Thursday, November 21, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, October 7, 2014
UH Manoa Grad Students: No Confidence in Lassner, BoR
By News Release @ 10:09 PM :: 3928 Views :: Higher Education

UHM Graduate Student Organization Votes No Confidence in President Lassner and BoR as a Body

News Release from UH Manoa GSO

On October 2, 2014, the General Assembly of the UH Mānoa Graduate Student Organization approved two resolutions voting no confidence in University of Hawaii President David Lassner and the University of Hawai’i Board of Regents as a body. Both resolutions passed with an overwhelming majority (82% and 87% respectively).

These votes of no confidence are unprecedented in the history of the University of Hawai’i. They come after months of unrest on the UH Mānoa campus, following the abrupt firing of Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple at the end of July. President David Lassner removed the chancellor without input from key university stakeholders such as students, faculty, and representatives of the Native Hawaiian community, and has failed to acknowledged the serious concerns that these stakeholders voiced immediately following the firing. He has thus violated the key principle of shared governance upon which academic institutions are built. Following the firing of the Mānoa chancellor, President Lassner has not communicated in an open and transparent way with the campus community, nor has he taken public responsibility for his mistakes.

President Lassner’s actions have damaged the reputation of our university and have put its future in peril. Because of this the GSO has lost confidence in his ability to lead the University of Hawai’i system. The graduate student vote of no confidence follows a Mānoa Faculty Senate resolution dated September 17, in which the faculty censure President Lassner for his firing of Chancellor Apple.

The GSO has also lost confidence in the ability of the Board of Regents as a body to effectively govern the university. The Board has created tremendous turnover in administrative positions, has disregarded the voices of key stakeholders regarding the firing of Chancellor Apple, has recently failed to conduct a satisfactorily rigorous presidential search and did not adhere to the spirit of the rules for this search by allowing the interim president to become a finalist. In doing so, the Board has failed to act in the best interest of the university’s main constituents: its students and faculty.

In addition to voting no confidence, the resolution directed at the BoR makes several recommendations for improving governance at the University of Hawai’i. It asks that there be more autonomy for the individual campuses in the UH system, that the Board conducts less of its business in executive session, and that there be more representation of students, faculty, and the Native Hawaiian community on the Board of Regents. The Mānoa Faculty Senate has recently made a set of similar recommendations to the BoR in a resolution adopted on September 17, 2014.

While a vote of no confidence may only be a symbolic gesture, it is the biggest gesture we can make. The president and the Board of Regents need to understand that they cannot continue business as usual.  They need to lead this university system with integrity, and act in the best interest of the students that they serve. The Graduate Student Organization is committed to keep fighting for more transparency, accountability, and shared governance at the University of Hawai’i. The voices of the UH Mānoa students and faculty matter and need to be heard.

The GSO represents approximately 5,000 graduate students on the Mānoa campus.

###

PDF: Lassner Reso

PDF: BoR Reso

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii