WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Constitution recognizes Hawaiian as an official language of Hawaii and further recognizes that study of the Hawaiian language should 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 determination of the importance of the Hawaiian language in 1996 has led to further action being taken by the Legislature in 1997, 2001, and 2006 to protect and expand the role of the Hawaiian language in the State; and

WHEREAS, legislative measures 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 funding from the State; and

WHEREAS, since being founded, the College of Hawaiian Language has provided a preschool through twelfth grade laboratory school, a teacher certification program, two Master's degree programs, and a doctoral program, all conducted entirely in the Hawaiian language; and

WHEREAS, the College of Hawaiian Language's programs are the first Native American language programs in the nation and have drawn significant national and international attention; and

WHEREAS, the College of Hawaiian Language's role extends beyond academic programs and includes 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 used in state public and charter schools for teaching Hawaiian language, expanding contemporary vocabulary in Hawaiian for instructional purposes in these schools, providing an online dictionary and primary source materials through the Ulukau online Hawaiian electronic library, and providing 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 existing structure of the University of Hawaii System, which mirrors the structure of English language medium sized institutions of higher education in the other forty-nine states, is not optimal for a state with two official languages; and

WHEREAS, international structural models exist that may be adopted by the University of Hawaii System as a means to maximize 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 organize the College of Hawaiian Language into a unique model to expand services that meet the State's 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 is necessary to determine how to restructure the College of Hawaiian Language to better serve the needs of the State; 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 Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii Office of the President and College of Hawaiian Language are requested to establish a working group to:

(1) Conduct a study to determine how the College of Hawaiian Language can be restructured to best promote the expansion of Hawaiian language instruction and to serve the needs of the State; and

(2) Examine the expansion of Hawaiian language instruction throughout the University of Hawaii System using the College of Hawaiian Language as a base from which to carry out the expansion; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group 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 System, 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;

(5) The Administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the Administrator's designee;

(6) ‘Ahahui ‘Olelo Hawai‘i;

(7) ‘Aha Kauleo;

(8) ‘Aha Pūnana Leo;

(9) Kamehameha Schools;

(10) ‘Ōiwi TV; and

(11) Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; 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 Administrator 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, Director of the College of Hawaiian Language, ‘Ahahui ‘Olelo Hawai‘i, ‘Aha Kauleo, ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, Kamehameha Schools, ‘Ōiwi TV, and Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

Report Title:

College of Hawaiian Language; University of Hawaii System

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	156
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII