The Pacific Islander Access project Blog: 2007

Monday, February 26, 2007

The Pacific Islander Access project

Aloha and welcome to the Pacific Islander Access project's webpage!

The Pacific Islander Access project, or "the P.I.A. project" for short, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation working to expand educational opportunity for America's growing Pacific Islander community.

Some people are unfamiliar with Pacific Islanders, though many Pacific Islanders call America their home. Many people are unaware that Pacific Islanders are significantly underrepresented in higher education. And most don't realize that while there are numerous scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities, many of these programs don't recognize that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented.

Our goal is to educate those academic programs for underrepresented minorities (aka "URM academic programs") that exclude Pacific Islanders, and persuade them to allow Pacific Islanders to apply along other underrepresented minorities. (If you happen to be part of one of these academic programs, please follow this link to read materials we developed specifically for you: LINK)

We put this webpage/blog together to make our information easily accessible. By clicking on the links below, you can learn more about us, Pacific Islanders, how Pacific Islanders are underrepresented in higher education, and how they are excluded from too many URM academic programs.

If you are looking for more information about our plan, who some of our supporters are, or how you can help, check these links out:

Also, feel free to check out the external links. They include U.S. Census data on Pacific Islanders and higher educational attainment in the United States.

Though it may read like something between the usual website and a blog, we hope you will find the format easy to navigate. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us at piaproject@hotmail.com.

Me ka ha'aha'a (with humility),

Kawika
CEO and Founder, P.I.A. project

PIAdvocates

The Pacific Islander Access project is proud to have the support of a growing number of organizations and individuals we call "PIAdvocates." Here is some info about a few of our supporters:

Center for Pacific Islands Studies

The Center for Pacific Islands Studies, at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, is the only academic program in the U.S. to focus on the entire Pacific region. The Center's faculty includes over 40 Pacific Island regional specialists, and boasts both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Dr. David Hanlon, Director and Professor at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, had this to say about the PIA project: "We as educators are totally committed to promoting greater access to higher education for Pacific Islanders, through a fairer and more effective distribution of existing and expanding financial aid resources. We are proud to join with the Pacific Islander Access project in promoting this critically important goal."
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Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance

The Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance (IPIA) is led by a group of Pacific Islander graduate students in California. They are dedicated to representing the cultural perspectives of Pacific Islanders through the UC-Berkeley campus.

The IPIA stated the following about their endorsement of the P.I.A. project: "We at IPIA are proud to support and collaborate with the PIA project. Like our good friends at the PIA project, we believe that education is a human rights issue and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander students should be given equal opportunities to succeed in higher education."

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National Pacific Islander Educator Network

The National Pacific Islander Educator Network, or NPIEN, is a nonprofit Pacific Islander organization working to support academic achievement among Pacific Islanders. The National Pacific Islander Educator Network recently celebrated its 6th annual education conference on November 17, 2007 in Paramount, California.

Regarding their decision to endorse, NPIEN stated “We are honored to support the efforts of the PIA project in ensuring equal access and opportunity for Pacific Islanders. The 2000 Census marked the first disaggregating of data for our people, related to education. We continue to see a low percentage of Pacific Islanders who graduate from college, and our high school drop-out rate is one of the highest among underrepresented ethnic groups. The PIA project affords hope for our community, where too many today are unaware of financial aid and academic programs. ”

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Pacific Islander Pipeline Program

The Pacific Islander Pipeline Program is a program of OCAPIC (Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance). The most recent of four Pacific Islander organizations to endorse the P.I.A. project, the PI Pipeline Program is dedicated to providing an educational "pipeline" program to help young Pacific Islanders achieve excellence in higher education. Their focus is on increasing Pacific Islander access into higher education, with a special emphasis on increasing the number of Pacific Islander health care providers in the Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. PI Pipeline Program envisions various broad-ranging programs, designed to help Pacific Islanders each step of the way towards academic achievement.

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Would you like to add your organization to this list? Email us at piaproject@hotmail.com or click here for more on how you can help: link

To return to the P.I.A. project 101 page, click here.

How you can help

There are many ways for you to help us expand higher educational opportunity for Pacific Islanders. The easiest way to start, and the best way to help, is to become a PIAdvocate.

What's a PIAdvocate? It's our name for people and organizations who support the P.I.A. project's goal of expanding higher educational opportunity for Pacific Islanders by ending their exclusion from academic programs for underrepresented minorities.

Does that sound like something you would be interested in? If so, send us an email at piaproject@hotmail.com.

To learn more about a few of our PIAdvocates, click here.

To return to the P.I.A. project 101 page, click here.

The PI.A. project plan

The P.I.A. project was started to serve a very defined purpose: expand higher educational opportunity for all Pacific Islanders by ending their exclusion from academic programs for underrepresented minorities. Our plan for getting this done can be broken down into five parts:

Making our information available and raising awareness
Building and calling attention to the growing recognition of Pacific Islander underrepresentation
Completing a national study on Pacific Islander access to scholarships and fellowships for underrepresented minorities
Persuading underrepresented minority scholarships and fellowships to recognize that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented
Connecting underrepresented minority programs and Pacific Islander students

1.) Make the Information Available and Raise Awareness
Our first, and most modest goal, is to simply make information available to people through the Internet. When our CEO was a college student researching on Pacific Islander underrepresentation in higher education, some of the most basic facts were hard to find. But with this blog, the PIA project can serve as a one-stop-shop for students, advocates, and others seeking knowledge about how Pacific Islanders are underrepresented, but still excluded from many academic programs for underrepresented minorities.

2.) Build and Call Attention to Growing Recognition of Pacific Islander Underrepresentation
We've seen that when people learn that Pacific Islanders are being excluded from URM (underrepresented minority) academic programs despite their underrepresentation, they will want to fix this problem. Our early work was focused on gaining support among Pacific Islanders and their allies. Supporters are essential to the P.I.A. project's success in spreading awareness and getting community input, and we are pleased that the following groups have called for the inclusion of Pacific Islander in URM academic programs: the National Pacific Islander Educator Network; the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; the Pacific Islander Pipeline Program; California's Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance; and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies.

We're also working to call attention to overall trend among universities, experts and academic programs to recognize that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented. In our blog posts you'll find record of the growing ranks of institutions and individuals who choose not to ignore the decades of data on Pacific Islander underrepresentation.

3.) Complete a National Study on Pacific Islander eligibility for Scholarships and Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities
We understand that it's not enough to tell you that Pacific Islanders are unfairly excluded from applying to academic programs for underrepresented minorities -- we need to demonstrate it.

That's why when we incorporated, we set out to complete a national study, looking at whether scholarships and fellowships for underrepresented minorities allowed Pacific Islanders to apply. We've completed that study, and you can read about it here: LINK

4.) Persuade URM academic programs to include Pacific Islanders
The fourth part of our plan is to make our goal a reality: to expand Pacific Islander access to higher education by persuading all academic programs for underrepresented minorities to include Pacific Islanders.

Numerous URM academic programs already recognize that Pacific Islanders are underrepresented, and allow them to apply. Our research shows that an increasing percentage of URM programs are including Pacific Islanders as an eligible group. For those URM academic programs that don't allow Pacific Islanders to apply, we want to present them with the information they need to change their minds.

We know we cannot force URM academic programs to include Pacific Islanders, and we know they aren't the bad guys. We trust that these academic programs are run by good and open minded people who can be persuaded by good data and the voice of a community. It is likely that many URM academic programs have never been contacted by a Pacific Islander organization or asked why they don't include Pacific Islanders. We are reaching out to them one-by-one, and asking them to choose to include Pacific Islanders.

While we're still in the early part of this stage, but we've already seen numerous successes! In October of 2012, the leaders of the HBCU Minority Scholarship decided to change its policy and make Pacific Islanders eligible. You can read our post commending their leadership here: LINK Since then, four other scholarships joined HBCU by changing their policies as well.

5.) Help Pacific Islanders and URM Academic Programs Connect
As more URM academic programs choose to allow Pacific Islanders to apply, we plan to serve as a resource to connect Pacific Islander students and URM programs. We look forward to making this transition, but first we need to help URM academic programs realize why they should open their doors to Pacific Islanders.

To learn about how you can help, click here.

To return to the P.I.A. project 101 page, click here.

PIA project News

News Update - February 2008
PACIFIC ISLANDER PIPELINE PROGRAM ENDORSES PIA PROJECT
PI Pipeline Program Becomes PIA project's Fourth PIAdvocate

The Pacific Islander Access project proudly announces that it has received an endorsement from the Pacific Islander Pipeline Program, a program of OCAPIC (Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance). The most recent of four Pacific Islander organizations to endorse the PIA project, the PI Pipeline Program is dedicated to providing an educational "pipeline" program to help young Pacific Islanders achieve excellence in higher education.

"We are energized by the Pacific Islander Pipeline's support," said Kawika Riley, Executive Director of the PIA project. "As Pacific Islanders across the nation strive to succeed, programs like the PI Pipeline Program and organizations like OCAPICA and the PIA project are working to support them. It only makes sense for us to work together."

Joesph G. Fa'avae, Project Coordinator of the PI Pipeline Program, stated the following regarding the endorsement: "I look at the Paicfic Islander Pipeline Program as a progressive movement for our people to address a lot of the barriers and issues that keep our youth from entering college. Within a movement there are cohorts in the struggle and I am elated to receive and offer support to the PIA project and to become a PIAdvocate amongst many other prominent Pacific Islander movers and shakers."

The Pacific Islander Pipeline Program is focused on developing programs that will increase Pacific Islander access into higher education, with a special emphasis on increasing the number of Pacific Islander health care providers in the Los Angeles, Orange, adn San Diego counties. PI Pipeline Program envisions various broad-ranging programs, designed to help Pacific Islanders each step of the way towards academic achievement.

The PIA project is a startup non-profit working to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities. For more information, please visit http://piaproject.blogspot.com or www.piaproject.googlepages.com.

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News Update - December 2007
PIA PROJECT RECIEVES THIRD ENDORSEMENT
National Pacific Islander Educator Network to Support PIA Project

The Pacific Islander Access project is proud to announce that it has received the endorsement of the National Pacific Islander Educator Network. This is the PIA project’s third endorsement, and their second endorsement in the past two months. The National Pacific Islander Educator Network, or NPIEN, is a nonprofit Pacific Islander organization working to support academic achievement among Pacific Islanders.

“We are proud to have the support of the National Pacific Islander Educator Network,” said Kawika Riley, Executive Director of the PIA project. “NPIEN is out in the Pacific Islander American community, serving youth and families through scholarly work and hands on activities. I look forward to working with them.”

”The National Pacific Islander Educator Network recently celebrated its 6th annual education conference on November 17, 2007 in Paramount, California, and invites the public to learn more at http://www.npien.com/. Each year we hold the conference, we see more and more participation from students and their parents, who are interested in fulfilling the education dreams that brought them to the US Mainland. We look forward to this partnership with the PIA Project,” NPIEN added.

The PIA project is a startup non-profit working to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities. For more information, please visit them on the web at http://piaproject.blogspot.com/.

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News Update - November 2007
PIA PROJECT RECEIVES SECOND ENDORSEMENT
Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance Drafts Letter of Support for the PIA project

After discussions that began over email and culminated with a meeting at the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Health Summit held recently in Washington, DC, the Pacific Islander Access project has received the endorsement of the Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance. This is the PIA project’s second endorsement.

“It is an honor to have their support, and I look forward to working with them to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities,” said Kawika Riley, Executive Director of the PIA project.

IPIA is led by a group of Pacific Islander graduate students based in California. Kawika stated, “The students running the IPIA are leaders by example, working towards advanced degrees in various fields. On top of that, they’ve dedicated themselves to fighting for the interests of Pacific Islanders. I am honored by their confidence in the PIA project.”

Regarding their decision to endorse, IPIA stated “We at IPIA are proud to support and collaborate with the PIA project. Like our good friends at the PIA project, we believe that education is a human rights issue and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students should be given equal opportunities to participate and to succeed in this country.”

The Indigenous Pacific Islander Alliance, founded in 2003, is a student organization dedicated to representing the political, social, economic, educational, and cultural perspectives of indigenous Pacific Islander students, staff, and faculty throughout the University of California, Berkeley campus.

The PIA project is a startup non-profit working to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities. For more information, please visit them on the web at http://piaproject.blogspot.com/.

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News Update - March, 2007
PRESTIGIOUS CENTER FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS STUDIES ENDORSES
THE PACIFIC ISLANDER ACCESS PROJECT

The Pacific Islander Access project (PIA project) is pleased to announce that the PIA project has been officially endorsed by the University of Hawaii's Center for Pacific Islands Studies. This is the PIA project's first official endorsement, and marks an early victory for the organization.

The faculty of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies voted unanimously to endorse the PIA project after deliberation at a recent meeting. James Kawika Riley, Executive Director of the PIA project, spent several months in communication with Dr. David Hanlon, Professor and Director of the Center. Kawika and Dr. Hanlon met in December to discuss the PIA project, and possible opportunities for collaboration.

The Center for Pacific Islands Studies is located at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The University of Hawaii was the first university in the world to offer an interdisciplinary graduate degree in Pacific Islands studies. Today, the Center is the only academic program in the United States to focus on the entire Pacific region. The Center's faculty includes over 40 regional specialists on the Pacific Islands, and boasts programs for both undergraduate and graduate study on the Pacific Islands.

James Kawika Riley, Executive Director of the PIA project, was pleased to comment on the endorsement. "The people at the Center for Pacific Islands studies are renowned experts on the Pacific Islands as well as Pacific Islanders. Their endorsement is a significant development for us, and it's powerful to have our first endorsement come from such a well-respected organization and group of scholars. The PIA project is honored to accept their endorsement. We look forward to working with them to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from scholarships, fellowships, and other academic programs for underrepresented minorities."

Dr. Hanlon, Director and Professor at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, said the following on behalf of the Center: "We as educators are totally committed to promoting greater access to higher education for Pacific Islanders, and through a fairer and more effective distribution of existing and expanded financial aid resources. We are proud to join with the Pacific Islander Access project in promoting this critically important goal."

The PIA project is continuing its efforts to reach out to potential supporters of its efforts to end the exclusion of Pacific Islanders from academic programs underrepresented minorities in higher education (also known as URM academic programs). This coalition building effort is the first step in the PIA project's strategic plan.

For more information, visit the PIA project's main page at http://www.piaproject.blogspot.com/, or write to piaproject@hotmail.com.

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The Pacific Islander Access project Blog

Monday, February 26, 2007