The Whitworthian

Issue date: 12/4/07 Last Updated: 12/3/07

Media Credit: Taylor Zajicek Hawaiian Club members (left to right) freshmen Kuli'a Aiona, Preston Lynch, Courtney Gaddis and Johanna Sai perform at Kanikapila Dec. 1. [Click to enlarge]

The number of Hawaiian students may be increasing after a few years of decline.

Ten freshmen from Hawaii enrolled at Whitworth this year, while only three enrolled last year, according to the Tenth Day Report, an enrollment report Enrollment Services releases each semester.

This increase in the number of Hawaiian students shows no effect on the three-year percentage decline in the enrollment of ethnic students, dean of enrollment services Fred Pfursich said.

"The trend is that we have more students from Hawaii, but that doesn't mean they're all native Hawaiian," Pfursich said.

Ethnic students can be defined as students who fit under the non-Caucasian categories of Asian American/Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic American, Native American and other specificities, Pfursich said.

"About a year ago, [the enrollment of students from Hawaii] had gone down several years in a row," director of institutional research Gary Whisenand said.

From 2000 to 2002, the average number of Hawaiian freshmen was 14, according to the statistics provided by Whisenand. From 2003 to 2007, however, the average number dropped to 7.4.

According to a Nov. 21, 2006 article in The Whitworthian, there were 15 incoming freshmen from Hawaii in both 2000 and 2001.

Senior Andrew Inouye, president of Hawaiian Club, is from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Inouye said having more freshmen from Hawaii means there are more students who are native speakers and know traditional Hawaiian dances.

"This adds to our club as a whole, to what we can offer at Whitworth and in Spokane," Inouye said.

Every spring, the Hawaiian Club puts on the Lu'au. On Dec. 1, the club hosted Kanikapila, a Hawaiian Christmas.

Hawaiian Club was formed in 1970.

Inouye said there are currently 25 students from Hawaii who are members of Hawaiian Club, which is about half of the club.

There was only one admissions counselor from Whitworth who came to Kaiser High School, said freshman Hillary Chun, who attended Kaiser High School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

There were, however, three teachers who were graduates of Whitworth and who were prominent and influential at Kaiser High School, Chun said.

In a March 8, 2005 article in The Whitworthian, Pfursich said the large Hawaiian student enrollment is partly due to the strong alumni connection with prospective students in areas of Hawaii such as Honolulu.

Pfursich said Aulani Kekuna is Whitworth's admission counselor for Hawaii.

"Because she's from Hawaii, she's able to relate to [Hawaiian students] better," Pfursich said, "She's in the position to have that type of relationship with those students."

This is Kekuna's second year working in admissions at Whitworth, Pfursich said.

In fall 2005, 15.2 percent of the undergraduate student body was ethnic students, Pfursich said.

In fall 2007, the number of ethnic students dropped to 14.2 percent. Within three years, the total number of ethnic students has not changed, Pfursich said.

The percentage decrease is due to the increase in the total number of incoming students, Pfursich said.

According to statistics compiled by the admissions office, there were 470 freshmen in fall of 2006, but the number increased to 530 for fall 2007.

"The applicant pool is growing significantly," Pfursich said. "When you have more applicants, naturally, you will have more students from each [ethnic] category."

Pfursich also said Whitworth is still recruiting from the same states.

There has been a significant percentage increase of out-of-state students, Pfursich said.

Last year, 37.7 percent of freshmen were out-of-state while this year, 44.3 percent freshmen are out-of-state, according to the Tenth Day Report.

"I feel like there are so many more students, particularly minority students," ASWU cultural events coordinator Michelle Bess said.

Bess explained how the addition of theology instructor Moses Pulei and director of Service Learning and community engagement Rhosetta Rhodes to the faculty has helped her as an ethnic and minority student.

"I believe Whitworth is making an attempt to diversify, which shows that they care," Bess said.

Contact Christina Chea at christina.chea@whitworthian.com.

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