Volunteers make it possible for (FVH) to hold its monthly Food Drop at Campus Center, distributing about 8,000 pounds of food each second Wednesday of the academic year.Housed within the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s (SILD) unit, FVH continues to play a key role in assisting UH ����ԴDz� students experiencing food insecurity.

Bonnyjean Manini, SILD director, said volunteers are critical to help receive, sort, and distribute food at monthly Food Drop events. The items are provided through partnerships with the �鶹��ý Foodbank and the �鶹��ý Health & Harm Reduction Center.

“They exemplify the qualities of empathy, responsiveness, commitment and are fearless of the physical labor involved with the work of helping provide food to those in need but often go unacknowledged,” she said. “Their unconditional assistance makes these events possible.”

Finding joy in helping others

Richard Bradshaw, one of FVH’s longest-serving volunteers and a former religion instructor, said he returns each month for a simple reason: helping others brings joy.

“I think helping others with an open heart and non-judgmentally enables me to doubly enjoy giving,” he said. “Making people happy is the best way to make yourself happy.”

His own experiences as a college student gives him perspective on the challenges many students face today. He recalled comforting a student he knew who felt embarrassed to see him at the Food Drop, an interaction that underscored how food insecurity can affect a student’s sense of dignity.

“I deeply understood how she felt and did everything I could to ease her feelings,” he said.

Connecting through food and knowledge

Lara Hackney is an instructor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition program in the .

She began volunteering with FVH in 2019 through her involvement with The Coalition to Stop Campus Hunger. After the pandemic, she returned and has volunteered consistently since.

“I hope they [students/UH community] feel that FVH is a safe place where they can find something that helps when times are challenging,” she said.

A new volunteer inspired to give back

For third-year physics major Stephen Wagner, volunteering began as part of his Mortar Board service project but quickly took on deeper meaning. With past experience at food banks on �鶹��ý Island, he recognized how essential FVH is—especially after learning that 84% of the 268 participants at a recent Food Drop identified as UH ����ԴDz� students.

“Seeing the pallets of food empty as people came through made the impact very tangible,” he said. “I hope students feel secure and welcome when they come to the Food Drop.”

He encourages others to volunteer as well. “Community is especially important in these uncertain times, and lifting each other up makes for a strong community.”

How to support FVH

FVH will hold its next Food Drop on December 10, at the Campus Center Courtyard, beginning at noon while supplies last. Its Holiday Drive to help stock its pantry in Hemenway Hall runs through January 2, and the UH community is encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and toiletries at the SLD office in Campus Center Room 208, Monday—Friday, 9 a.m.—4 p.m. (except holidays and weekends).

Monetary donations to support Food Vault �鶹��ý can be made through the . For updates, pantry information and volunteer opportunities, follow FVH on or email fvh@hawaii.edu.

UH Basic Needs Fund

If you’re a UH ����ԴDz� student facing an unexpected hardship, the UH ����ԴDz� Student Basic Needs fund offers one-time emergency grants to help you stay on track. Apply or give your support here.

Three University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� faculty members have received prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowships for 2022–23. The is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholars from UH ����ԴDz� in 2022–23:

• Bruce Howe, research professor in the , will head to Portugal to expand submarine cable systems, which span the ocean, connecting billions of people by enabling the internet. Howe will work with leading scientists and engineers, the United Nations, government organizations and other stakeholders. Portugal will be installing the first SMART (Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications) cable system with environmental sensors in 2024. The system will address societal needs for better estimates and predictions of climate and sea level change, ocean circulation, and tsunami and earthquake risks.
• Rajesh Jha, professor in the , will serve as a visiting professor at the University of Applied Sciences, Bingen, Germany. Jha is planning to develop and validate markers to be used in monogastric (pig and poultry) animal nutrition and gut health related research. Jha will use this opportunity to develop a long-term collaborative research program with the host university and other potential researchers. For more, visit the .
• Michel Mohr, professor in the , will teach and conduct research in the Department of Philosophy at National Taiwan University as part of a project to reexamine non-western approaches to universality. His research project, “Revisiting the Root of Universalism in Chinese Buddhism: The Tathāgatagarbha Philosophy, Its Bloom During the Six Dynasties, and Its Relevance for the Twenty-first Century,” will examine the inception and impact of this idea in China since the Eastern Jin (317–420 CE) and explore its relevance for the present day.

UH ����ԴDz� was honored as one of 18 U.S. doctoral institutions that produced the most Fulbright U.S. Scholars in 2021–22. The honor also earned recognition from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from more than 160 countries the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is supported at UH ����ԴDz� through Fulbright program advisors R. Anderson Sutton, assistant vice provost for global engagement; William Chapman, interim dean of the ; Kristen Connors, fellowships, scholarships and professional development coordinator; and Betsy Gilliland, Department of Second Language Studies associate professor. For more information about the Fulbright Program at UH ����ԴDz�, .

These research projects are examples of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

When Mitsuo Aoki, founder of the Department of Religion at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, taught REL 151: Religion and the Meaning of Existence or REL 494: On Death and Dying, their popularity required holding classes in Varsity Theater in the 1970s. For more than four decades, “Mits” showed others how to experience death not merely as an end, but as a vital, inseparable part of life. Instrumental in establishing Hospice �鶹��ý, Aoki was named a in 2004. When Aoki met the Dalai Lama, his Holiness invited Aoki to “Come, sit, you and I are the same.” Many years later when visiting �鶹��ýi, the Dalai Lama bypassed others and greeted Aoki with “Good to see you again Cosmic Dancer,” a moniker given by Aoki’s students because of his tai chi and aikido like movements in class and his sudden jumping on the table in class to dance.

Aoki brought spirituality and forgiveness into caregiving for those going through the transition of death. His approach is one of ‘conscious dying’ that leads to fuller living. He has profoundly influenced the lives of thousands of clients, their families as well as his many students through his 44 years of UH classes, public workshops, sermons and writings. The works of Aoki are held in two UH repositories; in the on the UH ����ԴDz� campus and on the UH West Oʻahu campus. The resources were held by the , which transferred the collections to each repository.

Production materials and raw footage of the documentary film Living your Dying produced by Lotus Films in 2003 are available in the Mistuo Aoki collection within ʻUluʻulu. In 2020, the Mits Aoki Legacy Foundation donated his personal papers to the University Archives. The collection is comprised of 6.25 linear feet arranged into three series: Courses, 1963–95, which include the development of his highly popular courses; Community Engagements, 1954–2009, containing preparation for the numerous trainings and speeches as well as correspondence; and Research and Publications, containing works both by and about Aoki.

A Preservation & Access Grant awarded by the �鶹��ý Council for the Humanities in 2021 with matching funds from the Mits Aoki Legacy Foundation supported the digitization of Aoki’s papers and videos for the purpose of increasing access and preservation of the resources. The digitization of these collections provides preservation and significantly increases access to the personal and professional papers of a man whose contributions exceeded academia and touched the lives of thousands through his spiritual guidance through a process of melding Buddhism and Christianity.

A provides access to digital collections at each campus, a video tutorial on navigating the collection, the public presentation of the project, which includes his impact on the humanities, a brief biography accompanied with photographs, and works about and by him.

—By Helen Wong Smith, archivist, University Archives

University of �鶹��ý Archives and Manuscripts Collections:

• : Arranged into three series: Courses from 1963-1995, includes development of his highly popular courses; Community Engagements, 1954–2009, containing preparation for the numerous trainings, speeches and correspondence; and Research and Publications, containing works both by and about Aoki.

ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of �鶹��ý:

• Includes full-length documentary “Living Your Dying”
• Descriptions and clips of the interviews and other raw footage recorded for the documentary

“Living Your Dying” (Lotus Films with PBS �鶹��ý)

One of the country’s most celebrated literary figures will join a special University of �鶹��ý series to shed light on the success of more than two dozen novels and the role religion plays in shaping his writing and imagination. Nationally acclaimed author, Charles Johnson will participate in a livestream conversation at the 2021 �鶹��ý Book & Music Festival in partnership with the .

Johnson, a lifelong student of Buddhism, says the practice molds his way of living and will dive deeper into a forthcoming graphic novel that interweaves Buddhist teachings and Afrofuturism.

The online forum, Buddhism, Writing, and Race, is free and open to the public, and will be held on Sunday, October 17 at 5:30 p.m. ()

Johnson, winner of the National Book Award, is also a cartoonist, screenwriter, philosopher and recipient of countless honors, including a MacArthur “genius” fellowship, the Award for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Award at the National Black Writers Conference.

“Over the course of his career, Johnson has influenced fields across the arts and humanities,” said Peter Arnade, dean of UH ����ԴDz�’s . “We are honored to have him in conversation with our own George Tanabe.”

Tanabe, an emeritus professor of the UH ����ԴDz� has been a key figure in �鶹��ý in the field of religion for more than 40 years. In 2014, the Consulate of Japan in Honolulu awarded Tanabe the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon for strengthening the academic and cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Japan.

“Johnson is a towering figure in literature, but he also has keen insights on the meaning and future of Buddhism in America,” said Tanabe.

This event is being organized in partnership with the �鶹��ý Book & Music Festival with the support of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai �鶹��ý.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of UH ����ԴDz�, the �鶹��ý Community Foundation and Kamehameha Schools.

For the first time, incoming freshmen at the will take part in reading a shared text across academic disciplines during the upcoming school year. The pilot initiative was developed by the advisory group, comprised of more than 20 faculty, to promote multidisciplinary dialogue and curriculum development across their respective courses.

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the group has selected The Great Influenza (2004) by John M. Barry as its first reading. The book gives a historical account of the 1918 influenza pandemic in America, and its impact on the development of medical science.

“We recognized that students were struggling in the online lecture format, and we wanted to do our part to enrich the undergraduate experience,” said Kyle Van Duser, director of UH ����ԴDz�’s First Year Programs. “We wanted to create an opportunity to facilitate peer-to-peer, student-to-faculty and faculty-to-faculty relationships. A shared read across the participating courses seemed to make the most sense and we felt that The Great Influenza would be effective to utilize this shared experience.”

What was intended to be a small group of courses has expanded to more than 14 courses, with more than 23 faculty participating. include: ANTH 151, AMST 150, BIOL 171, BIOL 172, CHEM 161, COMG 151, HIST 151, HIST 156, REL 150, UNIV 110 and more. The general education office and university library also extended their support for the initiative by aiding in the development of assessment outcomes and making the text available for free to freshmen Pell Grant recipients.

“Over 80 percent of incoming freshmen students will be encountering the text in their first year at UH ����ԴDz�. Returning students will also have some exposure to the text. Students who are not enrolled in a participating course are encouraged to read the text and participate in the out of class lecture series as a way to build relationships with their peers.” said Van Duser.

Barry, an author and historian who advised both the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama in developing the federal government’s role in response to a pandemic, will be a featured presenter and will hold a question and answer virtual session with students in November.

Students will also hear presentations from �鶹��ý Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who will cover Pandemics in �鶹��ý: Past and Present, and Professor Vivek Nerukar of the , presenting on Evolution of Virology in the Fight against Pandemics.

The advisory group is also reaching out to other faculty who may be interested in participating in the fall 2020 pilot First Year Programs Common Read and would like to participate in the selection of a theme and book for fall 2021.

For more information, email reading@hawaii.edu.

Duncan Ryūken Williams discusses his new book, , in a public lecture on March 4, 4:30 p.m. at the �鶹��ý Institute of Geophysics room 110. Williams is a professor of religion and East Asian languages and cultures and the director of the Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture at the .

Williams explores one of the darkest moments in the history of civil liberties in the United States when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, authorizing the internment of tens of thousands of Japanese and Japanese Americans. Even during this period of extreme hardship, Japanese Americans fought to defend their faith and preserve religious freedom.

American Sutra tells not only a tale of injustice, but also a moving story of faith. Williams reveals how, even as they were stripped of their homes and imprisoned in camps, Japanese American Buddhists launched one of the most inspiring defenses of religious freedom in our nation’s history, insisting that they could be both Buddhist and American.

Williams is the author, co-editor, and translator of many books on Buddhism in Japan and the United States as well as the study of hapa identities. He is an ordained Buddhist priest in the Soto Zen tradition and served as the Buddhist chaplain at Harvard University from 1994 to 96.

The lecture is sponsored by the UH ����ԴDz� departments of and . Autographed copies of American Sutra will be available for purchase at the event.

On Tuesday, September 27, the community will celebrate with a full day of classes, discussions and a movie screening.

Discussions will include “Andalusian Mystical Philosopher Ibn Masarra” by and a roundtable discussion, “What are the most pressing questions facing Muslims today?” with University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa faculty and students. There will also be a movie screening The Mirror by Jafar Panahi. All events take place at Kuykendall 101.

Islam Day 2016 is sponsored by , , , and UH Mānoa , , , and departments.

Islam Day (September 24) is a day of recognition for Islam and Muslims in �鶹��ý. It was established by a symbolic resolution of the State Legislature in 2009. Since September 24 falls on a Saturday this year, the UH Islamic Studies Program moved the celebration to the 27.

All events are free and open to the public.

Spiritual ecology reflects the convergence of several fields of study—science, religion, spirituality and sustainability. A new book defining the intellectual history of this developing field by Emeritus Professor Leslie E. Sponsel, Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution was the winning entry in the science category at the in San Francisco.

A work environmentalist Bill McKibben calls “wise and careful,” the book offers a historical and cross-cultural context for understanding the spiritual ecology revolution. Spiritual Ecology focuses on pioneers in the movement and their contributions, while touching upon indigenous, Asian and western religious traditions.

Leslie E. Sponsel is emeritus faculty of the at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s , which he joined in 1981.

The Green Book Festival is an annual competition recognizing books that have made significant contributions to our understanding of, respect for and positive action on the world’s changing environment. Winning entries are selected by an independent panel of judges based on overall writing style, presentation and potential to enhance understanding of the environment and its issues.

George Joji Tanabe, Jr., emeritus professor of the at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa received the at the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu on January 24, 2014.

Tanabe was honored for strengthening the academic and cultural exchanges between the United States and Japan. His contributions have deepened the understanding of Japanese religion and Japanese culture.

For 35 years, Tanabe has been a key figure in �鶹��ý in the field of religion, mainly in the area of Japanese Buddhism, focusing his efforts on educating students and doing research. He visited Japanese universities and fostered networks with the research faculty and coordinated academic symposiums such as the International Conference on the Lotus Sutra and Japanese Culture.

More on Tanabe

In 1974, Tanabe received a masters of arts in Japanese from the at Columbia University. He then spent two years researching Buddhist philosophy and history at the as a foreign research student.

In 1977, he joined the faculty of the Department of Religion at UH Mānoa, where he taught religion and Buddhist philosophy for 28 years. Tanabe also served as the chair of the religion department from 1991 to 2001.

In 2006, Tanabe became an emeritus professor at the university and continued his writing and lectures. That year, he also became an advisor of the Numata Center at the . In 2001, following the Ehime Maru incident, Tanabe assisted and advised the American side on issues of varying sensitivities involving Japan culture and religion.

Among his published titles are , which he wrote and researched with his wife Willa Tanabe, and , co-authored with Ian Reader. He is also general editor for the series.

For more information, read the .