State senators ask for more info on UARC impact


UH paper Ka Leo reports:
State senators are asking the University of Hawai'i for more information on how a proposed Navy contract to boost defense research at UH could impact the school and possibly the state.

Lawmakers from the Senate Higher Education Committee and the Committee on Education and Military Affairs yesterday passed a concurrent resolution "urging" UH to form a task force to investigate a pending Navy Affiliated Research Center that school officials want established.

Sen. Clayton Hee, the chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, drafted SCR 172 after learning the UARC had come under fierce criticism both in and outside the university.

The UARC expects to bring the university about $50 million in Defense Department research -- including some that would be classified -- over five years through a Navy partnership.

Faculty, students and other citizens who spoke against the contract at yesterday's joint hearing said the center would further militarize the state and negatively impact other university programs. They also worried that classified projects would not be subject to peer review and involve chemical experiments that could potentially harm the environment and the public.

The resolution passed advises the university to create a diverse task force to look into the cost of the UARC, investigate envisioned benefits and shortcomings of the center and brainstorm alternative funding mechanisms UH could adopt. The resolution asks the group to hold hearings and submit quarterly reports on their findings.

The concurrent resolution has no legal power, and the university is not required to follow its recommendations. However, Ikaika Hussey, a UH Political Science graduate student who submitted testimony in support of the resolution, said he felt it was a step in the right direction.


Posted: Fri - July 8, 2005 at 11:26 AM    
   
 
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Published On: Dec 27, 2005 10:16 PM
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