George Bernard Shaw is oft quoted as having said that youth is wasted on the young. Perhaps this has some meaning as you read this story about college students.
The University of Hawaii (UH) is trying to work with the U.S. Navy to create what is known as a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). While I can find examples of various UARCs I can't find anything that defines what a UARC is supposed to be.
In any case, the UH UARC would do classified research for the Navy and would bring to Hawai'i around $50 million USD in federal funds over the next five years.
This is where the students come in. Some have been making claims about how UH would be developing weapons of mass destruction. Of course, the UH doesn't exactly have expertise nor resources in that area but I guess that is irrelevant to some students. As a practical matter, it is difficult to develop weapons of mass destruction on $10 million a year. That kind of money is spent by weapons developers on junkets to the Virgin Islands, not Universities developing WMD.
The administration of UH insists the research would be in the areas of oceanography, astrophysics, optics, and development of sensors. Areas in which the UH does have expertise. But then, who do believe?
Notwithstanding that, the student protestors decided to take action. So they occupied the UH President's office last week and haven't left. The protestors are saying they will not leave until the UH changes their mind about the UARC or they (the students) get arrested.
I have to give full marks for patience to the UH President as he, so far, has let the students occupy his offices. He has also offered to meet individually with the students to discuss the situation. However, the students, who apparently distrust the President, would have none of that.
Actually, I also have to give full marks to the students because at least they are active rather than passive consumers of what they've learned in school. And, so far, they've not damaged the offices or the equipment therein. Some of them even appear to have an open mind and are willing to discuss the matter with the President.
That said, I don't know what good will come of this [insert disclaimer here]. I hope the sides, and there are more than two sides to this story, can come to an understanding of how to humbly and peacefully proceed. I hope the sides can create a mechanism whereby trust can be built and transparency in decisions (for all sides) are the rule, rather than the exception. I don't know how that is going to happen but one can hope.
Aloha!
