I had hoped to be writing this column about Earth Day and all the events that the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College had planned. This was going to be a big year, with additional events planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day.
UH-Hilo is indeed proud of the work we do to protect the environment through such initiatives as installing hydration stations so that we can lessen our use of bottled water, maintaining our composting programs, and replacing lights with LED bulbs to save energy.
As with so many events, however, we have had to postpone our celebration in the interests of protecting our health. The University of Hawaii System, however, is offering some programming virtually to our community at https://uhsustainability.net/ this month so we can continue to think about the land and the health of our island environment.
So many of us are thinking more about our personal health and well-being right now, our personal sustainability, if you will. At UH-Hilo, students and staff started making cloth masks this past week to keep students and staff a bit more protected when they are on campus and in the community because even in this COVID-19 era, the work of the university continues.
We still have students living in the residence halls, many of whom are safer here with us than at home right now. Because we are delivering classes online and many local students do not have reliable wi-fi or computers at home, we are welcoming them to use the resources of the campus to continue their education. Our janitorial staff is hard at work making sure that the facilities we are using are cleaned and sanitized frequently. Faculty and staff with experience in online education are helping their colleagues who are doing this for the first time. We are sustaining our operations to live up to the kuleana of educating students, many of whom will graduate this semester. Commencement may be cancelled, but we will still celebrate our graduates.
The work of planning for the next academic year also continues. The entire UH system has postponed its application deadline so that students and families have more time to make their decisions. We know that many families here in Hawaii who were planning on sending students to the continent for their university experience are now having second thoughts about having family members so far from home, and we want to be here to support our local students.
UH-Hilo, with all our partnerships across the country and the world, can provide in-state students with those out-of-state experiences when it is safer to venture farther from home. And, while here at home, students can take advantage of our small classes, individual attention and array of classes. We may offer more classes online in the future, but UH-Hilo will still also be a place where students can get the full university experience of working with professors on projects, engaging with the community through service learning, and taking advantage of the many leadership opportunities on campus.
UH-Hilo has always tried to provide a private university type of education at public university prices. Our small size allows us to treat each student as an individual and help all students realize their potential and pursue their dreams. We find that first-generation students sometimes do not set their sights very high because they feel that just getting through to their degree is enough. But when we see those sparks of potential in them, our faculty and staff encourage them to reach a little higher, both for themselves and their families, so we may help them build a stronger, healthier Hawaii.
By providing a high quality university education, we help our island community sustain itself. Sustainability in this case extends beyond the environment to our cultures and economies.
In this week when we are thinking about the health of both people and the environment, we invite you to share our celebration of our aloha for the land. Next year, we hope you can join our new and continuing students in once again celebrating Earth Day in person!
Bonnie D. Irwin is the chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald. Email comments to urevents@hawaii.edu.