The late Lynn Raulerson, Ph.D., was the former Herbarium Curator. Raulerson bequeathed approximately $200,000 of her personal funds for the the Herbarium, which has funded the herbarium for the last three years since Raulerson’s passing.

Wei Xiao, Ph.D., current UOG Herbarium Curator, used Raulerson’s contribution to apply for the IMLS grant earlier this year and was granted approximately $98,000.

Raulerson is Xiao’s predecessor, and was one of the major collector for UOG herbarium. The UOG Herbarium is the only herbarium in the Marianas, however, there are other smaller variations located in Palau and Yap.

Xiao stated, “The herbarium currently holds approximately 50,000 specimens, with a large number of backlogged specimens that need to be curated and added to the electronic cataloging system.” According to Xiao, “the herbarium project is possible because of the IMLS Grant.”

The IMLS grant allows the Herbarium to expand the collection capacity by purchasing new collapsible shelves for maximizing storage space for data and specimens. The herbarium collection contains different species but mainly focuses on West Pacific region and is part of a special exchange program for the Pacific.

Alana Santana Torres, a current plant taxonomy student said that she’s learned a lot from working at the herbarium. Santana was tasked with creating the herbarium’s protocol for collecting specimens. “Plant taxonomy was not my first choice, but the class has been life-changing especially learning about the significance of different plants around the island,” Torres said.

Unfortunately, UOG does not have a degree program specifically for Herbarium study. However, plant taxonomy can be used to pursue other Science tracks.

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The case had resulted in a 6-3 decision in the Supreme Court, showcasing high public support and no hatred thereafter. The lecture concluded with a question and answer portion that many patrons enthusiastically participated in.

Students, faculty and staff members attended the event, alongside distinguished guests, including the 34th Guam Legislative Speaker Benjamin F.J. Cruz, Chief Justice Katherine Maraman, Associate Justice F. Philip Carbullido, Associate Justice Robert J. Torres, and Senator Mary C. Torres.

Participants of the event posed several questions regarding civil rights in Guam, though Smith mentioned that he was not fully aware of Guam’s issues with the Supreme Court and he gave insight to situations similar to his past hearings.

Roland San Nicolas, RFK librarian, stated, “As a junior faculty [member], I try to attend these lectures to broaden my horizons. I was expecting more about insular cases and how the territories are underrepresented in the Congress and how the Supreme Court could assist with that. He was more geared towards civil rights in regards to the LGBT community, but it was a great learning experience.”

Carmen Terlaje, another participant of the lecture stated, “It was awesome that he answered questions that were outside his expertise, and answered the question about Guam’s
cases being heard in the Supreme Court. A lot of the time stateside visitors don’t really know about Guam’s history or our position, I found that really fascinating that even though he wasn’t an expert in that field he was able to give a perspective.”

Smith was welcomed to the stage with a customary lei, presented by SGA President Annie Fay Camacho. President Robert Underwood introduced Smith by talking about his work. Underwood stated that Smith was a good presenter because of his stance in the gerrymandering case and though there were a few scheduling issues, he was glad that Smith participated in the event.

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The presentation gave tips for how to be an effective presenter. And focused on information about what to expect, how to keep students engaged at different grade levels, and overall, how to make presentations more enjoyable for students.

There were more than 50 participants for the event which includes representatives from GDOE, NOAA, National Park Services, Guam Conservation Office, Center for Island Sustainability, UOG Marine Lab, and DPW.

Auyong began with GDOE statistics followed by the first tip for being a good presenter – to be culturally responsive and mindful of financial situations of the student audience.

Auyong’s major tips included: 1.visiting the school to know the different protocols, 2. understanding that the schools are its own kingdom, 3. familiarizing with teachers and principles preferences for communication.

The presentation then emphasized the importance of specific information for the project or presentation.

Providing information such as the intended grade level, anticipated presentation length, whether the presenter decides to give students things to take home, and whether the presenter will be providing his/her own resource materials.

Effective presentations have age-appropriate activities to keep students engaged, such as kinesthetic which really helps the students memorize and understand the materials.

Auyong then shared the great things about working with public schools are the classroom management skills and the student excitement for having presenters.

Seanne Clemente and Trevor Boykin, current interns for Sea Grant, shared their experiences about working with the public schools and the things they learned.

Guest speakers Tina Nelson and Melanie Blas gave tips on what to wear, appropriate times for presenting in Middle and High school, as well as, providing information about being sincere to the students when providing information.

Melanie Blas, a teacher from Simon Sanchez High school explained, “The best time for presenting is before lunch and at the beginning of the school quarter.”

“Give the students your time, give them information that they can take home to share with family to better the island. Students have a zeal they are passionate about, so tap into it and steer them in the right direction,” said Tina Nelson, a teacher at Benavente Middle School.

Both speakers then presented the importance of not taking pictures, and that the best thing to do is to ask the teacher before taking any photos.

Before closing out the session, Auyong emphasized being timely and showing up early to avoid wasting the teacher and students time and that the biggest challenge of presenting is being attentive to the audience. If you want the students to change behavior or attitude be tentative and do something.

David Combasch, Ph.D., a professor at the Marine Lab, stated that the presentation helped him realize that his project needs to be more specific, mainly on the economics of the project.

Josefa Munoz, a representative from the Center for Island Sustainability, was also in attendance. “The presentation gave me a reinforced confidence with my subject matter and how to present it to future audiences,” Munoz said. “The event was very helpful and useful, it would be great to have more.”

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According to SGA Treasurer Vince Ocampo, the SGA account is currently on hold for the Board of Regents to pass the FY 2017-18 budget. In an earlier interview, SGA President Annie Fay Camacho expressed, “There are a lot of upcoming events to be aware of, so check out the SGA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.”

During the SGA Meeting introduction and presidential report, Camacho said that this was the first council meeting with a full council. According to SGA Vice President Christian Punzalan in an earlier interview, “Earlier in the semester, we had special elections to fill the positions for SGA treasurer and four senatorial seats.”

Currently, the 56^th SGA council seats four executive officers, 11 senators, and five incumbent members from SY 2016-17.

Each Bill was voted by roll call, 14 out of 15 SGA officials. The 15th vote is made by the SGA President for necessary tie-breaking. SGA Bills passed include:

– Bill 56-01: Resolution for Recognition of Cyaundra Shimizu, presented by Senator Balmeo.

– Bill 56-04: Information Technology Advisory Committee, presented by Senator Brioso.

– Bill 56-05: Approved Revision of SGA Constitution, presented by Senator Murray.

– Bill 56-09: Halloween Costume Contest, presented by Senator Murray.

– Bill 56-10: Appropriate money for water, presented by Senator Elmore.

– Bill 56-11: AEYC & GEMS Spooktacular Event, presented by Senator Quenga.

– Bill 56-12: Thanksgiving Event – Cornucopia & Canned Goods Collections, presented by Senator Ayuyu.

SGA meeting details current spending budget, other bills passedSenator Jeanine Nguyen said that SGA is open to new ideas, questions, and concerns.

For more information, visit the SGA Office, look for SGA on Facebook: guam.sga, Twitter & Instagram: uog_sga, or email SGA directly at uog.sga@tritons.uog.edu.

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All participants must sign up on race day and bring their own water supply because water will not be provided during the event. The entrance fee for this event is free for GRC members and $5 for non-GRC members.

The course will be outlined with cones. The first 100 registered runners will receive a race towel to commemorate their participation for the event.

If you are looking for a reason to run in the rain, jump in and out of pools of mud, and slide your way through another 5k finish line don’t miss out on this once a year event. 

For more information or to become a volunteer for the 15th Mudder’s Day Run 5k contact the Guam Runners Club via email at guahanrunningclub@gmail.com

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UOG’s Residence Halls opened a new cafeteria on Saturday, Sept. 2. Located on the second floor of Guma’ta Hall, the dining facility is intended to serve residents who purchased the recently implemented dorm meal plan.

Jonathan Triplett, Residence Hall director, said this is the first time the University is offering a meal plan and the cafeteria to its residents.

“The meal plan is paid by each student,” Triplett said. “Students get lunch and dinner guaranteed everyday, and one meal on Saturday and Sunday.”

The new cafeteria is equipped with food warmers, a station for soups and salads, a water dispenser, chairs, tables, and a 65-inch flat screen television, with anticipated cable connectivity by the end of September.

LSG Sky Chefs caters daily meals and residents are able to utilize the dining area from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch, and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner.

Prior to the cafeteria’s opening, daily meals for students were prepared in takeout boxes and dropped off at the Residence Life Office for distribution.

David Malon, a resident assistant and UOG student who has stayed in the dorms for four years described the difficulty of the first month of meal planning and his appreciation for having a cafeteria. 

However, Malon expressed his concern regarding the maximum capacity of the cafeteria, as it is only able to accommodate 36 residents at a time.

Other residents need to take out food to eat in common areas, especially during dinner time. 

“As a last resort for missing the lunch meal at the cafeteria, students can go to Triton Express to get a bento box, sandwich, and a drink,” Malon said.

Happy Fritz, a transfer student from Palau, said she is glad that there is a meal plan, but she feels some things still need improvement.

She expressed multiple concerns for her fellow residents, including conflicting meal and class schedules, a lack of vegetarian options, and the guessing game for the upcoming meal.

Fritz suggested having a weekly update or meal schedule for residents, and to make a separate or alternative meals to accommodate the vegetarian residents.

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