Letter: University of Hawaii should withdraw from TMT oversight

I have watched with dismay what the Thirty Meter Telescope is doing to the University of Hawaii.

I am sorry the Board of Regents and the administration did not listen to my concerns over the past few years when, as a regent, I urged the board and the administration to consider removing itself from its relationship with TMT and let the state become the landlord. I knew TMT would seriously hinder the university’s true mission — to educate students.

Lest you think I am anti-TMT, I am not. I want it to be built. UH should have withdrawn from this controversy long ago, as it should have been evident that TMT would bitterly divide the UH community.

Rising legal fees, prior mismanagement, the very limited economic benefit to UH, and the availability of the existing telescopes to satisfy the astronomy needs of our faculty and students, made it clear to me this issue would lead to the controversies that have erupted on our campuses and communities.

TMT is a state, not a UH, issue. Let UH get back to what it does best, providing a first-rate educational opportunity to our community.

Jeff Portnoy

UH regent, 2014 to June 2019

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