...said there is still no contract in place, and a date released by the Navy calling for a contract by next month for a University Affiliated Research Center is an 'internal planning milestone' subject to change.

"It's up to the university to go through their process to determine if they want to go through with it," she said. "It really is dependent on the UH meeting their own milestones they've agreed to with the Board of Regents. We're not marching to a certain point in time for a contract award."

Although a seven-day sit-in at UH interim president David McClain's Bachman Hall office ended on Wednesday, the debate over whether a Navy research center should be established at UH is far from over.

In the next two weeks, McClain will meet with Navy UARC opponents who object to the possibility the research could involve development of military weapons. They hope to work out guidelines for a continuing dialogue, including a full-scale public hearing before the Board of Regents in October. But opponents have promised more civil disobedience if they feel the consultations and agreements made are not going forth as promised.

To opponents, an agreement with the Navy represents a stronger military presence and more military funding at the university, the university's potential involvement in the development of weapons for war, further "militarization" of Hawai'i and a clash with the university's core value as a Hawaiian place of learning.