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Rant & Rave

Thursday, April 12, 2001

Students make a point
striking back

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Strike opens eyes to
the realities of picketing

Nicholas M.W. Wong

When the possibility of a strike came about, I thought to myself, "Another spring break? Nah, I'm not that lucky. They'll probably settle before it happens and things will run as scheduled."

Like myself, many students welcomed the strike primarily because it meant one thing: no school.

Then the strike started.

On Day One of the strike, many students were baffled by what a strike might encompass.

I thought it meant that I'd be seeing strikers and supporters walking up and down streets with signs and having people honk their horns in support. I thought it meant no classes would be in session. That's not all that happened.

That first day of the strike, I learned that it involves more than just passive shakas and honks of car horns.

I was shocked to see a revolving line of people walking back and forth between crosswalks to prevent motorists from entering the campus upon walking down Dole Street.

The strike meant shutting the place down.

I was baffled by the materials of protest some strikers had, like giant Mack-truck-sized puppets of skeletons in graduation caps and gowns depicting students in their clutches. I was confused by this new world I had entered.

Things weren't "hunky-dory," I quickly realized.

After avoiding the strikers at the intersection and sneaking quietly onto campus, I went to my class only to realize that it was canceled, even though the instructor who taught it wasn't in the union.

With an hour and a half to kill, I decided to go up to the Campus Center lounge and watch some TV.

As I walked through campus, I noticed it was a ghost town, like those in the Old West.

Any minute I felt a tumbleweed the size of my refrigerator was going to roll by.

Instead, I saw my friend Chris, who also had decided to cross the picket line and go to class. I invited him to keep me company since he had no class for an hour or so, and we continued heading to the Campus Center.

Inside the usually crowded lounge, Chris and I found ourselves with only two other people.

We talked about the abandoned campus and, after watching an hour or so of TV, the four of us went our separate ways.

Now, on Day Seven, the campus is still that way. One thing has changed, though.

With all the flak the students are getting from the faculty for breaking the picket lines in order to go to classes not instructed by UHPA members, I've noticed that many students who were for the UHPA are now against them.

I have talked to many who no longer care whether the UHPA's demands are met. It is tragic that the one profession that deserves to get raises is making enemies with the one constituency they don't want to make their enemy: the students.

Hopefully the UHPA's demands will be met and this strike will end soon.

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Nicholas M.W. Wong is a freshman
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa who
is thinking of majoring in English.

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Students deserve an
education despite strike

Stephanie Pitoy

To Gov. Cayetano, UHPA and the UH community:

There are three weeks remaining in the Spring 2001 semester.

The questions are:

>> How many more days and/or weeks of that remainder will UHPA spend on the picket lines?

>> How many more days or weeks will UHPA and the State of Hawaii be embroiled in contract negotiations?

>> When will we be able to get back to the order of business: completing the Spring 2001 semester?

These are the concerns of UH students statewide. The University of Hawaii is financially obligated to meet the academic needs of its students. We have paid our tuition and fees to be here. A number of us have taken out sizable educational loans to attend classes.

For the past week, we have been forced to put our education on hold. Being so, is it fair of UHPA to ask students to join them on the picket lines? Is it fair of UHPA to question those who are crossing the picket lines about why they are on campus?

The fact is, we have a right to be on campus. Some of us are lucky; a handful of UH faculty have chosen not to strike and are continuing to teach. That is a big relief to me. Three of my art courses are in session. For the majority of UH students who are unable to attend classes, they will have to play catch-up when the strike is over.

The longer the state of Hawaii and UHPA take in resolving these contract issues, the less time UH students will have to complete the Spring 2001 semester.

Tick-tock, time is running out.

With finals week right around the corner (May 7 to 11), we cannot afford to lose any more days in the classroom.

Here's another repercussion of the UHPA strike: I am being forced to work a modified schedule at my on-campus job.

I normally work 20 hours per week. Starting next week, I will only be working a total of 10 hours. My wage rate is $5.50 per hour. Do the math.

For a working single parent, that does not add up to much. Thanks to the strike, the biweekly paycheck I use to support myself and 3-year-old daughter will be cut significantly.

A huge portion of my paycheck gone. This is reality. Real people are being hurt by this strike. This UHPA strike has suddenly become very personal.

I'm not alone. Thousands of UH students across the state are making the same sacrifices, academically and financially. Is this fair? I think not.

I do support UHPA's fight for a long overdue pay raise and fair contract. All I ask is that a settlement be reached by month's end. Perhaps then, the semester will continue and the course work we've completed so far will not be wasted.

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Stephanie Pitoy is a senior in art
and communications at the
University of Hawaii at Hilo.

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