Associated Students of the University of Hawaii
| University of Hawaiʻi System | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Pupukahi i holomua (Hawaiian) |
| Motto in English | Unite to move forward |
| Established | 1912 |
| Website | Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i |
The Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (ASUH) is the undergraduate student government representing the 11,000+ full-time, classified, undergraduate students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. ASUH was chartered by the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents in 1912 and was originally named the Associated Students of the College of Hawai'i.
Background
Budget
The student government manages a stock portfolio currently worth around $6.16 million dollars, of which 5 percent is withdrawn annually to fund the senate's yearly budget. The student government money originally came from the 1975 sale of the Honolulu Stadium, and has been managed by students since 1980 when ASUH received $836,000 from the sale to invest and create a fund for student projects.
Office
The ASUH office is currently located in Campus Center 211. Before the construction of the Campus Center, the ASUH office was located in Hemenway Hall along with the University's cafeteria, mail room, and bookstore.
Structure
ASUH is based on the parliamentary system and the executive and legislative branches are combined into one general assembly (the ASUH senate). The President and Vice president are popularly elected by the student body and the President presides over the senate. The President appoints committee chairs with the approval of the ASUH senate. The executive members of the senate consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the four Senator at Large positions. In addition to the executive officers, 30 senators representing various colleges of the university make up the senate. The number of senators per college varies on the population of the college, like the United States House of Representatives.
The Student Court, which is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, consists of 7 members. The Court has final jurisdiction in all matters pertaining to the ASUH Constitution and By-Laws and in all cases resulting from ASUH senate legislation.
Elections
ASUH elections are held three times a year. The General Election takes place once a year during the Spring semester in April. During the General Election, all seats are open for election. Special Elections may take place during the Fall and Spring semesters to fill any vacancies that occur in the senate throughout the year. All senate members serve one year terms. Elections take place online at each University of Hawai'i students' MyUH account to ensure a fair election.
Standing Committees
Current Standing Committees
The senate currently has seven standing committees: the Campus Life committee, the Elections committee, the External Affairs committee, the Finance and Investments committee, the Internal Affairs Committee, and the Student Affairs committee. Each committee is overseen by a chair and vice-chair and each person on senate is required to be a member of two committees.
Notable Former Standing Committees
KTUH: 1966-1982
KTUH, the student run radio station at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, began as a standing committee of ASUH in 1966. KTUH was an AM closed circuit operation and reached the residence halls. ASUH oversaw the funding and operations of KTUH for its first three years. On September 28, 1967, ASUH passed a resolution asking UH President Thomas Hamilton to apply for an FM educational license. In December 1968, under the sponsorship of ASUH Senator Ken Kuniyuki, ASUH passed another resolution petitioning the Board of Regents to apply for an FM educational license. On January 8, 1969, the Board of Regents authorized the administration to file for a 10 watt FM radio station.
KTUH was issued its first educational FM license on September 29, 1969. The Speech-Communications Department obtained administrative control and line funding of KTUH after it became a FM station while ASUH continued to publish the station's program guides as a quasi-stipulation of the Board of Regents at the time of the transfer. In 1977, KTUH was overseen by the Director of the Bureau of Student Activities and developed as a student organization similar in design and intent to other previously chartered organizations. KTUH became a Chartered Student Organization on April 6, 1982, after a proposal was made to the Chancellor recommending that KTUH became a chartered organization. It was chartered under the organization name, Broadcast Communication Authority (BCA).
Board of Publications: 1966
On June 11, 1966, the University of Hawai’i Board of Regents approved the reorganization and subsequent separation of the Board of Publications (BOP) from ASUH as a BOR Chartered Student Organization.
History of Advocacy and Legislation
U-PASS Initiative: 2008 - Present
In order to help reduce traffic, combat the low availability of student parking, and decrease the cost of bus passes, issues which were affecting a large number of students, in 2008 ASUH proposed a mandatory $20 student fee that would grant all fee paying students a bus pass (U-PASS) for the entire semester. At that time, the U-PASS was an optional $100 per semester a student could choose to pay if they wanted a bus pass. Henry Cheng (97th senate), an ASUH senator who led the U-PASS initiative with ASUH Secretary Kiara Sakamoto (97th senate), said, "TheBus is hoping that the mandatory university wide U-Pass will encourage more students to ride the bus, which will help the company when it applies for federal funding."
The proposal had support from both students and public transit authorities. ASUH collected over 2,200 signatures from the student body supporting the U-PASS initiative, over 604 pieces of written testimony at UH Manoa libraries (77% in support), and over 1,500 online testimonies from an online U-PASS survey (90% in support). In addition, resolutions of support were passed by: the UH System Student Caucus, Sustainable Saunders, Manoa Neighborhood Board, McCully/Moili’ili Neighborhood Board, and the Honolulu City Council Committee on Transportation & Planning.
ASUH proposed the student fee to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents on March 20, 2009. The U-PASS initiative was approved unanimously with no reservations for a 2 year pilot program. The U-PASS program began in Spring 2010 and will conclude in Fall 2011. ASUH will need to meet with the Board of Regents again if they wish to continue the U-PASS pilot program as a permanent program.
UH Mascot: 1989
In 1989, ASUH allocated $1,600 to create a new mascot. Bows-O the mascot was pink, gap-toothed, and wore a cartoon version of a football helmet. It made its debut at Aloha Stadium during the 1989 homecoming game. The crowd showered the mascot with debris, catcalls, and insults. ASUH called an emergency session and recalled its act three days later. Bows-O was not the official name of the mascot. Mark Takai (ASUH President '89), stated that ASUH "sponsored a contest to give it a name that coincided with the university's nickname, the Rainbows. But before we found a winner, everyone was calling it Bows-O and the name stuck, much to our embarrassment."
Vietnam War Protest: 1970s
In May 1970, ASUH called for a week-long strike to protest the Vietnam War and America's bombing of Cambodia. The Leeward Community College student and faculty senates both voted to set aside May 11-16, 1970 as "a special week for consideration of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia." About three thousand people attended a rally in Andrews Outdoor Theatre (now known as Andrew's Ampitheatre). Class attendance at Manoa was significantly lower during the days the protest was held. University of Hawai'i President Harlan Cleveland directed that no one be failed or given a lower grade for being on strike, since students "have the right to absent themselves on a matter of conscience."
ASUH Lecture Series: 1960s
During the 1960s, ASUH sponsored visiting lectures at UH. Notable speakers include, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, Robert Simmons of the Louisiana White Citizens Council, Communist Party boss Gus Hall, and American Nazi fuhrer George Lincoln Rockwell. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at Andrew's Ampitheatre.
Hawai'i Statehood: 1946 - 1959
Around 1946, ASUH began conducting a national letter-writing campaign advocating for statehood. Student delegates attended a mock convention two years later to draft a "model" state constitution. In March 1946, ASUH senator Ralph Toyota who was chair of the now defunct Statehood committee, worked with ASUH senators Tom McCabe and Mary Matsumoto to produce a statehood brochure that was sent to all mainland colleges, asking students for their support in promoting statehood for Hawai'i.
ASUH senator Patsy Mink, the ASUH Statehood committee chair in January 1948, met with U.S. Senator Guy Cordon of Oregon to get support for statehood. In 1948, the statehood bill that remained stuck in a U.S. Senate committee failed to move to the full Senate. It took another decade before Hawai'i became the 50th state of the United States in 1959.
Building of Hemenway Hall: 1938
Hemenway Hall, originally known as the Union building, was built in 1938. It was comprised of a cafeteria, lounges, and offices for the student newspaper, the Ka Leo, and the ASUH office. ASUH and the student body contributed $12,000 while faculty, alumn, and the Women's Campus Club gave $10,000. The remaining $85,000 needed to construct the building was contributed by the regents. In 1940 the Union building was renamed after Charles Hemenway.
Notable Alumni of ASUH
State Elected Officials
Judicial Appointees
Other State Offices
References
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Students_of_the_University_of_Hawaii
