Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Student Handbook

CONTENTS:

I. THE GRADUATE PROGRAM:
A. MASTER’S DEGREE
Admission Requirements; Course Requirements; Culminating Exam; M.A. Thesis Option; Graduation; Student Learning Outcomes for M.A. (Plan A and B) Students in Philosophy
B. DOCTORAL DEGREE
Admission Requirements; Application for the Ph.D. Program from the M.A. Program; Advanced Standing for Ph.D. Students entering from the UHM M.A. Program in Philosophy; Course Requirements; Distribution Requirements; Admission to Candidacy; Canonical Texts Exam; Language Requirements; Dissertation; Graduation; Student Learning Outcomes for Ph.D. in Philosophy; Dissertation File
II. POLICIES:
A. Satisfactory Progress
B. Incompletes
C. Residency
D. Leaves of Absence
E. Registration
F. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy Statement
G. Sexual Harassment
H. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
I. Records
J. Courses and Seminars
K. Credit/No Credit Option
III. FINANCIAL AID:
A. WICHE Western Regional Graduate Program
B. Graduate Assistantships
C. Graduate Division Tuition Waivers
D. East-West Center Scholarships
E. International Student Services Scholarships
F. National Resource Scholarships for Foreign Language and Area Studies
G. Fellowships and Scholarships
H. Some Tips on How to Get a Grant
IV. OTHER FACILITIES:
A. Graduate Division
B. University of Hawai‘i Libraries
C. Bulletin Boards
D. Mail
E. UH Mānoa Office of the OMBUDS
F. ASUH Mediation Service
G. Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

I. THE GRADUATE PROGRAM:

The Department offers graduate training leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Students are accepted into the Ph.D. program only if they have already received an M.A. in Philosophy or the equivalent from an accredited institution and have met any other departmental requirements.

The M.A. program is designed to serve both those who intend to go on to work in philosophy at the doctoral level at the University of Hawai‘i at Mãnoa, and those who wish to pursue philosophical studies beyond the baccalaureate level for other reasons. It can provide philosophical training of interdisciplinary relevance for students intending to work in other scholarly areas, in business or in the professions, as well as for those wishing to teach in schools or community colleges.

Although the Western philosophical tradition remains the fundamental frame of reference for the Department, the opportunity provided for specialization in the area of Asian philosophy is unique in that UH is the only institution of higher learning in the U.S. with a regular program leading to the Ph.D. degree with areas of specialization in Islamic, Indian, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese, and comparative philosophy. Whatever their field of specialization, graduate students intending to complete a Ph.D. in philosophy at UHM must acquire a thorough knowledge of the history and problems of Western philosophy. On the basis of this foundation, students may further specialize in one of three areas of study: Western philosophy, Asian philosophy, or comparative philosophy. The area of comparative philosophy is the most demanding; at the Ph.D. level its requirements include proficiency in both the Western and Asian fields. The candidate is expected to gain a mastery of some specific topic that can be approached through the resources of two or more philosophic traditions. All graduate students shall develop their course of study in consultation with the chair of the graduate program.

The M.A. and Ph.D. in Asian philosophy are recognized Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) regional graduate programs. Residents of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible, on admission, to enroll at Hawai‘i-resident tuition rates.

A. MASTER’S DEGREE

While a thesis option is available, the M.A. program primarily emphasizes coursework.

Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission to the M.A. program must have a B.A. degree, including the equivalent of 30 credits in philosophy. Students may be admitted provisionally with fewer than 30 credits; however, all undergraduate deficiencies must be eliminated prior to admission to candidacy in the M.A. program.

Deficiencies may also be assigned in cases where a student’s background does not include a sufficient number and range of courses in Western philosophy. Deficiencies may be met at the University and should be eliminated in the earliest possible semester. The Graduate Record Examination is required of all students to whom it is accessible in applying for admission to the program. Three letters of recommendation and a sample of the applicant’s written work in philosophy (ideally 12 pages, not more than 20 pages) are required. Applications from U.S. students are due February 1 for the Fall semester and September 1 for the Spring semester. Applications from international students are due January 15 for the Fall semester and August 1 for the Spring semester.

Course Requirements

To be eligible for conferral of the Master of Arts degree, a student must maintain a grade-point average of no less than B+ (cumulative 3.3), while completing at least 30 hours of coursework, including no more than 18 credit hours at the upper-divisional undergraduate level, counting PHIL 445 (i.e., at least 18 credit hours must be earned in courses at the 600-/700- level).

M.A. students cannot take any of the following courses in philosophy in fulfillment of their Master’s coursework requirements: 301, 302, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 320, 399, 449. Third-year courses which M.A. students can take for credit in fulfillment of their coursework requirements include: 330, 350, 360, 370, 380. Any third-year course that is listed here as unavailable to M.A. students may be available if the M.A. student wishing to take it can present to the Graduate Chair a suitable case for its appropriateness. Also required for the M.A. degree are four semesters (or the demonstrated equivalent) of at least one philosophically significant foreign language, typically: classical Greek, Latin, French, German, Arabic, classical Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, or Pali. (NB: If a student finishes all philosophy coursework requirements for the M.A. in three semesters–as opposed to the usual four–the student in question will only be required to complete three semesters’ worth of language courses.) Those intending to go on to pursue a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Hawai‘i must include among the 10 courses required for the M.A. (a) at least one course (which can be either a Western-focus or a comparative, but not an Asian-focus, course) in the field represented by metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of science (or MELPOS); (b) at least one course (which can be either a Western-focus or a comparative, but not an Asian-focus, course), in the field represented by political, ethical or social theory, and aesthetics (or PESTAE); and (c) at least three text-intensive, Western-focus courses in the history of philosophy. For a course to satisfy this last designation, it must be dedicated to a close and thorough (that is, complete or almost complete, and with due attention paid to historical context) reading of a restricted number of key texts by one to three (related) authors writing prior to 1940.

Students for whom a more flexible program of study would be more appropriate should work with the graduate chair and a faculty adviser to select a program of coursework around an area of concentration.

The Department has particular strength and depth in Asian philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of law, but given the diversity of faculty expertise, students could develop many other foci, such as environmental or feminist philosophy, while including the contribution of one or more of the Asian or Islamic traditions to their area of interest. When appropriate, students may, after approval of the graduate chair, count up to three courses (9 credits) from other departments toward their M.A. in Philosophy. If, however, a student opts to write an M.A. thesis, a maximum of two courses (6 credits) from other departments may be counted toward the M.A. in Philosophy.

The 30 hours of coursework required for the M.A., can include no more that 12 credit hours of upper division undergraduate courses (300- and 400- level) regardless of department. At least 21 credit hours must be for philosophy courses, of which at least 9 credit hours must be at the graduate level (600- and 700-level). Should a student taking this more flexible approach to the M.A. decide that they would like to continue to the Ph.D. in Philosophy at UHM, their coursework will need to satisfy all the appropriate distribution requirements. Thus they may need to take additional coursework, over and above the normal 30 credit hours, in order to satisfy the distribution requirements for the M.A.

Culminating Exam

To complete the M.A., each candidate will submit three seminar papers written for Philosophy courses (one of which must have been subjected to significant revision, and which is to be submitted in both revised and unrevised forms as evidence of this) to an examining committee in order to demonstrate the scope of the work the student has done toward the M.A. (NB: A student who has been admitted into the M.A. program with advanced standing may, at the discretion of the Department’s Examination Coordinator, be allowed to submit just two seminar papers–one of which must have been significantly revised –for this purpose.) These papers will be read by a committee of three examiners. The culminating exam is an oral exam focusing primarily on one of those papers submitted. (However, if the examiners so desire, they may raise secondary questions relating to the other papers, as well.) The selection of the focus-paper will be made by the examining committee, which will inform the candidate of its choice a few days before the exam is to take place. The exam is expected to last 30-60 minutes and is not public. In order to receive the M.A. degree, the student must pass this examination. A “pass with distinction” will be required of those seeking admission to the doctoral program. Admission to the doctoral program will continue to be determined in accordance with existing departmental criteria. This M.A. examination will be scheduled in the last week or two of classes in either the Fall or Spring semester. Papers must be submitted to the examining committee at least three weeks before the exam is to take place. The membership of the examining committee is to be determined by the Department’s Examination Coordinator in consultation with the candidate.

M.A. Thesis Option

A student in the M.A. program may (conditional upon the availability of an appropriate faculty supervisor), but need not, choose to write an M.A. thesis in his or her final semester(s). Six credits will be granted toward the thirty credits of required coursework for completion of the thesis. Taking advantage of the M.A. thesis option does not affect either the coursework distribution requirements of the M.A. or one’s obligation to complete PHIL 445 (or equivalent), but it does reduce–from fifteen credits to twelve credits–the number of hours of coursework that one can take at the upper-divisional undergraduate level. A student is not permitted to begin work on the M.A. thesis until such time as he or she has completed 18 credits of coursework in the M.A. program. Finally, a student who opts to write the M.A. thesis will not be required to take the culminating exam. Instead, there will be a defense of the thesis before a committee of four professors and, in order for a student to be eligible for admission to the doctoral program, he or she must pass this defense “with distinction.” [NB: A student may choose to produce an M.A. thesis in either the Fall or the Spring semester of an academic year.] The student is required to deposit a copy of his/her thesis in the Moore Reading Room, bound by Hawai‘i Library Binding Services (1316 Mo‘okaula, Honolulu, Hawai’i 96817, 566-9447).

Graduation

Graduating M.A. students must file degree applications in order to graduate. Please refer to the UH Catalog for due dates. To file for graduation, students may download and print the Graduate Application for Degree form and hand carry it to Graduate Records, Spalding 352.

Student Learning Outcomes for M.A. (Plan A and B) Students in Philosophy

o Students acquire basic proficiency in at least one philosophically significant language other than English

o Students are able to conduct research which leads either to a thesis or a significant portfolio of shorter works

o Students demonstrate the ability to write and prepare presentations at a high level of proficiency. Since students come to the program with diverse professional goals, the following outcomes are appropriate for many students but not for all.

o Student is prepared to enter a Ph.D. program.

o Student is prepared to teach philosophy at the junior college level.

o Students are prepared to enter a graduate-level professional school.

B. DOCTORAL DEGREE

The doctoral program consists of two stages. The first stage is that leading to admission to candidacy; the second, to the awarding of the degree. Normally, the first involves at least two years of coursework beyond the M.A. in preparation for departmental and language exams. The second stage involves writing a dissertation and passing an oral examination in its defense. Students must attain certification for Ph.D. candidacy–must, that is, fulfill all the requirements for the Ph.D. except for the writing and oral defense of the dissertation–within four years of admission to the Ph.D. program.

Admission Requirements

Students seeking admission to the Ph.D. program must hold an M.A. degree or the equivalent in philosophy and have earned a grade point average of courses taken for the M.A. of not less than 3.3. Students may be required to make up deficiencies upon entry into the Ph.D. program (see requirements for the M.A. degree above). This will be determined by the Graduate Chair in consultation with the Department’s Graduate Admissions Committee. The Graduate Record Examination is required of all students to whom it is accessible in applying for admission to the program. Three letters of recommendation and a sample of the applicant’s written work in philosophy (ideally 12 pages, not more than 20 pages) must accompany the application. Applications from U.S. students are due February 1 for the Fall semester and September 1 for the Spring semester. Applications from international students are due January 15 for the Fall semester and August 1 for the Spring semester.

NB: In order to be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program, any student completing an M.A. in

Philosophy at UH Mānoa must have completed PHIL 445 Symbolic Logic with a grade of C or better.

Any incoming Ph.D. student who earned the M.A. at another institution will be expected to complete

PHIL 445 (with a grade of C or better) as soon as possible, unless an equivalent course in logic has already been satisfactorily completed elsewhere. (This requirement may be waived at the Department’s discretion if it is shown that a medically certified disability prevents a student from satisfactorily completing the course and, where appropriate, this is demonstrated by a good faith effort on the part of the student to comply with the requirement in question. Any student who is unable to complete PHIL 445 because of a medically certified disability is not thereby rendered ineligible for a teaching assistantship.)

Application for the Ph.D. Program from the M.A. Program

Currently enrolled candidates completing the M.A. degree in Philosophy at the end of the semester may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program in Philosophy by a simple petition. A special form is available for this purpose at the Graduate Records Office, Spalding 352, and must be submitted by the established deadline. Transcripts and the Residence Form are not required in this instance. (Regarding the PHIL 445 requirement, see the paragraph above.) To file an application for the Ph.D. program, students may download and print the Petition for Admission to a Doctorate in the Same Discipline form from the Graduate Division website. If this application is approved by the Graduate Chair, the student is encouraged to hand carry it to Graduate Records, Spalding 352.

Advanced Standing for Ph.D. Students entering from the UHM M.A. Program in Philosophy

Students who have completed their M.A. degrees in philosophy at UHM are allowed to count two of the courses they completed in satisfaction of the M.A. coursework requirements towards the satisfaction of their Ph.D. coursework requirements. One of these two courses may be counted toward satisfaction of the history distribution requirement. Of the remaining 24 credits worth of coursework in philosophy that they must complete in satisfying the Ph.D. coursework requirement, a minimum of 15 credits must be taken as graduate seminars (i.e., 600- or 700- level courses).

Course Requirements

To be eligible for conferral of the Doctor of Philosophy degree, a student must maintain a grade point average of not less than B+ (cumulative 3.3), while completing at least 30 hours of coursework beyond the M.A., which may be Western, non-Western, or comparative in nature. Ph.D. students may count up to 12 credit hours at the upper-divisional undergraduate (400) level towards their required 30 hours of coursework. Ph.D. students cannot take any third-year courses in philosophy in fulfillment of their doctoral coursework requirements. Nor can they take the undergraduate Philosophy majors’ capstone course–PHIL 449.

Directed Research, PHIL 699V, may be used for (a) independent research; (b) remedial work; and (c) supplementary work. PHIL 699V is not normally to be taken by M.A. students. No more than 12 hours of PHIL 699V may be counted as credit for the Ph.D. Students taking PHIL 699V must meet with their instructor at least three times during the semester and must either take an examination (oral or written) or write a paper on the material covered.

Distribution Requirements

Among the 10 courses which Ph.D. students complete in satisfaction of their coursework requirements, they must take at least three text-intensive, Western-focus courses in the history of philosophy. For a course to satisfy this last designation it must be dedicated to a close and thorough (that is, complete or almost complete, and with due attention paid to historical context) reading of a restricted number of key texts by one to three (related) authors writing prior to 1940. They must also take two contemporary issues courses, completing all the assignments necessary to earn normal academic credit for the courses, but also taking and passing the contemporary issues written exam at the end of the course. This exam, which is not open to M.A. students taking the course, is a three-day take-home exam. All students taking the exam for a given course will receive the same set of ten to twelve questions, along with instructions to answer three of those questions, chosen at their own discretion, with in each case a paper about five pages in length.

Admission to Candidacy

Students shall pass a canonical area examination administered by a three-person examination committee in consultation with the student in an area related to the subject matter of his or her prospective dissertation. Like the contemporary issues exam, this is a three-day take-home exam, but in this case it is followed by an oral component. The purpose of the canonical area exam is to have a student demonstrate a reasonable degree of competence in a major area of philosophy. In addition, students shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one (and where deemed necessary, two) philosophically significant foreign language(s). Foreign language reading proficiency examinations in East Asian Languages and Languages of Europe and the Americas are administered by the respective departments three times a year:  February, April, October.  Registration forms are available in Spalding 352. Finally, to be admitted to candidacy, a student shall pass a comprehensive oral defense of a thesis proposal.

Canonical Texts Exam

The Canonical Texts exam can be taken in any one of the following areas: ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, and philosophy of language. Once the student has selected an area for examination, the Examination Coordinator will provide the student with the standard list of texts for the canonical exam in that area. The list of core readings should consist of not more than eight texts. Five of these are to be Western classics, which are to be augmented by two or three non-Western texts for those engaged in Asian or comparative philosophy, or by two or three more Western texts for those specializing in Western philosophy. In each area there are five (six in the case of philosophy of science) Western texts specified as the core list. The candidate may, after seeking the Examination Coordinator’s approval, elect to drop one of these in favor of a comparably demanding text of his or her choice. The three additional texts (whether Western or non-Western) are to be selected to suit the specific interests of the candidate. It should be understood by students preparing to write their area exam that faculty members will assume that students have acquired, in addition, at least some familiarity with the relevant secondary literature. In other words, the texts explicitly listed should constitute the starting point for—but not the sum total of–preparatory reading. When wishing to set up a canonical area exam, the candidate should notify the Department Examination Coordinator at least six weeks before he or she wishes the exam to be scheduled. The members of the student’s (canonical) examining committee are to be selected by the Examination Coordinator in consultation with the student. There should be three examiners, and these should represent the faculty members most conversant with the area in question. The candidate, in consultation with the Coordinator, will agree on an examining committee and a list of texts. The convener of the student’s examining committee (who will ordinarily become the chair of the student’s dissertation committee) will be responsible for administering the exam. The convener will solicit questions for the exam from the various members of the examining committee, and will submit these for vetting to the Coordinator. Once the questions are approved, the student may undertake the written portion of the exam. The written exam should be graded by the examiners in a timely fashion in order to facilitate moving on to the oral exam as quickly as possible. A copy of the exam is to be filed with the Coordinator.

Exam Format: The candidate will be given a list of 12 questions and allowed 72 hours in which to select and answer three questions. The expectation would be that each answer should not exceed five pages. This written exam will be followed by an oral exam, during which students will be further interrogated, not only with regard to the questions that they wrote on, but also on those questions that they chose not to address. This exam will not be public. A candidate will be allowed to retake the exam once. (A student who fails an area exam for a second time will not be allowed to continue in the doctoral program.)

Language Requirements

Students shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one (and, where deemed necessary, two) philosophically significant foreign language(s), typically: classical Greek, Latin, French, German, Arabic, classical Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, or Pali. Language proficiency examinations will be conducted through the Graduate Division and the department at UH responsible for teaching that language. (Language proficiency examinations are offered three times a year: in October, February and April. Registration generally occurs six weeks prior to the exam. Please check the bulletin board outside the Graduate Division Records Office, Spalding Hall 352, for notices about these examinations.) If specialist mastery relating to the subject of the student’s dissertation research is required, certification will be conducted by the student’s dissertation committee. Foreign language reading proficiency examinations in East Asian Languages and Languages of Europe and the Americas are administered by the respective departments three times a year:  February, April, October.  Registration forms are available in Spalding 352.

Dissertation

A dissertation is expected to be between 50,000 and 75,000 words in length. When a student is ready to form a dissertation committee, the student should first consult the Graduate Chair concerning appropriate faculty members to ask to serve on the committee, given the topic the student has in mind. Only full members of the graduate faculty can serve as the chair of a dissertation committee, but aside from this restriction, the student has complete discretion over which of the Department’s faculty members to choose as their committee’s chair (providing, of course, that the professor in question agrees to serve in this capacity). The student and the dissertation committee chair together will draw up a list of the other committee members. This list will then be provided to the Graduate Chair along with a two- or three- sentence description of the dissertation topic. At the next Department meeting, the Graduate Chair will announce the proposed membership of the new committee and will read out the description of the dissertation topic. If there are no objections raised, the committee membership will be treated as officially approved. If there are any objections raised, the designated chair of the new committee will be asked to explain why the proposed membership is appropriate. If the objections raised are sufficiently serious to require a reconsideration of the committee’s composition, the Graduate Chair and the designated committee chair will meet together with the student to consider ways to address the expressed concerns of the Department. When the Graduate Chair has been satisfied that appropriate changes have been made, the dissertation committee membership will be taken as officially approved. Two principles will be observed whenever it is possible to do so: (1) no faculty member shall be imposed upon a dissertation committee against the student’s expressed wish; and (2) no committee will be deemed satisfactory without pertinent faculty expertise in the subject matter of the dissertation.

Approval of the Dissertation Topic: Formal approval of a dissertation topic follows upon completion of the language and first area examinations, but the student should secure the committee’s approval as soon as possible, and in any case within six months of the area examination. The Approval of Dissertation Topic Form IV must be submitted before a student may register for Dissertation 800 credit.

Proposal Defense (“Comprehensive Examination”): A detailed dissertation prospectus must be submitted to the committee members and a special conference called to discuss the proposal. If the committee does not approve the proposal, the conference must be repeated.

Preliminary Drafts: Preliminary drafts of the dissertation should be submitted to the committee at least six weeks before any proposed defense date. The committee may require changes or additions at its discretion. The committee may also select, at its discretion, an outside reader for the dissertation, an authority in the field not connected with the University of Hawai‘i. The reader’s opinion will be advisory, but the committee may require a revision of the dissertation upon that advice. The committee chair will forward the written evaluation of the outside reader to the Graduate Chair for inclusion in the student’s permanent file.

Dissertation Defense: The candidate will proceed to the defense of the dissertation after the committee has given its preliminary approval to a draft. The defense will take the form of an oral examination with all dissertation readers attending. It will render a decision of “pass” or “fail” by majority vote, according to Graduate Division regulations. A member not voting with the majority may request a review following procedures specified in Graduate Division Regulation IV.8.14.4.c. All such defenses are open to the public.

Dissertation Records: After the candidate has defended the dissertation, the committee chair will report the result of the defense to the Graduate Chair, who will forward the proper forms, duly signed by all committee members, to Graduate Division for final approval.

Final Draft: A completed draft of the dissertation must be typed according to the specifications established by Graduate Division. Copies of the style manual are available from the Graduate Records Office, Spalding Hall 352. Dissertations composed on personal computers may be accepted if they meet the strict requirements of Graduate Division. Generally speaking this means that dot-matrix printers may not be used, hyphenations must be limited in number, widow lines and floating sub-heads must be avoided, etc.

Graduate Division requires that two copies of the completed dissertation, properly signed in black ink by the student’s committee members, be submitted to their office.

Graduation

Graduating Ph.D. students must file degree applications in order to graduate. Please refer to the UH Catalog for due dates. To file for graduation, students may download and print the Graduate Application for Degree form and hand carry it to Graduate Records, Spalding Hall 352.

Student Learning Outcomes for Ph.D. in Philosophy

o Students demonstrate philosophical reading competence in a philosophically significant language other than English.

o Students demonstrate reading and research competence in English.

o Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the Western philosophical tradition, and where applicable, in a non-Western tradition.

o Students demonstrate their knowledge and ability to participate in a field of contemporary philosophic endeavor.

Dissertation File

The Department of Philosophy maintains a complete file of all dissertations written in Philosophy. These are on deposit in the Moore Reading Room and may be consulted by graduate students or faculty. They should prove of considerable value to students concerning the standards expected by the Philosophy Department. Individual dissertations may not be checked out at any time. All writers of Ph.D. dissertations are required to deposit a copy of the completed manuscript, typed according to Graduate Division specifications, and bound in green, in this collection as one of the conditions for certification for their degree. This is in addition to the two copies required by the Graduate Division for deposit in the University Library. The Department requires dissertations to be bound by Hawai‘i Library Binding Services (1316 Mo‘okaula, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96817, 566-9447). The student is responsible for binding and delivery charges.

II. POLICIES:
A. Satisfactory Progress

In addition to meeting the registration and residency requirements, all students must conform to certain criteria which determine satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree program. These are:

1. M.A. students are expected to complete their programs within two years, except for part-time students who are allowed up to five years. Two years permit the full-time student abundant opportunity to complete the degree requirements established by the Philosophy Department and Graduate Division. The required PHIL 445 Symbolic Logic course should be taken as soon as possible, and language training should also be demonstrated within the first year. Special circumstances may require that a full-time student, especially one in a field which requires intensive language preparation, take a longer period of time to complete the M.A. degree, but failure to complete the program within three years will be cause for dismissal, as will also be the case for part-time students should they fail to complete the program within five years of matriculation. Note that graduate assistants who take only the minimal six credit-hours’ coursework each semester will not be able to complete their academic work within departmental time limits. You must plan your academic program accordingly.

2. Ph.D. students sometimes require a longer period of time to prepare for the proposal defense. In Western philosophy, experience has shown that approximately two years is adequate. In Asian and comparative philosophy, because of the difficulty of language preparation, a longer period of time may be required, especially in the case of graduate assistants. However, those students enjoying scholarships or fellowships which permit the normal 9- to 12-hour credit load should still be able to complete the proposal defense within three years, regardless of the field. Students in all fields who, for compelling reasons, find it impossible to meet the above schedule, shall be eligible for an extension of up to two semesters, subject to approval by the student’s committee chair and the Graduate Chair. After completion of the proposal defense, two more years should be adequate for the research, writing, and defense of the dissertation, assuming that the student is able to pursue the degree full-time. The limit for completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. degree is seven years. This is a regulation of the Graduate Division and cannot be waived by the Philosophy Department.

Grades: Each beginning graduate student must have and maintain an average of “B+” (3.3) or better for all academic work. Failure to do so will result in the student’s being placed on probation by Graduate Division. Failure to restore the required “B+” average within one semester of being placed on probation will lead to automatic dismissal from the graduate program. This is a Graduate Division regulation and cannot be waived by the Philosophy Department. In addition, no course in which a Philosophy student receives a grade lower than “C” may form a part of the degree program. Students who wish to apply for financial assistance will be expected to maintain an even higher level of academic achievement, normally a 3.5 average on a 4.0 scale.

B. Incompletes

Graduate Division Regulation IV.7.14 stipulates that an incomplete may be given only “to students who fail to complete a small but important part of the semester’s work before the semester grades are determined, if the instructor believes that the failure was caused by conditions beyond the student’s control and not by carelessness or procrastination.” All students must make up incomplete work during the next academic semester according to the deadlines established by Graduate Division. Because incomplete work is an indication that the student is encountering difficulty in meeting the academic standards of the Philosophy Department, a pattern of incompletes will be cause for review of the student’s progress and may lead to a recommendation for dismissal from the program. Moreover, because incomplete work for a graduate assistant is an indication that academic responsibilities are being sacrificed to the function of a graduate assistant, the incomplete may be regarded by the Dean of Graduate Division, who must approve all graduate assistant contracts, as sufficient reason for withholding approval of the contract. Although these requirements may appear to be arbitrary, especially those involving time limitations, they are necessary to ensure the currency of the philosophical knowledge of all students, a vital factor in the training of professional philosophers. Those who fail to meet the above criteria will be recommended for dismissal from the Graduate Program in Philosophy and will receive written notice of such action. A formal response from the student affected is not required. Requests for exceptions will, as always, be in order.

C. Residency

Graduate students must be registered in every semester until they complete all degree requirements and fulfill the residency qualifications set forth by Graduate Division, except as stated below in the section, “Leaves of Absence.” Summer registration is not required, but is encouraged, as this will facilitate the completion of the degree program. All students, except those admitted specifically for part-time work, are expected to carry a full academic load. This is defined by Graduate Division as 8-12 credit hours (depending upon course level) for regular students and 6-9 credit hours for graduate assistants.

1. Each student is expected to be registered in at least one graduate seminar throughout the academic coursework phase of the program unless exempted to prepare for the area examination. All graduate assistants are required to be registered as full-time students as a condition of receiving financial aid. In addition, all students, including those who have completed the formal coursework required for a degree, must be registered in the semester in which the degree is taken. These requirements are outlined in the specific degree programs below. Health reasons or approved status as a part-time student may suspend these rules, but the student must write a letter to the Graduate Chair requesting such exemption and stating reasons. The rules concerning approved status as a part-time student follow below.

2. Part-time status is granted automatically to entering students who are employed full-time (40 hours per week) as well as to all senior citizens enrolled for advanced degrees. Part-time status may be granted upon request to those working fewer than 40 hours per week or who have significant childcare or housekeeping responsibilities.

3. Any change from full- to part-time status must have the approval of the Graduate Chair. Possible justification would be pregnancy, child-care obligations, financial hardship, etc.

4. With the approval of the Graduate Chair, students in the part-time category need not register every semester unless they are utilizing the facilities of the University or working under the direction of a member of the Department. However, students who do not maintain continuous enrollment will be required to petition for readmission to the Graduate Program. Readmission will be contingent upon availability of space within the program and upon recommendation of the Graduate Admissions Committee. To file for readmission, students may download and print the Graduate Admission Application Instructions and Form for Readmission from the Graduate Division website – click here – and hand carry it to Graduate Records, Spalding 352.

5. Part-time status applies only to residency work, not to the belated completion of theses and dissertations. Consequently, in no case may it be used to extend thesis or dissertation completion deadlines for those who have completed their residence.

NB: Official determination of satisfactory completion of residence requirements is made only by Graduate Division. It is the student’s responsibility to have the Graduate Records Office verify completion of the residency requirement.

D. Leaves of Absence

Degree candidates may be granted a leave from their studies upon recommendation of the Graduate Chair and approval by the Dean of Graduate Division. A leave of absence is not normally granted for a period longer than one year nor more than once after achieving degree candidacy. The date for return from a leave must be set at the time the leave is requested. Students not returning on time will be required to apply for readmission to the University in accordance with established procedures and regulations. Students on approved leave do not pay tuition fees, time on approved leave is not counted against the time limitations for completion of the degree program, and no readmission procedure is required. Students returning from an approved leave should request the appropriate forms from Graduate Division so that registration materials will be readied. Forms may be obtained in the Graduate Records Office, Spalding 352. Prior to achieving degree candidacy, students do not need to apply for a leave of absence. They must, however, petition for readmission to the degree program. The petition will be evaluated on the same criteria as new admissions.

E. Registration

Each student is responsible for registering as soon as possible in order to facilitate finalizing the Department’s schedule. At the beginning of each semester, each graduate student is expected to inform the Department of his or her current address and telephone number. This is important, since in the past students have missed out on graduate assistantships and other forms of financial aid as a result of not keeping the Department abreast of changes in this regard.

F. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy Statement

The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran. This policy covers admission and access to, and participation, treatment, and employment in the University’s programs, activities, and services. For more information on equal opportunity and affirmative action policies and complaint procedures for the UH Mānoa campus, contact:

Students:
Alan Yang, Associate Vice Chancellor for Students, EEO/AA, Title IX & ADA Coordinator, 808.956.3290 (Voice/Text)

Employees:
Mie Watanabe, EEO/AA Director, Title IX & ADA Coordinator, 808.966.7077 (Voice/Text)

E-mail:
eeo@hawaii.edu

Students with Disabilities:
Ann Ito, KOKUA, Program Director, 808.956.7511 (Voice/Text)

This handbook is available in alternate format upon request with print disabilities. Call Renee Kojima-Itagaki at 808.956.8410 for assistance.

The KOKUA Program will assist with document transcription of instructional materials (including examinations) and will advise departments on how to prepare non-instructional materials.

Please address all inquiries to:

Graduate Chair
Department of Philosophy
2530 Dole Street, Sakamaki D-305
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822-2383

Telephone: 808.956.8783 or 808.956.8410
Email: bontekoe@hawaii.edu or renee@hawaii.edu
Fax: 808.956.9228

G. Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, which is illegal under State and Federal law. It can be verbal, visual, or physical. It can be overt, as in the suggestion that a person could get an “A” if a particular sexual favor is granted. Or it can consist of persistent and unwanted attempts to change a professional relationship to a personal one. Sexual harassment can range from inappropriate put-downs of individual persons, unwelcome sexual flirtations, or creation of an environment hostile to those of one sex, to serious physical abuses such as rape. It is coercive and threatening; it creates an atmosphere unconducive to teaching or learning and it will not be tolerated under any conditions. Students believing themselves to be victimized in this manner should report immediately to Ms. Mie Watanabe, EEO/AA Director (Administrative Services Bldg. 1-102, 956-6423). Any complaint will be handled with complete confidentiality.

H. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

In 1974, the Congress of the United States passed the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act to ensure that the rights of students in matters pertaining to their academic records are respected. Generally speaking, the Act provides all students with the right to review their complete academic file, except as prohibited by Section X of the Act, to challenge the accuracy of any item in that file, to request amendment of faulty educational records, and to file a written complaint with the FERPA Review Board of the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., if appropriate changes are not made. A student shall have the right to waive any of the rights provided under FERPA, but the University may not require any student to waive his or her rights. If you have any questions regarding your rights under this Act please consult the terms of the Act itself, a copy of which is kept in the permanent file of the Student Services Clerk, and which may be reviewed by any student upon request.

I. Records

Academic files for all graduate students in Philosophy are maintained in the Student Services office under the custody of the Graduate Chair, assisted by Ms. Renee Kojima-Itagaki. In these files will be placed copies of all forms, grades, letters, etc., which relate to your academic career within the Graduate Program in Philosophy. Your file will be open for your inspection within the office. Otherwise, all files are confidential and may be examined only by faculty under specific conditions imposed by Graduate Division and the Philosophy Department. Philosophy faculty may examine students’ records on a “need-to-know” basis for the purpose of providing academic counseling. These files may be removed from the office only for official purposes, such as the holding of conferences or examinations, and may not be kept beyond the length of time required for such purposes. They should be returned promptly to the custody of the Graduate Chair, who bears the responsibility for their safekeeping and who alone may authorize their use. Note that these are unofficial files. The official academic records of all graduate students are kept in the Graduate Division Records Office. Official employment records for graduate assistants are kept in the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, although copies of all relevant information will be included in the files maintained in the Philosophy office. Thus if you have any questions about your appointment as a graduate assistant, please see the Philosophy Department Secretary before inquiring at the Dean’s office. The complete records of all graduates of the Philosophy Department are retained in our inactive files for seven years, after which time they are destroyed, except for duplicate copies of the Graduate Division Progress Report Forms and the grade sheets.

J. Courses and Seminars

Each semester the Philosophy Department publishes a list of courses and seminars to be offered by its faculty, together with course descriptions, times, required or recommended texts, etc. All students should consult these course listings each semester in preparing their programs of study. Undergraduate lecture courses are normally repeated on an annual or biennial basis and graduate seminars on a two- or three- year cycle. Faculty leaves may occasionally alter the normal schedule but this regular cycle of offerings should assist all graduate students in planning their programs. All graduate students are urged to register for courses either during registration for continuing students or during registration prior to the first day of classes, so as to reduce the problem of canceling graduate-level seminars with insufficient enrollments.

1. Courses: Philosophy courses available for graduate credit are of two kinds: undergraduate lecture courses and graduate seminars. The graduate seminars are numbered 600 and above and constitute the principal portion of all graduate programs. However, some upper-division undergraduate courses are available for graduate credit if they are approved by the Graduate Chair, are not general or introductory in scope, and fall within the limits established by the Graduate Division. Normally these will be 400-level courses, but some 300-level courses qualify under special circumstances (i.e., for M.A. students).

Although there are no absolute rules about such matters, 300-level courses are regarded as surveys, and if the beginning student lacks one or more of these, they may be stipulated as deficiencies at the time of admission. As such, they do not qualify for graduate credit. The appropriate place for graduate students is in the graduate seminar where knowledge of the subject is enhanced by the interplay of discussion with peers.

2. Seminars: These meet normally once a week and involve discussion of readings and papers by the student members of the seminar.

3. Directed Reading/Research: There is also Directed Research (PHIL 699) designed on an individual basis to cover specialized topics not normally offered in classes and seminars.

4. Other courses: Offerings in philosophy may be supplemented from a wide range of related courses given in other departments, and philosophy students are encouraged to develop minor fields in allied disciplines. Consult the UH Catalog for a listing of those courses in other departments which carry graduate credit. Normally only six semester-hour credits from another department may form part of a Philosophy program, but the number of permissible credits may be increased should this be necessary to provide a fully integrated program. For this, the prior consent of the Graduate Chair must be obtained. Note that language training courses may not form a portion of a degree program.

K. Credit/No Credit Option

Graduate Division Regulation IV.7.13.4 states, “The purpose of the CR/NC option is to encourage students to broaden their education by venturing into subject areas outside their fields of specialization without awarding a relatively low grade.” Consequently, no course taken CR/NC may form a part of a student’s degree plan. No Philosophy graduate student may take courses within the Philosophy Department CR/NC, except for PHIL 699 (Directed Research) without the prior consent of the Graduate Chair and in accordance with the conditions stipulated in the Graduate Division Regulation cited above. Philosophy Department policy also permits graduate students to take basic language training courses (100- to 200-level) on a CR/NC basis, again with prior consent as above, although students are encouraged to take all academic work for a grade. If you are in any doubt concerning the taking of academic work CR/NC, either in the Philosophy Department or in any other department or program, consult the Graduate Chair.

III. Financial Aid:
A. WICHE Western Regional Graduate Program

Legal residents of one of the WICHE member states–Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming—are entitled to enroll in select out-of-state graduate programs (including our own Philosophy program) at reduced tuition rates. For further information, students may access the description of WICHE at the UHM Graduate Division website and the Western Regional Graduate Program website.

B. Graduate Assistantships

Through Graduate Division, the University awards a number of graduate assistantships for distribution by our department. These take the form of on-campus graduate teaching assistantships. They are awarded on either an annual or a semester basis. Given the Department’s need for graduate assistants who can handle introductory logic, successful completion (a grade of “B” or better) of PHIL 445 is required of all TAs. Any student (whether incoming or already in residence) who is appointed as a TA is expected to take PHIL 445 at the earliest opportunity. Students already in residence, on the other hand, must successfully complete PHIL 445 in order to be considered eligible for a TA-ship. (NB: The PHIL 445 requirement will be waived for any student who can demonstrate satisfactory completion of an equivalent course in symbolic logic at another university.) Any student holding a TA-ship, who remains in good standing as a classified graduate student and makes satisfactory progress toward his or her degree objectives (as determined at the annual faculty evaluation of graduate students), can normally expect to have the assistantship renewed for up to five consecutive semesters. Generally, assistantships are awarded to doctoral students, but exceptional M.A. students are also considered. Stipends for assistantships depend upon the candidate’s experience and qualifications. In 2013-2014, the stipend for Ph.D. students hired as assistants will be approximately $17,500. When the Graduate Admissions Committee is ready to consider the assignment of teaching assistantships for the following academic year, it will solicit applications (normally in mid-March). Those appointed as TAs are required to register for at least six credit hours of coursework relevant to their degree each semester. Audit hours do not count toward this minimum. With permission from the Graduate Chair and the Dean of Graduate Division, teaching assistants may register for more than nine credit hours (this includes audited classes). The Department has a long-standing policy that students carrying incompletes for an excessively long period are ineligible to hold TA-ships. In accordance with this policy, a teaching assistant who has an incomplete (incurred in the Fall semester) still to be cleared by the time of the Spring departmental evaluation of graduate student performances (which is normally held in mid- to late February) will forfeit the TA-ship. Incompletes incurred in the Spring semester that are carried over the Summer and are still not cleared by the end of the first week of the Fall term will also cost a student his or her TA-ship. In this case, a replacement will be sought to take over the student’s TA-ship in the immediately following Spring semester. (Students who might be affected by this policy should be aware that, once having forfeited a TA-ship, it is by no means certain that one would later get the opportunity to serve again as a teaching assistant within the Department.)

C. Graduate Division Tuition Waivers

Graduate Division allocates a fixed sum of tuition waiver support to be distributed among its graduate students by each graduate field of study. Full-time graduate students in good academic standing (and who are still in the coursework phase of their program) are eligible to apply for such tuition waiver support.

This tuition waiver support falls under one of two categories–Merit waivers and Pacific-Asian Scholarships. To be eligible to receive PAS tuition support, a student must be engaged in academic work with an Asian or Pacific focus and must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5. Students must pay their own student fees.

Because tuition waiver support is now assigned on a dollars-per-student basis, any student who ends up taking fewer courses than he or she has been assigned tuition support to cover in a given term is in effect depriving the Department of financial support that could be used to help other graduate students. This means that when students are asked to indicate how many courses they expect to take for credit in the coming semester, the accuracy of the information they provide the Department is very important.

Occasionally, of course, there are excellent reasons for wishing to drop a course that has not been working out. For this reason, it has become the Department’s policy to put a ceiling on the tuition support that each student receives–a ceiling that is three credits short of what the student indicates he or she intends to take (and which is never more than nine credits’ worth of support, in any event). Students should be aware, moreover, that once a new term has begun, the Department’s distribution of tuition waiver support is locked in and cannot be changed. Thus, in order to discourage students from wasting precious tuition waiver dollars, anyone who takes fewer credit hours than were covered by the tuition waiver support assigned to the student in question (on the basis of his or her declared intentions for the coming term) can expect to be subjected to a compensatory reduction in tuition waiver support in the following semester. (The size of the penalty here will be designed to exactly balance the dollar amount lost to the Department.)

D. East-West Center Scholarships

These scholarships are for study in various fields of study at the graduate level. East-West Center

Scholarships are awarded to candidates for the master’s degree for a period of 17 months, with a possible extension of up to 24 months. Doctoral study awards are generally for 24 months, with a possible extension of up to 36 months. Eligibility is determined by scholastic record, relevance of the student’s study program to East-West Center Institute projects, interest in Asian-Pacific cultures, and promise of academic success. (<www.eastwestcenter.org/scholarships-fellowships/>) Applicants should write to:

Award Services, Office of the President, East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawai‘i

96848. Be sure to include your country of citizenship and permanent residence. Foreign applicants may receive information regarding study at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa under the sponsorship of the East-West Center from the American embassies, consulates, USIS offices, and U.S. educational foundations in their home countries, as well as from other national educational organizations in the country of their citizenship or permanent residency. East-West Center application forms and instructions specify the materials to be submitted. The stipends provide for transportation to and from Honolulu, tuition and books, housing, health insurance, and a monthly incidental allowance. Scholarships may include a field study grant to the mainland United States or to Asia or to the Pacific area. The deadline for completed U.S. applications is December 1.

E. International Student Services Scholarships

International Student Services awards waivers of the non-resident tuition differential annually to academically well-qualified students from specified Asian and Pacific countries pursuing courses of study which are identified as regionally significant. This award allows the recipient to pay tuition at the resident rate. The specified countries are: Burma, People’s Republic of China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. For more information, contact the International Student Services Office, 2600 Campus Road, 956-8613.

Unclassified or special students are not eligible for these awards.

F. National Resource Scholarships for Foreign Language and Area Studies

For a number of years, the University of Hawai‘i has received funds from the U.S. Department of

Education to support students whose work includes study of the language or culture of East and Southeast Asian countries. Further information on these awards is available at the Asian Studies Program in Moore

Hall, Rm. 412, 956-5752. (<www.hawaii.edu/shaps/asia/aid_grad.html#flas>)

G. Fellowships and Scholarships

The Graduate Division’s Fellowships and Scholarships Office maintains information for students on fellowships and competitions administered by outside agencies. Students are encouraged to go to Spalding 354-D and review materials on possible sources of support for their particular programs of study.

Information may be obtained from:

Graduate Division, Fellowships and Scholarships, Spalding 354-D,

University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, 2540 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822.

(<www.hawaii.edu/graduatestudies/financial/html/financial.htm#ta>)

H. Some Tips on How to Get a Grant

The most basic thing you need to do is to maintain as good an academic record as possible. Your hard work will pay off when you encounter the keen competition for available grant funds. Next, you must do your homework! It’s up to you to learn what opportunities are available to you. The offices listed below can help, but only you can do the research required to discover just the “right” opportunities for someone with your abilities and needs. It’s also essential to plan ahead. Many opportunities require much advanced planning and preparation. Also, in most cases you will need letters of reference, and your referees will appreciate advance notice. Prepare your application carefully. Study the grantor’s statements and instructions and make sure your application is responsive to them. Ask an “objective” person to read your application and tell you if any part is unclear. The care you take here may make a crucial difference in the success or failure of your application. Where to look for further information:

a) The first place to look to is the chairperson of your field of study who is likely to be aware of most sources of support for graduate students in your field. Also, remember that many awards require nomination by your department.

b) Graduate Division Fellowships and Scholarships Office, 2540 Maile Way, Spalding 354-D, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96822. The office maintains a compilation of announcements and reference books, listing programs that offer financial assistance to graduate students. Sources include listings of grant support programs of foundations, government agencies, and business and professional organizations, and several locally compiled directories of opportunities specifically for residents of Hawai‘i.

c) Student Employment Office, Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services, 2600 Campus Road, Rm. 212, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96822. Information about jobs in the community and on-campus is available to assist students who seek part-time employment to defray their expenses. However, students are cautioned about depending on part-time work to cover their expenses; Hawai‘i’s cost of living is high. Those interested may check job ads on the Student Employment Office website.

d) Financial Aid Office, Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services, 2600 Campus Road, Rm. 112, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96822. The Financial Aid Office processes loan requests. Also, the University of Hawai‘i participates in the Federal College Work Study and Scholarship Programs. The application deadlines are March 1 and October 31.

e) Counseling and Student Development Center, Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student Services, 2600 Campus Road, Rm. 312, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96822. The Center for Student Development maintains a reference library containing an extensive collection of college catalogs and informational materials on

U.S. colleges and universities of interest primarily to students who are considering continuing their education at another institution. Students may examine this material at any time during University office hours.

IV. OTHER FACILITIES:
A. University of Hawai‘i Libraries

Three major libraries serve Mānoa campus students, faculty, and staff. Hamilton Library, the largest, houses the major research collections in all fields except law, music, and architecture. Sinclair Library contains the music and architecture research collections, undergraduate and reserve book collections, and the Wong Audio Visual Center. The School of Law Library houses the major law collection with some additional material in Hamilton Library. The library hours for Hamilton Library and Sinclair Library/Wong AV Center can be accessed online or by calling Hamilton Library at 808.956.7204 or Sinclair Library at 808.956.8308. Within the libraries, hours of service will vary for the specialized collections such as Hawai‘i/Pacific, Asia Collection, Government Documents, etc.

Graduate students are permitted extended borrowing privileges from Hamilton Library, normally one semester, although certain materials do not circulate or circulate for shorter periods of time, and any book may be recalled before the due date. To obtain these borrowing privileges have your University ID card activated at the library. Borrowed materials should be returned to the book drops at the Circulation Counter or those outside the entrance doors. Items from special collections must be returned directly to those collections. All fines for overdue materials are paid at the Circulation Counter.

The University Library has an online public access catalogue (OPAC) with over 700,000 records in the database. All material added to the collection since 1979 is online and older material is added regularly. The Hawai‘i and Pacific Collection is almost totally online. A slide tape tour of Hamilton Library is available near the Information Desk on the first floor. Other guides to the library holdings, services, facilities, online computer catalogue, floor plans of Hamilton Library, etc., may be obtained from the Information Desk.

B. Bulletin Boards

To facilitate the dissemination of information to our graduate students, there are bulletin boards outside the Philosophy Student Services office (Sakamaki D-305) and the Faculty/Student Lounge (Sakamaki C-308). The bulletin boards should be consulted regularly for information relating to program changes, Graduate Division deadlines, advertised openings for career opportunities in Philosophy, scholarships and fellowships, and other items of general interest to students in our graduate program.

C. Mail

In addition to the bulletin boards, information will be disseminated to graduate students through their mailboxes. Each graduate student has a mailbox in the hallway outside Sakamaki D-305. Check your mailbox regularly, as information of both a general and specific nature will be placed there. Increasingly, information is being disseminated electronically via the Internet and e-mail. Students may acquire an email account by contacting the Computing Center in Keller Hall. Students have access to e-mail within the Department from either of the computer rooms (D-308 or C-306).

D. UH Mānoa Office Of Ombuds

The main role of the UH Ombuds Office is to provide confidential, impartial, informal assistance to faculty, students, and staff. They first listen very carefully and uncritically to whatever you want to tell them about that’s bothering you. After that, a number of different things might take place. Sometimes they will give you the names of other people to contact. Or, they may help you to better understand the scope of your problem. Whatever they do, an important part of their job is to help you get the skills and confidence you need to deal with problems in the future. It’s also their job to troubleshoot and bring problems to the attention of anyone at the University who might be able to deal with them. They do this in a way that protects the confidentiality of any visitor to their office. The Ombuds has access to anyone at Mãnoa, including the Chancellor. Their office is located at: Krauss 22, 808.956.3391.

E. ASUH Mediation Service 

The Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i maintains a mediation service for the benefit of all students. It can help bring about fast, satisfying solutions to disputes involving an academic grievance. There is a regular University grievance procedure, but the process of obtaining redress can be long and involved. In mediation, all cases can be heard and a reasonable solution proposed quickly. If both parties cooperate, a mediator could bring about a fast, mutually satisfying result. The ASUH Mediator has dealt with such cases as: landlord-tenant disagreements, student-teacher disputes, roommate problems, harassment, grade disputes, interpersonal relationships, discrimination, etc. There are advantages to mediation as opposed to the normal grievance procedure: it is quick and convenient, no cost is involved, it is confidential, you do not sacrifice any legal rights, and the success rate is very high–about 85% overall. So if you are having problems with others, this is a procedure that merits your attention. The office is located at: Campus Center 211A, 956-4822.

F. Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

All graduate students at the University of Hawai‘i are also members of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), dedicated to the active participation of graduate students within the academic community. To this end, various programs of professional development have been implemented to provide students with academic, financial and social assistance. Of special note is the Travel Fund (sponsored by the GSO, the Vice President for Research and Graduate Education, and the University of Hawai‘i Foundation), available to students wishing to participate in conferences, and which provides 65% of a successful applicant’s air fare. There are also loans (up to $300) available for those in financial need. The GSO also sponsors an annual orientation social in the Campus Center Ballroom. Check the ASUH/CCB bulletin board in the Campus Center for the date and time. There are other events planned for the academic year. Announcements concerning all activities will be posted on the bulletin board next to the ASUH/CCB offices in the Campus Center. For further information call 956-8776, or visit the GSO Office located in Room 212, Hemenway Hall.

Other useful information for prospective and current graduate students may be found online at the Grad Division Website. We encourage current and prospective graduate students to access this Web site for Graduate Division policies and information.