PUHI — No major problems greeted more than 1,250 students starting their first day of the spring semester at the Kaua‘i Community College, Monday. “We had some lines early, but there was no backlog,” said Earl Nishiguchi, the KCC Dean
PUHI — No major problems greeted more than 1,250 students starting their first day of the spring semester at the Kaua‘i Community College, Monday.
“We had some lines early, but there was no backlog,” said Earl Nishiguchi, the KCC Dean of Students. “We started out with a 24 percent increase over the spring semester of last year.”
Nishiguchi said students are still able to get into classes during late registration which takes place during the college’s normal business hours. Deadline for the late registration is Friday at the close of business.
Last spring, KCC ended with a total of 1,006 students enrolled in the spring semester. Monday, that number was at 1,251, and with late registration continuing, Nishiguchi said the college should be secure in its 24 percent increase.
“The parking lot is full, but a lot of the students came early to take care of things,” Nishiguchi said, praising the planning being done by students. “More and more, the students are also relying on the Internet to take care of registration and even payments.”
One of the people taking advantage of late registration was Lyn McNutt of KKCR radio, who not only was trying to get classes secured for her grandson, but was on hand for the debut of the KCC radio program coordinated through the Hawaiian Studies department.
Dennis Chun of the Hawaiian Studies department said the idea came from Joshua Fukino and Puali‘i Rossi who took the idea and contacted Jerry Brocklehurst, general manager of KKCR.
The rest fell into place and Chun said one of the former student services offices is the broadcast site. The signal is sent via the Internet to the KKCR offices in Princeville and from there, the signal goes on the air.
Bethany Compton, a transfer student from Pennsylvania, said the radio station was only one of the exciting things about the first day of school.
“I absolutely love it here,” Compton said. “I have oceanography and we’ll be doing things like learning to sail a boat and the Ocean Count.”
Compton, a senator for Business Education with the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i — Kaua‘i Community College, was talking with ASUH president Nelson Batalion about the upcoming “The Future of Kaua‘i” panel discussion Jan. 28 at the Kaua‘i Community College Performing Arts Center from 6 to 10 p.m.
Ron Wiley, the on-air personality for the KQNG Radio Group, will be the event host, Batalion said.
Mark Oyama, an instructor with the KCC culinary arts department, said tickets for the 24th Annual American Culinary Federation Breakfast are now on sale, not only at the KCC cafeteria, but at locations around the island.
The annual event, billed as the biggest brunch on the island, will be held Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day from 7 to 11 a.m. at the KCC campus.
Among the items diners can enjoy are eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage, ham, rice, hash brown potatoes, cooked-to-order omelets, carved baron of beef, pancakes, assorted pasteries and fresh fruits, and a host of breakfast drinks including Kaua‘i Coffee, Meadow Gold juices and milk, and Kaua‘i Springs water.
Tickets are available at Kalaheo Coffee House, the Kaua‘i Coffee Visitors Center, Koloa Fish Market, Fish Express, Pono Market, and Mark’s Place.
He said following the Valentine’s Day breakfast, KCC will be hosting the annual Gala on April 16 headlining Chef Alan Wong and the chef from the Halekulani Hotel.
“I was really excited when I got up this morning,” said Jodi Ascuena, enjoying her third year as a student at KCC. “This was the first day of school and I couldn’t wait to get here. I used to teach school, but being in school is much easier.”
