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Editorials
Saturday, March 18, 2000Defeat of tuition
increases at UHSTUDENT activists succeeded in persuading -- or was it intimidating? -- the University of Hawaii Board of Regents into rejecting proposed increases in tuition. That success may encourage the mainly Hawaiian militants into undertaking more such exercises.The issue: The University of Hawaii regents, responding to student opposition, rejected proposed tuition increases.
Nobody likes to have his fees increased, so the opposition to tuition hikes is understandable. However, the question is how the financial needs of the university will be met.
Moreover, opposition to tuition increases can hardly be described as idealistic. This is pure self-interest, like opposing a tax hike. The student activists are saying, in effect, let somebody else pay.
Education at the University of Hawaii is heavily subsidized. Tuition covers only a small part of the UH's expenses and the proposed increases -- 3 percent for undergraduates at the Manoa campus and 4 percent for community college students -- would raise that portion only modestly.
UH has long been considered a bargain compared with universities nationwide because tuition is relatively low. This year, full-time tuition at Manoa is about $1,600 a semester.
Aid is available for students from low-income families. An increase in tuition could, among other things, provide more money for aid to disadvantaged students.
A few years ago the university won the right to retain revenue from tuition; previously it had gone into the state's general fund. This means that tuition revenue goes directly into the support of university operations.
In addition to tuition, the university depends heavily on state appropriations, research grants and private donations. Resistance to tuition increases could leave the impression that students are unwilling to do their share to support the institution. This could result in smaller legislative appropriations and gifts.
The university has experienced severe budget cuts in recent years and has been hoping there would be no more. This is not an institution with a lot of fat.
Student opposition to tuition hikes has succeeded, for the time being at least, with the university regents. But if the demonstrators and the compliant regents think the Legislature -- and the taxpayers -- will make up the difference, they may be disappointed.
UH President Kenneth Mortimer said the vote by the regents' committee didn't mean the tuition issue is dead. It will be back, because the alternative would be to doom the university to stagnation.
Cohen expresses
U.S. resolve on TaiwanIT could hardly be a coincidence that Defense Secretary William Cohen visited Japan and South Korea just before the presidential election in Taiwan. One of the purposes of Cohen's visits is to express American resolve to maintain stability in East Asia at a tense moment in relations between China and Taiwan.
The defense secretary's message is that the United States intends to keep 100,000 troops permanently based in the Asia-Pacific region as a deterrent to conflict -- such as the attack that has been threatened by Beijing if Taiwan declares itself an independent nation.
In Japan, Cohen gave a pep talk to Navy sailors and met with top officials to reiterate the Clinton administration's pledge to maintain a highly visible military presence in that country. This includes an aircraft carrier battle group based at Yokosuka. He then flew to South Korea to meet with Seoul officials and visit some of the 38,000 U.S. troops stationed there.
Cohen's visit may be particularly important because Washington is taking no military steps with regard to the Taiwan election this time.
Four years ago, before the last Taiwan presidential election, the Pentagon moved two carrier battle groups to the area in response to Beijing's firing of missiles near Taiwan and its staging of military exercises across the Taiwan Strait. This time, there is no carrier in the vicinity.
Beijing has confined itself to rhetorical threats. Cohen said U.S. intelligence officials find no evidence of any preparation for an attack.
However, the United States had to respond to those threats, and Cohen delivered the response. He said China's threat to use force against Taiwan is an obstacle to settling the reunification issue -- not the message Beijing would have liked.
Cohen reiterated that the United States expects the differences between China and Taiwan to be resolved peacefully and that it considers threats of force "counterproductive."
He urged both sides to stop the "verbal jousting" and "back away from this confrontational pose." It's important that the Chinese leadership appreciates that it would have to reckon with the United States if it attempted an invasion of Taiwan. Washington made that clear four years ago with the dispatch of the carrier battle groups.
The defense secretary's remarks are intended to convey the message that the U.S. commitment to seek a peaceful resolution to this dispute by deterring a forcible one remains in effect. A failure to understand that in Beijing could be disastrous.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
