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| today's the day
Yu-p, today's the day. Going back to Washington, DC is all I could think of. Even though I really did enjoy my winter break down in Hawaii and here in Los Angeles, I'm all ready to go back. Ready than ever.
I have to say that it's becoming clear that Washington, DC is my third home. Actually, Gallaudet University is more of my third home. The third home where I could keep my happiness at its high stakes. Also, there's juz so many great things to go through the spring semester at Gallaudet University. I juz know it by my guts. And I'm looking forward to it, also 
So yeah, I'm ready to go back to Washington, DC and see all of my wonderful Kappa Sigma brothers and those fun friends, too  I really felt that I'm satisfied with how my winter break went in both Hawaii and here in Southern California.
But the cold temperatures down here in Southern California aren't funny, though. Below 30's up in Stevenson Ranch, that's way worse. My grand aunty said that it's the first time ever in her time to experience this very cold temperature in Southern California. She expected something like higher 30's, but never expected to have it dropped below 30's. But it did. Really cold, I'm telling you, it's the same feeling as I had when I was in Washington, DC last winter, it was hellish cold!!
BUT this time, Washington, DC isn't THAT cold. I recalled that when I left Washington for Hawaii during my winter break, it was like around 50's there. It was really weird to have that kind of warmth up in Washington during the month of December.
Anyway, I better go now, grab some rest before hele on Northwest Airlines back to Washington, DC while my parents are gunna hele on Hawaiian Airlines back to Honolulu. Good night, people aloha! | | |
| Oh yes, there's one more thing that I'd like to keep you all up to date with Gallaudet University. For those who are Gallaudetians, you may regard this entry
Anyway, um, as many of you already know that Gallaudet University went into chaos with all the protest that lasted almost a month in the month of October [my birthday month, yeah], it was intensifying when Dr. Jane K. Fernandes refused to follow the students' demand of having her to resign. That kind of refusal has been ongoing since from the spring semester, particularly in May.
On Monday, October 29, 2006, at around 8:00pm or so [of course, Eastern Standard Time], I have received an announcement from one of my Kappa Sigma brothers whom received that through chains of e-mails. He has told me that the Board of Trustees have decided to terminate Dr. Jane K. Fernandes' future position of being Gallaudet University's next president, as well as terminating her current position as a president-designate. And that termination was in effect immediately, on that day.
Next day, on Tuesday, October 30, 2006, I remember it very clearly that there are hundreds of students having their best moods of the semester, keeping their chins up with the optimism for the future of our university.
In just a few days, the campus went back to normal. Tents tore down, cleaned up, and the front entrance of Gallaudet University, which has been locked up for almost the whole month of October, was reopened. Students walking around on campus, past by each other with the cheerful moods. Yes, Gallaudet University students went back to normal once the Board of Trustees ousted Dr. Jane K. Fernandes.
Ousted. That's a powerful word to be learned, especially when The Washington Post used that term in description of kicking Dr. Jane K. Fernandes out of Gallaudet University. I have realized that she is not coming back at all. I remember a freshman student, which is a friend of mine from Hawaii, asked me, "Is that true...Dr. Jane K. Fernandes is not going to be our next president?" And I told him, "Yes, that's true. Sorry, but she's not coming back at all. I doubt she would. After all of this chaos, I am sure that both you and I don't want to have Gallaudet University go through all of that chaos again. So I don't think she's not coming back at all. And I know that she knows that it would be more chaos if she comes back and work at Gallaudet University."
I know that many of you, my friends who are not Gallaudetians, found this unbelievable, but I have to put a very simple statement to all of this. And that is...
"If you want to truly understand what the protest is all about, it is best to experience it in Gallaudet University during that protest. During that simple month, there are thousands of things going on. There are so many things happening, all just in one month."
That statement, which is from my opinion, I find it very true. Just a month of October, including my 21st birthday, there's so much things going on inside our sacred university.
A little over a month after the Board of Trustees' announcement of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes's termination, the Board of Trustees has finally selected an interim president for our university, which is Dr. Robert Davila. Keep this in mind, he is an interim president for our university. But yes, he is counted as our 9th president, no matter if he's interim or not.
Dr. Robert Davila, former vice-president of National Technical Institute for the Deaf, one of the seven colleges at Rochester Institute of Technology, located in chilly Rochester, New York, has decided to take the position as our interim president. You can find the announcement from the Board of Trustees through this link. Another one is the official published article about the announcement of Dr. Robert Davila being our new interim president, click here. In his background, I find it very astounding. I found out that he used to work for Department of Education, which is one of many aspects inside our federal government. That's the biggest job position and he is believed to be the only one that held the highest position inside the United States government. I also found that he is one of many Gallaudet alumni. He graduated from Gallaudet University in 1953, which is over 50 years ago.
Now, at this time, he has already started his position as the Gallaudet University's interim president, alas our ninth president. But due to the statement from the Board of Trustees, Dr. Robert Davila would serve Gallaudet as our interim president for at least 18 months and no more than two years.
Of course, the students are excited to welcome him aboard, but at the same time, the students at Gallaudet University stated that the worry is not over. They are carefully watching on the new presidential search process as Gallaudet University has reopened its presidential search process.
The only hope that I have for Gallaudet University is to have the Board of Trustees appoint a person as our permanent president for Gallaudet University, alas might be our 10th president, it would be a person that all the students, faculty, staff, and alumni would agree and accept that selection.
You can find more coverage on Gallaudet University's protest from The Washington Post, which is to be found through this link. A photo gallery is also available through this link. | | |
| January 2...
Second day of 2007.
First entry of the new year
Oh yeah, I have been lagging behind with the Xangaworld and haven't typed anything since from my last entry on THANKSGIVING!! Oh boy, but yeah, the time between now and the Thanksgiving in two months ago was very hectic for me... Sighs, but at least, it's now over and I have been enjoying most of my winter break down here in Hawaii since I got here on December 16th (yeah, last year, whatcha think!?), hah.
Anyway, to summarize everything up in December 2006...
I have finished all my 7 classes (5 lecture classes + 2 lab classes), which brought up to 17 credits for the fall semester. The good thing is that I have passed ALL of my 7 classes with a 4.0 GPA, thus bringing up the 4.0 GPA for the fall semester, big whew. That was something that I would never thought I have succeed.
But I made it through the fall semester with a 4.0 GPA, even through all the chaos that occurred in Gallaudet University in October, now last year.
After taking these five final examinations, I felt very confident in myself that I would pass these final examinations. With a smile on my face, I headed back home in Honolulu, Hawaii for 3 weeks. But the stopover in Los Angeles was one of the memories that are worthwhile. When I arrived in Los Angeles, I was told by the Hawaiian Airlines that the flight has delayed for up to 3 hours. However, that 3 hours didn't bore me out because my friend Lei, who was visiting in town from Sacramento, came to LAX Airport and took me out. And you wouldn't believe where we have went.
It was Riverside. Over 100 miles east of LAX Airport. But we did, we went to Riverside to stop by and see my lil bro (of fraternity), Jojo. He has this expression of being "surprised" when I was actually in Riverside and saw him there. We stayed around in Riverside for like a good 20 minutes, then Lei (and her friend, Mike) drove me back to LAX Airport, arriving at 7:40pm, exactly the same time I was about to MISS a flight down to Honolulu!!
But whew, I made it through, along with a help of five security staff (mahalo to them!!!) as they assisted me through all the obstacles, such as security checkpoint, gate entrance, and the security checking the tickets. It was a bizarre experience as I almost missed my flight while my friends were bringing me back to LAX Airport from Riverside at 90-100 MPH during the rainy day, haha. Gee, it was simply PRICELESS and UNFORGETTABLE moment for me...haha 
Honolulu, Hawaii...never could say it's better to be anywhere else than being back home in Hawaii. Yes, it definitely is nice to know that I'm back here, even though I wasn't really ready to go back home when I was in Gallaudet University, hah. Christmas Eve and Day went very well, as I got to spend my time with both Nakamoto and Chiwa families. But I always find it much more fun to spend with the Nakamoto family, juz because I have many cousins in that family, they're all teasing, laughing, playing games, and everything... Makes me realize that I have been missing that kind of huge fun for many years
New Year's Eve...it was all good, as I decided to stay at my parents' place in Pearl City and played the fireworks. It was fun, especially when I get to play these fireworks, haha. Then the year 2007 has arrived in...on New Year's Day, I went up to my aunty's place in Mililani to have a New Year's Day dinner together with the Chiwa family. The foods are to die for, especially my mom's mochi soup. It is believed to eat the mochi soup to bring the good luck to all of us during the new year.
Now, the second day of the new year 2007...I still don't feel like it's January yet, I still feel like it's December, haha. But there's a reason to that...my mom and dad still keep the Christmas tree in the living room I can't really let it go juz yet!! But they told me that the tree would be thrown out on this Thursday for a Friday garbage pickup. Gee...that tree is very beautiful...ah well, once that tree is thrown out, I'd know that January is here, hah.
Anyway, here's my wish to all of you in the Xangaworld that the new year of 2007 would bring all of you good health, happiness, joy, and the better improvements in your life!
Aloha from Pearl City  | | |
| Today's Thanksgiving
Ye-p, I wish all of you
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Enjoy your day, gobble up those delicious, traditional Thanksgiving food, and be thankful for what you have in your life right now
As for me, I got 12 things to be thankful for, which are:
- Myself for standing where I am in my own life right now
- My mother for everything from the time I was added to the world's population to the time I'm typing this entry and beyond this time
- My father [which is actually stepfather] for his humor, his financial support for my higher education, and himself for replacing my biological father
- My families [both Chiwa and Nakamoto] for their unmeasureable support, care, and love
- My Chiwa grandparents for their continuing love and support through my childhood and teenage years
- My Nakamoto grandparents for their support as well
- My Nakamoto grandmother for her wonderful homemade beef stew [it's to die for!!!]
- Kappa Sigma Fraternity for changing me into a better man
- Dozens of my friends for their complicated views on our world and their support
- Gallaudet University for providing me the opportunities that I would never thought to have
- South Hills High School for expanding my knowledge and raising my education much higher
- Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind for finding my own identity as a deaf person
- My biological father on part for creating me
Again, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone
And, for this semester, I'm not making it too obvious to count the days down for Hawaii, but you know it's juz next month aloha! | | |
| Day 28
Protest Ended
Yes, as you have read above, the protest at Gallaudet University has finally came to an end yesterday, on Sunday, October 29th. Actually, the protest ignited in May 2006 when the students acknowledged that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes would become our ninth president of Gallaudet University. Many complicated reasons regarding about having Dr. Fernandes as our next president include the lack of her leadership, the lack of her friendliness toward students and faculty & staff, and the poor organization of her position as the vice-president of Laurent Clerc Center, a building that takes care of both Model Secondary School for the Deaf and Kendall Demonstration Elementary School.
The protest started back in May 2006 and the administration of Gallaudet University neglected it, thought it would fade away through last summer. But no, the protest didn't fade away, it was just cooling down, then it went back on the fire on October 2, 2006 when they decided to restart the protest against Dr. Fernandes, which threw the administration off the tracks completely. After that, the administration tried their best to negotiate with the students, but their two demands stood still, which the administration wouldn't agree with. Even the Board of Trustees wouldn't agree at first.
But a couple of weeks later, the protest intensified as the students were on the hunger strike, which lasted almost two weeks, faculty and staff voted NO confidence in Dr. Jane K. Fernandes as our next president, and the alumni of Gallaudet University flew in to assist the protest, including Tim Rarus, a former student leader who triggered the Deaf President Now in March 1988 which brought Dr. I. King Jordan as our 8th president [and 1st deaf president] of Gallaudet University.
Comparing between Deaf President Now in 1988 and the "Better President Now" in 2006, the 2006 protest is much more complicated than the DPN 1988 because they sensed Dr. Fernandes as a unreliable person to lead Gallaudet University, rather than juz her identity as a deaf woman.
In the end, on Day 28 - October 29, 2006, the Board of Trustees have finally gave in to the students' two demands and removed Dr. Fernandes from her future position as our next president. And the Board of Trustees also now reopens the presidential search process, but this time, the students will be heavily inclusive inside the presidential search process.
I personally found it shocking, but on one hand, I'm glad that the protest is now over and the things are beginning to become normal again.
As for Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, it's now a question on what she will do next.
To read more about the end of our protest and the Board of Trustees' decision to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the position of our next president and the position of President-Designate, go to this link:
Board Ousts Fernandes; Gallaudet Campus Quiet.
I find it very surprising, but yes, the protesters have won the battle against Gallaudet University's administration. | | |
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