At that time, "we'll either confirm a strike date or talk about a ratification of an agreement," says J.N. Musto, the union's executive director. So far, he said, talks have not progressed enough to avoid a strike on Monday, the start of the spring semester.

Some substantial differences remain over a package of proposals, including teaching equivalencies, tenure denials, leaves of absence and the effective dates of pay raises.

"I say on the one hand there shouldn't be a strike, that we should be able to find resolutions on these issues," Musto said yesterday "Yet on the other hand, over two years we haven't been able to."

Union and state bargaining teams met last night. Manabu Kimura, the state's chief negotiator, said earlier yesterday he was hopeful a tentative agreement can be worked out before next week. He said the state has made some major concessions, in areas such as intellectual property and salary, to get a contract settlement. The faculty has been without a contract since June 30, 1995.

Both sides, Kimura added, understand the other's positions, and that has set the tone of the talks. "It's been cordial, and it's been sometimes - how would you describe it - intense," he said.

Musto described the faculty as anxious and very angry over the whole situation. He said the union is trying in good faith for a settlement that benefits the entire UH community. And he asked for patience.

Some 3,200 faculty statewide could go on strike, leaving nearly 50,000 students to decide whether to attend school or join the picket line. The university administration has told students to show up for classes, that it will be business as usual on all 10 campuses next week, a strike notwithstanding.

UH President Kenneth P. Mortimer, in his weekly UH newsletter message to faculty and staff to be published tomorrow, said the university has no plans to cancel the semester and will do everything in its power to protect student services such as financial aid, housing and registration.

"Some issues, however, will require review and clarification by outside parties and we plead for your patience while we sort these matters out since a rush to answers is likely to produce misinformation," Mortimer wrote.

"We pledge to communicate accurate information as broadly and as quickly as possible if and when a strike is announced."

Mortimer said once the situation is over, faculty and staff must work together again, and will need to put aside any lingering resentment or differences.

All must rededicate themselves to "that which is special about a university community - our united commitment to learning in all forms," he said.

Nevertheless, Musto said there still will be one unresolved issue once the dust settles on a new contract: the level of trust between the union and the university, which he said is at an all-time low.

"One of the reasons, I think, that we have had such difficulty over contract issues is that it's our working belief that the only thing we can in fact trust in is that which is written," he said.

"I'm reminded of (baseball legend Lawrence) Yogi Berra: 'An oral contract is not worth the paper it's written on.'"