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UOG welcomes students to first Fanuchånan semester
The University of Guam welcomes nearly 4,000 students to its first ever Fanuchånan semester. Beginning this academic year, the fall and spring semesters have been officially renamed Fanuchånan and Fañomnåkan respectively.
Fanuchånan literally means “a place for rain” and represents the rainy season. The Fanuchånan semester runs from August to December.
Spring has been renamed Fañomnåkan, which means “a place for sunshine” and represents the dry season. The semester runs from January to May.
Spearheaded by UOG president Robert Underwood, the change reflects the island’s tropical environment.
“UOG is unique in that we are the only U.S. accredited institution of higher education dedicated to serving Guam and the Micronesian region,” said Underwood. “The [Chamorro] spirit and heritage of Unibetsedåt Guahan is also unique, and as a way to share this uniqueness with the world, our semesters have been renamed in the [Chamorro] language.”
The fall Intersession has been renamed Tinalo´, which means “in the middle.” Summer Sessions A, B, C are now Finakpo´ 1, 2, 3, which means “at the end.”
The university has also produced an explainer video about the change, which can be viewed on the UOG website at www.uog.edu or on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ZZlypoXoc.
