ʻATENISI INSTITUTE

Students' handbook

Talitali lelei ki he ʻApiako ʻAtenisi. ʻAtenisi Institute consists of three divisions: a university, an online research component called Inquiry Oceania, and a performing arts centre. This handbook guides students of the university.

HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY

The Institute was founded in Fasi over a half-century ago as a school for continuing education; the following year it moved to its current 16-acre campus in Tufuenga. From 1964 through 2009, it operated an alternative high school that enrolled students who chose not – or were unable – to conform to the expectations of government or church secondary schools. Over forty years ago – in 1975 – it established a university independent of church or state that has since attracted visiting faculty from Europe, North America, and the Pacific.

ʻAtenisi was founded by a young rebel from Ha’apai, ʻIlaisa Futa Helu (1934-2010), whose study at the University of Sydney focused on classical philosophy; towards the end of his career he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

Futa believed that students should be taught how – not what – to think. And he further held that the pillars of classical education – philosophy, mathematics, history, literature, and music – remain the most effective facilitators of critical analysis. He would have been dismayed by the current drift towards commercial and technical instruction at universities throughout the world. Mere skill, he argued – whether commercial or technical – dooms the expert to focusing on trees whilst the forest burns.

The university no longer requires students to study ancient Greek or Latin, but courses in ancient and modern philosophy, ancient and modern history, mathematics, ancient and modern science, English literature, and music theory continue to be offered … as well as an array of courses in foreign language and contemporary social science. And faculty from around the world continue to visit each semester, joining Tongan scholars as lecturers on campus.

WEBSITE AND DATABASE

The institute’s URL is www.atenisi.edu.to. Among other items, its website contains a greeting from the institute director; current news; historic and current photographs of the campus, students, and performers; and the institute’s quality management system. The section on the university includes academic calendars (from 2013); a course catalogue (from 2008); a faculty catalogue (from 2013); requirements for undergraduate degrees; and a list of tuition costs and fees. Via password protection, students retain private and real-time access to their transcript.

The institute’s database is maintained by Tauʻolunga Computer in the Fasi district of Nukuʻalofa; it includes digital files on faculty achievement and student performance since 1995.

THE CAMPUS

The ʻAtenisi campus is located just north of the village of Tufuenga in northwestern Nuku’alofa. The institute is some 2 km from downtown, which can be reached by walking some 400 m. south on Hala ʻo Vave, then 1½ km. down Hala Hihifo and Hala Mateialona.

MARKING

Academic transcripts consist of letter grades that correspond to percentages and grade-point-per-credit as follows:

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

1. Faculty shall distribute a course outline at the outset of each course.
2. In the event a student receives a grade of D+ or lower in any final examination and/or research paper, he/she may sit another examination and/or attempt another research assignment, providing the remedy is completed within one year of receiving the initial grade.
3. Incomplete courses must be completed before the end of the following semester or before the student graduates, whichever is earlier.
4. Students may postpone the deadlines for examinations and research papers, providing they offer a valid excuse;
5. The dean or his/her associate inspects and approves each student's course of study each semester.
6. With the approval of the dean or his/her associate, courses of study may be changed within the initial three weeks of the semester.

TUITION AND FEES

Undergraduate courses demand tuition of T$ 300 per course per semester (Tongan citizens); briefer courses are scaled proportionately. Foreign students are charged T$ 500 per course per semester (citizens of South Pacific island nation/territories) or T$ 1000 per course per semester otherwise.

In addition, the following fees are assessed each student:

Registration and tuition payments are required within one month of the start of the term, otherwise a late fee of 10% shall be assessed. For undergraduates, a discount may be applied if fees for an entire year are paid at the outset. For postgraduates, billed tuition for any given semester cannot be withdrawn without four months notice.

Students not qualifying for any external scholarship may apply for assistance under the Futa Helu Scholarship Programme.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

PUBLIC LECTURE SERIES

The academy is eager to expose students to different viewpoints from different nations. Accordingly, it periodically invites traveling scholars to deliver an evening lecture in their academic specialty. Students are encouraged to support, challenge, or query these lecturers during the question period following each talk.

FAKAFONUA

Academic courses in Pacific studies – including anthropology, archaeology, history, sociology, and politics – have been periodically offered since the academy's inception; in addition, undergraduate students may enrol in Tongan literature and dance classes as part of their degree programme.

Students are also encouraged to participate in Tongan culture outside of class. ʻAtenisi pioneered faikava for both men and women in the 1970s, and its kava circle continues to convene weekly.

The institute's performing arts troupe is one of the leading interpreters of traditional dance in the kingdom, and often recruits students as dancers and vocalists. Over the years, several students – at institute expense – have followed the troupe overseas and gained valuable experience in traveling performance and cultural diversity; in the event, the dean has scheduled remedial classes for these students upon their return to campus.