THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	68
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘i TO REVERSE THE POLICY ON TUITION RATES FOR PACIFIC ISLANDer STUDENTS.

     WHEREAS, there are no baccalaureate degree-granting institutions among the many Pacific Island nations, which include American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau, which means that most students from these jurisdictions (collectively referred to as Pacific Islander students) attend the University of Hawai‘i; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawai‘i previously granted Pacific Islander students a lower tuition rate than the Western Undergraduate Exchange tuition rate, which is set by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, that was set by the Board of Regents in 2006; and

     WHEREAS, charging Pacific Islander students from Pacific Island nations and territories the Western Undergraduate Exchange tuition rate severely undermines their access to higher education through the University of Hawai‘i system; and

     WHEREAS, Pacific Islander students are predominantly economically disadvantaged and are dependent on the University of Hawai‘i System for advanced training and higher education; and

     WHEREAS, there has historically been a close cultural relationship between the University of Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands since many Pacific Islanders who led their respective nations to self-government and independence in the post-war period were trained at the University of Hawai‘i; and

     WHEREAS, the revised Compacts of Free Association between the United States and the three freely associated Micronesian governments have severely limited students' eligibility for  federal aid; and

     WHEREAS, most students are no longer eligible for Work-Study and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants; and

     WHEREAS, compounding this problem have been the increases in tuition and the declining value of federally funded PELL grants, which is the chief source of educational assistance for students; and

     WHEREAS, as a result of the decision to raise tuition for Pacific Islander students:

     (1)  The drop-out rate has increased; and

     (2)  Many of those students who have managed to remain in school find it necessary to work two or three part-time jobs, which often leads to missed classes and poor academic performance; and

     WHEREAS, a university with an avowed commitment to the Pacific Islands region and that aspires to be the training hub of Oceania should not adopt policies that prevent Pacific Islander students from accessing its educational services; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i is requested to reverse the policy on tuition rates for Pacific Islander students; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i and President of the University of Hawai‘i System.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

UH; Pacific Island Students Tuition