THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

159

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


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.

 

WHEREAS, there exists an overwhelming body of evidence that Hawaiians, like other indigenous peoples who have lost their sovereignty and become disenfranchised in their home lands, suffer through depressed social and economic conditions including inadequate housing, poor health, and limited access to health care and education; and

WHEREAS, although the University of Hawai`i now celebrates its 97th year, with a student body that has grown and changed dramatically, one consistent fact is that Hawaiian students continue to be underrepresented at the University; and

WHEREAS, while Hawaiians represent 27% of students in public schools across the State, less than 10% of the students at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa are identified as Hawaiian or Part Hawaiian, and the University of Hawai`i 2002 Institutional Research Office Report also indicated that less than 10% of incoming freshmen were Hawaiian; and

WHEREAS, for 2002-2003 only 6.8% of graduate degrees and 8.5% of undergraduate degrees conferred went to Hawaiians or Part Hawaiians, an improvement over 2001-2002 when only 5.7% of graduate degrees and 7.7% of undergraduate degrees conferred went to Hawaiians or Part Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, the system-wide network of the University of Hawai`i now utilizes or controls 16,000 acres of section 5(f) ceded lands, and the dollar value of the use of these lands over 97 years is so great that it is almost impossible to calculate, yet it is very clear that the indigenous people of Hawai`i have never received compensation or benefits for the use of these lands; and

WHEREAS, 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; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature and the University of Hawai`i have supported various programs to recruit and retain Hawaiians at the University, but despite these efforts the University of Hawai`i at Manoa is not statutorily considered a Hawaiian serving institution and has been denied millions of dollars of Title III funds because it does not meet the minimum enrollment requirement of Hawaiian students; and

WHEREAS, of a total allotment of 4,478 tuition waivers awarded at the University of Hawai`i in 2000-2001 only 127, or 3%, were awarded under the Financially Needy Native Hawaiian tuition waiver category, and over 1,000 Native Hawaiians systemwide received tuition waivers, and the University identified 1500 other Hawaiian students who were paying more than $3000 annually to attend the University; and

WHEREAS, many Hawaiian students have been unable to adjust to college and one in four Hawaiian or Part Hawaiian students drop out within the first two years for reasons that include tuition cost, housing and transportation costs, and family needs; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawai`i Strategic Plan recognizes the importance of our host culture and the challenges faced by Hawaiians, calling for the creation of a Hawaiian place of learning, and in support of this goal, University of Hawai`i President Evan Dobelle allocated over $1 million dollars for Hawaiian Programs for 2002-2004 and University of Hawai`i at Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert has allocated over $1 million dollars for Hawaiian programs for 2003-2005; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature is committed to the advancement of the Hawaiian people and the University of Hawai`i, and recognizes the vast contribution and mutual benefits that may be derived by creating a Hawaiian place of learning at the University of Hawai`i; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature is committed to increasing support for the education of Hawaiians and has advanced a measure to provide tuition waivers for all qualified Hawaiian students; and

WHEREAS, in order to assure the success of these programs and to efficiently plan, implement, track, and improve strategic efforts to increase native Hawaiian representation at the University of Hawai`i funding must be linked to measurable outcomes; and

WHEREAS, in 2002, migration to a new Student Information Management System has revealed a large number of invalid entries in the database used to track Hawaiians moving throughout the University system, and a published disclaimer advises that the data cannot be used for year-to-year tracking; and

WHEREAS, in order to track programmatic funding and the effectiveness of current and new programs, appropriate means of measurement and a baseline must be established; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawai`i, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a management and effectiveness audit of programs 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

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chancellor of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa is requested 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; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai`i, President of the University of Hawai`i, and Chancellor of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa.

Report Title:

Audit; Hawaiian students at UH; task force.