SPECIAL NOTICE UNIVERSITY OF GUAM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2013-2014 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The UOG Alumni Association is looking for interested candidates to fill four positions in the organization. Individuals must have earned their undergraduate or graduate degree(s) from the University to qualify for office. Candidates should have proven leadership experience, are able to communicate and work with a large group, possess great organizational skills, are results-driven, and are motivated towards continuing efforts to foster fraternity and support for the University. Prior community or group volunteer experiences are a plus for all positions. For the position of Treasurer, it is recommended that the individual have professional experience in finance. Responsibilities for each position are as follows: President The President shall be the chief executive officer of the association and shall have the general supervision, direction and control of the business and officers of the association. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all the standing committees and shall have the general powers and duties of management usually vested in the office of President of an association and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by the By-Laws. The President shall appoint all committees except as otherwise provided herein. Vice President/President-Elect The Vice President/President Elect acts in the place of the President in his or her absence or disability. The Vice President/President-Elect shall become the Incoming President in the following term. Secretary The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, a book of minutes at the principal office or such other place as the Executive Committee may order, of all meetings of the Association. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given place of all the meetings of the Association required by the By-Laws to be given and shall keep a list of the members and the seal of the Association in safe custody, and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the By-Laws. Treasurer The Treasurer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of the corporation, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital, surplus and shares. Any surplus, including earned surplus, shall be classified according to source and shown in a separate account. The books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any active member. The Treasurer shall deposit all money and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the Association with such depositories as may be designated by the Executive Committee. He/she shall disburse the funds of the Association as may be ordered by the Executive Committee, shall render to the Executive Committee, whenever they request it, an account of all transactions and of the financial conditions of the Association and shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the By-Laws. A petty cash fund may be established upon approval of the Executive Committee. Treasurer shall coordinate with the established financial accounting firm, tax preparer or other established persons to prepare and reconcile monthly and yearly financial records and reports them to the Executive Committee accordingly. The term of office for all positions is one year. The deadline to file for candidacy is Friday, February 1st through UOG Alumni Association President, Robert Paulino at 647-6841 or robert.paulino@pfcguam.com Candidates must submit a written statement that explains what position they are seeking as well as their bio-data to be posted on the uogalumni.org for other alumni to view prior to voting. Ballots may be cast on Friday, February 15, from 3p.m. to 5p.m. at the Jesus & Eugenia Leon Guerrero Business & Public Administration Building at the University of Guam, 2nd Floor, Room 261. Please bring a picture ID. Results will be posted via the uogalumni.org and the UOG Alumni Facebook page by Friday, February 15th 8 p.m. For more information, please contact UOG Alumni Association President, Robert Paulino at 647-6841 or robert.paulino@pfcguam.com

Biba Anu Nuebu!

Biba Anu Nuebu! May the year 2013 bring you much love, joy, peace, and happiness!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from around the Pacific!

~Felis Pasgua (Chamorro)
~Maligayan Pasko (Tagalog)
~Peren en Krismas (Pohnpeian)
~Monono ilo raaneoan Nejin (Marshallese)
~Falang e Baynag (Yapese)
~Tok Tapeng (Kosraean)
~Ungil Kurismas (Palauan)
~Pwapwan Kirisimas (Chuukese)
~Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian)
~Ameseighil ubwutiiwel Layi Luugh me raagh fee (Carolinian)

UOG Alumni Reunion a Success!

The UOG Alumni Reunion "Celebrate Good Times!" event held Friday, November 9, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel was memorable.  The SOE Alumni Officers also took a number of mini-studio photos to make a lasting impression.  Enjoy the following snapshots!

UOG ROTC Drill Tream Performance

SOE Alumni Officers strike a pose!
Pictured L-R:  Margaret Beem, Vice President; Grace Griffin, President; and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, Webmaster.  Not pictured are Martha Sudo, Secretary; Rose Marie Castro, Treasurer; Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; and Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie, Advisor.

SOE Alumni Officers Take 2!
Pictured L-R left photo:  Margaret Beem, SOE VP; Rose Marie Castro, SOE Alumni Treasurer; and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, SOE Alumni Webmaster.  Right photos:  Martha Sudo, SOE Alumni Secretary; VP Beem; Treasurer Castro; Webmaster Dr. Rivera; and Grace Griffin, SOE Alumni President.  Not pictured are Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; and Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie, Advisor.

SOE Alumni Officers Take 3!
Pictured L-R:  Margaret Beem, SOE Alumni Vice President; and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, SOE Alumni Webmaster.  Not pictured are Grace Griffin, President; Rose Marie Castro, Treasurer; Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; and Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie, Advisor.

SOE Alumni Officers Take 4!
Pictured L-R:  Rose Marie Castro, Treasurer; Martha Sudo,  Secretary; and Margaret Beem, Vice President.  Not pictured are Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie,  Advisor; Grace Grfiffin, President; and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, Webmaster.

SOE Alumni Officers Take 5!
Pictured L-R:  Martha Sudo, Secretary; Rose Marie Castro,  Treasurer; and Grace Griffin, President.  Not pictured are Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie,  Advisor; Margaret Beem, Vice President; and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, Webmaster.

SOE Alumni Officers Finale Photo!
Pictured L-R:  Margaret Beem, Vice President; Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, Webmaster; Rose Marie Castro, Treasurer; Grace Griffin, President; and Martha Sudo, Secretary.  Not pictured are Lois T. Gumataotao, PIO; and Dr. Lourdes P. Klitzkie,  Advisor.

UOG Alumni President with McDonald's Pal at the Family Expo

UOG Alumni President, Robert Paulino, poses with his McDonald's pal during the Family Expo held October 13, 2012 at the UOG Field House.

UOG Alumni Reunion - Fri., Nov. 9 at the Hyatt Regency

Hafa Adai, to All Our Alumni and Friends of the University!

I hope all is well with you! See you at the UOG Alumni Reunion which is just 8 days away! This event is open to the public – all are welcome to celebrate with us, alum or not.

Don’t delay, purchase your tickets today to take advantage of special pricing. Tickets are available at Pay-Less and Primo Surf in the Agana Shopping Center and Pay-Less in the Micronesia Mall. $30 per person or $25 each for a pair (if purchased in advance), $35 at the door.

UOG Culture and Learning Program

The University of Guam's Enrollment & Student Services in collaboration with the School of Education and Human Resources Office held a meaningful Culture & Learning Forum on October 19, 2012 with focus on "enriching and contextualizing teaching and learning in Pacific Island settings to improve achievement."

Participants were enlightened by various cultural speeches. Among a few of the highlights are the following:

"I have my own story, my own identity, and I need to accept that," said Dr. Isebong Asang, Palau Community College. Asang said that it's essential to have "knowledge, history and truth specific to Palau." MESULANG, Dr. Asang, for the inspirational speech!

Dr. Nicholas Goetzfridt shared that we must genuinely focus on ethnomathematics, the language of numbers. He said that it "requires different people around the world, and in this case the Pacific, to adapt (relevant mathemathetics)."

Traditional ethnomathematics in the Pacific involve "navigators of the past, navigators of the present, and values to live on," Goetzfridt said. He stressed the traditional ideas of patterns and that if the indigenous mathematics is unable to be carried out, it is done through imperial colonial means.

Our traditional mathematics need to be preserved in education, because it is the essence of communal identity. In fact, the UH Project MACIMISE is doing research to recover mathematical ideas and curriculum ideas to be used in schools. This will allow us to imagine with purpose and resolve for our own ethnomathematical identity. To get an insight of the experience on one of the UH candidates' first phase of Project MACIMISE, visit http://projectmacimise-rivera.blogspot.com.

Dr. Frankie Santos Laanan, SOE Dean focused on "Sieving Through Asian and Pacific Island Data on Culture Variation and Achievement." He mentioned about the importance of STEM. He further shared videos and websites to provide explicit, yet meaningful visuals pertaining to its relevance. Check out Pathway2.stemdegree.org for more information.

Students in the videos shared powerful messages, such as the following: "I'm just as good as anyone else in college." Another student said, "I deserve to be here. I work just as hard as anyone here."

The CARE was also highlighted and its relevance in research regarding Asian Americans, risk factors of AAPI students, and other critical areas of research. Laanan also presented statistics and terminologies, such as MSI-Minority serving institution and AANAPSI-Asian Americans Native Americans Pacific Islanders.

Laanan expressed the need to expand knowledge, broaden awareness, and build institutional capacity. He shared DOE and UOG data to stress the critical needs. He mentioned that of the 31,000 students in DOE, there is a high ESL population. This entails that we are faced with the challenge to meet the unique needs of ELLs.

Unfortunately, Guam's latest SAT10 performance data shows low scores. This makes us question what's happening in these areas. "What are we going to do about it? How do we serve these students? What do we do to ensure that they understand?" Laanan asked.

He presented student demographics, trends, enrollment by ethnicity, gender, and status. He also shared that for the UOG English placement, 2/3 placed in developmental English (EN085 and EN100).

Laanan further shared retention and graduation tracking by program statistics, so that we can reflect and analyze the data. He then showed a Robert Feldman video that mentioned we need to take action, so that we don't endanger college student success. We need to provide opportunities for first year experiences before college students arrive on campus.

Dr. Michael Bevacqua focused on decolonization. He said that Guam is a colony and shared the expansive definition of decolonization. He stated that some people think that "if he (colonial power) ever leaves, all the things disappear" or "so long as the colonizer is in power, you are out of luck."

He questioned, "What is the role the university should take in regards to this situation?" He stressed that we should "look more regional for things," because it's important that we tap on our own resources that are within reach.

UOG President, Dr. Robert Underwood, also highlighted the importance of culture and education. "Education is one through which cultural knowledge is formulated," he said.

Underwood said, "It takes the strength of soul for a child to struggle, to travel, to succeed." He reminded participants to make a difference. "As you navigate, you must help them learn," he said.

He highlighted culture as a process and that we must understand where those places are. Underwood further questioned, "What do we do about our students? What do we know about our students? Did we do anything about it (data performance)?"

Enjoy the following snapshots taken during the forum!

Dr. Robert Underwood, UOG President, says his speech on culture and learning.

Dr. Isebong Asang, Palau Community College Professor, conducts her presentation titled, "Palauan Epistemology: Implications on Teaching & Learning."

Dr. Frankie Santos Laanan, SOE Dean, conducts his presentation titled, "Sieving Through Asian and Pacific Island Data on Culture Variation and Achievement."

Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua conducts his presentation titled, "Decolonization at the University of Guam."

Larry Gamboa, UOG Chief Human Resources Officer, welcomes the participants of the Culture & Learning Forum.

Dr. Nicholas Goetzfridt conducts his presentation titled, "Ethnomathematics in Micronesia."