HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

327

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE CENTER FOR PACIFIC ISLAND STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN HAWAII AND REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BOARD OF REGENTS TO CHARGE RESIDENT TUITION TO PACIFIC ISLANDER STUDENTS.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Center for Pacific Island Studies (Center) within the School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is the only congressionally‑recognized national resource center for the study of the Pacific Islands; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center, with its 42 core and affiliate faculty members, possesses unparalleled expertise in the field of Pacific Island studies; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center serves the Pacific region and its people through its commitment to the dynamic, active, and constructive exchange of knowledge on the Pacific Islands; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center functions as both an academic department and a larger base for initiatives that bring together people and resources to promote an understanding of the Pacific Islands and issues of concern to Pacific Islanders, including the Pacific Islanders currently residing within Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to a Census 2000 brief, the Pacific Islander population is 283,000 in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, more than 25 percent of the population of three of Hawaii's five counties were reportedly Pacific Islanders, with the remaining two counties estimated at 20 to 25 percent; and


     WHEREAS, the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii (BOR) last year eliminated the non-resident tuition waiver for Pacific Island students who are from Pacific island jurisdictions that have historical ties to the United States and have degree-granting public higher educational institutions; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is a need to identify and address the needs of Pacific Islanders in Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Center would be the appropriate choice to convene and lead a task force to identify and address the needs of Pacific Islanders in Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Center is requested to convene and lead a task force to identify and address the needs of Pacific Islanders in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BOR is respectfully requested to reinstitute non-resident tuition waivers for students from Pacific Island jurisdictions that have historical ties to the United States and have degree-granting public higher education institutions; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BOR is requested to submit a report on its progress in granting non-resident tuition waivers to Pacific Islanders to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2008; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of the School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chair of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, and President of the University of Hawaii.

Report Title:

Pacific Islanders; Task Force; UH Resident Tuition