The Rainbows are Back

In February, it was announced that the UH men's teams will all be just Warriors (no rainbows), while the UH women's teams will still be called the Rainbow Wahine!

(learn more at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/02/uh-sports-nicknames.html


Well, a whole bunch of long time UH fans got fed up with the Rainbow name being disrespected, fed up with June Jones getting rid of the Rainbow name,  fed up with their long-time traditions being pushed on the side, fed up with an Ohio man (aka Ben Jay, the new UH athletic director) over-looking Hawaii traditions, and fed up with this "rainbows are gay" stuff.


On May 3,  Stephen Chinen led a "Save the Rainbow" rally in front of Bacchman Hall (aka UH headquarters) 

 http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20130503_Rally_at_UH_to_keep_Rainbows_nickname.html

 http://www.staradvertiser.com/sportspremium/20130504_warriors_or_rainbows_let_the_people_decide.html

George Lee/ Star Advertiser

George Lee/ Star Advertiser

"Save the Rainbow" rally

The common perception about this rally was "this is a lost cause, get over it"

But guess what?  

This rally was NOT a lost cause

UH athletic director Ben Jay heard their message loud and clear!

Earlier this week Ben Jay reversed course and made it official

The UH men's teams will all be the Rainbow Warriors from now on!  

The UH women's teams will still be  Rainbow Wahine 

This has satisfied the old-time UH fans who have cheered the  Rainbows for decades, while keeping the hardcore Warrior name! 

However, there is the question of "why can't women's teams be warriors too?"

That is a perfectly legit question.

The next step in UH nickname revolution will be this:

Men's teams = Kane Rainbow  Warriors

Women's teams = Wahine Rainbow   Warriors

I hope that evolution comes soon!


--------

Some will say "rainbows are gay" and rainbows are soft"

Well, ever seen this shirt?

Enjoi

While that shirt had nothing to do with UH sports, it should be more than enough to defuse this stuff about rainbows are gay" and rainbows are soft!

And  this stuff about football players worried about opponents making fun of the Rainbow name? Well, football is a contact sport..........ACT LIKE IT! Show your opponents that Rainbows are "Gangster-ish" and not to be messed with!

The Oregon Ducks  dont have much of a macho name, but that didn't stop them from being one of the top college football teams in the last decade!

goducks.com
Oregon Duck

 Gangster-ish

and reppin one of the top college football programs

(note: the use of the word "gangter-ish" is in no way promoting actual gang violence. That should be obvious!) 

---------------

Also, we'll still the macho H- tiki symbol (aka one of the coolest symbols in college sports)

 http://www.hawaiiathletics.com/sports/2012/6/18/GEN_0618120234.aspx?tab=uhtraditions

The H-tiki symbol

I already seen images going around on facebook showing the H-tiki symbol combined with the old UH  Rainbow symbol

 

Krater 96 facebook page

Not the official UH symbol

but it should be!

If that means UH shall hunt down whoever came up with that combo in order to compensate him/her, then do it now!

We should definitely keep the H-tiki symbol, and still honor the  Rainbow legacy!

-----

 As for Ben Jay, some said that his changing his mind means "he's not standing his ground" and "not being a leader"  

No fool, he's picking his battles wisely!

A smart  leader doesn't fight every battle out there!  A smart leader picks the right battles to fight, and walk away from useless battles!  

Ben Jay already got his hands full trying to get the UH athletic department fiscally sound. This is an especially sensitive situation, being that we pay higher travel costs than other colleges (location, location, location), we are trying to update facilities, and we don't want to take more money out of UH academics, nor do we want to take more money out of Hawaii's taxpayers!

Plus, UH-Manoa chancellor shooting himself in the foot about this "we might drop out of Division 1" nonsense. 

 http://www.kaleo.org/sports/could-uh-athletics-leave-division-i/article_930fd484-b5f6-11e2-9ff7-001a4bcf6878.html

“If we’re not breaking even in three years, I really have to look at whether we will continue Division 1A athletics,” Chancellor Thomas Apple said.

( I addressed that issue at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/jason-collins-and-tom-apple.html  

And plus, the UH athletic business model is severely flawed. 

 http://www.midweek.com/dont-expect-uh-sports-profitability/

 By comparison, UH is behind some $11 million over the last six years total. How can that happen? By being in a smaller conference with tiny television revenue; being forced to pay not only its own travel but that of its conference opponents; having the poorest stadium deal in the nation (one that, in my opinion, borders on the criminal); receiving no money from merchandising, parking or concessions; and receiving only paltry sums as subsidies.

With all that to deal with, Ben Jay understood that "standing his ground" over eliminating the Rainbow was just picking a stupid battle.!

My first semester as a UH grad student

This is it! I have survived! I have completed the Spring 2013 semester at UH-Manoa.

This was my 1st semester as a graduate student in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program!

I have so many experiences and insights that I want to share


1) First, a little background

My previous time at UH-Manoa was as a under-graduate student from Fall 1999 to Fall 2004. At the time, I entered UH-Manoa just a few months out of high school (McKinley High School).

During that time I did work as a student helper at several libraries, including the McCully-Mo'ili'ili Public Library, UH's Hamilton Library,  and the Library for the Blind &  Physically Handicapped (LBPH). I also spent my last semester as an undergrad as a student librarian for the Marine Option Program.


In December 2004, I earned my bachelor's degree in sociology.

At the time, I was tired of being a school student after so many years. I felt it was time for me to experience being in the real world. I mean, you can only learn so much from a classroom, you can only learn so much from books.

So, starting from 2005, I was working mostly as a substitute teacher. It was fine for a while until what I called the dark ages (2009-2011) in which the recession, budget cuts, and furloughs took their toll. I ended taking a few side jobs (ie. tutoring, retail, sign-waving, elections work) to fill in my budget gaps.

At some point within that time frame, I really thought I should just become a full-time teacher and enrolled in the University of Phoenix's master's program in elementary education. I ended up quitting last year, which I described in more detail at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/change-in-direction.html

And you know what? I have NO REGRETS about my change in direction!





2) My new-found appreciation for the UH campus life

I did plan on attending UH-Manoa since I was a little kid. But when I first entered UH-Manoa coming out of high school, I didn't fully appreciate that opportunity like I do now.

For one thing, I wanted another year in high school.  No, I wasn't going to flunk any classes just to do that. I'm not that crazy!

But at the time, I felt that I didn't take full advantage of my extra-curricular opportunities in high school and I wanted more time to explore them. Part of it was my crazy living situation in which I moved around several homes between my parent's home (out of district) and my grandma's home (in school's district) that made doing some extra-curricular harder than it might be for some other teens with more residential stability.

Don't get me wrong, I did do some extra-curriculars in my senior year (just ask anyone who saw me at the pep rallies, talent shows and senior parties).  But I left high school wanting more.

So yeah, I spent my first few years at UH-Manoa "looking in the rear-view mirror" instead of "looking forward"

And of course, I was going through the usual 18-year old insecurities. You know, the former classmates drifting away, but not fitting in with the new people coming in. Not wanting to be asked "why you by yourself" if I go to a public event by myself.


But you know what? By the time I was 65% with my undergrad years, I began to feel "Screw all that worrying about insecurities, I'm too old for that crap!"


Years of adulthood can do a lot to wash your adolescent insecurities away. (well, most of them, LOL!)

-----

So now that I'm 32-years old, and I'm back at UH-Manoa as a graduate student, I no longer let old insecurities, nor regrets about missed opportunities hold me back!

And you know what? Even with all the controversies over UH mis-management, UH-Manoa is a great place to be!

Big campus!
Lots of open space,  green grass and beautiful scenery! 
Lots of campus eateries! 
Big libraries with computer labs!  
Places to chill!
New buildings being built and old buildings getting modernized (finally)
There's always something going on there, ranging from guest speakers, art displays, parties, sports, and so much more!


There's none of that at the University of Phoenix, that's for sure! 

Even more reason I'm glad I left UPhx and went back to UH-Manoa :) 





Learn more about the campus at http://blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2012/10/welcome-to-the-university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/  (Lots of nice photos and great info there)

    

 
3) The academic program itself

As I mentioned earlier, I'm in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program.

Being that I did some student helper work in the libraries, I do have some familiarity with the library environment.


Now, I want to become a full-time librarian. Ideally, I want to be a public librarian, but I'm willing to check other opportunities too!

And this semester confirmed my career path towards librarianship!

I took 2 classes!

One was LIS 601: Introduction to Reference Services.   That class focused on learning about reference sources, ranging from the traditional (ie. print indexes, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs) to the digital (websites, databases, online bibliographies).

We also had some focus on becoming a professional librarian, with lessons on ethics, dealing with crazy patrons, and of course, how to use the many resources available.

The other course was LIS 605 : Introduction to Cataloging and Classification!   We learned how sources (ie books, other print materials, video and audio materials) are cataloged. 

We learned the formulas to come up with call numbers for the Library of Congress Classification (used at academic libraries) and the Dewey Decimal system.(used at public libraries)

Yeah, most of you are familiar with the Dewey Decimal system at the public library.

You think they put random numbers after the decimals? Think again!   There's a whole formula that goes into making sure we have the right numbers before AND after the decimal. The manual itself for that has 4 volumes!

--

Of courses, there are more classes to take!

There are classes focusing on library materials for children and young adults. There are classes on library collection management. There are classes on library management itself. There are classes on archives, preservations, Hawaii-Pacific materials, and databases. There are classes on intellectual freedom. There are more classes on the library profession.

And towards the end of the program (for me, it is most likely to be Spring 2015), there is the internship program. 

Lots to look forward too.

I'm really in a phase of my life where I'm more about "looking forward" instead of "looking at the rearview mirror"   




4) Comparisons of generations

Usually, in a room full of graduate students, you will find people of various age groups.

Some are young adults who didn't want to stop school after receiving their bachelor's degree.

Others have been out of school for decades and are now coming back.

That means you will have classmates with different life experiences and different frames of reference

------


First, I want to talk about the older group.

One student got her bachelor's degree two decades ago! Obviously, a lot has changed within that time.


When she graduated, it was a few years before the Internet became popular with the general public.  Computers were just used for typing and playing games (no 3D games in those days).  In fact, she mentioned that many students still used typewriters to type their papers. Students stood in line to register for class instead of the online system we use today.


After her undergrad years, she had a job and had kids.

But she never got a chance to keep up with the latest technology. She admitted that she rarely goes online. She didn't try the popular online social networks.

And this is a program in which you are expected to know at least the basic online technologies, especially since you will be introduced to some of the more advanced educational technologies in class.

Yep, it was like she was waking up after 2 decades of hibernation. She felt so overwhelmed and lost that she quit after  2 weeks. 

To make things worse, she registered for class last minute (as in the actual 1st day of class). She just walked into the LIS office to ask questions, and they were like "you can sign up for this class that starts today".

Whereas when I applied, I decided to do so months before my 1st class. This gave me time to mentally adjust before starting.  Plus, I had months to think about tech knowledge requirements. I already knew the basic (ie.  extensive use of Microsoft Word, Yahoo, Google, Blogger and facebook) as well as stuff I learned in my short time at UPhx (ie.  power-points, databases), so learning additional stuff in the LIS program (ie Jing, uhunix html program) wasn't as  overwhelming.
-------

Anyways, on the other side of things, the younger generation tend to be digital natives.

One of my younger classmate expects EVERYTHING to be in a digital format!   In fact, he didn't even bring his textbook to class, because he scanned the book's pages into a PDF file (must've took hours) just so he can look at it on a computer screen. 

Well, I don't want to talk too much trash about that guy, since he's a nice person.


However, there was this other younger classmate who I consider to be poison for any class/work environment. (Her name is Candice Tuosto.)

Even though she is a Library and Information Science major, she was offended when I (gasp, omg ......................... noooooooooooooo) suggested that she visit the main public library in downtown Honolulu. 


She wants to do every assignment hiding behind a computer instead of actually visiting a library. And did I mention she was a LIBRARY and Information Science major? 

And in a class group discussion, she was also offended when  I mention that librarians should (gasp) walk with their patrons to show where the items they want are. She thinks librarians should hide behind the desk and stare at the computer!  

Oh, she says, why walk with a patron to show them where items are, when librarians have to deal with many customers?

Well, any Macy's employee (who deal with WAY MORE CUSTOMERS in an hour than a librarian deals with in a day)  who thinks they shouldn't stop what they're doing when a customer wants to be shown where an items is .....................................................is an employee asking for trouble from the bosses!  

After all, at Macy's (and libraries)  CUSTOMERS COME FIRST!


When I mention that same point again in the next class, and the professor agreed, guess what Candice Tuosto did afterwards?

She quit that class! She also quit her other class! She quit the program and went back to California.


As you can see Candice Tuosto  is someone who is offended when asked to do more than the bare minimum.

Plus, she was always last to arrive, first to leave at every class!


This is the type of library service you would get from someone with Candice T's attitude

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Niac-sIGd8g&list=PL160723BDF8BD51AB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XvAakX__cQ&list=PL160723BDF8BD51AB 


Well, Good Riddance to someone like that! 

------


5) Special Activities


Being in the LIS programs, I was able to take part in some special activities. I wasn't able to do all that was offered, but I did a few including

a) Guest speakers .

One was a university librarian from French Polynesia. Their only library is a university library in Tahiti. That's it! No public library system there!  (If France wants to consider itself "enlightened", they could do a lot more for their territories than that)

Another was a local archivist who graduated a few years ago. She talked about the job market.

b) field trips

The only I could make it to was this trip to a library on the Schofield Army base in Wahiawa.  The ride itself was amazing, since you're going from the city to a small town in Central Oahu.  But once you get on base, you'll find they have their own library for the soldiers and their families. It's almost like any public library.


c) volunteering for the book fair

There was a book fair for children's literature on the UH campus last month. While it might seem strange to have children's books being sold on a college campus, let's remember that professors and students are parents too. Plus, the younger college students have younger siblings they can buy books for.  Plus, going through the children's books collection can give you memories of your childhood.

I only volunteered for a few hours and I wish I had more time. But it was a very fun experience. I get to meet new people and talk about stuff I'm interested in. Also, it was fun re-organizing the book collection after the shoppers made it un-organized. For some reason, I consider that kind of work fun.  (just ask any Macy's staff who saw me folding shirts and organizing messy piles there)

I hope I have time to do more of such volunteering soon.

d) Banquets

I love going to banquets.

We had one retirement party for a semi-retired professor Dr Violet Harada on February. She happened to be the first person I talked to when I was considering applying for the LIS program.  This semester, she's mostly  mentoring a new professor teaching his first class.

When I went to her retirement party, I was surprised how many people showed up. There were librarians from all over the island. There were past students and past colleagues there.  And off course, a potluck too :)

----------------

And earlier this week, there was a banquet for the latest group of students graduating from the LIS program this summer.

Good thing we get assigned tables, since it allowed me to meet students I only seen around but didn't have a previous change to socialize with.

It was a fun night, with good food, good feelings and good photos taken.

The graduates get to eat for free, whereas everyone has to pay $35.

I can't wait to be one of the graduates and eat for free :)


-----

The UH graduation ceremony for graduate students is a few hours away as I'm typing this.

Congratulations and good luck to all of them!

Jason Collins and Tom Apple

1) Jason Collins

At the end of last month, NBA player Jason Collins came out of the closet.

Associated Press/ Micheal Dwyer

Jason Collins

Some have said that Jason Collins was the first NBA player to do so.

But then again, we already had Dennis Rodman who wore women's clothing, publicly fantasized about sleeping with men, but admitted that he has only had sex with women. All this while he was still playing the NBA!

Yahoo

Dennis Rodman

But dont you dare call them soft or "sissy" as many NBA rivals have learned the hard way!

-----


Because it is rare for a male athlete to openly admit to being gay, some have said Jason Collins is a "hero".

And of course, people get offended of the idea of Jason Collins being a "hero".

Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro was known as saying
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/29/ben-shapiro-jason-collins-hero_n_3178701.html

"So Jason Collins is a hero because he's gay? Our standard for heroism has dropped quite a bit since Normandy."

Well, nobody said "Jason Collins is a hero because he's gay"


Actually, Jason Collin's bravery is coming out of the closet in a world where homophobic bullying is common!


From MidWeek's sports pundit Steve Murray
http://www.midweek.com/collins-not-a-gay-man-just-a-man/

Phillip Parker was 14 a year old when he hung himself in the bathroom of his foster parents’ home. After years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his classmates, the high-schooler killed himself rather than face the continued torment that comes with being an openly gay male. His final cry for help was found in a nearby wastebasket, “Please help me, mom.”

This is why NBA veteran Jason Collins came out – not because he wanted attention or to flaunt the “gay lifestyle” in front of wholesome Americans and impressionable youths, but because he, like Parker, wants to live his life without prejudice or scorn.

We all do. It’s just much harder when you’re gay.

Ironically, it's the conservative correctness warriors like Ben Shapiro who make Jason Collins look brave.


In fact, when the conservative correctness preachers promote homophobia,  that inspires many teenagers (even the ones who could care less about conservative values) to bully students who are (or seem to be) homosexual. 

That bullying inspires the victims into self-hatred and even suicide.

I mean, if both the conservative preachers and the your neighborhood thugs are against you, who do you turn for help?

In many communities, the answer is nobody. 


And then we're surprised something like this happens

Eric James Borges, a film-maker, speaker and counselor, says in a online video for the “It Gets Better” project that his name wasn’t Eric, but faggot. He was spit on, assaulted, ostracized and thrown out of his family’s home. Months after the video was recorded, Borges, then 19, committed suicide, leaving a note thanking his friends, while noting, “My pain is not caused because I am gay. My pain was caused by how I was treated because I am gay.”

(above quote from Steve Murray's article at  http://www.midweek.com/collins-not-a-gay-man-just-a-man/)


And more quote from the above article

Homosexuality is not about living one’s life as the outrageous center float in a gay pride parade. Collins came out because he wants to live a normal, open life without the threat of ridicule or judgement.

By going public with his sexuality, Collins further helps disprove the myth of inferiority. Bigotry grows in the silence of fear and ignorance.

Now, I have to admit some guilt in all this!   I have said some things I am not proud of!  I have occasionally made some homophobic comments when I was younger. Back then, I didn't know anyone who was out of the closet. I was unaware of the internal struggles that many LGBT youth had to deal with!

But now that I know better, I will stand up against homophobia!


Just like the famous quote from Rodney King "cant we all just get along?"




2) Tom Apple


Tom Apple is the chancellor (fancy word for principal) for the UH-Manoa campus

 Star Advertiser

Tom Apple

Earlier this week, Tom Apple said this



http://www.kaleo.org/sports/could-uh-athletics-leave-division-i/article_930fd484-b5f6-11e2-9ff7-001a4bcf6878.html

“If we’re not breaking even in three years, I really have to look at whether we will continue Division 1A athletics,” Chancellor Thomas Apple said.

Excuse me?


Your telling us that the flagship university of our state shall be demoted to Division 2?

That's like asking Hawaii's people to accept 2nd class citizenship!We refuse to be treated like 2nd class citizens dammit!

By telling us (and the world) that it's possible that UH athletics could drop out of Division 1 is an early Christmas present to all rival college recruiters!


That's right, all the folks at Fresno State, Stanford, Oregon, Southern Cal, UCLA, Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, BYU, Utah ....................... and on and on  ..................... now have a new weapon to use against us when they go out for recruiting!


In other words, Tom Apple's words can have serious ramifications for the UH sports programs.  Therefore, Tom Apple shall be fired!