UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi CC students organize and moderate mayoral candidate forum
UH Hilo’s political science department collaborated with HawCC’s administration of justice department to host this student-led forum of four mayoral candidates.
By Emily Thornton.
A mayoral candidate forum was held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus on Thursday. UH Hilo’s political science department collaborated with Hawaiʻi Community College’s administration of justice department to host this student-led forum, a collaboration between three student clubs: the UH Hilo Political Science Club, HawCC Administration of Justice Club, and HawCC Human Services Club.
Participating in the forum were candidates Mayor Mitch Roth, UH Hilo alumna Breeani Kobayashi (BA in Communication, 2014), psychologist and community health advocate Kimo Alameda, and Pastor Seaula Jr. Tupaʻi. They answered many questions that were given to them by the student moderators Amaya Hirata (UH Hilo) and Erik Beach (HawCC).
The idea to organize this forum came after a public panel discussion on civic education that was held in January 2024, hosted by UH Hilo’s Department of Political Science.
“One constant theme during the discussion session was that all three levels of education institutions should work together to support our students’ civic engagement,” says Su-Mi Lee, a UH Hilo associate professor of political science and chair of the department who has been instrumental in organizing the forums.
Lee and UH Hilo Professor of Political Science Sarah Marusek, along with HawCC Chair of the Department of Social Sciences Claudia Wilcox-Boucher, talked about it and decided to host a forum, bringing in students from both campuses to organize and lead the event. HawCC advisor of the college’s Administration of Justice Club, Donna Madrid, and Social Sciences Lecturer Renee Rivera, joined the discussions.
After consulting student leaders on both campuses, the group brought in students Hirata, president of the UH Hilo Political Science Club; Beach, president of the HawCC Administration of Justice Club; and Christine Nguyen, treasurer of the HawCC club.
From there the students helped organize the event, contacted the candidates, collected questions from people as they registered for the event, and chose which questions to ask the candidates.
Welcome remarks at the event were made by UH Hilo Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa. Students Hirata and Beach were co-moderators of the forum; Nguyen was time keeper. UH Hilo College of Arts and Sciences provided free bentos for all attendees.
Hirata, who is doubling majoring in political science and administration of justice at UH Hilo with plans to graduate in spring 2025, says political forums like this are important to students because “we need to get college students involved in elections.”
Lee says the importance of students being involved in civic education is paramount.
“Politics affects every aspect of our lives,” says Lee. “Not just domestic but also international politics. Understanding how politics works and how we can influence politics helps sustain democracy. More importantly, for democratic institutions to flourish, we all need to actively pay attention to and participate in the political process.”
“Through this event,” she adds, “we [are able to] look at the political process from the eyes of students. How they interpret the political phenomena is a good indicator of the status of civic education and the future of democracy.”
Story by Emily Thornton, an English major at UH Hilo. Susan Enright, editor of UH Hilo Stories, contributed.
