Q&As continue in October 2008 forum

Mike Foley | University Relations | 14 October 2008

Brigham Young University Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright [pictured on the right] and other members of the President's Council clarified inquiries on student wages, full-time faculty loads under the new academic calendar, the student demographic mix, distance learning and three new degrees, and other subjects at the monthly question-and-answer forum on October 10 in the Little Theater.

Asked why student wages at BYU Provo and BYU-Idaho are higher than ours, though the cost of living is higher here, President Wheelwright first compared the wages at the three institutions:

"The basic level for students at BYU-Idaho is $7.25. If you're a lead person you get $7.50, and the next level of supervisors get $8.30 an hour, so they're roughly equivalent to ours," he said. "The Provo entry-level position gets $7.25, then $7.70, and it goes up from there. They clearly have some grade levels that are higher."

He then explained BYU-Hawaii student wages are based on three factors:

• "The market, that is, what we're competing against. Provo competes in a very different market than Idaho, which explains most of their differences.
• "The second is what the goal is with student wages. Our goal historically has been to employ as many students as we could productively use, because we felt most of our students could use some help. In fact, we're looking at ways to include even more of our students in the work force. Rather than paying fewer students more, we've opted to pay more students at the basic wage."
• "We also give substantially more scholarships per student than the other two schools. We could reduce scholarships and raise the wages, but we don't think that's a good idea. We want to do what's fair."

On the question of faculty work loads as BYU-Hawaii implements the new academic calendar in 2009, President Wheelwright noted the Board of Trustees has approved giving existing faculty the option to continue their current 30-credit-hour work load — equivalent to fulltime teaching for two semesters and one of two mid-year terms; or choose a new 36-credit-hour contract with an adjustment in compensation. Most new faculty, he said, will be hired under a 36-hour standard that requires teaching two full semesters and two of the three new mid-year terms.

"We hope many of the existing faculty will decide to take the new contract," he said, "but for a number of years we will have two different types of teaching contracts with different teaching loads and amounts of pay associated with each."

Asked if policy has changed about the mix of domestic and international students at BYU-Hawaii, President Wheelwright first pointed out there's only a "slight" variation between this year and last year's demographics, and stressed there's "no change in policy."

"We think we need about 50% of our students to be native English speakers to make the English-speaking curriculum and environment really effective," he continued. "The half that are native English speakers will generally come from New Zealand, Australia, North America and Hawaii."

Asked the status of plans for former BYU-Hawaii students to finish their degrees online, President Wheelwright responded that the Board of Trustees has recently approved three new degrees:

1. A Bachelor's of University Studies (BUS) "targeted at students who've already been in residence on campus but left without having finished... We have several thousand of those students." He added that BYUH will recognize Provo and Idaho credits in the process.
2. A two-year associate's in general studies: "That's the one that most universities recognize in a transfer student...as having satisfied all of the general education requirements. That's a very useful thing to have."
3. An associate's in business: "Initially we will focus more on entrepreneurship," President Wheelwright said, but noted the new degree can be broader. "We anticipate this degree will give some students, who in their own country need to start a business, the tools to do that."

Other questions included:

• Can we put up suggestion boxes? President Wheelwright said he thought this was a good idea, within designated areas, but would refer the matter to the President's Council to decide how best to pursue it.

• Can broken second-floor screen doors at married student housing be fixed? BYUH Director of Housing John Elkington explained screen doors recently installed at Temple View Apartments "weren't the same quality as the ones we normally had." He said children pushing against the screens sometimes causes a break, "so we just have to find a better, stronger door with a grill on it." On another issue, he said that water sprinkler system back-flow inhibitor pipes above the ground are safe. "We've never had a back-flow inhibitor fail in the past 28 years," added Judd Whetten, Director of Physical Facilities.

• Why isn't the Alma Mater song sung more often at university functions? David Lucero, Director of Student Leadership and Honor, first pointed out the song is sung at orientation and alumni banquets, and then added it was previously sung at every devotional until a member of the Board of Trustees said that wasn't appropriate. "There's nothing stopping us from singing it at athletic and other events," he said. "It's a somber song, and there are certain serious settings where it's appropriate." He also said he would continue to offer it as an option for BYUHSA to consider for their events.

• Does the university grow its own fresh vegetables for the cafeteria and Seasider [snack bar]? Only herbs, tomatoes and papayas.

• Can IWES students work on campus in their senior year? "Yes, they can," replied Michael B. Bliss, Vice President for Administrative Services. "They just have to petition the IWES program for the move into an area that's job-related. That's been the case for a number of years." He added they have to have accumulated 90 credit hours and have less than one year left to graduate under their Major Academic Plan (MAP) to qualify for such a transfer.

• Are security cameras effectively placed and properly maintained? "We think they're actually doing a good job," Bliss responded, noting several thieves were recently identified from camera coverage. He added there's a daily operational check, and weekly service if needed.

• Has the air conditioning been adjusted? Bliss said finding a comfortable solution is an ongoing process. "We've tried to put more thermostats in individual areas," he added.

• Are there specific parking areas for motor scooters and motorcycles? Bliss explained motor scooters can be parked in a bicycle rack, but he said an ad hoc committee will take another look at the issue.

The next President's Council Question-and-Answer Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 4, at 5 p.m. in the Little Theater.

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