Student Opinion: UH Administration is Failing an Open Book Exam

Disclaimer: This piece is representative of the opinion of the author, not the editorial staff of Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s (UH) Administration consists of some of the most highly educated people, and yet, they are actively and gravely failing an open-book exam. When looking back at history’s horrors and tragedies, we often shrill at how obvious the leading mistakes were.

Notably, Neville Chamberlain allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland, and shortly thereafter on September 30, 1938, declared he had assured “peace for our time.” How obvious in hindsight it is to acknowledge that capitulating to megalomaniacs and autocrats, believing they will be satisfied, is summarily a doomed strategy.

Despite this, capitulation is the exact strategy the UH Administration uptakes. President Wendy Hensel's February 28th email “requested each unit [offices, departments, etc.] to conduct a risk assessment and carefully evaluate whether the language we use reflects the work being done in light of shifting definitions.”

From a historically informed perspective, this request is obviously and dangerously flawed. As David Simone, PhD candidate in the UH Philosophy Department stated in a previous opinion piece, this approach “actively suggests that censorship is permissible or even needed, resulting in confusion and chaos.”

To venture with Simone, we now argue that as darkness descends over the mainland, let us be the beacon in the Pacific. We can light the way for others.

The way to do this is to stand in solidarity with institutions across the nation. We as concerned students request Hensel and the rest of the UH Administration to firmly protect freedom of speech and be top-down opposed to censorship, as well as join the call from a growing number of institutions to stand together against the seizure of rights from students, staff, faculty and universities themselves.

This call to action was first voiced in an article authored by faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for the Chronicle of Higher Education titled: “We Must Leverage the Strength of our Institutions and Stand Together.”

The authors argued that the Trump Administration is weaponizing Title VI investigations as pretence for an “unprecedented federal attack on higher education.” Further, they urged all 60 universities targeted under the Title VI allegations released on March 11th to unite under the threat of unconstitutional control over university policies.

The article points to actions by the Trump Administration targeting Columbia University funding, threatening the rights of student green card holders, and placing the university under heavy surveillance. They in turn expressed how these measures go beyond their claims of “protecting students and combating discrimination.”

Rather, these measures lean into the policing of student and university actions, such as restricting freedom of speech, independent thought, and working against student’s and educator’s constitutional rights.

They also held the stance that capitulation and an ‘everyone for themselves’ strategy is inherently misguided and proven to fail. For instance, Columbia initially submitted to the Trump Administration's authoritative requests, under the theory that doing so would allow them to keep their funding and prevent further repercussions from the Trump Administration.

However, they were critically wrong: Columbia still suffered funding cuts in the estimate of $400 million even with their appeasement. It is therefore that we, in concert with the Chronicle of Higher Education's article, argue that the best mode of action is to unite with universities across the nation, overtly resisting this executive overreach.

As the Chronicle article concluded, “failing to act now will establish a dangerous precedent of capitulation. If universities do not stand together now, they will stand alone—and one by one, they will fall.”

The UH Administration should utilize their institutional weight to refuse to comply with governmental overextension of power; publicly speak out against injustice to national and international media; and lobby in defence of their students, staff, faculty and higher education itself.

UH must unite with unions and other institutions nationwide to firmly oppose these unconstitutional actions. Courage in trying times is required to get through them. To restate the initial message, let history be our reference for informed action. Do not fail this open-book exam.

Students echo the call of solidarity for sixty other universities including UH: stand together or suffer the consequences. Adrie Nossaman / Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi