Spring 2017: April 3rd Issue 6

Letter from the Editor In Chief

Aloha Mai Kakou

Welcome back from Spring Break! As you settle back into your routine of cramming for your next term paper or exam, we hope you’ll enjoy this next issue of Ke Kalahea. Quite a bit has happened since the last issue, which came out three weeks ago instead of the usual two, due to last week’s break.

First of all, I’m glad to report on behalf of my staff that we enjoyed a productive conference in New York. From Mar. 11 through Mar. 14, four of my staff members and I took part in the annual College Media Association’s spring convention in midtown Manhattan. The CMA conference was indeed a special opportunity for us to interact with other college news publications, as well as to rub shoulders with some of the country’s leading reporters from household names like The New York Times and CNN.

Each of us was able to glean valuable lessons from professional journalists, as well as our colleagues in student journalism. In fact, I look forward to proposing and implementing some changes to Ke Kalahea that we first discovered while at CMA.

When we were not busy attending workshops and lectures at CMA, my staff and I were fortunate enough to do some sightseeing throughout the Big Apple. My news writer Gina, in particular, was most eager to visit Ellis Island. I know this meant a lot to Gina, since her great-grandmother emigrated from Norway and – like so many others – made her entrance to the United States through Ellis Island.

This picturesque sight, with Lady Liberty in full view, stands as a reminder of America’s longstanding status as a nation of immigrants. In the present day, however, the issue of travel and immigration to the United States is surrounded by controversy relating to recent actions taken by the Trump administration. Among them include Trump’s “travel bans,” as well as his first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch. Gina and I aim to provide our readers with a better sense of President Trump’s priorities, along with commentary from fellow students on what they hope (or fear) about this White House.

As always, Ke Kalahea looks forward to continue providing coverage of these and other important developments taking place in our nation’s capital.

As a general rule, of course, politics at the state or local level is likely to hit us even closer to home. Our state senator, Kai Kahele, knows this reality well. I got the chance to speak with Senator Kahele about a bill he is sponsoring that, if signed into law, has the potential to greatly affect UH Hilo, and the UH system overall: a possible tuition freeze for all UH campuses, which could be in place for several years.

While UH may be grappling with questions on what to do for revenue and enrollment, there are certainly plenty of other pressing matters at hand. And like at other colleges across the country, there is – sadly – the very real threat of sexual discrimination, harassment, and assault. Ke Kalahea’s newest writer, Tenika, took this to heart and helped us get answers from Campus Security and local law enforcement on the sexual assault report that was filed earlier this semester. I applaud Tenika for taking this story on as her first assignment.

Having new faces at Ke Kalahea, like Tenika and Trixie, give me hope for the future of this publication. Indeed, I hope more of you will consider joining Ke Kalahea! Applications for all staff positions are due Friday, Apr. 21. Those who wish to apply to be the next editor-in-chief, however, should have their applications submitted by this Friday, Apr. 7.

As I prepare to step down at the end of this semester, I want my readers to know that nothing would please me more than to see a fresh batch of earnest, hardworking student journalists join our ranks. Your kōkua is needed, and appreciated.

Mahalo Nui,

Brian Wild
Editor-in-Chief

In this Issue