STAND. COM. REP. 3312

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.C.R. No. 159

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 159 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A MANAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS AUDIT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I'S EFFORTS TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN HAWAIIAN STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I AND TO ESTABLISH A BASELINE FOR EVALUATION OF IMPROVEMENTS IN PROGRAMMING IN THE FUTURE, AND FURTHER REQUESTING THE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I AT MANOA TO FORM A TASK FORCE TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT AND PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICES TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN HAWAIIAN STUDENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct a management and effectiveness audit of programs to recruit and retain Hawaiian students at the University of Hawaii and to establish a baseline for evaluation of improvement in programming in the future.

This measure also requests the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa to form a task force to evaluate the results of the audit and plan for the improvement of services to recruit and retain Hawaiian students.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the University of Hawaii, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that Hawaiian students continue to be underrepresented at the University of Hawaii. While Hawaiians represent twenty-seven percent of students in public schools across the State, less than ten percent of the students at the University are identified as Hawaiian or Part Hawaiian.

Numerous Hawaiian advocacy groups, agencies, and non-profits have long supported the education of Hawaiians, believing it to be one of the best hopes for the improvement of the social and economic conditions endured by Hawaiians and the survival of the host culture of this State.

In order to track programmatic funding and the effectiveness of current and new programs, appropriate means of measurement and a baseline must be established. Your Committee believes in the advancement of the Hawaiian people and the University of Hawaii, and is committed to increasing support for the education of Hawaiians.

Your Committee has amended the measure to clarify the reference to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and to add a reference to the Financially Needy Native Hawaiian tuition waiver category and to state that over 1,000 Native Hawaiians systemwide received tuition waivers.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 159, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 159, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair