UH to review policies in compromise
University of Hawaii-Manoa officials have agreed to review student privacy issues and the new no-alcohol policy in some dorms after housing officials refused to deliver a student-government letter about the policy to students last month.
The review comes as a compromise after student leaders complained that the administration refused to deliver their letter to dorm students. As part of the compromise, the letter is still not being delivered, but university officials and student government president Grant Teichman are drafting a joint letter explaining the controversy and soliciting student feedback about the no-alcohol and student privacy policies for the dorms.
Concern about student privacy stems in part from complaints over the enforcement of the stricter alcohol and drug policy in some dorms, Teichman said.
"It happened to me," Teichman said, explaining that UH officials entered a friend's apartment without permission because they thought they smelled marijuana. Teichman said there was no marijuana or alcohol in the apartment.
"It's a good opportunity for students to provide feedback on some of the things that have been put in place that may or may not have been working as well as it should," said Wayne Iwaoka, UH-Manoa's interim vice chancellor for students.
Housing interim director Janice Chu Camara refused to deliver an Oct. 25 letter from the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii at Manoa to about 3,000 dorm residents because she said statements in the letter were "incorrect and misleading."
The ASUH letter informs students that they have the right to refuse searches of possessions and their rooms; they do not have to give up identification; and they should not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment or physical handling by housing staff or campus security.
It also asks for anyone who feels they have been unfairly treated to contact the student government.
In Chu Camara's written explanation of why the letter was not delivered, she said housing policies specifically allow staff to enter a dorm room for health and safety reasons, to search for missing property and if there is "reasonable cause" to believe that university policies are being violated.
Staff also has the right to demand identification from people in the dorms, Chu Camara wrote.
Teichman said the refusal to deliver the letter through the campus mail system amounts to "censorship" and impedes ASUH's ability to communicate with the students they represent. He said the student government still wants the letter delivered and has contacted the American Civil Liberties Union.
Iwaoka said policies on what can be allowed to be sent to dorm students will also be reviewed. However, he noted, "We cannot allow anything to be going to the students."
He said housing officials try to protect students from being bombarded with campus mail. However, items sent by the U.S. mail are not touched, Iwaoka said.