Bill to Cut UH Programs Deferred in Face of Opposition
Dozens of students and faculty members speak against the measure to eliminate smaller degree programs, and hundreds submit written testimony.
A bill that could have cut dozens of degree programs at University of Hawaii campuses across the state was deferred Thursday by the House Education Committee.
聽would have eliminated UH undergraduate that have less than 10 graduates per year, except programs that are self-sustaining. Committee Chair Isaac Choy deferred the bill, even though he had proposed it.
An amended bill could re-emerge requiring UH to report data on graduation rates, but not requiring any programs to be eliminated.
Rep. Isaac Choy listens to testimony Thursday opposing his bill that could have eliminated some University of Hawaii programs.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
The bill was a聽response to UH Manoa鈥檚 $31 million deficit for its current fiscal year.
More than 300 people submitted written testimony, and dozens of students and professors spoke against the bill Thursday. No one spoke in support of it.
鈥淚t makes me very, very upset,鈥 UH alumni Willow Chang said. 鈥淚t does not make sense.鈥
Students agreed in sometimes tearful聽testimony, saying that cutting the majors would destroy their dreams.
Considering that UH is the largest secondary education system in the state, it鈥檚 important that it offer a wide variety of majors so they don’t have to leave the state, students said.
Willow Chang testifies in opposition to the bill: “It makes me very, very upset. It does not make sense.”
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Dr. Betsy Fisher, a UH dance professor, said the bill would have been 鈥渞eally detrimental鈥 and put the student body and professors in 鈥渁n agitated and difficult space.鈥 Dance could have been cut as a major had the bill passed in its original form.
However, an amended bill won鈥檛 necessarily prevent UH from cutting programs with few graduates. Choy said that the university cutting programs on its own accord would be like 鈥渁 scalpel, rather than a sledgehammer.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at both costs and revenues,鈥 UH President David Lassner said about the possibility of cutting majors. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 generally support a blunt-edged hatchet.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at both costs and revenues. We don鈥檛 generally support a blunt-edged hatchet.鈥 鈥 UH President David Lassner
When the conversation turned to how UH could reduce spending聽without harming students, professors and students agreed budget cuts should focus on school administrators.
In addition to raising tuition, the UH has already proposed cutting graduate teaching assistant programs in the College of Natural Sciences. This could leave many graduate students without a means to pay for school.
In another attempt to address UH budget woes, Sen. Josh Green has proposed , which could hold taxpayers responsible for funding the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. UHCC has an 鈥渙perational deficit鈥 and a 鈥渇lawed鈥 business plan, according to a recent by a UHCC review task force. Currently, it operates solely off of grants and tobacco tax income, which has decreased in recent years.
Another Senate bill, , would establish funding for four full-time positions in UH Manoa鈥檚 College of Agricultural Science and Human Resources. The bill would appropriate funding to hire one external crop advisor, one field advisor, one extension agent and one workforce development official.
