Dobelle cracks down on violence at dorms
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
Fights and violent incidents that have plagued late-night hours at some of the Manoa campus dorms will not be tolerated, said University of Hawai'i president Evan S. Dobelle.
"You get into a fight, you're gone," said Dobelle, in reacting to violence a week and a half ago, at a Dole Street dorm, that sent two UH students to the hospital for medical treatment.
"You throw one punch, you're under suspension," said Dobelle. "You cannot have that kind of behavior. You cannot hit somebody."
Beyond the immediate issues of violence in the dorms, Dobelle made it clear yesterday, in speaking to The Honolulu Advertiser's Editorial Board, that he would like to see new low-rise dormitories built in the middle of the existing Manoa campus, possibly on space now taken up by parking lots or "temporary" modular structures.
"We have to move some more back on this side of Dole Street," said Dobelle. "I much prefer two- to three-story buildings. Otherwise you ghetto-ize it."
And what might happen to existing dorms? Renovate, said Dobelle. Or take them down.
Dobelle has been highly critical of the existing dorms because of their size, location, upkeep and now the unruly behavior of some students. His get-tough policy comes after two students received serious cuts and concussions in a 2 a.m. fight last weekend that involved broken bottles.
"There were two parties that received injuries and there may have been others as well," said Alan Yang, dean of students at the Manoa campus, who is conducting an investigation of the incident and said he will apply sanctions where appropriate.
"We're going to look at it from all different ways and take whatever steps are appropriate to ensure this doesn't happen again," said Yang. "As difficult as some of these cases may be, the intent behind student conduct adjudication is educational, to make sure those involved learn from the situation. When you evict, you pretty much end their access to the university. This is only taken in egregious cases. No one wants to impact access to higher education."
Yang said that fights are inevitable in a community of 3,000 students. "If you look at the serious incidences, we have fewer incidents of violence and injuries than other campuses on the Mainland."
But weekend fights and violence are not uncommon at UH dorms, especially Noelani, according to two women student dorm residents who asked that their names not be revealed for fear of reprisals.
Students blame much of the misbehavior on the alcohol policy at Noelani, which allows drinking inside the rooms. They point out that rarely does liquor stay inside, and once there's widespread drinking, tempers can flare.
Residents of the neighborhood surrounding the dorms have also long complained about partying, noise and drinking in the area and in the last year the university has moved to respond to some of the problems, said Yang.
A student housing "judicial affairs officer" has been assigned to adjudicate complaints; a substance abuse counselor was recently appointed; and uniformed special-duty Honolulu Police Department officers patrol the dorms on weekend evenings.
"We do strictly enforce alcohol policies within the residence halls," said Yang, "but, given the fact the majority of our students are of legal age, the issue of this campus being 'dry' is quite debatable."
There's some indication racial tension played a role in the violence last weekend, and Yang said that aspect of the incident is also being investigated.
Beverly Creamer may be reached at 525-8013 or bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.
