follows the jour-ney of political progressive and Maui local Patsy Mink. She was the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress and served as Hawai‘i’s congresswoman for 24 years.

Bassford was inspired by Patsy Mink when she was in graduate school and realized that she probably would not have had that opportunity if Mink had not been the driving force behind Title IX.

“Before Title IX, colleges and uni-versities had quotas that limited the number of women they admitted as well as practices and policies in place that prevented girls and women from participating in the full spectrum of educational programs that men enjoyed, among them sports,” Bassford said.

She spent four years on the film, and five on her more recent film Winning Girl, also screening at the festival.

Winning Girl captures the journey of local, part-Hawaiian and Samoan Teshya Alo, a 16-year-old prodigy in judo and wrestling. Alo ventures to both the judo and wrestling world championships, and the film displays the difficulty of growing up while simultaneously being under the pres-sure of the spotlight. Bassford will be present after both films to answer questions.

On March 17, the Women’s Film Festival will screen Kumu Hina: The True Meaning of Aloha, which showcases

some of the challenges that Pacific Islander culture faces after westernization was introduced to the is-lands.

The story is illustrated from the perspective of Kumu Hina, a respected teacher and cultural prac-titioner, who also happens to be a mahu or transgen-der woman.

In Native Hawaiian culture, mahus were val-ued as good luck, cherished for possessing both male and female spirit and were usually brought up to be exactly what Kumu Hina is–a community leader.

However in today’s society, Hina and others have faced hardships and harassment, and this film aims to des-tigmatize some of the western-imposed ideas of transgender people in Hawai’i. The film’s directors, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, along with Kumu Hina, will be available at the festival for Q&A afterward.

Another viewing on March 17 will feature Haku Inoa: To Weave a Name, about the filmmaker Christen Hepua-koa Marquez and her mother.

The dramatic documentary lends a heavy perspective through Marquez’s life after her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and Marquez, her father and brothers all moved to start a new life in Seattle. Marquez lived on the mainland for 20 years, only to return to Hawai’i searching for the meaning of her Hawaiian middle name from her estranged mother.

The festival is organized by social sciences department chair Kathleen French, who felt women were underrep-resented in the media and was inspired to start a film festival here to “highlight the roles of women in our society”

WCC hosts Women’s Film Festivalb y G r a c i e B e r k l e y

Ka ‘Ohana Co-Editor in Chief

through women’s films.Although it is a “women’s festival”

and the films are about women and for the most part by women, they were not

WCC will be having its 6th annual Palikū Arts

Festival on Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Palikū Theatre Plaza and Hale Pālanakila art spaces. Students and their ‘ohana are welcome at the free event, which brings together WCC art students and artists from the community and provides hands-on art ac-tivities.

“Art is such a great feel-ing,” said festival co-chair Ben Moffat. “I hope that more

Palikū Arts Festival celebrates the creative spiritpeople get into art.”

Attendees will find op-portunities to explore music, writing, carving, painting and much more. Besides the free admission, free art supplies will be provided.

There will also be musi-cal entertainment from The Royal Hawaiian Band, BYU-Hawai‘i’s Shaka Steel Band and other windward community talent.

Palikū Theatre will have two free 40-minute perfor-mances of a world premiere play called Tales of Ko‘olaupoko. Gallery ‘Iolani will have its new

• Glassblowing demonstrations by Hawai‘i Glass Artists• Printmaking with the Honolulu Printmakers • Ceramics demonstrations with Paul Nash• Music-making with Boomwhackers by Tara Severns• Piano open lab • Camera Obscura with Mark Hamasaki • Open Drawing Studio with Norm Graffam• Woodcarving with Jordan Souza • Clay sculpture with Bryce Meyers • Stage Combat workshop with Nick Logue • Improvisation workshop with Taurie Kinoshita • Screenwriting and life writing workshops with Desiree Poteet• Poetry workshop with Susan St. John• T-shirt printing• Music workshops with Ron Loo• Blue Zones Project art spinners • Roaming performers, vignettes from Shakespeare and much

more!

made only for women. Men are abso-lutely encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Kathleen French at [email protected].

b y D u t c h e s K . R i c h a r d sKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

exhibition featuring Hawai‘i Glass Artists and demonstra-tions. This year’s festival will also feature a poetry reading by the Language Arts Oasis at Hale Mānaleo.

Moffat said that with cuts to art funding and programs on campus, he hopes the festival will inspire more people to get involved with art.

“Sharing creativity, shar-ing creative energy,” he said. “It’s so healing to bring what’s inside out.”

For more information, contact Moffat at 724-1808 or [email protected].

Paliku Arts Festival Activities

This year’s Women’s Film Festival explores the stories of Hawai‘i’s girls and women.

M a r c h 2 0 1 6

W I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

2 NEWS of the DAYKa ‘Ohana

Hawai‘i ushered in a hike in the minimum wage this year, bringing it to $8.50 an hour.

The increase will be followed by ad-ditional raises in 2017 and 2018 to a maximum of $10.10 an hour.

The bill, which was signed by former Governor Neil Abercrombie on May 23, 2014, was the first time Hawai‘i’s minimum wage was raised from $7.25 back in 2007. In a USA Today article, Abercrombie said he wished the increase had come sooner, noting that “minimum wage is not a survival wage, certainly in Hawai‘i.”

In the same art ic le, former state Sen. Clayton Hee (D, Kahuku-Kāne‘ohe) said that he hoped that the hike would be better for Hawai‘i but that lawmakers had to reach a com-promise. Supporters of the bill said that the new wage was beneficial for working families because the cost of living is high in the state.

Many minimum wage work-ers are now anticipating their first paycheck of the new pay period. Hawai‘i Pacific University student Taylor Pinier, 21, is a Las Vegas na-tive who rents a Kailua home with two other classmates. She said she often struggles to balance rent with

Maximizing the minimum wage b y S e a n R o m u a r Special to Ka ‘Ohana

everyday essentials. “It’s strange when you come from

Vegas to Hawai‘i and find yourself struggling when in the same situa-tion back home, I’d be perfectly okay. Sometimes, I have to cut down on things I want to do like go out with friends or spend days working when

I’d like to study for school and exams. I’m hoping I’ll have an easier time making ends meet with the higher pay this year.”

Hawai‘i is among the first few states, along with Maryland and Connecticut, to boost the minimum

wage to $10.10 in 2018, bringing it in line with President Obama’s standard for the country.

Hawai‘i’s minimum wage also applies to tipped employees. Tipped employees are often paid lower wag-es because of the increased income from their tips.

Kelly Sasser, 32, a server at Kin-caid’s, said her paychecks sometimes amount to a couple of dollars to even 5 cents. “I’m so used to disregarding my paychecks as a non-factor com-pared to the tips that I walk home with after my shift,” Sasser said.

ARMI HABAL

About 100 WCC students, faculty, staff and members of the public

attended this year’s Service-Learning Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in Hale ‘Ākoakoa.

“This year was a very good turn-out,” said Sharon MacQuoid, coordina-tor of service-learning. “Everything was very positive.”

Attendees had the chance to learn about credit and non-credit volunteer opportunities with the 38 community organizations present, to pick up in-formational pamphlets and to talk one-on-one with coordinators.

“I came here to look for volunteer services for my scholarship require-ments,” said WCC student Darla Richards. “This fair was interesting and gave me a lot of options to choose from.”

Some of the participating organi-zations included the Hula Preservation Society, Ko’olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, St. Francis Hospital, Department of Land and Natural Resources Divi-sion of Forestry and Wildlife, Ronald McDonald House and American Red Cross.

MacQuoid said she was glad to see students from other campuses attending the event. To grow the fair for next year, she plans to use social media to get the word out to even more students.

For more information about ser-vice-learning, contact MacQuoid at 236-9225 or [email protected].

Positivity shined at Service-Learning Fairb y D u t c h e s K . R i c h a r d s

Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

Under the new law, employees who receive less than $7 an hour from their tips (not including their wages) have to be paid the $8.50 an hour minimum wage. Employees whose total pay including tips is at least $7 more than the minimum wage (in other words $15.50 or more) can be paid 75 cents below minimum wage (in other words $7.75 an hour) because of a 75 cents “tip credit.” Last year, the tip credit was 50 cents.

Sasser said that she thinks the changes will have the most impact during times when restaurants have slow business and tips aren’t as big of an issue. “It’s nice to know that on those kinds of days, myself and other people out there can still walk away with a little bit of money.”

“I’m really excited for the new changes to the minimum wage,” said Michael Adams, 28, a server at Big City Diner Kailua for seven years. “It’ll be nice to see my paychecks actually amounting to something while not having to solely rely on tips for a majority of the income I make.”

While the brunt of the upgrade is still on its way over the next few years, the wage increase will surge into Hawai‘i residents’ paychecks and give them more breathing room during difficult times and a few more dollars to indulge in paradise.

“This fair was interesting and gave me a lot of

options to choose from.” – Darla Richards

Students learned about various credit and non-credit volunteer opportunities in the community at last month’s Service-Learning Fair.

PHOTOS BY DUTCHES K. RICHARDS


NEWS of the DAY 3Ka ‘Ohana

M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Legislators propose industrial hemp for Mauib y D e b o r a h H i g a


(Above) Rep. Cynthia Thielen takes part in the first harvest of industrial hemp at the University of Hawai‘i's research plot in Waimanalo last summer. (Right) Reps. Kaniela Ing and Cynthia Thielen form an inter-party alliance in support of hemp legalization.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORY LUM

As Hawai‘i's last sugar plantation closes at the end of the year,

state Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R-Kailua-Kāne‘ohe) and Rep. Kaniela Ing (D-Kihei-Wailea-Makena) are crossing genera-tional and political boundaries in their proposal to reform Hawai‘i Commercial & Sugar Company's (HC&S's) cash crop from sugar to industrial hemp.

The introduced bill would legalize a crop that is consid-ered a controlled substance and outlawed by the federal government.

After a $30 million oper-ating loss in 2015, Alexander & Baldwin (A&B), HC&S's parent company, predicts continued losses in 2016, ac-cording to Stanley Kuriyama, A&B executive chairman. The sugarcane industry in Hawai‘i has been declining for decades due to the demand for land as tourism expands. A&B is looking at new agricultural alternatives that will keep the land productive.

“Coupled with direct sev-erance and training assistance, this could save hundreds of plantation jobs on Maui,” Ing said.

Hemp, like marijuana, comes from the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa. But hemp, also called “industrial hemp,” is an agricultural crop (like feed, fiber and oil) that requires different cultivation practices than marijuana and has low levels of THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol), the chemical that produces the

psychoactive high. Marijuana refers to the

flowering tops and leaves of the psychoactive cannabis varieties that are grown for their high content of THC. THC levels for marijuana are reported to range from 10 to 30 percent, according to the Congressional Research Ser-vice’s report Hemp as an Ag-ricultural Commodity. THC levels for hemp are generally less than 1 percent.

Some studies also claim that industrial hemp has high-er levels of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive part of marijuana, which has shown to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC.

From the 1600s to the 1890s, the domestic produc-tion of hemp was encouraged

for the production of rope, sails and clothing, according to the PBS Frontline program Marijuana Timeline.

The abuse of marijuana led to its bad reputation and the cult classic Reefer Mad-ness, an American propa-ganda film produced in 1936 to warn parents that their children would become vio-lent criminals after trying marijuana. Hemp’s approval in the community was demon-ized by its close relationship to cannabis.

Despite the fact that hemp cannot produce a high, in 1973, the federal government made all strains of cannabis illegal and classified it as a Substance I drug, which is defined in the Controlled Substance Act as a substance that has no accepted medical uses and has a high potential for abuse.

The University of Hawai‘i was allowed to grow hemp for research purposes under the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 and began test trials in April 2015. The research facil-ity is located in Waimanalo and houses three varieties of hemp: temperate zone hemp, tropical seed hemp and tropi-cal fiber hemp.

The tropical fiber hemp flourished and grew over 10 feet tall during its 15-week crop cycle. The tropical seed hemp was much shorter but heavily produced seed. And the temperate seed hemp flowered and died after eight weeks.

“There is much to learn about the performance of hemp cultivation in our tropi-cal climate,” said Rick Volner, HC&S general manager.

Thielen has been a strong advocate for hemp for two de-cades and points out that Ken-tucky has been using a similar

approach to al-low commercial hemp farming since 2013. By 2014, 20 farmers in Kentucky grew more than 33 acres of hemp.

“It is unclear what condi-tions the federal and state laws allow (for) the cultivation of industrial hemp, but we are pursuing legal interpreta-tions,” Volner said. “Once we are assured the activity is legal, we stand ready to begin trial planting at HC&S.”

Ing's Facebook post about his and Thielen’s proposal has gained popularity in the Maui community. “I’ve been saying for years that hemp would be a perfect replacement,” commented Brian Pfeiffer, a supporter of industrial hemp. “It’s so versatile, easy to grow, requires less water, no burn-ing and will keep people em-ployed.”

“Because of the 25,000 products that hemp can be transformed into, none of the plant is wasted,” Thielen said.

“Hemp is the most valuable crop for farmers, second to tobacco.”

According to Senate Bill 411, which authorized the indus-trial hemp research program at the University of Hawai‘i at

Mānoa, industrial hemp has a great potential for manufactur-ing products such as hemp oil for humans, feed for livestock and hemp fiber for clothing and building materials.

The State will also ben-efit from phytoremediation research, which is the environ-mentally-friendly use of plants to remove toxins in the soil such

COURTESY OF CANNABIS MAGAZINE

“It's so versatile, easy to grow, requires less

water, no burning and

will keep people employed.”

–Brian Pfeiffer

A hemp industry in Hawai‘i could involve the production of hemp-based products at the level of local farms and small businesses.

as metals and pesticides.“The crop itself can restore

nutrients to the soil that it’s on,” Ing said. “The former sugar land that has been taking such a pounding from all the pesti-cides, that is now quite barren, can be restored.”

Thielen’s favorite potential use for hemp is hempcrete, a lightweight insulating material weighing about an eighth of the weight of concrete that is fire and termite-resistant and can be used as an alternative to drywall.

The Hemp Industries As-sociation estimates that the total U.S. retail value of hemp products in 2013 was $581 mil-lion, which includes food and body products, clothing, auto parts, building materials and other products.

Currently, hemp is im-ported from approximately 30 countries in Europe, Asia and North and South America, with China being the single largest supplier of U.S. imports of raw and processed hemp fiber, according to Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity.

Locally grown hemp could reduce the cost of and importa-tion from other countries and boost Hawai‘i’s economy, and it may be less environmentally degrading than other agricul-tural crops.

Ing and Thielen are urging supporters to sign a petition on Change.org that asks legislators to approve industrial hemp this session.

The proposal has been co-signed by more than 30 members of the House and is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mike Gab-bard (D- Kalaeloa-Makakilo).

M a r c h 2 0 1 6


4 CAMPUS NEWSKa ‘Ohana

Event educates about domestic violenceb y C y n t h i a L e e S i n c l a i r


Every year around Valen-tine’s Day, WCC coun-selor Kate Zane puts

on a program called “Empty Place at the Table,” which com-memorates lives lost to domestic violence.

The event seeks to honor those who are now absent from the family dinner table and to raise awareness of this impor-tant issue.

On February 11, there was a special display in the library. A beautiful table was set with nine places. At each place, there was a photo of a person and the story of how they died. The sto-ries featured around the table were tragic and chilling.

“When you put a face to a crime it makes it a reality,” said WCC student Michelle Ah Mook Sang. “The reality begins to hit home when you realize it could be your neighbor, a rela-tive or me.”

The first story encountered at the table was a horrific tale of a 24-year-old woman.

On January 18, the woman and her boyfriend were arguing in a parked car in Kahalu‘u. He accused her of seeing someone else. He had about three inches of gasoline in a fast food drink cup. He threw it on her and lit it on fire.

The woman was taken to the intensive care burn unit at Straub Hospital in serious con-dition and treated for burns to

30 percent of her body. While this victim did not

lose her life, she will suffer for many years due to the injuries from this brutal attack.

The boyfriend was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and other charges. His bail was set at $1 million. If convicted he could receive 25 years to life in prison without the possibility of pa-role.

Another place at the table featured a story that happened on February 3.

A woman in her late sixties was stabbed and killed by her husband. Her sister was also treated for injuries sustained in the attack.

Two young grandkids were sleeping with the couple when the incident happened. They

ran into the other room and woke their auntie informing her of what was going on.

Children are often collater-al damage in domestic violence situations. Not only do they have to deal with the loss of a parent, but sometimes they have to deal with the trauma of having witnessed the violence.

As part of the February 11 event on campus, a group of people met in the courtyard outside the library at noon. A bell was rung nine times, one for each place set at the table. Then a special poem was read called “Remember My Name,” written by Kimberly A. Collins, a poet and domestic violence advocate.

Ashley Shankles, a former WCC student, performed two powerful poems that she wrote

about a rape experience she had at the hands of a boyfriend.

The event also featured information tables in the library courtyard: a table for Safe Plac-es, a WCC program promoting gender equality; another from the Associated Students of Uni-versity of Hawai‘i-Windward Community College, promot-ing healthy relationships; and another table providing infor-mation about support services for victims of domestic violence.

“If even one person is moved to get help after view-ing the exhibit, then it has been a success,” Zane said.

Zane’s main focus is on prevention. She works tirelessly to present different events each year.

Last October, during Do-mestic Violence Awareness

Month, a program called “The Prison Monologues,” was invited to campus, in which several former and current female inmates shared their stories of abuse and recovery.

Also in October, there was a campus screening of No More, Title 9 Matters, a film made by volunteers and written by WCC theatre lecturer Taurie Kinoshita.

On March 8 at 5:30 p.m., there will be a screening of the documentary The Hunting Ground about sexual assaults on American college campuses.

Zane plans to feature sev-eral events in April, which is Sexual Violence and Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Look for flyers around school for more information on events, times and locations.

Wendy Mow-Taira (left) volunteered to help at the exhibit in the library.PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA LEE SINCLAIR

My journey back to school ... the series continues

Donita Lyn Garcia is an adult learner who came back to

school after 40 years to pursue her dream of becoming a law-yer. The 60-year-old grew up in Hawai‘i and is a widow with three grown children, three grandchildren and one more on the way.

Garcia is pursuing her bach-elor’s degree in justice admin-istration law. She was a WCC student and has transferred to UH West O‘ahu to complete her education but continues to be on campus as a TRIO tutor, a role she has fulfilled for two years.

“Without her I wouldn t̒ be passing right now,” said Joshua Garcia (no relation), one of the WCC students whom Garcia tutors.

She attributes TRIO–a program in Hale Alaka‘i that provides tutoring, computer access, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and much more to students at no cost–as being the main contributor to her success as a student and encourages

b y C y n t h i a L e e S i n c l a i rKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

others to take advantage of the free program.

“I couldn’t have made it without TRIO,” she said.

Garcia has also served as a senator and vice-president in the Associated Students of the University of Hawai’i-Windward Community Col-lege. In addition, she was the WCC chapter president of Phi Theta Kappa, a national honor society for community colleges, and volunteers on its planning and budget committee.

She said her biggest strug-gle academically has been with

math. It took five semesters of math classes to finally complete the requirement she needed. But she conquered her issues and is now a math tutor at TRIO.

“Determination is what will see you through any struggle you face,” she said.

To other adult learners, Garcia says “always follow your dreams” and “never quit.”

Carla Rogers, WCC’s coun-selor for adult learners, works with older returning students like Garcia.

She was an adult learner herself at WCC at the age of

40. The oldest student she has worked with is 88.

Rogers said that “all ser-vices serve all students” and that “Windward Community College is not an us and them learning environment.” She said that adult learners do best when they assimilate into the classroom.

Some of the best resources on campus for adult learners are the access to night classes, on-line classes, quiet study spaces and tutoring, because they provide more options to fit each individual’s needs.

Rogers said that about a year ago when the shift to as-signed counselors took place, it was good for all students but especially adult learners, because it helped to facilitate

relationships between student and counselor, allowing the counselor to be better in tune with what each student needs.

“Adult learners are an asset to the learning environment be-cause they bring experience and perspective,” she said. “They are valuable as mentors for younger students.”

Rogers has recently become the student/parent counselor and works with students who deal with the special issues involved with balancing parent-ing and school responsibilities. She is instrumental in organiz-ing the campus childcare facility that is in the works.

Our series continues next month with a story that features two student/parents, their struggles and successes.

CYNTHIA LEE SINCLAIR

OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH, CAMPUS DATA , NOT OFFICIAL UH SYSTEM DATA

The event featured the tragic stories of victims of domestic violence.

Donita Lyn Garcia (left) tutors a TRIO student in Hale Alaka‘i.

Ka ‘OhanaW I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

CAMPUS NEWS 5M a r c h 2 0 1 6

On January 31, 16 mem-bers of the Associated Students of the Uni-

versity of Hawai‘i-Windward Community College (ASUH-WCC) traveled to Kaua‘i with peer mentors and WCC stu-dent counselor Kaahu Alo to join student government lead-ers from across the islands at the Ho’opili Hou conference.

The three-day conference, whose theme was “think as one, move as one,” aimed to teach values of leadership and initiative.

The conference kicked off at Kaua‘i Museum, where John Constantino of Kaua‘i Community College wel-comed more than 100 stu-dents and staff in attendance. Museum board of trustees president Maryanne Kusaka spoke to the group about the museum’s theme, “Polyne-sian navigational voyage,” as well as its Hawaiian arti-facts.

“Kaua‘i is my favorite island,” said ASUH-WCC

Student government leaders hone skillsmember corresponding sec-retary Andrew Simeona. “I went to the museum and saw and learned about so much history in Kaua‘i. I thought I knew Hawaiian history, but I always keep learning.”

O n t he s e c ond day, ASUH-WCC members went to Waipa for the Waipa Loe’e challenge, where students learned to work together as a team to accomplish and do anything.

ASUH-WCC senator Ron-ald Vacca-Farley said, “We are all the same intelligent, and innovative species, and yet we are not born with the natural ability of working together.”

At the challenge, pairs of students had to climb a giant tree. One student climbed, while the other held a rope on the ground. The obsta-cle required the students to communicate and trust one another.

The final day took place o n K a u a ‘i C o m mu n i t y College s̒ campus, where vari-ous workshops and lectures that trained students in com-munication, teamwork and

trust-building were offered. Vacca-Farley sa id he

learned so much about team-work.

“We must realize that coming together as one is a start, keeping together is

progress, and working to-gether is success. Thus this explains that a great team is the difference between suc-cess and failure,” he said.

ASUH-WCC members are currently working with Chan-

cellor Doug Dykstra and staff on campus issues that matter to students. Last month, they surveyed students near the library about campus parking for motorcycles and a farmers’ market for WCC.

ASUH-WCC members and staff volunteers gathered at the Ho‘opili Hou conference on Kaua‘i.ANDREW SIMEONA

b y Z a c h a r y R u p p - S m i t hKa‘Ohana Co-Editor in Chief

Filmmaker shares insights with journalism classb y I t z e l C o n t r e r a s M e n d e z


Like many young people, Lauren Kawana didn’t

specifically know what she wanted to be when she grew up. Instead her thoughts were always: “What are the pos-sibilities? What’s out there?”

She focused on things that she enjoyed like traveling, cul-tural exploration and writing, and waited to see what would

come of them. In the end, they brought her to journalism.

The 31-year-old Hawai‘i native, who now lives in Berkeley, California, was in town last month to screen the documentary Mind/Game at the Honolulu African Ameri-can Film Festival. But she stopped by WCC’s Journal-ism 250: Media Writing class to share her journey through journalism with students, showing that an adventurous

spirit, open mind and perse-verance are just as important qualities for success as having a fixed plan.

After graduating from Bates College with a bachelor s̒ degree in English in 2006, Kawana worked as an intern on WCC instructor Kimberlee Bassford s̒ documentary about the late Hawai‘i Congress-woman Patsy Mink. She was then a freelance writer and later associate editor and man-aging editor for local maga-zine Pacific Edge. And then she went back to graduate school to earn her master s̒ of jour-nalism from the University of California Berkeley, where she made her first documentary film about a kumu hula in Oakland.

Along the way, she had her struggles. She didn t̒ get into Berkeley her first time try-ing. And some questioned the value of pursuing a master s̒ degree at all.

But she remained stead-fast.

“Sometimes for better or worse, you are just stubborn about doing things,” Kawana said.

For the past two years, she has been working in docu-mentary in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, she was the associate producer

of Mind/Game, about WNBA basketball player Chamique Holdsclaw and her struggle against mental illness.

Kawana felt a connection to Holdsclaw s̒ story because she personally struggled with depression as well. She hopes the film will make people more accepting and aware of mental illnesses.

Students in the class ap-

preciated her genuineness and candor in sharing her story.

“It was refreshing to see how your life doesn t̒ need to be planned out,” said Ka‘ainoa Fernandez. “Sometimes op-portunities will come to you.”

“It was inspiring to see a woman from Hawai‘i succeed in highly competitive fields as journalism and filmmaking,” said Grace Mathew.

Lauren Kawana shows off the website for the film Mind/Game.

ITZEL CONTRERAS MENDEZ

M a r c h 2 0 1 6


6 Arts & EntertainmentKa ‘Ohana

Theatre students take to the stage twiceb y K a ‘ O h a n a

News Staff

WCC theatre students present two exciting productions in March and April on

Palikū’s stage. First up is the Hawai‘i premiere

of the dark comedy Roberto Zucco, written by Bernard-Marie Koltes.

Roberto is the proverbial boy next door, a serial killer with the face of an angel, a murderer without remorse. Theatre 260 students will enact his bewildering, blood-spattered tale—inspired by real events.

Directed by WCC theatre lecturer Taurie Kinoshita, Roberto Zucco plays March 11 through March 20, offer-ing O‘ahu audiences a rare glimpse at the work of a critically acclaimed contemporary European playwright.

Due to adult language, situations and themes, this play is recommend-ed for ages 18 and older. No children under 13 will be admitted.

Next up is the family-friendly Tales of Ko‘olaupoko, an original youth theatre production written and directed by Moses Goods and pre-miered on Palikū’s stage.

The performance presents several legends from Kāne‘ohe, Waimanalo, Kualoa and all the lands in the realm known as Ko‘olaupoko.

Beneath every rock, within every pond and over every mountain awaits an exciting tale.

The origin stories of Mokoli‘i (Chinaman’s Hat), Kawainui Marsh and other notable locales in the shad-ow of the Ko‘olau are brought to life in this children’s theatre extravaganza.

To learn more about theatre class-es offered at WCC, contact instructor Nicolas Logue at 236-9138 or [email protected].

Both shows will be performed at WCC’s Palikū Theatre. To purchase tickets, go to eTicketHawaii.com or call 235-7310. Prices are $5 students/senior/military and $10 general.

ORRIN NAKANELUA

From left: Cynthia Sinclair, Benjamin Brown, U‘i Goodhue, and Punahele Valentine restrain the dangerous titular killer of Roberto Zucco, played by Bailey Campbell.

On Friday, March 11 at 8:15 p.m., Hōkūlani Imagi-

narium will host the pre-miere of “Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon,” a computer-generated graphic and light show. It will feature the classic rock band Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album, which was one of the most popular amongst its fans and included hit songs like “Time,” “Money” and “Us and Them.”

The show will make the audience feel like it has left Earth and traveled to the moon thanks to the great ef-fects displayed on the 360-de-gree full dome environment.

The show is especially timely as just three days prior

b y I t z e l C o n t r e r a s M e n d e zKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ arrives in Hawai‘i

the “dark side of the moon” will in fact slip in front of the sun. This phenomenon is called a partial solar eclipse. Starting at 4:30 p.m. on Tues-day, March 8, the moon will

come between the sun and Earth. However, they won’t align in a perfectly straight line, and thus the moon will only partially cover the sun’s disc. By 5:36 p.m., the moon

will cover about 70 percent of the sun and appear as though it has taken a bite out of it.

It is important to remem-ber that a dense filter is nec-essary, such as “sun peeps,” during viewing to protect you from the sun’s ultravio-let rays. Sunglasses are not sufficient.

The best v iew of the eclipse will be in Honolulu, for example Ala Moana Beach Park, because of its better view of the sunset and less cloud cover. If you wanted to go all out, you could travel to Indonesia where it will be a total solar eclipse.

Later th is month, on March 22, there will be an opportunity to see a penum-bral lunar eclipse. During this astronomical event, the earth’s shadow or penumbra

will cover the moon making it slightly darker. This will start at 11:39 p.m., hit its max at 1:47 a.m. and end on March 23 at 4:54 a.m.

“It will be difficult to pick up, unless you know what you’re looking for,” said physics, astronomy and mathematics professor Joe Ciotti. “The earth’s shadow is very faint.”

The most epic of eclipses is a total solar eclipse. The last time one was seen in the contiguous U.S. was in 1979. The next one happens on August 21, 2017, and has been dubbed “The Great American Eclipse” as it will travel across the whole U.S. mainland, starting in Oregon and then hitting such loca-tions as Wyoming, Tennessee and Georgia.

Roberto ZuccoMarch 11 & 12 (Fri. and Sat.), 8 p.m. (Post-show talk with cast on Saturday)

March 13 (Sun.), 4 p.m.March 17 (Thurs.), 4:30 p.m.

March 17 – 19 (Thurs.– Sat.), 8 p.m. March 20 (Sun.), 4 p.m.

Tales of Ko‘olaupokoApril 1 & 2 (Fri. and Sat.), 7:30 p.m.

April 2 (Sat.), Paliku Arts Festival shows, 11 a.m., 2 p.m.April 3 (Sun.), 2 p.m.

April 7 (Thurs.), 4:30 p.m.April 7 - 9 (Thurs. – Sat.), 7:30 p.m.

April 10 (Sun.), 2 p.m.

The Hokulani Imaginarium’s new show ‘eclipses’ all other entertainment.COURTESY OF LARRY WISS

Map: A total solar eclipse will be visible from the West Coast to the East Coast. Insert: Safe solar viewers, also known as “sun peeps” should be used to safely view the eclipses.MAP FROM TIMEANDDATE.COM AND INSERT BY ITZEL CONTRERAS MENDEZ

Ka ‘OhanaW I N D W A R D C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

Editorial 7M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Ka ‘Ohana is published monthly by the students of Windward Community College. 45-720 Kea‘ahala Rd, Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744. Phone (808) 236-9185. The newspaper reflects only the views of its student

staff. Visit Ka ‘Ohana’s website at www.KaOhanaOnline.org.

Ka ‘Ohana(The Family)

CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF

Gracie BerkleyZachary Rupp-Smith

STAFF REPORTERS

Itzel Contreras Mendez

Deborah Higa

Dutches K. Richards

Cynthia Lee Sinclair

ADVISER

Kimberlee Bassford

WEBMASTER/LAB ASSISTANT

Patrick Hascall

LAB ASSISTANT

Armi Habal

I don’t th ink women should have to register for se-lective service. They are much more needed out of the way of harm and taking care of the young. I’m not being sexist and saying should do only those duties, but I just can’t imagine my sister, daughter or mother getting the call of duty. I’d rather go instead of them, in a heartbeat. I just don’t see myself taking care of a family while the women are fighting a war. It wouldn’t make sense.

– Ricky Ing

As a retired female mili-tary member, I do not believe women (or men, for that mat-ter) should have to register for selective service. I disagree with the idea of forcing any-one to join the military. The reason our country’s military is so powerful is because its filled with people who are voluntarily there.

– Angie Lanier

I believe we live in an in-credibly progressive era. We have to fight for social equal-ity. Allowing women to regis-ter for the draft is just another step in that fight. The military won’t be seen as a “boy’s job” and staying home won’t be seen as a “girl’s job.” These are antiquated principles. Al-lowing anyone regardless of gender, identity, sexuality and religion will make our forces stronger. Is the military ready to get rid of its institutional-ized sexism though?

– Austin Weihmiller

As a veteran I am not in favor of drafting our young people at all, as it is not con-ducive to maintaining a pro-fessional military. During the Iraq and Afghanistan con-flicts, a variety of issues were had with service members who had no desire to stay in. I can only imagine the prob-lems that would occur with non-volunteers. As a feminist I say make the girls play in the mud too: this is the price of equality.

– Jordan Blais

Women should not have to register for selective ser-vice. In history, women are kept from dangerous activi-ties like hunting because the key to survival was to protect women because they produce life, and protect children be-cause they are the next gen-eration. Males are important as well but they are built to withstand a whole lot more

Should women have to register for selective service (the draft)? Why or why not?

I just can’t imagine my

sister, daughter or mother getting the call of duty. I’d rather go

instead of them, in a heartbeat

– Ricky Ing

physical stress than women or children.

– Rowena Kim

I do not think that women should have to enter the draft but I feel the selection should be up to the woman to decide if they do or don’t. I feel that if all the men are going to be in the selective service for war then who is going to be back home to take care of the chil-dren. I’m not being sexist but even some men should stay back from the draft to protect the women and children back home in the States.

– Nikolas Uyeno

I stand neutral on the issue because women have proved themselves to be use-ful especially with dealing with other issues that involve other women in other cultures that are not allowed to have contact with men in which their lives depend on it. How-ever, we do need women (as much as men) to stay home to ensure survival.

– Christian Moratin

I feel that women should have the choice to register for selective service if they want. I think they should stay home and care for the fam-ily. I think it’s more a man’s job to go to war than it is a woman’s job because men are more dominant and physi-cally stronger the majority of the time. However, if a woman feels she can handle it, then she should have the choice to register or not.

– Adam Aku

I feel that women should not have to register for selec-tive service because most women are mothers. I feel that every child needs their mother. They are already able to take their father away with the draft, and nobody can replace a mother’s love for their child. The mother and child build a bond from when the baby is in the mother’s womb. Mothers are there to nurse, guide, protect, love and discipline their child and so much more.

– Sheila Ramseyer

Women should always have to register for the selec-tive service. Since the secre-tary of defense authorized women to serve in combat roles such as infantry and special forces, they need to be registered. The only prob-lem is that there are only a few women who can hold

up to the challenges of being in these roles and if a draft happens, and say 95% of the women have to be in a ground combat role and can not make the cut, that makes the U.S. look ineffective and could end in more casualties.

– James Fethersten

I think that desperate times call for desperate mea-sures and for a draft to hap-pen, things would have to be pretty dire. With that said, if women were drafted as well, there would certainly be an issue with childcare, but if women are to be considered equal to men in every sense, as many want to be, then a draft should be no different.

Most women want to be around to raise their children, but if there had to be a draft, maybe there could be an op-tion (at least where children are concerned) for at least one parent in each family unit to stay behind. Then whether it were male or female should be up to each couple.

Many women want to serve in the military and I respect their choice to do so just as much as I do any male. Yes, we women can bear chil-dren if we wish to do so, but in my opinion, both parents are equally important when it comes to raising them and in a

draft situation, either way the child is losing.

– Meghan Ruiz

Would you be alright see-ing your daughter sent to war to be killed? I hope it would start riots in the streets if this happens. No one should be drafted because if the United States itself is being invaded, the people will stand up to fight or help in what ways they can for her. Other than to literally protect the country and their own lives, no one should be forced to fight the wars of these old men. If you’d like to join to help protect national interests and sort of “police” the world then that is one thing but being forced to do so is unamerican in my book.

– Joshua Hackman

Women should not have to register for selective service because women are excluded by policy from front line combat position. Although the continued efforts to achieve equality in men and women in our society, we must acknowl-edge that each sex carries its own distinctive physiologi-cal characteristics. Until the U.S. legislature can come up with more specific duty dis-tribution system for selective service, training women for frontline combat would not be a productive investment for the U.S. government.

– Jae An

This is a really hard ques-tion to answer. A very small part of me wants to say yes because we women are always wanting equality but that is only reason why. A huge part of me thinks not. I person-ally feel that women are not designed to go into combat. Sure there are women who want to go and train to be in combat but that would be a very small percentage. I also

feel that there are reasons that there are men and women, and we compliment each other. There are just things that men are better at than women and women are better at than men. Women should not be forced in to selective service.

– Kimberly Wong

No, I think women should be given a choice because not all women are capable in par-ticipating in the extremities of military service. Although it is not uncommon for women to do so voluntarily, I person-ally feel that a woman’s job is to care for her children, home and husband.

– Sheila Estanique

Yes, I believe all quali-fied persons, male and fe-male should be required to register for selective service (the draft), if such a situation arises. I think the process should consider an individ-ual’s availability status to decide the order in which positions are filled. Those who are employed full-time, going to school full-time, pro-viders or caregivers of others should be placed lower on the list. I feel in this modern age, military placement can reflect one’s qualifications to combat or administrative support stations.

– Michael Farquhar

I think that women should be able to make the decision to register for selective service but not be required to. Yes equality for men and women hasn’t stopped growing, but women have other domestic duties to partake in. While some of us are completely capable of performing special service duties, the rest of us are more than okay with tak-ing care of our families and not fighting for our country.

– Antonia Gary

M a r c h 2 0 1 6


8 Arts & EntertainmentKa ‘Ohana

Pow! Wow! floods Kaka‘ako with art

Pow! Wow! Hawai’i attracts artists from around the country, and

among them this year was abstract graffiti artist Kalani Ware.

The 28-year-old from Oakland, California, was not an official Pow! Wow! artist but wanted to come to the event to meet other artists, to be inspired and to paint an outdoor mural for the first time.

“I didn’t want to come out here and not do some work,” Ware said. “I want to make an impression by some of the people here and get exposure.”

This wasn’t Ware’s first time in Hawai‘i. He graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2013 where he received a degree in graphic design.

During his time at Mānoa, he be-came intrigued by Native Hawaiian culture and took Hawaiian Studies classes.

His style of art began to reflect a combination of street graffit i, abstract and Hawaiian cultural ele-ments, all of which are present in the mural he painted.

For Ware, who works as a graphic designer for Crystal Clear Imaging in San Francisco, abstract art is sub-jective, and at first glance a person may not necessarily understand it. He said that finding the meaning

Creativity and culture abounded last month at the 6th annual Pow!

Wow! Hawai‘i.The week-long collabora-

tive art event brought together international and local artists with art lovers who flooded Kaka’ako’s streets to take in the art gallery shows, lecture series, schools for art and mu-sic, mural projects, a creativity space, poetry readings, dance performances, concerts and live art installations.

“This was my first time

b y D u t c h e s K . R i c h a r d sKa ‘Ohana Staff Reporter

coming to Pow! Wow!,” said attendee Shamrock Gohier. “I actually really enjoyed being here. It was really cool getting to see all these different pieces of artwork by different people from all over.”

According to an article written by Pow! Wow! founder and lead director Jasper Wong, the festival was inspired by the pow wow, a traditional Native American gathering in which people come together to sing, dance, reunite with old friends and make new ones.

Pow! Wow! has now done shows all over the globe, ex-panding to places like Ger-

many, New Zealand, Taiwan, Israel, Long Beach, Guam and Jamaica.

One of the highlights of the Honolulu festival are the mural paintings, which take several days to complete and involve the participation of artists from around the world such as Usugrow (Japan), He-bru Brantly (Chicago), Tanja Misery Jade (New Zealand) and Kalani Ware (California).

“I’m trying to get involved with more mural work,” Ware said. “Any chance you can get from other artists and get fa-miliar with the different faces, you build more relationships.”

Understanding art with Kalani Wareb y D u t c h e s K . R i c h a r d s


behind your own piece during the process of creating it is what makes art, art.

“Trying to figure it out and come up with something different is what makes art unique,” he said. “You’re constantly trying to figure it out.”

Being a non-official Pow! Wow! artist, Ware had to bring his own art supplies and find his own wall to paint. His vibrant use of color, line and shape made his work stand out.

The finished product consisted of multiple vibrant spraypainted shapes and colors that represented a mixture of natural energy, creative emotions of chaos, and beauty inter-acting with water.

In his mural, women in the middle are spraypainted in black and are designed to direct the viewer’s eye to the center.

Ware said that when he began his mural, he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to paint. But in the end, he was happy with the results.

Ware hopes to become an official Pow! Wow! artist, where he’ll be able to travel and create art all over the world.

“To become an artist at Pow! Wow!, to be an artist at Coachella, to be an artist at all these festivals all over the world, that’s my goal,” he said.

“I think we are all artists. But only some of us choose to embrace it.”

PHOTOS BY DUTCHES K. RICHARDS

The walls of Kaka‘ako were transformed last month during the week-long Pow! Wow! Hawai‘i event, which celebrates culture, music and art.

Oakland graffiti artist Kalani Ware working on his abstract mural at Pow! Wow! Hawai‘i.DUTCHES K. RICHARDS

ka ‘ohana march 2016

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