University of Oregon. Micronesia and South Pacific Program

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MICRONESIA PROGRAM NEWSLETTERNUMBER 9	 February, 1992The Micronesia Program has experienced a great deal of growth since the last Program Newsletter in1990. In the past two years, over thirty UO students and faculty have traveled to Micronesia to conducta variety of projects. The Micronesia Program has been supported through $660,000 in federal fundingto date. Funding sources include the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Information Agency and theU.S. Department of Education. The dramatic increase in projects has prompted Maradel Gale, MicronesiaProgram Director, to hire Julie Fischer to serve on a part-time basis as Project Coordinator.NEW PROJECTSPacific Islands LanguagesIn an effort to develop learning materialsfor Pacific Islands languages, the MicronesiaProgram wrote a joint request with theDepartment of Linguistics to the UO Officeof Research and Sponsored Programs. TheUO funded a pilot project to develop a self-taught language course for the Pohnpeianlanguage. The pilot project was directed byRuss Tomlin (Linguistics), Sydney Kinnamanand Ray Peterson (American EnglishInstitute) with assistance from RufinoMauricio (Anthropology) and Marie Olter ofPohnpei. The latter two students served aslocal language informants. The learningpackage contains video and audio tapes aswell as a workbook. The inclusion of thevideo allows the learner to develop anunderstanding of the social context of thelanguage by observing such things as bodylanguage, facial expressions and actualcultural footage. With only an audio tape,this important information is not available tothe language learner. The results of thepilot project are excellent, and provide aclear example of project outcome forpotential funding agencies. A proposal tothe US Department of Education fordevelopment of additional Pacific IslandsLanguage materials is pending.Pacific Islands Film SeriesThe Micronesia Program organized aPacific Islands Film Series for winter andspring terms of 1992. Funded by the UOHumanities Center, the Center for Asian andPacific Studies, Pacific Islands Studies andthe Micronesia Program, the film seriesfocuses on contemporary issues of PacificIslands nations. Attendance has includedmany Pacific Islands students who havenever seen the films of their homelands, andwho are excited to be able to compare andcontrast the customs and issues which linkor distinguish their islands from others inthe Pacific.A South Pacific ConnectionIn December, 1991, the MicronesiaProgram hosted a visit to the UO campus byRobert Briscoe, Head of the ManagementDepartment in the School of Social andEconomic Development at the University ofthe South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. The USP is aregional institution, serving the countries ofthe Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, MarshallIslands, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands,Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu andWestern Samoa.As a result of the visit, the UO and theUSP submitted a proposal to the USInformation Agency to establish anaffiliation between the University of Oregonand the University of the South Pacific inFiji. Focussing on community-basedeconomic development, the affiliation wouldlink UO faculty active in projects whichapply theory to development practice withfaculty at USP interested in becoming moreinvolved in economic development in theirhome countries. The UO has a seventeen-year history of successful project design andimplementation through the CommunityPlanning Workshop, and more recently inthe international arena through theMicronesia Program. The proposedaffiliation would extend this model into theSouth Pacific through USP and their SchoolMicronesia Program Newsletter 	 Page1for Social and Economic Development.Networking Micronesian Students andEmployersIn January, 1992, the UO MicronesiaProgram was awarded an incentive grant byNAFSA: Association of InternationalEducators. This grant will enable theMicronesia Program to identify and workwith students from Micronesia attendingwestern Oregon colleges and universities.The purpose is to begin to develop anetwork among the students and betweenstudents and potential employers in theirhome countries. The UO project is part ofthe larger ASPIRE program which is onecomponent of a new U.S. initiative underthe Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) Partnership for Education. ASPIREis designed to help Asian and Pacific Islandsstudents plan for their return home.A major problem in working withstudents from the former Trust Territories ofthe Pacific Islands as well as theCommonwealth of the Northern Marianasand American Samoa is that these studentsare not easily identifiable through campusrecords. Due to the special status in relationto the U.S., students from these islands arenot required to have visas to enter the U.S.,and are thus not technically "internationalstudents". Yet they experience many of thefrustrations and problems of other foreignstudents, including language difficulties,inadequate high school preparation, culturaladjustments, and difficulty in returninghome after graduation. The UO project willattempt to determine ways to identify andhelp Pacific Island islands students adjust toacademic life in the Oregon. In addition, theproject will explore ways to connectstudents with employers in their homecountry after graduation.A New Course: Experiencing CrossingCulturesPreparing students to work overseas isanother component of the MicronesiaProgram. "Experiencing Crossing Cultures,"a course now offered through PPPM duringspring term, prepares students for work inMicronesia and other developing countries.The course focuses on value systems, cross-cultural communication, skills-transfertechniques and working with host-countrycounterparts.CONTINUING PROGRAMSTechnical Assistance ProgramNow in its third year, the TechnicalAssistance Program continues to work withpublic agencies in Micronesia on planningand policy analysis projects. We havecompleted 21 projects to date, and plan tosend another fifteen graduate students toMicronesia this year. The MicronesiaProgram has received over $338,000 in grantmoney since January of 1990 from the USDepartment of Interior.The program has involved UO graduatestudents in Planning, Public Policy andManagement and International Studies, aswell as students from OSU's MarineResources Program, Cornell's PlanningDepartment, University of Hawaii'sPlanning Department and University ofSouth Carolina's Marine ResourcesDepartment. For a complete list of projectsand students, see page 3.The Technical Assistance Programcontinues to work toward improved skills-transfer between the graduate students whoserve as technical assistants and host-country counterparts. Last year, wedeveloped a comprehensive evaluationsystem which seeks to identify and describethe specific skills transferred during eachproject.University Affiliation ProgramFunded by the United States InformationAgency, this program facilitates theinterchange of faculty between the UO andthe College of Micronesia. Since 1990, theUO has hosted two faculty from the Collegeof Micronesia: Vicki Kanai from theRepublic of Palau and Joe Habuchmai fromPohnpei in the Federated States ofMicronesia. In each case, the Micronesianfaculty member taught classes, worked withstudents preparing to travel to Micronesiaand conducted research. Oregon will behosting additional faculty members fromMicronesia Program Newsletter 	 Page 2Micronesia this summer.UO faculty members visiting Micronesiahave included Ken Kempner fromEducational Policy and Management andDick Hildreth and Wayne Westling from theLaw School. Kempner assisted branches ofthe college in the Marshall Islands and Palauwith management and administrationconcerns, Hildreth worked with the Republicof Palau Department of Conservation andMarine Resources on coastal zonemanagement issues, and Westling providedtraining in trial techniques for Marshallesetrial assistants.Library ProgramThe Library Program focuses ontransferring skills from trained librariansfrom the US to librarians in Micronesia. In1989, Mary Ann Lund Goodwin, a librarianand UO graduate in Public Affairs,conducted an assessment of libraries inMicronesia for the U.S. Information Agency.In the summer of 1990, Mary Ann and otherPacific Northwest librarians offered anintensive three week workshop in libraryskills for 18 librarians from Micronesia. Inthe summer of 1991, Mary Ann revisitedseveral of the libraries in Micronesia,evaluating the extent to which new libraryskills were being used, and helping eachlibrarian develop an action plan. CalistaHarding, a retired librarian from Michigan,provided similar follow-up in the MarshallIslands. The plans were presented toappropriate boards of directors orsupervisors of the libraries, and accepted asplans of action. Participating libraries willbe evaluated in 1992 to learn how well theywere able to meet the goals of their plans,and librarians who have been diligent intheir work will earn a computerized systemfor the library. This exciting program hasbeen funded by U.S.I.A. with participationby the U.S. Department of the Interior,Office of Territorial and InternationalAffairs.Jane Barnwell, Pacific CollectionDevelopment Specialist for UO's KnightLibrary, currently is working with threecollections in Palau. Jane is using hersabbatical to assist the Belau NationalMuseum, and the Marine Resources andConservation Departments to manage theircollections.SUMMARY OF TECHNICALASSISTANCE PROJECTS1990 and 1991The following projects were completedthrough the Technical Assistance Programfunded by Department of Interior. See Page2 for a brief description of the programgoals and objectives.Republic of PalauSports Facilities Plan (1990): Inventoriedsports programs and conducted needsassessment for an indoor sports facility inKoror State.Long-Range Physical Planning forMicronesian Occupational College(1990, 1991): created a physical developmentplan and recycling program. 1992 projectwill assist with architectural design forremodeling and new construction.Cultural Tourism Plan for Palau Visitor'sBureau (1990): Developed and appliedcriteria to assess tourism potential of historicsites. Devised strategies for improvingtourism newsletter.Conservation Strategy for The Republic ofPalau (1991): Comprehensive review ofPalau's conservation policies andrecommendations for additional programs.Survey of Environmental and EconomicImpacts of Women's Fishing Activities(1991): Interviews with 54 Palauan womento determine the role of women in near-shore fisheries. Identifies fishing methods,types of catch, economic impacts, andenvironmental issues.Historic and Cultural Preservation Plan forthe Republic of Palau (1990): Defined goalsand objectives for the Division of CulturalAffairs and determined implementationstrategies. Plan includes operations andMicronesia Program Newsletter	Page 3administration, survey and fieldinvestigation, archive management, andprogram development.Federated States of MicronesiaRecycling Program for Pohnpei State(1990): Developed an aluminum recyclingprogram for Pohnpei State, includingcollection systems, sales to the US, financialmanagement, and organizational structure.Tourism Development, Pohnpei TouristCommission (1990): Designed aninformational brochure for tourists,conducted workshops for tour guides,designated tourists sites, revised visitorprofile, and began developing signagesystems.Kolonia (Pohnpei) Town Planning (1990):Provided the structure and organization fora Kolonia Master Plan. Focused ondeveloping an existing land use map andexploring creative zoning options.Sports Program Development (1991):Assisted in streamlining administrativeprocesses of the Pohnpei Sports Council.Focused on budget planning, costing ofgovernment services, and time managementtechniques.Community Development AssistanceProject (1991): Developed strategies forobtaining community development funds forNett District. Identified potential fundingsources, obtained information on fundingagencies, and developed a fact book on NettDistrict.Village Clean Drinking Water Program(1991): Evaluated decision-making andimplementation process for new state-funded community water system projects inPohnpei, compiled and presented waterquality data, and assessed problemsinvolved with the water system in WoneVillage.Pohnpei State Parks Planning (1991):Explored options for developing a state parksystem, organized training sessions for ParksDivision staff, and conducted conservationworkshops for a local youth camp.Yap Coastal and Ocean Resources Planning(1991): Focused on coordination betweenmarine resource and economic developmentagencies. Developed a proposal for acoordinated development review process forYap State.Fisheries Management in Yap Proper(1991) : Survey and assessment of traditionalfisheries management techniques. Alsoconducted and evaluated seafood exportsurvey to determine volume andcomposition of exported fish.Republic of the Marshall IslandsMajuro Atoll Land Use Plan (1990, 1991):Assisted with the Master Plan Process,including development of a data base(existing land use, population, physicalenvironment, laws and policies), andcreating a planning infrastructure (planningcommission, public education andparticipation, coordination among agencies,etc.)Household Income and Expenditure Survey(1990): Designed and tested a householdincome and expenditure survey instrument.Project also involved determining a samplesize and developing a data entry program.The MICRONESIA PROGRAMNEWSLETTER is written and edited byMaradel Gale and Julie Fischer. Forquestions about the Micronesia Program,please call or write:Micronesia ProgramDepartment of Planning, Public Policy &Management, University of OregonEugene, Oregon 97403Maradel Gale, Director 503/346-3815Julie Fischer, Project Coordinator 346-1425FAX: 5031346-2040Bitnet: MKGALE@oregon.uoregon.eduMicronesia Program Newsletter 	 Page 4

Micronesia Program Newsletter : No. 9

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/1794/5586/1/micro_prog_newsletter9.pdf

Micronesia Program Newsletter : No. 9

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