A notification was sent out from the UH Office of Communications that effective Wednesday, May 25, 2022, face masks are once again required indoors across the University of Hawai’i System, except when working alone or separated from others by 6 feet or more. Restoration of this practice, consistent with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, was recommended by UH medical and public health experts and the State of Hawai’i Department of Health and affirmed by UH leadership.
Reinstatement of the comprehensive indoor mask requirement will help prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus and better protect the health of everyone as every county in the state but one is currently assessed to have a “high” level of COVID-19 community transmission by the CDC. Only Hawaiʻi County is still rated “medium.” The CDC also ranks the state as 4th highest in the nation with an average 7-day case rate of 495.9 cases per 100,000 people.
The indoor face mask requirement will remain in place and be re-evaluated when the level of COVID-19 transmission in the state decreases.
To: RCUH Principal Investigators and Project Staff
SUBJECT: RCUH Information Only – Training Session: RCUH Human Resources: Frequently Used HR Policies (May 13 via Zoom, May 17 in-person)
Please join RCUH Human Resources Director of Human Resources, Nelson Sakamoto in one of his last two training sessions, “Frequently Used HR Policies.” These half-day sessions (4 hours total) for RCUH Principal Investigators and Project Staff will be available via Zoom (Friday, May 13th in the morning) and in-person at the UH Cancer Center Kakaako campus (Tuesday, May 17th in the afternoon). The training will cover key HR policies for RCUH projects and will be divided into four 1-hour segments. The agenda for both training sessions will be the same as stated below:
Tentative Agenda:
Hour 1: Introduction of Kira Higa, What RCUH Human Resources Can and Cannot do for you, Changes in policies, New Hire Orientation, Probation Period, Work Schedules/Locations, eTimesheet/Time Reporting, Payroll, General overview of RCUH Employee Benefits, Vacation and Sick Leave, Protected Leaves, and Q&A.
Hour 2: RCUH Job Descriptions, Reclassifications, Recruitment, RCUH Postdoc Category, Shared Employee/Appointment, Selection, Probationary Period, Non-Recruited Hires (new process), J-1 Visa (update), Volunteers, Hiring employees in locations outside of Hawai`I, and Q&A.
(Break)
Hour 3: Performance Evaluations, Updated Pay Schedule, New Pay Schedule (effective October 1, 2022), Setting new hire or reclassification Pay Rates, Performance Problems, Corrective Action, How to avoid HR problems, Role of the Supervisor of an RCUH employee and Q&A.
Zoom Online Training Date: Friday, May 13, 2022 Time: 8:30am – 12:30pm Location: ZOOM link provided by Thursday, May 12 Registration via RCUH Training Portal by Thursday, May 12, 4:00pm
In-Person Training (Honolulu) Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022 Time: 12:30pm – 4:30pm Location: UH Cancer Center Auditorium, 701 Ilalo St, Honolulu, HI 96813 Registration via RCUH Training Portal by Friday, May 13, 4:00pm No walk-ins. Restricted access required pre-registration. Individuals who require special needs accommodations are encouraged to request assistance in writing to [email protected] at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
After serving as RCUH’s Director of Human Resources for more than 30 years, Nelson Sakamoto has officially announced his retirement. Director Sakamoto’s last day in office will be Friday, May 20, 2022.
“On behalf of RCUH, I’d like to congratulate Nelson on his retirement and thank him for his years of service and his commitment to serving Hawai‘i’s research community,” said Executive Director Lenny Gouveia. “RCUH has been fortunate to have had Nelson at the helm of the Human Resources Department for so many years, but now is the time for him to kick back, relax, and enjoy life outside of RCUH. Although these will be big shoes to fill, we are excited to start a new chapter with the incoming director.”
Kira Higa has been named incoming Director of Human Resources, effective May 9, 2022. She previously worked at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and has held various roles at Hawaiian Telcom for the past 13 years, most recently as HR Director. Ms. Higa also serves on the Hawaii Workforce Development Council and is a graduate of the Patsy T. Mink Wahine Leadership Cohort.
“We are pleased to welcome Kira to the RCUH ‘ohana and have high hopes for her in this position,” Gouveia said.
We are pleased to share the success of RCUH’s 2021 Aloha United Way Campaign. We are very grateful for the support and contributions that RCUH made this year. Not only did we increase overall participation, but together we have committed to aiding our community through our pledges to Aloha United Way.
One of the most significant changes that occurred this year compared to past campaign years is the introduction of the AUW ePledge online giving platform, where our employees were able to donate easily and effortlessly to the agency of their choice. It is our belief that when given the opportunity to see your donation made to one of the many agencies of AUW, it feels more impactful and meaningful.
Not only have we steered our direction towards online giving, we also noticed an increase in this year’s participation. We had three times (3x) the number of total participants than last year! It seems appropriate to say that providing a convenient source to pledge and a variety of ways in which to do so has made a huge impact on RCUH’s AUW campaign.
We again would like to sincerely thank you all for your donations this year and will be looking forward to another successful campaign in 2022.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will not be mailing or printing vendor checks on Monday, December 27, 2021. Vendor checks for payments approved on Thursday, December 23, 2021 will not be mailed until we resume business operations on Tuesday, December 28, 2021. Vendor payments approved on Monday, December 27, 2021, will be processed on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.
The Financial Portal will remain open and you may process and approve online purchase orders, payments, and travel. However, RCUH transactions for UH Extramural accounts will NOT be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System until we resume business operations.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, RCUH will not be mailing or printing vendor checks on Monday, December 20, 2021. Vendor checks for payments approved on Friday, December 17, 2021 will not be mailed until Tuesday, December 21, 2021. Vendor payments approved on Monday, December 20, 2021 will also be processed on Tuesday, December 21, 2021.
The Financial Portal will remain open and you may process and approve online purchase orders, payments, and travel. However, RCUH transactions for UH Extramural accounts will NOT be transmitted and posted to the UH Kuali Financial System until Tuesday, December 21, 2021.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.
The payment approval deadline on Thursday, December 23 and Thursday, December 30 is 12:00 noon. Online payment transactions approved by Fiscal Administrators by 12:00 noon on December 23 and 30 will be included in the daily check print and ePayment file.
The last check run for the calendar year will be on Thursday, December 30, 2021. Month-end processing will commence at 12:00 noon on December 30, 2021. During this period, online purchasing, payment, and travel transactions can be initiated, but Fiscal Administrators will not have the ability to approve transactions. Transactions approved after 12:00 noon on December 30 will not be included in project reports for the month of December.
If you have any questions, please contact Maile Brooks at 988-8340 or [email protected].
RCUH Director of Corporate Services, Ms. Kaylee Hull, has been named RCUH Assistant Facility Security Officer (AFSO), a new role that serves to support research projects that require security clearances. She will be assisting Executive Director Leonard Gouveia, Jr., who will continue to serve as the Facility Security Officer (FSO) for RCUH.
If you have any questions or need assistance with security matters, please feel free to call (808) 988-8311 or email [email protected].
All of this year’s nominees are well-deserving of recognition as 2021 RCUH Outstanding Employees of the Year! Their nominations made the Selection Committee’s work very challenging. Before we announce the nominees, we’d like to share a big mahalo with the judges who volunteered their time and pored over every nomination to determine the final awardees. They are:
Micah Kāne, CEO & President, Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Colleen McAluney, Director, Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership
Todd Nacapuy, Chief Information Officer, HEMIC
Without further ado, please join us in celebrating and congratulating the 2021 awardees:
RESEARCHER/PROJECT MANAGER CATEGORY
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Serge Chastel, UH Institute for Astronomy, Pan-STARRS
Robin Hayes, UH Institute for Astronomy, Maunakea Observatories Support Services
Mark Huber, UH Institute for Astronomy, Pan-STARRS
Melanie Hutchinson, UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research
Howard Morrow, Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i
Amy Weintraub, Hawaii Academy of Science
PROJECT SUPPORT STAFF CATEGORY
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Andrea Alexander, UH Mānoa College of Education, Center on Disability Studies
Eva Brill, UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Natural Resources & Environmental Management
Claudine Chan-Naruse, UH Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawaii and Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center
Dylan Davis, UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, Ko‘olau Mountains Watershed Partnership
Elizabeth Dingeldein, UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Center for Conservation Research & Training
Martin Holzgang, Kapi‘olani Community College, Title III Lawelawe Po‘okela Project
Rosalind Kia, UH Mānoa College of Education, Center on Disability Studies
Yumi Nagayoshi, UH Institute for Astronomy, Maunakea Observatories Support Services
Peter Oshiro, Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Vannida Phommachanh, UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, High Energy Physics
TEAM CATEGORY
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Hawai‘i Health Data Warehouse Katherine Benson, Jill Yamashita, Kristine Hironaka UH Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies
Sport Fish Restoration (Monitoring) McKenna Allen, Mia Melamed Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources
UH Cancer Center Pathology Core Hugh Luk, Keiko Garvin, Kyle Nishiyama, Xue Mei Zhu UH Cancer Center
The RCUH Outstanding Employees of the Year Awards encourage, recognize, and reward RCUH employees who have made demonstrable, significant, and exemplary contributions to their project. Congratulations to the 2021 nominees!
Researcher/Project Manager Category
Amber Imai-Hong UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory Nominated by Principal Investigator Frances Zhu
Amy Weintraub Hawaii Academy of Science Nominated by Principal Investigator Neal Atebara
Cassie Stelow Pacific Disaster Center Nominated by Principal Investigator Ray Shirkhodai
Howard Morrow Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai’i Nominated by Principal Investigator Margo Edwards
Mark Huber UH Institute for Astronomy, Pan-STARRS Nominated by Principal Investigator Kenneth Chambers
Melanie Hutchinson UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Nominated by Principal Investigator Douglas Luther, CIMAR Deputy Director Jeffrey Hare
Robin Hayes UH Institute for Astronomy, Maunakea Observatories Support Services Nominated by Principal Investigator Stewart Hunter
Serge Chastel UH Institute for Astronomy, Pan-STARRS Nominated by Principal Investigator Richard Wainscoat
Project Support Staff Category
Alycia Fujii UH Mānoa College of Education, Curriculum Research & Development Group Nominated by Principal Investigator Dean Lodes
Andrea Alexander UH Mānoa College of Education, Center on Disability Studies Nominated by Principal Investigator Chuan Chinn
Claudine Chan-Naruse UH Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, Hawai’i and Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center Nominated by Principal Investigator Kelley Withy
Dylan Davis UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit – Ko’olau Mountains Watershed Partnership Nominated by Principal Investigator Clifford Morden
Elizabeth Dingeldein UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Center for Conservation Research & Training Nominated by Principal Investigator Kenneth Kaneshiro
Eva Brill UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Natural Resources & Environmental Management Nominated by Principal Investigator J.B. Friday
Martin Holzgang Kapi’olani Community College, Title III Lawelawe Po’okela Project Nominated by Principal Investigator Louise Pagotto
Peter Oshiro Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics Nominated by Principal Investigator Ming-Tang Chen
Rosalind Kia UH Mānoa College of Education, Center on Disability Studies Nominated by Principal Investigator Jennifer Tarnay
Vannida Phommachanh UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, High Energy Physics Nominated by Principal Investigator Thomas Browder
Yoshiyuki Doi National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Subaru Telescope Nominated by Principal Investigator Michitoshi Yoshida
Yumi Nagayoshi UH Institute for Astronomy, Maunakea Observatories Support Services Nominated by Principal Investigator David Lonborg
Team Category
Hawai’i Health Data Warehouse Katherine Benson, Jill Yamashita, Kristine Hironaka UH Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies Nominated by Principal Investigator Rebekah Rodericks
Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project Hanna Mounce, Laura Berthold, Zachary Pezzillo UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit Nominated by Principal Investigator Shaya Honarvar
National Disaster Preparedness Training Center Lydia Morikawa, Melissa Peneyra, Amanda Bates UH Mānoa Social Science Research Institute Nominated by Principal Investigator Karl Kim
Sport Fish Restoration (Monitoring) McKenna Allen, Mia Melamed Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources Nominated by Principal Investigator Heather Ylitalo-Ward
UH Cancer Center Pathology Core Hugh Luk, Keiko Garvin, Kyle Nishiyama, Xue Mei Zhu UH Cancer Center Nominated by Principal Investigators Brenda Hernandez and Owen Chan
