Claiming "a tremendous victory," about 75 protesters left David McClain's University of Hawai'i office yesterday afternoon, marching and chanting in an orderly fashion down the staircase after calling on the interim president to fulfill promises he made to open up debate and consultation over a proposed Navy-affiliated research center.

"We pushed the university administration back from their illegitimate, fast-track process which would have brought UARC to the table in May or June, far beyond what they disclosed publicly," said political science graduate student Ikaika Hussey, one of the protest leaders. "By forcing interim President McClain to say they will not bring it before (the regents) before Oct. 1, we're ensuring there can be true dialogue and debate and ultimately opposition to UARC."

At the same time, they promised further civil disobedience "if the administration ever again fails to fulfill the duties of this office."

McClain issued a statement saying he was pleased the coalition "has reacted positively" to his agreements and that he looked forward to working with both proponents and opponents "to frame a full and fair discussion of this issue, and to conduct that dialogue in a fashion that is civil and respectful to all involved."
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Earlier in the week, McClain agreed with protesters that the process thus far could have been improved and said he had pushed the proposal prematurely.