He could have been visiting Hawaii. It just, if he was there for 2 years (using it as a community college), classes are usually in session on Sept. 4.
Since 2008 is a repeat of 1980 I went to the Oxy.edu website to see a calendar for the upcoming school year. See here:
First day of classes is Wednesday, August 27, with a day off Monday, September 1 before classes resume again the next day. Don’t mind me perptual calendars is kind of a thing with me!