Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 5, 1 May 1998 — Native Hawaiians get regent posts [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Native Hawaiians get regent posts

By Paula Durin Decent appointments to the University of Hawai'i's Board

1% ofRegents I » include two Native Hawaiians with i deep commitment to Hawaiian culture. On March 3 1 , Gov;rnor Ben Cayetano ippointed Nainoa rhompson to serve the remaining term of Donna Tanoue ending lune 30, 1999. The ;xecutive director of ;he Polynesian Voyaging Society, Thompson is a practicing naviga:or skilled in the mcient Hawaiian art tnd science of vayfinding. In 1976, ifter studying nonnstrument navigation jnder the Micronesian naster Mau Piailug, he jndertook the project

:hat has centered around īim ever since: the design, construc:ion and sailing of the double-hulled /oyaging eanoe, the Hōkūle 'a. Most ■ecently, the project expanded to :nclude a second voyaging eanoe, the

Hawai'iloa. Thompson has taken these craft to Tahiti, Aotearoa, Rarotonga and the United States mainland. and in 1999 he will sail to Rapa Nui. He has taught

ms skiiis tnrougnout the school system. Supporting Thompson's confirmation by the senate's Education Committee were Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Haunani Apoliona, Papa Ola Lōkahi executive director Hardy Spore, Department of Land and Natural Resources Chair Miehael Wilson and Wai'anae High School senior Larry Mauai who spoke for his classmates. "He teaches us a lot and gives us a lot of inspiration," Mauai said. On April 16, after nterviewing five finalsts from 42 apphcants, jov. Cayetano selected

Wayne Kaho'onei Panoke as the university's first student regent with voting rights. Panoke recently returned to school after 28 years on the mainland, making good on a promise to his parents. A HawaiContinued on page 7

Wayne Panoke (above) and j Nainoa Thompson are UH reqents. (

PHOTOS: SIMONE OVERMAN

ian Studies major, he transferred to UH-Mānoa from Windward Community College. He is a kumu hula, founding member of 'Ilio'ulaokalani, vice president of the O'ahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic clubs, vice-president of Kualoa He'eia Hawaiian Civic Club, a member of the Hawaiian Politieal Action Committee and a

delegate to the UH student eaucus. "This is a eall to all Native Hawaiians who aspire to eon-tinue-their education and overeome stereotypes about race, age and previous occupation," Panoke said of his appointment. "I hope to be a role model for non-traditional students and to make sure UH is user-friendly to them. But as a regent with full voting privileges, I will also have a responsibility to all the students in the system." Trustee Apoliona, OHA Government Affairs Officer Jalna

Keala. Representative Mark Takai, business owner Kevin Kasparovitch, Dr. Haunani Trask and representative students supported Panoke's nomination. Most, like Dr. Trask, credited his "maturity and breadth of community service." The student regent's term, vacant for nearly a year, runs through June 30, 1999. Panoke believes he will be eligible for a second term as he plans to attend graduate school. Both appointments were eonfirmed by the full Senate on April 30. ■

Regents From page 6