Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Central Pacific Hurricane Center said the Hawaiʻi region could see fewer than normal cyclones for the upcoming hurricane season. The forecast released on May 18, predicted two to four tropical cyclones compared to four to five in a normal season.

It is important to note that the forecast is for the number of storms in the region but not specifically for landfall to the state.

“This year we are predicting less activity in the Central Pacific region compared to normal seasons,” said Matthew Rosencrans, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. “The ongoing La Niña is likely to cause strong vertical wind shear making it more difficult for hurricanes to develop or move into the Central Pacific Ocean.”

Hurricane season in Hawaiʻi occurs roughly between June 1 and November 30. The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency has a .

The University of Hawaiʻi encourages all students and employees to prepare for the season before storms approach, when the lines at stores can be overwhelming. ����Ӱҵ community members are invited to participate in the that are held over the summer.

����Ӱҵ resources:

All members of the ����Ӱҵ community are urged to sign up for ����Ӱҵ Alert to receive emergency text alerts. If you have already signed up, log in to ensure that contact information is up-to-date.

There is also the and app ( | ) with updated information.

Hawaiʻi created a great one-stop resource for disasters in the .

Notifications affecting ����Ӱҵ campuses will be posted on the emergency information webpage, as well as on social media:

Editor’s note: This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

����Ӱҵ facilities on Hawaiʻi Island plan to reopen (posted August 31, 3 p.m.)

Based on current conditions, all ����Ӱҵ facilities on Hawaiʻi Island plan to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, September 1, after being closed Wednesday, August 31 due to severe weather.

If the situation for September 1 changes, ����Ӱҵ will issue an update via email and ����Ӱҵ alert text messaging.

Please continue to monitor the and local media.

The facilities that plan to reopen tomorrow are:

• ����Ӱҵ Hilo
• Hawaiʻi Community College
• Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui
• ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
• North Hawaiʻi Education and Research Center
• Hale Pohaku–Onizuka Center for International Astronomy and food and lodging facilities (reopening at noon)
• All ����Ӱҵ Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) facilities on Hawaiʻi Island
• All ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Institute for Astronomy (IfA) facilities on Hawaiʻi Island

Facilities on all other islands remain open and were not affected, except for ����Ӱҵ Maui College Hāna Education Center, that will close 5 p.m. on August 31 until further notice, due to power failure.

Severe weather update (posted August 31, 11 a.m.)

����Ӱҵ will update closure information related to Hurricane Madeline this afternoon (August 31) pending latest reports from state officials.

����Ӱҵ closures on Hawaiʻi Island (posted August 30, 3:30 p.m.)

All University of Hawaiʻi facilities on Hawaiʻi Island will be closed for all students and non-essential personnel starting tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31, in advance of Hurricane Madeline.

This includes:

• and food and lodging facilities

Although these closures only affect Hawaiʻi Island (at this time), the entire ����Ӱҵ community is urged to stay vigilant and follow the , other official agencies and local media for the latest weather news.

����Ӱҵ Alert

Emergency situations affecting our 10 campuses will be announced to students, faculty and staff via ����Ӱҵ Alert text messaging. .

Notifications affecting ����Ӱҵ campuses will also be posted at the .

Checklist for building closures

• Close all windows and blinds.

• Secure important/confidential documents and valuables.

• Remove perishable foods from buildings, trash cans and refrigerators.

• Update telephone and e-mail messages for the closure period.

• Turn off and unplug all electrical equipment and appliances (except phones), including: refrigerators (remove all items, defrost and wipe down), microwave ovens, coffee makers, battery chargers, computers, printers, fax machines, network devices (routers, switches, hubs, etc.), clocks, radios and window air conditioning units.

University of Hawaiʻi System announces the following schedules for all campuses over the weekend. Please confirm with individual campus websites for most updated information.

Normal operations are anticipated at this time to resume for all campuses on Monday, October 20.

Saturday, October 18

• 
  Motorcycle and Apprentice Classes: canceled
• 
  Normal Operations
• 
  Classes: canceled
  Events: canceled
• 
  Normal operations
  Athletic events: Open
• 
  Classes: as scheduled
  Events: canceled
  Library: closed
• 
  Classes: as scheduled until 3:30pm
  Training: as scheduled until 3:30pm
  Marine Education Training Center: closed
• 
  Farmers Market: canceled
  Events: canceled
  Classes: as scheduled
• 
  Classes: canceled after 5:00pm
  Events: canceled after 5:00pm
• 
  Normal operations
  Events after 5pm: TBD
• 
  Normal operations

Sunday, October 19

• 
  Normal operations
• 
  Normal operations
• 
  Classes/Events: canceled
• 
  Normal operations
  Athletic events: open
• 
  Events: canceled
  Library: closed
• 
  No activities or events will occur
  Marine Education Training Center closed
• 
  Classes: canceled
  Events: canceled
• 
  Classes: canceled
  Events: canceled
• 
  Classes: TBD
  Events: TBD
• 
  TBD

The University of Hawaiʻi continues to monitor Tropical Storm Ana and is working closely with state and county officials to anticipate its possible impact on Hawaiʻi. This is the October 16, 2:20 p.m. update with the latest storm information.

����Ӱҵ West Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi Island)
Classes and activities at the on Hawaiʻi Island are canceled for Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18 and the center will be closed.

����Ӱҵ East Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi Island)
, and (NHERC) will remain open and classes will meet Friday, with the exception of the Hawaiʻi Community College Motorcycle Training class on Saturday, which is canceled.

However, conditions are unpredictable and should they require other closures, we will inform you through a ����Ӱҵ alert.

All Other Campuses
At this stage, all other campuses remain open and classes will be conducted as scheduled. Please visit the or your campus homepage for updates.

The University of Hawaiʻi is monitoring Tropical Storm Ana and working closely with state and county officials to anticipate its possible impact on Hawaiʻi.

Decisions on the cancellation of classes and activities will be made by individual campuses. Please go to your campus website for the latest information.

Updates will be provided as needed at and the .

Disaster preparedness information may be found at:

• Disaster Preparedness Section of your local telephone book

����Ӱҵ campuses and facilities on Hawaiʻi Island were thankfully spared the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Iselle, but many of their friends and neighbors—especially in the Puna area—are still dealing with the aftermath, including structural damage to homes, lack of power and water and impeded road access.

Residents around Honokaʻa who want to donate to the Iselle relief effort can bring items to the (NHERC), about 40 miles north of Hilo.

Suggestions for donations:

• Toiletries
• Drinking water
• Toilet paper
• Towels
• Blankets
• Tarps
• Batteries
• Non-perishable food

“What’s really great about this effort is that it’s community-driven,” said Stacie Higgens, an academic support specialist at NHERC. “It’s volunteers rallying for our sister communities on the Big Island.”

Collection location and hours

North Hawaiʻi Education and Research Center
45-539 Plumeria Street
Honokaʻa, HI 96727

Hours for drop-off are 7:45 am to 4:30 pm.

Email, or call NHERC at (808)775-8890 for more information.

NHERC is not able to accept donations of ice, but the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ in Hilo is accepting both ice and water. Please for more information.

More ways to help

People living outside of the area may want to consider monetary donations to an established relief organization instead.

Cash donations are the best way to immediately help recovery efforts on the Big Island and other areas impacted by Iselle, according to a State of Hawaiʻi (PDF).

The Emergency Management Agency suggests cash donations be directed to the and the .

People looking to volunteer are encouraged to directly contact local relief agencies to identify needs of individuals and communities impacted by Iselle.

—By Jeela Ongley

For the safety of students, faculty and staff, the University of Hawaiʻi is closing all campuses on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi on Friday, August 8, 2014 in anticipation of severe weather caused by Hurricane Iselle.

Currently Oʻahu, Kauaʻi County and Maui County are under tropical storm warnings. Hawaiʻi Island is under a hurricane warning.

����Ӱҵ Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College, along with its West Hawaiʻi Education Center on Hawaiʻi Island are closed today, August 7th and Friday, August 8th due to potentially dangerous weather conditions.

����Ӱҵ Maui College and its Education Centers in Hana and Lahaina and on Molokaʻi and ����Բ�ʻ�� will close at noon on today, August 7th and all day Friday, August 8th. Weekend operations will also be suspended.

The ����Ӱҵ at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College, along with its West Hawai‘i Education Center on Hawaiʻi Island will be closed all day on Thursday, August 7 and Friday, August 8 due to anticipated severe weather caused by Hurricanes Iselle and Julio.

����Ӱҵ Maui College and its Education Centers in Hana and Lahaina and on Molokaʻi and Lanaʻi will close at noon on Thursday, August 7 and all day Friday, August 8. Weekend operations will also be suspended.

The university continues to monitor the situation and will decide the status of its remaining campuses on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi on Thursday.

As of Friday afternoon, June 22, power has been restored to almost all of the campus at .

Classes are scheduled to resume on Monday, June 25. All campus offices will be open and staff should report to work as normal.

A skeleton crew was on campus Friday as the final steps were taken by both the electricians and the air conditioning crew to get all buildings back up to full power.

Events scheduled for Friday, June 22, were cancelled, including New Student Orientation and evening shows at both the and .

Events scheduled at Palikū Theatre for Saturday and Sunday, June 23–24, will be held as scheduled.

Visit Windward Community College’s for the latest updates.

Classes at have been cancelled from Wednesday, June 20, through Friday, June 22. The campus will reopen for classes on Monday, June 25.

A blown fuse has caused a power outage affecting the whole campus and a part needed for repair is being shipped from the mainland. The campus is working with an electrician and HECO to address the issue.

In the meantime, a limited power supply is available and being rerouted to maintain refrigeration requirements for laboratories and the campus cafeteria.

Visit the ����Ӱҵ emergency information webpage for the latest updates.

On February 12, 2012 fire destroyed a building containing a portion of the University of Hawaiʻi System’s Financial Management Office on the ����Ӱҵ Mānoa lower campus. The effort in the aftermath included people and offices across the ����Ӱҵ System, Mānoa campus, State of Hawaiʻi and Honolulu Fire Department.

A special mahalo to everyone involved for making the cleanup and recovery as smooth and safe as possible. We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of offers of assistance and extending patience and understanding as the Financial Management Office recovers from this devastating event.

Special thank you

• Campus Security and Emergency Management (Wayne Ogino, Jimmy Lagunero, Captain Donald Dawson)
• Institute for Astronomy Fiscal Office
• Honolulu Community College Fiscal Office
• Information Technology Services staff (Osamu Makiguchi, Ralph Yoshioka, Byron Watanabe, Harry Morita, Steven Goto, Jan Kawachi, Mike Wu)
• John A. Burns School of Medicine Fiscal Office
• Office of Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
• Office of Human Resources
• Office of Vice President for Community Colleges
• Office of Vice President for Legal Affairs and University General Counsel (Ryan Akamine, John Hashimoto)
• Stan Sheriff Center (Rich Sheriff)
• State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Accounting and General Services (Wayne Horie and staff)
• System Administrative Services Office
• System Budget Office
• ����Ӱҵ Foundation Staff
• ����Ӱҵ Press
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Auxiliary Services (Darryl Nohara, Andy Lachman)
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Building and Grounds Management (Roxanne Adams and Staff)
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Chancellor’s Office
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa College of Natural Sciences
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa College of Social Sciences
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Environmental Health and Safety Office (Roy Takekawa, Emma Kennedy)
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Facilities and Grounds (Thomas Katsuyoshi and Staff)
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Intercollegiate Athletics Department (Jim Donovan, John McNamara, Teri Chang, Eric Okasaki, Tiffany Kuraoka and staff)
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Office of Student Life and Development
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Office of Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Office of Vice Chancellor for Students
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa School of Architecture
• ����Ӱҵ Mānoa Vice Chancellor for Administration, Finance and Operations (Kathy Cutshaw, Sandy French and staff)
• University Bookstores
• Windward Community College Fiscal Office
• The Honolulu Fire Department

The will conduct a test of the emergency notification system on Wednesday, April 18, 10 a.m. The test will involve all 10 ����Ӱҵ campuses and include all students, faculty and staff who have registered to receive the alerts.

The ����Ӱҵ Alert emergency notification system alerts the university community in the event of a natural, health or civil emergency. It includes automated emergency messages sent to all students, faculty and staff via email and text message alerts sent to students, faculty and staff who have signed up to receive them on their mobile phone.

The ����Ӱҵ Alert system is only used in urgent situations that may impact the health and safety of members of the ����Ӱҵ community and closures of whole campuses. It is tested once a semester to ensure that the system is functioning properly.

����Ӱҵ students, faculty and staff are encouraged to register for the text message alerts or review and update their information if already registered prior to the test on April 18.

See the to register or review previously submitted information.

The Office of the Vice President for Budget and Finance provided the following update on the implementation of the in light of the February 12 fire that destroyed a building on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa lower campus containing much of the university’s Financial Management Office.

Prior to the fire, fiscal staff were having to do double duty of maintaining operations and supporting the development and installation of Kuali. Fortunately, just prior to the fire, the development phase had been completed and the testing phase on the Kuali system had begun. While Financial Management Office staff are having to cope with restoring normal operations in their new temporary surroundings, they may focus on operations restoration while Kuali system testing ensues. Down the road as operations are restored, staff will become re-engaged in supporting the development and installation of Kuali.

The impact of the fire on operations and the implementation of Kuali is being assessed on an on-going basis. At this time, efforts are continuing to make the University of Hawaiʻi’s Kuali Financial System operational in July 2012. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Financial Management Office staff, the outstanding Kuali Team and the special efforts of the Kuali consultants, who together have been working tirelessly to meet the planned roll-out schedule.

The resumed clinical appointments last week with clients who depend on the school’s Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders for speech and language therapy. The department’s clinic and its students and faculty were displaced February 12 by the fire that destroyed a building on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s lower campus.

Classes have continued without major disruption for 24 master’s degree students and 7 faculty members of the department, thanks to rapid logistical support from the ����Ӱҵ System, ����Ӱҵ Mānoa and the medical school. The students and faculty were immediately relocated to the medical school’s facility in Kakaʻako, and are now moving into space being leased in the former Gold Bond Building on Ala Moana Boulevard.

Students in the program are required to complete 400 hours of clinical therapy, so the loss of a clinical treatment area since February 12 has been a serious concern. That concern has been alleviated with a new location secured, and the program is now contacting clients to let them know when their individual therapy sessions will resume. Upper-level students who see clients in external settings, including at the Tripler Army Medical Center and for Easter Seals, have not been affected.

In addition to treating Hawaiʻi citizens who are speech or hearing impaired and offering hearing screenings for school children and the public, the program conducts research into communications disorders. One ongoing study aims to learn whether the deployment of U.S. military members has caused them to suffer significant hearing loss. Another project is seeking to discern whether standard measures to evaluate language-learning difficulties need to be revised to take into account cultural differences among people, including those for whom English is a second language.

New home for the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders

The medical school intends to permanently establish the new home for the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders by this summer.

“We were planning to move the department this coming May to improve the educational and treatment environment for the students, faculty and members of the public who depend on our audiologists and communication therapists,” said John A. Burns School of Medicine Dean Jerris Hedges. “With quick action by our administrative team and our Mānoa and ����Ӱҵ System colleagues, we have been able to secure space early for the new offices and clinical treatment area.”

“At first, we didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, whether we were going to be able to move until May,” said first-year master’s student Janelle Hiu. “Everybody’s been really nervous about whether things could be pushed up. We are very grateful that we have been embraced here and we were able to continue classes and it’s not going to have a long-term effect on our projected graduation and our learning.”

“I’m very glad we have been able to get a lot of positive things out of such a bad thing, a fire,” said Hiu. “Not only for the students, but we are moving to a location where there is actually access to a lot more things for our clients, too, when we are fully up and running.”

The Office of the Vice President for Budget and Finance provided an update this week to students, faculty and staff on stipends, fellowships and scholarship payments.

As part of the University of Hawaiʻi’s continuing fire recovery activities, the following interim procedures have been established in regards to payments:

• Payments will be processed in the following order:
1. Stipend, fellowship and scholarship payments
2. Utility payments (electric, water, and gas)
3. Payments over 30 days past due including reimbursements
4. Payments considered RUSH for other reasons (evaluated on a case-by-case basis)
5. All other payments

• Since all payment documents submitted and not released for payment by Disbursing were destroyed in the fire, we are requesting photocopies of replacement payment documents.

Stipend, fellowship and scholarship payments have always been processed as the number one priority, as a matter of practice by the ����Ӱҵ System. Typically, when mailroom staff sorts through mail, these submissions are selected first and processed as quickly as possible.

The ����Ӱҵ fiscal office reports a good portion of these payments were processed and sent out last week (February 20-24), and should start arriving in the next few days. Another large number was completed and sent out on Monday, February 27.

As we said at the beginning, although we did not lose any critical information that cannot be recreated, we did lose paperwork “in progress” that has to be reconstituted from the originating sources and put back in the system. Despite the fact that almost 60 fiscal staff lost essential equipment and had to be temporarily relocated, the staff has continued operations. It will take time to restore full functionality to pre-fire levels.

As we recover, we’re prioritizing and focusing on processing payments as outlined above. We ask for continued patience, and if a student does not receive an expected payment by this Friday, March 2, they should contact their fiscal officer.

Information and updates relating to the university’s fire recovery progress continue to be posted .

The University of Hawaiʻi continues to work toward recovery of full functions and services after the February 12, 2012, fire that destroyed a building containing much of the ����Ӱҵ system’s Fiscal Management Office on the ����Ӱҵ Mānoa lower campus. The following is an update on key areas of interest to the general public.

Documents and information

Although fiscal and accounting information was stored or exists electronically in off-site secured servers, much of the paperwork associated with in-process transactions was lost or damaged beyond use by fire, smoke or water. All paperwork has been treated as confidential in accordance with ����Ӱҵ policy governing the proper processing, securing and destruction of confidential or personal information, whether it contained such data or not.

����Ӱҵ personnel collected and recovered from the building and debris, by hand, all identifiable damaged papers under the constant supervision of ����Ӱҵ campus security staff. The damaged building and debris have been guarded in an unbroken chain of custody 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since the fire was extinguished. Papers were sorted and transferred to containers under constant UH control and security. Arrangements are being made with a licensed and certified document disposal company to dispose of all papers and documents appropriately and securely.

“The proper security of all paper and electronic records was the primary concern the moment the fire was extinguished. We are confident that, in the event that any of these papers might have contained confidential information, we’ve protected them appropriately and will dispose of them in a secure manner that should not cause concern as to the security of personal or confidential information,” said ����Ӱҵ System Associate Vice President for External Affairs and University Relations Lynne Waters.

Fiscal staff and operations

A total of 57 employees were displaced from the burned portable building and neighboring offices damaged by smoke and water. They have all been temporarily relocated among a total of 14 sites throughout the ����Ӱҵ System offices, ����Ӱҵ Mānoa campus and nearby areas. Payroll for the next pay date of March 5, 2012, has been processed and will be distributed to ����Ӱҵ employees as scheduled. A detailed memo has gone out to ����Ӱҵ System students, faculty and staff outlining where key offices are temporarily located with instructions on how to access them with questions or needs.

Vendor information

The Office of Procurement and Real Property Management is in the process of relocating to the Letterwinner’s Building at ����Ӱҵ Mānoa located on Lower Campus Road next to Klum Gym. The office currently has one operational phone number—(808) 956-8687.

As announced previously, all competitive solicitations that are due for goods, services and construction have been suspended. The office will work with university programs to establish new dates for projects and to notify all vendors of the changes. Vendors submitting competitive bids, contract modifications, completed purchase orders and other correspondence should hold these documents until they can be received and properly processed.

Surrounding areas

����Ӱҵ continues to provide a telephone number, web page and email address to assist people in the surrounding areas who might wish to file a claim or get more information about damage to material possessions or health-related concerns as a result of the fire and smoke. Please or call (808) 956-7243 for more information or assistance with filing a claim.

University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Board of Regents Chair Eric Martinson and Vice Chair James Lee toured the aftermath of the February 12 fire on the University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� at Mānoa lower campus.

The blaze, thought by Honolulu Fire Department officials to have been sparked by overheated electrical wiring in the portable building walls, consumed at least half of the building which housed ����Ӱҵ System fiscal staff and damaged the other half of the building with smoke and water.

����Ӱҵ officials including Vice Presidents Howard Todo, John Morton, and others walked through the devastated site, some for the first time.

The University of Hawaiʻi would like to express its deepest appreciation to the Honolulu Fire Department for the fine job its firefighters did in controlling and extinguishing Sunday’s fire at portable building 171D, housing the ����Ӱҵ System’s Financial Management Office. The following are updates and status reports on progress and recovery in key areas of interest to the general public and university family.

Information: A dedicated URL address has been established for ����Ӱҵ employees, students and the general public to receive updated information on recovery progress as well as where to go to get specific questions answered.

Staff and Personnel: Approximately 53 employees in the fiscal division are being relocated temporarily and being equipped with computers, phones, internet connectivity and furniture so that regular duties can be resumed as soon as possible. Please bear with us as we resituate staff and return to normal operations.

Documents and information: Staff has begun recovering and examining documents stored in fireproof cabinets and, as hoped, determined that many survived in useable condition. This process will continue until all salvageable materials and files have been recovered.

Building: Preliminary investigations have concluded that the fire was unintentional and the fire’s origin was electrical in nature. The damaged structure has been cleared for destruction and unsalvageable materials will be appropriately disposed of; this will commence soon. The university has not yet determined what reconstruction on the site will occur.

Vendor information: Due dates for all competitive solicitations and bids that are due for goods, services and construction have been suspended. The Office of Procurement and Real Property Management will issue an Amendment to establish new submittal deadlines upon re-opening of the office.

Surrounding area: Neighbors and others who had property damage as a result of the fire and wish to file a claim with the university’s insurer or obtain information may contact the university’s Risk Management Office at (808) 956-7243 or .

Claims forms may be .

After receipt of all required claims information, a decision will be made by the appropriate parties and the claimants will be contacted.

The university will post timely updates as needed, along with instructions on where to go with specific questions.

To ����Ӱҵ ʻohana,

Thank you first for your expressions of concern and offers of assistance to the University of Hawaiʻi Financial Management Office personnel following Sunday’s destructive fire in portable building 171D. We are extremely grateful it occurred at a time when no employees were at work and no personal safety was jeopardized. Buildings and materials can always be replaced.

In that vein, we ask your patience as we work through the immediate needs and requirements in the coming days and weeks so that we may get back up and running to support your operating needs. We’ll try to post timely updates on this as warranted and circulate email reports and instructions when available.

We are working very hard to relocate employees in useable and available space, and get them properly equipped and connected so that they may be online and responsive. We ask for your patience as we accomplish these substantial tasks. Please know that we’re moving ahead as rapidly as possible to return to normal business. As soon as we’re able to start processing transactions again, we’ll alert you and your fellow university employees.

Director of Financial Management and Controller Paul Kobayashi and his staff have been working around the clock since Sunday to assess damage, determine what can be salvaged, and relocate staff to temporary work places as soon as humanly possible. Your patience and understanding as we navigate these uncharted waters is most appreciated.

Again, we were lucky in that there was no injury or loss of life, and that most if not all of our critical financial data is secured on servers and systems in protected and safe spaces. We can reconstruct the paper documents from their points of origin and from these undamaged resources. Thank you for bearing with us as we work through the logistics of getting back to normal.

Mahalo

To the University ʻohana,

We want to clarify the status of fiscal activities and records housed in the portable building on lower campus destroyed by fire on February 12 and correct some misinformation reported in the news media.

1. Payroll processing of paper checks and associated documents: Payroll information and processing is all handled through enterprise servers housed elsewhere and are unaffected by the fire. Payroll will continue uninterrupted.
2. Student loans: All student loan information is also stored electronically and resides with our loan collection service off-site. This information is undamaged and student loan processes will continue uninterrupted.
3. Student loan paperwork: Original documents, such as promissory notes associated with original student loans, were stored on paper in a fireproof cabinet, along with other historical documentation. We will not know status or condition of the documents until fire officials bring materials, furniture and other items out of the structure so staff can sort through the materials and see what is damaged and what is not. But these potentially damaged documents will not affect the timely payments, collections, and other transactions associated with student loans.
4. Other paper functions such as pre-audit processing of documents including internal travel reimbursements, vendor payments, etc., were carried out in this building, but previously processed transactions are already recorded in our financial system which is on the university’s core enterprise information systems secured and maintained elsewhere.  However, transactions that were in-process at the time of the fire may need to be reconstructed or resubmitted by originating departments. This will take time but since the requests and corresponding documentation originated elsewhere in the system, copies may be retrieved or replacement documents obtained.

The bottom line is that the damage and loss of documents or information is not nearly as severe as has been reported. We are grateful for that and grateful that no one was injured in this fire and we have the fine work of the Honolulu Fire Department to thank for that. Their prompt response and continued, diligent work on the scene are in large part the reason we are facing a less-comprehensive loss of property and information than first thought. Captain Terry Seelig and his crew have been on site since Sunday morning making sure staff are not in danger, the fire is contained, and assisting with damage assessment. Our deepest thanks for their hard work and attention to safety.

We also offer our deepest apologies to those in the surrounding area who were inconvenienced or negatively impacted by the fire, smoke, heat and disruption.

We will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available.