UH chief makes big promises
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
We're funny when it comes to the University of Hawai'i. We love it dearly. We complain about it bitterly. We cheer its various victories. We condemn every stumble.
It's as if we're high-strung fans sitting in the stadium watching over the whole university system, from athletics to academics. We jump to our feet and scream our heads off when something good happens. Yea! We walk away in disgust when things aren't going our way. Boo!
We're so quick to judge.
So now that new UH president Evan Dobelle is talking big, it's as if we see him flying around the University of Hawai'i with a red cape and a shiny "S" on his chest. We're sure he's going to save the day.
Dobelle has certainly made bold promises, everything from pledging full support for the Hawaiian Studies department to bringing a true four-year college to Maui.
Yea!
But the danger in talking so big and getting everyone's hopes up is that it's so easy to disappoint when reality falls short of the mission statement. And little disappointments can fester and grow when there's as much emotion invested in a place as there is in UH.
It wasn't too long ago that we were touting another savior's arrival to the University of Hawai'i.
When it was announced that June Jones would succeed Fred Von Appen as head coach of the Rainbow football team (back then, we could still call them "Rainbows" without having to think first) the news coverage was over the top, around the corner and wall-to-wall. The local television stations covered his arrival at Honolulu International Airport live, as if he were the president or the Pope. There were detailed stories on everything Jones ever did in his life. We got reaction from everyone in town who had any tie, no matter how remote or tenuous, to UH, football, or state government.
And Jones' first year at UH was magic. He actually lived up to the hype. But the second year came around and some of the shine came off in the "rebuilding" process. Jones, in his designer-sponsored rayon aloha shirts, suddenly seemed more human, less god-like. Of course, nobody said anything out loud. We're a "no talk stink" kind of culture. But the disappointment in the June Jones miracle cure was palpable.
We may need to remind ourselves that things are not going to change overnight, that some of the changes may not be terribly popular, and that some of the promises may not come true at all. Dobelle is sure setting himself up with his big talk of excellence and reform. He knows we know how much money he's making. He knows we're watching closely. That should be enough pressure for now.
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Her e-mail address is lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com
