We can support that to move the university forward. Some centralized funding has to be available to do that or it is each man for himself on each campus regardless of need or regardless frankly of vision. Um some you know I think for example you know in Leeward in uh West Aahu there's some really exciting work that's being done there that's being led by Chancellor Puloza that is driven by Chancellor Puloza. If I'm not seeing that on other campuses, I need to respond in a way that insists that that occur. But what I can tell you is the first question I asked my leadership team in the interviews is why are you sitting on these large balances? Because it isn't optimal and it doesn't reflect good strategy. It is unique. I will say that and I think it's important for you all to know that usually the university is not in this position and likely will never be in this position again.
And so when we looked at um specific suggested content as being the most relevant, the most important uh Asian Asian I won't say Asian history, but um Americans of Asian descent, Americans of Japanese ancestry, and especially the whole um idea of of the whole history from the bombing of Pearl Harbor even prior. Um we work also very closely with the uh Cororamatsu Instit. It is left up to the individual schools um to decide exactly but the standards are very supportive of that. the standards are supportive. But yes, similarly with the lit financial literacy, we this body has for years wanted fiscal literacy to be embedded and we couldn't get it. And the it's because it's up to the board of education and we just this year they're going to start this next school year to have it in, but it's been an elective for a long time, which is something that they said it's embedded, I mean, as an elective and so forth.
So, you know, if you can think that a little over 10 bucks a month, you can get some value out of it. We'd love to have you. Um we're really looking to be not just about advocacy, which is a big piece of it, but also networking. How do we help each other? How do we help promote each other? Um maybe we can support each other's business. So, when somebody's saying, "Hey, you know, I was thinking of getting some sighting on my house." And you're like, "Oh, how about United Home Experts, right? They're a big Ashlin business." And you can you can give them out that information, right? So, that's what the ABA is about, just supporting Ashlin and supporting local businesses. Um, got it right here. Sounds great. I mean, it sounds like a really good opportunity, a win-win all the way around. There we go.
This is a reflection of COVID and federal funds that came in and so what it creates is a one-time opportunity for significant investment at a moment of considerable change for the university and we have to move forward on that. But you your your point about it should not look like that is absolutely correct and it's just you it takes some time with me coming in new and setting the new strategy around what we've already what we're building on to really execute that. But we've already spent >> we've already spent. >> No, no. And I get it. I I think I think hopefully within the next couple of months, we'll see some some more clarity. But >> happy to show you. >> But but I think you know the c at a certain point the campuses also need to know what their parameters. I think it was unchecked, right?
And that was DOE's excuse for not having financial literacy to be part of the curriculum. And so what does it take other than a law to get to have more consistency through the schools so that the students learn this is part of their history? Well, I can also say the main textbook that is used for modern history of Hawaii, it's from Best Press. um and most schools use that in that course. Um it has heavy um a large portion around the study of the 100th and the 442nd. So even with that textbook >> so when you say most schools use the textbook the not >> I can't say 100% of the schools use that textbook. No, I can. >> Is there any curriculum that is done what 100% of the schools and that you folks dictate as to what should be should be done? Is there anything that's so um for our reading and our math curriculum uh we do have a list that um schools are able to choose from.
Oh, nice steal. [cheering] Sadini looking for an opening. Hands off to Anish to Rossy. Fires up for three from the top of the key and nails it. [cheering] >> Rossy with a trifecta. Free throw, field goal, and three-pointer. The clocker still down by 12 with six and a half to go in the game. >> He also has like 47 rebounds, I think, is the official number, right? >> He's been having a great night on the glass. Absolutely. That pass B2 defenders [cheering] leads to the shot and the foul. >> See, we were not getting those bounces on those rims earlier. >> You're learning quickly. We always blame the rims. [laughter] >> So, Sheamus Ganon here to shoot one to try to complete the three-point play. And Scott, just really quick to final final touch here on the ABA. Where where can people go to learn more?
And I think you may be a great president now, but you know you you're not going to be able none of us last forever. And so I think if we can build internally, you know, the policies in place, I think that's really important. No, I accountability is necessary and it let it it's at multiple levels, right? Agreed. >> Yeah, >> I think Senator Dorton and I would be fine if you gave it all to Chancer. >> You know, interestingly enough, they have the smallest balance. So, it's a good example for me to show you where if we are strictly driven by any particular campus's balances, they will be the clear loser. In part because they have to pay debt service out of the money that comes into uh West Aahu. Most other campuses don't have to do that. So part of the equity question I'm asking is how do we serve the west side in an equitable way when they are inequitably taxed with what comes out of their aotment and that can only be done with a little more flexibility and a little faith and I understand that there that's in short supply but a little faith in our ability to manage the whole to ensure equity across the whole.
Um prior to that um you it was a little wider um uh but then we um have those vetted lists and um we're in the process now with social studies and science to um do the same thing. >> Okay, I have more to say on that. Anything else? Anybody want to chime in? >> I have some follow-up questions. You know, I think part of what becomes difficult to um uh I guess follow with individual schools is they may have access, you know, to the same textbooks, but it seems as though, you know, if um >> if we look at things like robotics or, you know, STEM types of activities, creative media, AI types of programming, it seems as though students today learn best if they're actually doing things or working on projects. you know, which uh also focus on, you know, the stories, but at the same time, they're really helping students understand values as well as other kinds of, uh, experiences which sort of illuminate Hawaii's experience in ways that, you know, uh, textbooks by themselves may not do.
ABA have a website or >> Yep. Yeah, we have a website. Um, you can also, you know, give any of the members a call or a chat. We're also on social media. You connect us that way as well. Um, if you just Google Action Business Association, you'll see us come right up. Um, we'd love to have more members. We'd love to have more voices in town. Um, and it's, you know, you have to, the cool thing about it is it is Ashlin based, right? So, you live in town, your your business is in town, it's it's local and it's us talking about it like if you join other like a chamber of commerce which is really awesome like the Metro West S one um it's good but it's not you know it's not advocacy based it's not local based um where I think the ABA is really different with that piece so I'm a member of both by the way so you can be a couple sounds good there we go nice move coming alive here in the second half left-handed, too.
Well, appreciate your leadership in that at Western Aahu. Obviously, I think that, you know, they do have one of the smallest balances. I noticed that, but also they have a program, the business program, which is the it seems like a premier program that's been growing and not been given enough resources and and it's sad that that's that's occurring. And those are the kinds of areas that we look at and then possibly step in to try to assist them because if they're doing a good job and the leadership prior was saying, well, you're such a big program that we're going to focus on the smaller programs and then didn't assist um on the business side and and that that that's really sad, but we certainly have to look at that. The other area when we talk about policy shift and I know you weren't here for that hearing but when we talked about the travel moratorum I mean this is clearly an area that even though you have these huge balances we still need to keep everybody in check as far as are we actually you know >> using the the tuition funds monies taxpayers monies um responsibly because there's excessive travel going on not just at the University of Hawaii the DOE has that as well and some of the other departments and so we want to a pause and if you read the bill you know that it doesn't cut it out entirely.
And so in your social studies curricula, how much um uh I guess how much does the department require, you know, some level of activity which also would tend to incorporate, you know, many of the different kinds of stories which could be used by schools in a a variety of ways. But it seems as though just having the textbook is sort of um inadequate. >> Yes. Um it's not just textbook based. That's one resource. And we do um and you know highly encourage and promote uh the hands-on approach. So several of our schools um you know they do look at pro project based learning and um in social studies uh we also have um those units that um schools may um use and not just you know reading from the textbook. So, one thing though that does go from kindergarten all the way through grade 12 in social studies is a standard um and it's really based on taking informed action.
>> Yeah, >> it's interesting. I was over at a brand new business here in Ash, just opened up within the last couple of months, Tento Football Development. We uh got a story coming up on WACA talking to the owners there the other night. Uh it's getting, you know, just setting up in the Teleon building and they mentioned how wonderful the Metro West Chamber of Commerce has been, what an important asset it's been for them in getting themselves set up here in town. >> Yeah. with the u they did a ribbon cutting uh town of Ashlin every time a [clears throat] new business comes in um you know they've been awesome at helping business development and then they send us an invite to come down and and be there for the the ribbon cutting which is really cool. We did one two weeks ago, I think.
Uh so uh we hope that the board of regions will take a look at that and and look at what the policy and sometimes the policy is there but it's the execution and the oversight is just not given. >> Yeah. So a couple things you know with all due respect I would hope that I or the system can step in to fund business when it's doing well where there are insufficient funds at the campus level right we should never never anyone at the system should be coming to this legislature when we are sitting on money that can be productively >> can we have that printed out and >> it's common sense right I mean it's just common sense that does require flexibility to be able to move money and have some fungeibility between it but I I agree with you that's a place to do on the travel what I want to wanted to say there is an extensive approval process that occurs and we are implementing a new policy where if it if it exceeds a certain threshold it must go to an additional layer of approval to um an an em so that >> we're we're going to start instituting additional policies above that and essentially we've heard the legislature and the concerns Okay, I appreciate that because I know the testimony came that they were in opposition of that measure.
Um and with taking informed action that we have it in elementary, middle, and high and it's defined in an elementary way, a middle school way, and a high school way. So, um, this is something because you're exactly right. It's not something that you just know. Um, you have to you have to practice. You have to do. And so I know for example um I think it was I a high school it was a high school that did uh history day and national history day is a big project in Hawaii and they did it on one soldier in the 100th battalion and I think that project came out third in the nation. Um, and so taking informed action really is you're taking the content, for example, this is one standard. Analyze the socopolitical effects of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Great. So, you learn these things, but then what do you do with it?
Uh, core fitness. Um, it's a I didn't get the chance to go to that when I was traveling, but uh, [cheering] another it's just great to see and hear about ashen businesses coming into town, setting up, and, you know, trying to be successful. >> Absolutely. I mean, specifically the Teleron building, you know, this historic building in Ashlin that had its own life back in the day has really seemed to turn into almost I don't know if incubator is quite the right word, but a lot of new businesses, especially sports related businesses going in in that building, bringing kind of breathing new life into a pretty old historic building in town. Coach Norman not happy with the lane violation called against the clockers come with no points. Yep. >> There's a walk. [cheering] >> It felt while we were, you know, while we were talking about the ABA there, Scott, it really felt like play on the floor, it gotten a little chippy.
And again, you know, we're trying to give everybody a chance to get it right and not have to pass a law as to travel. Agreed. I mean, we want you folks to be responsible in doing that. And I think in most cases, but I I you you have a large institution and so is DOE. It's a large institution, but even more so, that kind of oversight is really needed because the taxpayers are looking at and I just want to say for the record because I've read some comments about, well, what about the legislature? You know, I want you to know that majority of us when we travel, we our airfare and our hotels are taken care of by the nonprofit entity that is inviting us to these seminars and to these conferences. And so, and we list every every scholarship that we get, we list on our gift disclosure.
What how are you bringing it forward? What is the legacy of this? So, we encourage um we work with schools across the state on how to take informed action around topics that are the most meaningful to them. Do you have competitions? Do you have award programs like his? >> Well, history day um it it's an opportunity for students to display their knowledge and apply it. And um we do send folks right to >> Oh, we're one of the top states in the nation for National History Day and many of the uh of the topics focus on local Hawaii history. Um we also do have award programs. One program that is um about four years old is called Hawaii Schools of Democracy. And um in the Hawaii Schools of Democracy program um the without getting into the whole explanation of it, but the it's um the first section is highly focused on our local history and national history and our local history and um and you know making we we're not mandating that they do Pearl Harbor or um something like that with it, but this is something where We have spoken to schools about um that they how they can integrate all of our local history into this program called Schools of Democracy.
>> Yeah. And and they do when you're when you're putting pressure and you're putting, you know, kind of pushing up on each other. Honestly, if you take out that first quarter, right, it's a it's a five-point game, >> six-point game. >> Cassandra fires for three. >> Take out that first quarter. It's a three-point game. [laughter] >> We're going to call that the warm-up quarter. >> Sure. Ignore it. >> We'll talk to the Wolverines. See if we can just not count that first quarter. >> Under four and a half to go in the game. Wolverines up 5139 with the ball. Okay, going to say that was a foul, not tripping. >> So, Anishh gets called for his first foul of the night. >> Inbounds bounce pass. Beautifully executed. They just couldn't get the layup to fall. And Bots is going to get called again. He can't believe it.
So if anybody want to know what trips we went on and how much was paid for it by an entity, they can go on to our gift disclosure and see that. I just want to editorial that because people do say, "Oh, what about the legislation?" >> Understood. We we agree. In fact, I I thought some of the concepts that you included, for example, of a limit of the number of people that can attend the same conference is one that we are are looking at internally. That makes sense, right? And and that kind of accountability, just to tie it back to the larger bill, if there is an expectation that you spend it or we sweep it, it will lead to some frivolous spending in order to spend it down versus the ability to carry over from year to year to invest in larger scale, more impactful thing.
So it's not just the 100th and 442nd, but it's immigration um into Hawaii, the history of Hawaii. Um all of that. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> Any other questions? >> Okay. hearing on um decision making. >> Yes. So decision making see I think you are the lead on the last two for the first bill we proposed to reported amendment. It's just adding that one word. Okay. Um the next one is the diplomas. Um the center we could scale back to the bill transportation. Yeah. To line three and then page three over here. >> Okay. >> Yeah. meetings. >> So take those lines four to seven. >> Yeah. Keep that in mind. voting. >> What if this ask the department to report back and the goal of this would be to encourage the use of a pilot project for us to then determine how best to make that's what we find you to do that.