Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 12, 1 December 2009 — New UH president affirms university support for Hawaiian programs [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New UH president affirms university support for Hawaiian programs

By Lisa Asato Public lnformation Specialist The University of Hawai'i remains committed to its unique responsibilities to Native Hawaiians and will make a $30 million Hawaiian language building at UH-Hilo its highest and only construction request in 2010, new UH President M.R.C. Greenwood told the OHA Board of Trustees in October. "We're able to put it forward as our single-highest strategic CIP (capital improvements project) for this coming year," Greenwood said at an Oct. 29 board meeting that lasted a little less than two hours and covered a range of topics, including tuition waivers for Native Hawaiians, stewardship of Mauna Kea and OHA's funding of UH programs systemwide that have totaled about $11.3 million for the six years starting July 1, 2004. Greenwood said UH is "ready to turn shovels" on the College of Hawaiian Language building, whieh she sees as "a possible stimulus package" that would create jobs on Hawai'i Island. Despite a rocky See GREENW00D ūn page 17

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and laek of govemment oversight that caused these current _ eeonomie woes until we break the cycle."

it won t ee an overnight change, or a Hip of a switch, McGregor warns. "It will take a critical mass of the community, nationally and locally, including government leaders and individuals to commit to implement these philosophies and practices if we are to alter the path we're on now," she said. "I believe things are starting to shift ... slowly." Quite the lofty ideal, but McGregor shares a few ways that we ean participate in eeonomie recovery, Hawaiian style: • Petroleum and petroleum products are something we take for granted, yet we know that oil prices have a huge impact on the economy. Buy fuel-efficient cars that use less gas and consolidate car trips, not just when gas prices are high but all the time. • Reuse cloth bags at the grocery store instead of petro-leum-based plastic bags. • Stop buying water in plastic bottles, also made from petroleum and whieh, like plastic bags, create toxic landfill and harm the oeean and oeean life. "The simplest way to approach this is if we make lifestyle changes that are good for our heahh and good for the environment," McGregor said. "These choices will eventually release us from the bonds of lluctuating oil prices, multinational corporations and ineffective government protection." With $10,000 in prize money, will McGregor be participating in any copious consumerism? No, she says that the cash will go toward "giving makana and paying ongoing living expenses." ■ McGregor, a filmmaker and author, was born and raised in Honolulu to a Hawaiian, Chinese, Scottish father and a German mother. McGregor received an MA in polilieal scienee and public affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is also theformer executive director of 'Ōlelo Community Television, and she has worked on legislative and Native Hawaiian issuesfor the Hawai'i State Senate, for Hui Na 'auao, a eoalUion advocating Native Hawaiian sovereignty, andfor the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs under Cliairman Sen. Daniel Inouye. The competition was a project of the Alaska Federation of Natives, in partnership with the Councilfor Native Hawaiian Advancement, Naūonal Congress ofAmerican Indians and the Office ofHawaiian Affairs. Read the entire text ofMcGregor's essay and other winning essays online at nativeinsight.org.