U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) has received assurances from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) that Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are eligible to participate in the McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program which serves underrepresented groups in graduate education. Senator Akaka received clarification that McNair eligible groups include Black (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian.
Senator Akaka contacted USDOE officials earlier this year after being contacted by a Hawaii resident who is an undergraduate student attending a mainland university after the student was advised by the university's TRIO project director that Native Hawaiians do not qualify because they are not an underrepresented group in graduate education. McNair regulations currently include only Black (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native as eligible groups, based on the statistical information available when the regulations were promulgated. Senator Akaka advised USDOE that the 2000 Census disaggregated Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders and the statistical information available would allow the Department to recognize Native Hawaiians as an underrepresented group.
In the 1990s, Senator Akaka led the successful effort to improve data collection and statistics for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders by working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, which governs the racial and ethnic data collection by federal agencies. Revised in 1997, OMB Policy and Statistical Directive No. 15 disaggregates Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders from the Asian Pacific Islander category by creating a new category entitled, "Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders." Federal agencies were given six years to make all existing recordkeeping or reporting requirements consistent with the standards in OMB Directive No. 15, which became effective on January 1, 2003.
In reply to Senator Akaka's inquiry, USDOE determined that the changes in the 2000 Census categorizing Native Hawaiians as a separate group would make the Hawaii student eligible, as a member of a group underrepresented in graduate education, for the McNair Program at his university. Subsequently, Senator Akaka and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) wrote to the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education to urge the Department's consideration of a review of updated statistics and a revision to regulations promulgated for the McNair Program to include Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders as one of the groups identified as underrepresented in graduate education and eligible to participate in the program.
On May 14, 2003, USDOE responded that "we will ensure that the list of groups defined as 'underrepresented in graduate education' in our regulations is updated using the most recent statistics."
"One only needs to see the small proportion of the U.S. population made up of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders to know that they must surely be underrepresented in graduate education," Akaka said. "I am pleased that the Department assisted in the positive resolution of this case, which also allowed us to clarify the eligibility of Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders for others who may seek to participate in this important program. Without the McNair Program, fewer promising students would be encouraged to enter and complete graduate study.
"It is vital to realize the impact of OMB Directive 15 in this case. It demonstrates the power that correct data can have, particularly for populations in Hawaii and across our country whose quality of life can benefit from participation in federal programs in which they are currently underserved."
Senator Akaka recently had the opportunity to meet in Washington, D.C., with the student who first brought this matter to his attention. The student, Mr. James Kawika Riley, is studying political science at the University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Riley is interning for the summer through the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) at the National League of Cities, Constituent Group. He is a resident of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and a graduate of Kealakehe High School.
"I want to thank Senator Akaka for all he has done for me. Fighting this on my own didn't get me very far. When I wrote letters, they were seldom answered, and when I left messages, they were rarely returned. But because the Senator advocated on my behalf, the powers that be actually listened," Mr. Riley said.
"I felt it important to help this young man in his pursuit of educational attainment, which was being hindered by an administrative omission that simply made no sense," Akaka said. "I commend Mr. Riley for his persistence in correcting this oversight. He has helped open the door to higher education for Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders."
