East-West Center changing with times

When confronted by change, institutions must adapt.

Even during the final years of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s staunch support, appropriated funding for the East-West Center — a congressionally created national program but not a government agency — was never guaranteed.

The center anticipated the need for change and has steadily reduced fixed costs and increased non-appropriated funds.

This enabled the EWC to address new areas, including educational policies, governance, human rights, climate change, philanthropy, as it also enhanced its capacity building and exchange programs.

It promotes programs that have brought in significant funding, while adhering to its fundamental public diplomacy mission of building understanding and relations across the Pacific.

No one can doubt the energy of the EWC today in bringing together the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. The EWC’s Board of Governors and Foundation Board are fully committed to a strong and stable EWC, focused on the issues and challenges of the 21st century.

R. Brian Tsujimura
Chairman, East-West Center Board of Governors

Jean E. Rolles
Co-chair, East-West Center Foundation Board of Directors

None of delegates mentioned ‘debt’

The Star-Advertiser asked Hawaii’s congressional delegation to write about legislative priorities for 2014 ("For a better Hawaii," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 5).

While I was not surprised that our entire congressional delegation wrote about things they could see spending more money on, I was disappointed that not a single member spoke about doing anything to help reduce government spending or trying to make our government more efficient.

The words "debt" and "deficit" did not appear a single time in any of the pieces by our congressional delegates.

It is simply negligent for our Congress to continue to shift the burden of unpaid bills to our children and grandchildren.

Similarly, the phrase "small business" never appeared once. To fund the government programs our congressional delegates envision, we still need someone to pay the bills. That will only come with more job creation, largely through small businesses.

Government spending must be balanced by practical reality. This is why Hawaii’s residents are ill-served by a one-party political machine.

Charles K. Djou
Former member of Congress
Hawaii Kai

UH should restore Manoa scholarship

The University of Hawaii Presidential Scholarship, created by the UH Board of Regents with the intention of helping students from any UH campus, awards recipient students a full tuition waiver as well as $4,000 a year and a one-time travel grant of $2,000.

UH-Manoa has changed the eligible recipients from juniors already enrolled at Manoa to only juniors transferring from other UH campuses to Manoa. Not only was I disappointed upon learning of my new ineligibility after submitting my application, I was extremely frustrated with the fact that this change was not stated on the host webpage of the application and on the application itself.

I feel as if UH-Manoa students now have been robbed of their opportunity to earn one of the most prestigious scholarships UH has to offer because of the fact that we already attend UH-Manoa. I guess we can now add this to the growing list of reasons why UH has disappointed us.

Kelsie Sasabe
Waipahu

UH regents haven’t learned from past

The Star-Advertiser reports that "a committee is set to pick a company to help the university find a new president" (Star-Advertiser, Jan. 6).

Why stop at two or three meaningless, revenue-consuming steps in the process? Why not add a couple more layers?

For example, the Board of Regents could appoint a study group to formulate an action plan for choosing a committee to pick a company to help the university find a new president, thus continuing to do what the regents do best, which is waste time and money.

Isn’t insanity defined as continuing to repeat behavior that has failed in the past while hoping for a different outcome?

Bill Myers
Hawaii Kai

Bus ads will be only the beginning

Let the ad circus begin ("Ads on buses could fund better service," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 22).

Outside and inside the bus, on top of the bus, all around the bus, on top of parking meters, buildings, airplane flyovers pulling banners, on trees, on the beaches, sandwich boards every 50 feet, taxi ads and ads of all kinds.

Once the door is opened, watch out for the flood.

Paul "Pappy" Lowe
Moiliili

Blocking beach violates state law

Closing off parking access to Laniakea Beach violates the state law requiring beach access around the island.

This law prevents people who live right on the beach from closing it to the public.

By closing off parking access to the largest beachfront from Haleiwa Beach Park to Waimea Bay, the state Department of Transportation has effectively closed off Laniakea Beach to public access.Far-fetched, you say?

Imagine Ala Moana Beach Park with no parking access. How would that work out?

Except for a few grumblers who live up in Pupukea, nobody wants the parking blocked off at Laniakea.

Maybe the Star-Advertiser could let the public know who in the state Transportation Department signed off on this plan.

Eric Terashima
Hilo