Editorial: Senate’s University of Hawaii end run

Of course, elected leaders can’t take a wholly hands-off approach to the University of Hawaii. Legislators — the state Senate in particular — are quick to say that they want UH to be accountable for campus needs and any failure to fill them.

But budgetary autonomy for the University of Hawaii, a state constitutional amendment the voters ratified 22 years ago, is more aspirational than real these days. Even if that principle is bound to remain negotiable, it ought to mean more to the Senate than it apparently does.

Lawmakers have struggled for years to balance the extremes: a laissez-faire attitude toward UH versus micromanagement. Lately it’s been tipping too heavily toward the latter.

The evidence of this dysfunction includes a resolution by the UH-Manoa Faculty Senate citing in particular Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who chairs the Higher Education Committee, at the helm of “inappropriate actions undermining university governance and free speech.” At issue was eliminating a tenured faculty member’s job.

Most pointedly, though, there’s House Bill 1600, now in conference committee, with the Senate’s proposal to give the University of Hawaii a $275 million funding increase.

Sounds good, but the dubious conditions of that boost include cutting pay of a vice chancellor and eliminating positions such as, most concerningly, the director of Equal Employment Opportunity. These posts are integral to ensuring that the university meets federal standards and complies with applicable laws. Further, some proposed items for funding aren’t even requested by UH.

Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, Ways and Means Committee chairman, said the 24 provisos seek accountability and transparency, and to accommodate requests, such as hiring more nursing instructors, that align with state priorities.

Kim underscored that she does not sit on Ways and Means now but once chaired it and knows the process. The provisos are in the budget because of federal rules guiding the use of pandemic relief for educational institutions, she said.

“We don’t do this in a vacuum,” Kim added. “We get called by faculty, chancellors, requesting many of these positions and cuts. They feel when they go to UH, they can’t get it done.”

Sorry, not an excuse. The fact that such an end-run may be expedient for legislators doesn’t make it right, nor does it compel accountability or transparency from UH. If that’s the real goal, the Board of Regents should be called on to meet it.