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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, October 22, 2003

EDITORIAL
Short-term problems no bar to West O'ahu

Growing opposition on the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents to a new West O'ahu campus should not mark the end of this long and frustrating story.

Despite reasonable concerns about the short-term cost of embarking on this pricey new project, regents should consider the long-term benefits the new campus would bring to the university and the state.

The strongest opposition to the new campus plan appears to be coming primarily from regents recently appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle, who says she supports the West O'ahu proposal in principal.

The objections appear to center on the fact that a new $350 million campus makes little sense in a time of tight budgets and a big backlog of repair and maintenance work on existing facilities.

That's a persuasive argument. But it fails to deal with all the benefits a second four-year campus on O'ahu would bring.

For starters, it is a key piece of a plan proposed by UH President Evan Dobelle to upgrade the academic and lifestyle quality of the Manoa campus.

Right now, Manoa is close to being an all-things-for-all-comers institution. It must have academic offerings for students who range from those looking for a basic B.A. degree to those seeking a stellar national-class academic experience.

This stretches the teaching ranks thin and crowds the campus with more students and facilities than it should reasonably be expected to handle.

A new West O'ahu campus would relieve some of that pressure, offering a solid, basic four-year focus so that Manoa could focus on upgrading the quality of its academic programs and its facilities.

Also, a full four-year school in Kapolei has always been, and should remain, a core element of that area's development into a true "second city." This is the fastest-growing part of O'ahu, and it deserves the distinction that a campus would bring.

Traffic plays a major part in this decision as well. A full second campus at Kapolei would ease the congestion crunch between Leeward and downtown and would offer at least some relief to car-bound Manoa.

The benefits that a new campus would bring to the surrounding neighborhood are one reason the university should step up discussions with private developers about a public-private partnership. Both sides gain.

One idea on the table is to sell off 250 acres of the 500 acres now set aside for West O'ahu and use the proceeds to build the campus. There may be other creative partnership solutions as well.

The bottom line is that the regents have a responsibility to look beyond the short-term pressures and problems facing the university (as legitimate as they might be).

They also have a responsibility to the University of Hawai'i's future.