Hawaii-2015-HCR148-Introduced

WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Constitution recognizes Hawaiian as an official language of Hawaii and further recognizes that study of the Hawaiian language ought to be promoted and protected within the context of traditional and customary rights; and

WHEREAS, in 1996, the Legislature identified "a need to establish a center for excellence at the University of Hawaii at Hilo campus that will conduct all its business in the Hawaiian language, and that will serve as a focal point for the State's efforts to revitalize the Hawaiian language through teacher training, graduate study of Hawaiian, community outreach, and planning for general education in Hawaiian for future generations of Hawaiian speakers"; and

WHEREAS, legislative consideration of the Hawaiian language in 1996 has led to further action taken by the Legislature in 1997, 2001, and 2006 to protect and expand the role of Hawaiian language in the State; and

WHEREAS, legislative accomplishments relating to the College of Hawaiian Language include the establishment of a partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the non‑profit organization, ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, Inc., which allowed the College to commence instruction without requiring additional funds from the State; and

WHEREAS, since its founding, the College of Hawaiian Language has provided entirely in the Hawaiian language a preschool through twelfth grade laboratory school, a teacher certification program, two Master's degrees, and doctoral program; and

WHEREAS, the College of Hawaiian Language programs on Native American language are the first of their kind in the nation, and have drawn significant national and international attention to Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the importance of the College of Hawaiian Language extends beyond academic programs to include crucial resource support to the Department of Education in meeting state constitutional mandates relative to the promotion and use of the Hawaiian language in state public and charter schools; and

WHEREAS, the College of Hawaiian Language provides the majority of teaching materials through Hawaiian used in state public and charter schools, expanded contemporary vocabulary in Hawaiian needed for instructional purposes in these schools, online dictionary and primary source materials through the Ulukau online Hawaiian electronic library, and other services including Hawaiian language assessments, teacher in-service training, and parent workshops crucial to the success of preschool through twelfth grade education; and

WHEREAS, the College of Hawaiian Language and its preschool through doctoral level programs operated entirely in the Hawaiian language has drawn much attention in the State, nation, and internationally with requests for support, services, and courses to be provided to communities; and

WHEREAS, the standard structure of the University of Hawaii System includes barriers to the maximum use of the College of Hawaiian Language by the University of Hawaii System, its faculty and students, and the general public to address the Hawaiian language needs of the State; and

WHEREAS, that standard structure of the University of Hawaii System also includes barriers to maximum use of the College of Hawaiian Language to serve the national and international needs of other indigenous peoples; and

WHEREAS, the standard structure of the University of Hawaii System, which mirrors in large part equivalent systems of English language medium higher education institution in the other forty-nine states, is not designed for a state with two official languages; and

WHEREAS, international structural models already exist for integrating into a large university system a smaller second official language and higher education through it that may well be adapted within the University of Hawaii system as a means to make maximum use of the College of Hawaiian Language; and

WHEREAS, over the past several months the administration of the College of Hawaiian Language, University of Hawaii at Hilo, and University of Hawaii System have met to discuss how to better form the College of Hawaiian Language into a unique Hawaiian model to expand services that meet state Hawaiian language needs; and

WHEREAS, at a meeting held on February 26, 2015, the Director of the College of Hawaiian Language, Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Hawaii System, and President of the University of Hawaii System agreed that a formal study was necessary to determine how to restructure the College of Hawaiian Language to better serve state needs; and

WHEREAS, after reviewing the history of the College of Hawaiian Language as an entity established and codified in law by the Legislature, it was determined that the Legislature should take the lead in requesting and reviewing a formal study to restructure the College of Hawaiian Language; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the Senate concurring, that the University of Hawaii Office of the President and College of Hawaiian Language are requested to establish a working group to examine the expansion of Hawaiian language instruction throughout the University of Hawaii System; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the purpose of the working group is to research and report to the Legislature:

(1) The current structure and pedagogy of the College of Hawaiian Language;

(2) Recent and current trends in student-driven initiatives to learn Hawaiian; and

(3) Specific strategies to enhance and expedite Hawaiian language instruction on the different University of Hawaii campuses and throughout the University of Hawaii System; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to include:

(1) The President of the University of Hawaii, or the President's designee;

(2) The Vice President for Academic Affairs, or the Vice President's designee;

(3) The Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, or the Chancellor's designee;

(4) The Director of the College of Hawaiian Language, or the Director's designee; and

(5) One representative from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group dissolve on June 30, 2016; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, President of the University of Hawaii System, Vice President of Academic Affairs of the University of Hawaii System, Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and Director of the College of Hawaiian Language.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

College of Hawaiian Language; University of Hawaii System

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	148
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII