Members of the Brigham Young University Hawaii President's Council met with students, faculty and staff on January 13 in Aloha Center 155/165 to answer submitted questions on outreach programs, Security updates, Honor Code provisions, schedules and notices, housing, energy savings, athletics and initiatives.
Starting with several queries on rates for educational outreach courses, Dr. Max L. Checketts [pictured at upper right], BYUH Vice President for Academics, explained tuition usually covers about one-fourth-to-one-third the costs of regular courses but must cover 100 percent of the outreach courses.
"We're trying to cut any costs there we can, with the end-goal to pass all savings along. Our objective is simply to break even, whether it's a community or non-matriculated student program," Checketts said. He added BYUH will "continue to foster and develop courses for the community."
He also said the costs of delivering distance-learning courses that help prepare international students to study on campus will be covered in part by donations in order to keep those costs as low as possible; "but the first thing we need to do is make sure our initial costs are as low as we can get them, so we can stretch those donations as far as we can."
BYU-Hawaii President Steven C. Wheelwright next reported, in response to a recent rash of auto thefts at the Temple View Apartments (TVA) married student housing complex, that new surveillance cameras have been installed, and there have been no new thefts "since security has been increased." He also said the students have started a "neighborhood watch" program, recommendations from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) have been passed along to the Housing Office for distribution to residents, and BYUH Security is undergoing additional training.
"Obviously, if anyone notices people loitering around the parking lots, or a theft occurs and they have useful information, we request and encourage them to call both Security and HPD as soon as possible. HPD officers are the only ones who can make an arrest."
Asked why blocking the entrance to campus at night is inconsistent, President Wheelwright said, "Sometimes, Security personnel are involved in issues elsewhere on campus, so part of this is a staffing reality; and sometimes the access is left open for a specific reason." For example, he pointed out the TVA access road was left open recently during a heavy storm warning "so that road could be used to transport sandbags."
In response to the next set of questions centering on the Honor Code, Debbie Hippolite Wright, Vice President for Student Development and Affairs, explained that curfew on campus from Saturday–Thursday is midnight, 2 a.m. on Friday night, and "the dorm lounges are open 24 hours a day for residents for ‘night birds.'"
Asked whether the cheerleader uniforms are in dress standards, President Wheelwright replied, "Having attended the volleyball and basketball games, I think our cheerleaders look fantastic." He also noted that the dress standards call for "attire that is appropriate to the activity. Cheerleading is in the category of athletics."
President Wheelwright noted that in in his interviews with prospective faculty members, he always reviews the Honor Code and asks them if they're willing to use it as a standard with their own students and consistently invite them to comply with it. For example, as a co-teacher of a Religion class with his wife, Margaret, he said they tell their students on the first day of class that "the attire and the way a student looks is a condition of the class."
"We think of the dress and grooming standards as a minimum requirement. For instance, I personally don't allow students to wear caps during class. Different professors may have slightly different requirements in that regard." Others in the forum noted that leggings do not excuse a short skirt, and "soul patches" — the little tuft of beard below a man's lower lip — are not in standards.
"We think that a culture of honor is everyone's responsibility," Hippolite Wright said, acknowledging that some may not be comfortable enforcing it. "We want to help all departments, organizations, faculty, staff and others on campus get on board in building that culture of honor."
Several questions focused on schedules and timing. For example, asked if the library could be opened earlier than 7 a.m., or if science labs could stay open later, Checketts responded that surveys show there wouldn't be enough utilization to justify it. "We're not opposed to opening them earlier, or keeping labs open later, but when we do, we usually look at data for justification." One such recent survey resulted in a new computer lab being opened in the Aloha Center.
Asked if students can get earlier notice of required textbooks, he said the university is "piloting a program where we will rent texts instead of having students buy them. We also challenge each other to teach courses without texts — some of which cost well over $100 — and some faculty are getting pretty creative."
Later in the meeting, President Wheelwright said he thought it was also okay if students purchased their textbooks through Amazon.com™ and other online outlets. "We encourage them to save costs wherever possible and appropriate."
Asked if IWES students need to register for Summer and First Term, in addition to Fall, Winter and Spring to maintain fulltime status, Checketts said policy now requires fulltime international students "to go for two semester and two terms. Housing has the same requirements. We've talked to lots of international students, and most of them are supportive. We know that in this next year or two, because of the new academic calendar, we'll have to look at some exceptions."
Checketts pointed out domestic students do not currently have the same requirement, because it will take about a year for Financial Services "to complete arrangements that will allow students to apply for Pell Grants in three different semesters [or terms] in the same calendar year. (That is, after the equivalent of two semesters of Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, the amount available in the third semester will count as the start of a new year for that student.) The Reauthorization of Higher Education Act just made that possible." When Financial Services is ready, he added, BYUH will likely apply the same requirements to fulltime domestic students, so that they can get the funding they need for eight semesters of study, but do so in just three years.
Asked if BYUH can improve the process of canceling classes and whether students can receive notice by email, the Academics VP stressed the university does not like to cancel classes, but it's difficult sometimes to judge student interest. He also said the Technology Council has proposed "making email the official means of correspondence on campus. If we do that, it would require students to take the responsibility to look at campus emails. That doesn't mean they have to maintain a campus email account — they could still use their Gmail™ or favorite account, but they have to be able to forward our account to it. We'll probably have this in place in the next four-or-five months."
In reference to after-hours dormitory lockout questions, Hippolite Wright explained that Hawaiian Telcom has removed the pay phones that used to be located outside each hale, but that resident assistants (RAs) and senior residents have a schedule of carrying cell phones 24 hours a day. "The RA or senior resident is required to respond to a lockout call within 5-10 minutes. They also log when they received the call and when the door was opened."
Asked if students didn't have to be relocated during the summer to accommodate special groups, she replied that past attempts to mix these valued temporary tenants with students had not worked. She also said it was not practical to maintain a day-room in the dorms for commuter students.
In reference to cost-savings, dependence on Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), and renewable energy sources, President Wheelwright reported, "We are looking at photovoltaic, windmill, and our own generator sources, as well as a number of energy conservation and energy-savings devices." He added that the university currently manages its own high-voltage electrical feed from HECO at substantial savings, and that utility usage in 2008 was down from that in 2007.
Asked about the future status of BYU-Hawaii athletics, Checketts said an assessment is currently underway. "Most people think you either have athletics, or you don't; but in my opinion, we're trying to come up with at least five different options." That study is still ongoing.
Asked if faculty dependents over 18 could use the Fitness Center, Checketts said he would look into it.
Switching topics, President Wheelwright reported that the improvement project for the entrance to the General Classroom Building (GCB) has been delayed while waiting for building permits from the City and County; and that other campus improvement projects, such as a proposed new Business building, are being considered as part of a long-range Envision Hawaii planning process that the Church has underway for all of its Laie institutions and holdings.
The next President's Council Q&A Forum will be held February 5, 5-6 p.m., in the Little Theater.
To submit a question for the next forum...