Students' Choice of Campus

Photostory by Cameron Johnson

The University of Hawaii at Hilo offers many amazing facilities for their students, making it easier for students to navigate their college journey. The facilities at UH Hilo can help students with their classes, offer food and even help them with planning their college experience. To highlight these resources, I surveyed a number of students about their favorite place to be on campus–many of which answered with the same favorite facility at UH Hilo. With this data, I found out where students spend the most time and use the resources the most. But before I get into what the students said, let me introduce them. Every student I talked to has a different story, a different major and a different background. You may have had the pleasure of seeing these friendly faces on campus and having them in some classes but if not, here they are.

Tyler Cheam: From Seattle Washington and studying Sociology. Kyzer Rey Paglinawan: From Hilo and studying Business in Marketing.
Amelia Sever: From Albany, New York and studying Environmental Planning and Management

Josephine Kientz: From Las Cruces New Mexico and studying English and Education. Taj Sanders: From Kona and studying Creative-Media. Mariela Burns: From San Diego California and studying Marine Science. Whitney Taylor: From Delaware and studying English. Paliku Malone: From Kona and studying Performing Arts. Gabriella Carlson: From Keaau and studying Auto Body Repair & Painting. Patrycja Fraczek: From New York City and studying Biology. Harleigh Phillips-Cardon: From Spokane Washington and studying Astronomy. Elijah Kochenbach: From Portland Oregon and studying Marketing. Brooklyn Shanks: From Petoskey Michigan and studying Political Science and Administration.

Ayako Koketsu: From Tokyo Japan and studying Business Administration Samson David: From Kailua Oahu and studying Biology and Geography. Tenshin Otsuka: From Osaka Japan and studying Environmental Science. Alexa Swetten: From New York City and studying Psychology & Sociology. Sonny Kaneakua-Chang: From Molokai and studying Aeronautical Science. Tarani Best: From Hilo and studying Psychology. Percival Best: From Hilo and studying Agriculture. Luz Vargas: From Mexico and studying Chemistry-Biosciences. Kai Tsark: From Florida and studying Environmental Science. Hulali Kalawe: From Hilo and studying Pre-Nursing. Hanna Pempengco: From Colorado and studying Environmental Science & Geography. Ian Erickson: From Aurora Colorado and studying Agriculture. Evangeline Pagan: From Pahoa and studying Psychology. McKenzie Jo: From Hilo and studying Education. Enoch Peterson: From Utah and studying Biology. Taika Swearingen: From Lahaina Maui and studying Political Science. Melissa Castillo Langer: From Mountain View and studying Tropical Agriculture. Kali Peterson: From Pahoa and studying Business Administration.

Thanks to these amazing students, I was able to gather which facilities students enjoy the most.

The most common answer amongst students –which comes as no surprise to me– is the Student Life Center (SLC). With all the different resources and things provided, it was expected to have lots of votes and it was something that I probably would have said also. In total, 13 of the 30 students I asked mentioned the Student Life Center for different reasons. 7 of the 13 students mentioned the pool which is always nice to visit no matter the time of day. This group of students mentioned the pool in their response; it is a great resource for students to utilize to take their minds off stress from class. Students also mentioned the bikes that are available to rent. The bike rental program is another great resource of the SLC: allowing students to traverse throughHilo without their own transportation. Though some students have a form of transportation, they still recommend fellow peers to rent bikes. Alongside the pool and the bike rentals, another reason the SLC was so popular was due to the gym. 6 of the 13 students mentioned the gym in their responses. For most college students, the gym is an essential part of everyday life and we should be thankful that the SLC offers one.

In addition to the SLC, students enjoy the Campus Center and the Library. 9 students mentioned the Campus Center in their responses while 9 others mentioned the library. Campus Center is another obvious choice for students as there is so much to do there. You can get food, do homework, and even hang out and talk story with your friends. All of which are important for college students and are the reasons that students mentioned Campus Center. When it comes to the library, the students mainly use it for studying. The library is supposed to be more of a quiet, work-friendly place where talking story is not as common. The 9 people who mentioned the library said it’s one of the nicest places on campus to study and get homework done.

The facility that came in third place according to the students was a surprise. I knew students liked to use it, but I underestimated the number of features they offer. In third place was Lava Landing with 6 people mentioning that in their response. Students' explanations of why they like Lava Landing made me realize how much Lava Landing has to offer and made me want to use that facility more often. The gaming and esports lounge was a very common response. With the wide variety of games and consoles they offer, 2 out of the 6 people mentioned it as their favorite thing and enjoy going there in their free time. The last 4 mentioned the board game rooms and the pool tables. Its proximity to other popular campus destinations makes it a great place to stop in for a while with friends or by yourself and take your mind off the stress of classes.

All in all, the data I collected didn’t surprise me. As a student myself, I have used all of the facilities they mentioned and would have recommended them if I asked. It is good to see the facilities here on campus being used by the students. Hopefully with students' help, they can continue to develop, and improve helping students throughout their college journey.