December 11, 2023

Most cultural preservationists look to traditions, artifacts, history and language to keep a culture alive and intact. But that’s where alumnus Patrick Makuakāne (B.S., ’89), a kumu hula (master hula teacher) bucks tradition. His unique interpretation of the art form, which he calls hula mua (Hawaiian for “forward”), combines sacred elements like chanting, singing and traditional choreography with modern touches like techno music and themes drawn from contemporary culture. (His show “Mahu,” performed at several Bay Area venues this year, celebrated transgender artists.) 

“In Hawaiian there’s a word called kuleana, which means your responsibility, what you bring to the table — something that’s unique and special that you do that uplifts your world,” he told the MacArthur Foundation. “Our ancestors were highly innovative people. What I’m doing with innovating in hula is keeping that innovative spirit of our ancestors and my kuleana.” 

His groundbreaking work in hula at the San Francisco dance school he founded in 1985 earned him a 2023 MacArthur Fellowship in cultural preservation, a recognition that comes with a generous stipend of $800,000. He’s the first native Hawaiian to receive the honor, and he was among 19 other fellows from more traditional disciplines such as science, poetry, art, law, music and math. 

The 62-year-old has made it his mission to challenge what’s considered traditional. “When people think of tradition, they view it as fixed or immobile,” he said. “You can still preserve culture and innovate at the same time. They’re not mutually exclusive pursuits. In fact, if your culture does not innovate or evolve then it becomes immobile and a dead culture.” 

A raconteur, Makuakāne tells both old and new stories through hula. Traditional hula dances focus on the land and the Hawaiian people, but his choreography touches on edgier topics like imperialism and occupation. His 1996 production “The Natives Are Restless” explored the tragic history of Hawaii’s transformation from a sovereign monarchy to being annexed by the United States, which had overthrown the island nation’s first and only queen. 

“I did this piece called ‘Salva Mea,’ which was about the missionaries. I dressed as a priest with techno music in the background and I was running around the stage with an 8-foot cross baptizing people,” he said. “It was like an incoherent, messy and incautious mix of tradition and experimentation that really worked. … People were blown away.” 

That production set him on a path of experimentation ever since. 

Hula often shies away from tough topics, he says, but hula is the right art form to tell these stories so that history doesn’t repeat itself. He credits San Francisco with being the perfect place for his art, a city known as a playground for experimentation, subversion and boundary pushing. Makuakāne arrived in the city around the time of Act Up, a grassroots political group working to end the AIDS epidemic. The group was known for its theatrical acts of civil disobedience, actions he calls influential. 

He began studying hula at 13 years old. At 23, he moved to San Francisco for love — he followed a boyfriend who was a waiter at an exclusive French restaurant. After arriving in the city, Makuakāne taught hula to earn money. It was also his tie to Hawaii. He quickly attracted students and founded his award-winning hula school Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu (which means “many-feathered wreaths at the summit”). Over the past four decades, he estimated he’s taught thousands of students. 

While he was building up his dance company, he studied kinesiology at San Francisco State University. After graduating he continued teaching hula and working as a physical trainer. As his school grew, he devoted himself full-time to hula, a decision that’s paid off. 

He was at Burning Man when he got the call from the MacArthur Foundation. He had no cell phone service and wasn’t sure why they called him. When he finally connected with the organization five days later, he was shocked. As the surprise wore off, guilt surfaced. So much of his work is entrenched in community and rests on the shoulders of his ancestors. “There are many people in my position who are deserving of an award such as this,” he said. “So, you do feel a bit guilty. Why me? Why not somebody else? How did I get noticed, you know?” 

But then again, he has been at this for more than three decades and he’s one of only few taking hula in new directions. And he’s grateful to be in the perfect place to do it. 

“[A friend once said,] “‘It must be nice being in San Francisco without someone looking over your shoulder, critiquing your every move.’ I was like, ‘Yeah it is,’” he said. “So that sense of liberation in your arts, feeling unshackled and doing whatever you want was a part of my process. I feel like I’m at a place really where I can do anything.” 

Photo courtesy of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 

Information Technology Services (ITS) and Administration and Finance’s Quality Assurance (QA) department each recently won a Focus on Efficiency Award from the California Higher Education Collaborative.  

The winning project implemented by ITS’ Enterprise Resource Planning team is for Outbound EDI Transcripts. It enables universities to utilize PeopleSoft Campus Solutions to send transcripts electronically to other institutions through the SPEEDE server.  

ITS previously received this award in 2018 and 2021 for other technology initiatives. Nish Malik, associate vice president and chief information officer, would like to thank everyone in ITS and campus colleagues for their collaboration and partnership on various technology initiatives that benefit SF State and the CSU system and help provide recognition for ITS’ work. 

QA’s winning project, titled “Unifying Campus Stakeholders to Break Down Data Silos,” is about the development and application of a DocuSign/OnBase integration to operations in the offices of Student Financial Aid and Human Resources. During its ongoing campus engagement, QA had identified that data silos significantly undermined the efficiency gains. To address this pressing need, QA partnered with Information Technology Services’ Cloud Applications team to build a custom integration that bridged two critical campus tools — DocuSign and OnBase — while ensuring data security and retention procedures. In 2022 – 2023, over 41,000 documents were automatically moved from DocuSign to OnBase, resulting in a savings of 2,100 employee work hours.

This project continues to promote a culture of process improvement and cross-divisional collaboration bringing together key stakeholders to integrate existing technologies and optimizing university resources. 

Jesus Garcia, executive director of Quality Assurance & Audit Services, leads the QA department. 

The Environment, Health and Safety office shares holiday safety and health advice. 

Safety: 

• Inspect electrical decorations for damage before use. Cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections may cause a serious shock or start a fire. 
• Avoid overloading outlets, and plug only one high-wattage appliance into each outlet at a time. Overloaded electrical outlets and faulty wires are a common cause of holiday fires. 
• Never connect more than three strings of incandescent lights. Blown fuses can cause a fire. 
• Dry trees are a serious fire hazard. Keep them watered daily. 
• Candles start almost half of home decoration fires. Use battery-operated candles. 
• Half of home fires involve decorations. Keep combustibles at least 3 feet from heat sources. 
• Protect cords from damage. Cords pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows, placed under rugs, located near heat sources, or attached by nails or staples can cause shocks or fire hazards. 
• Check decorations for a safety certification label from an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories or Intertek. 
• Stay in the kitchen when something is cooking. Unattended cooking equipment is the leading cause of home cooking fires. 
• Turn off, unplug and extinguish all decorations when going to sleep or leaving the house. 

Health: 

• Get recommended vaccines against respiratory viruses. 
• Get tested if you have signs or symptoms of a respiratory illness. 
• Talk to your doctor about treatment with antiviral medication if you have a higher risk for serious illness. 
• Practice healthy behaviors, including resting and staying home when sick. 

Join the campus ReUse listserv and recycle some of those office items taking up space or no longer needed so another department can benefit. It’s budget-friendly and sustainable! To join the listserv, email ReUse.  

To find all the interesting listservs across campus, check the SF State Distribution list website.  

Applications for the 2024 – 25 JusticeCorps program and the 2024 Access to Justice Summer Internship are now available to students interested in public service, law, social justice and/or community service. Fellowship applications are due by Monday, Feb. 12; student member applications are due by Sunday, Feb. 25. 

JusticeCorps is an AmeriCorps program that engages 55 students from Bay Area universities and eight graduate fellows in intensive volunteer service in the self-help centers of superior courts. Students will be placed San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties in 2024 – 2025. The self-help centers assist litigants who cannot afford an attorney to help resolve their legal matters themselves. 

Unlike other many other fellowships, internships and volunteer programs, JusticeCorps members work directly with people in need and do not do administrative work. All members will participate in an orientation and training on Saturday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, and receive over 40 hours of training over the course of the year. 

For questions, please contact: Lexi Hernandez, Bay Area JusticeCorps specialist, or Dan Siskind, Bay Area JusticeCorps director. 

JusticeCorps is an academic-year program. For a summer internship, please email the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. 

The Academic Senate and the Center for Equity and Excellence in Teaching and Learning invites the campus community to the 2024 University Retreat on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., in the J. Paul Leonard Library.  

The goal of this gathering is to bring the campus community closer through celebrations, showcases, discovery and brainstorming activities. Events include a panel discussion on student and faculty success, discovery games, campus affinity groups and a guided wine/coffee tasting. 

Please RSVP via Qualtrics.    

This is the final issue of CampusMemo for 2023. Weekly publication will resume Tuesday, Jan. 16.  

Lawrence A. Ianni, professor emeritus of English and former SF State administrator, passed away on Sept. 13 in San Bruno. He was 93. 

Ianni joined SF State in 1975, became associate provost of faculty affairs and then was named provost and vice president for faculty affairs in 1978. His wife, Mary Ellen Ianni, was a lecturer in SF State’s Elementary Education Department. 

In 1987, Ianni was named the chancellor of the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The campus’ Lawrence A. Ianni Hall, a seven-story residence hall, was dedicated in 2011.  

Ianni earned his bachelor’s degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He was an expert on linguistics and American literature, including author Sinclair Lewis.