Kenneth Mortimer's knotty tenure as president of the University of Hawaii may have been a matter of bad timing. His taciturn demeanor seemed like a letdown in comparison to his ebullient predecessor, Albert Simone, a politically adept man who excelled in keeping the university and himself on the public's radar screen. When Mortimer took the reins in 1993, the state's economy was headed south, taking the university's fortunes with it. A series of budget cuts put him in the role of the bad guy, forcing him to scale back programs and to increase tuition. Mortimer served hard
time at UHThe issue: The departing president
weathered eight troubled years with
much criticism and some
noteworthy achievements.Yet, in the long view, Mortimer may have been the right man for the times. The university needed someone who could make the hard calls and weather the fallout from them. Mortimer did.
Not a particularly charismatic man, he was criticized for being unable to boost the morale of professors, many of whom required high-maintenance stroking. He was blamed when sheriff's deputies manhandled students who were protesting tuition increase. Still, he carried on, unapologetic about matters over which he had no control.
Mortimer's achievements cannot be discounted. Although his detractors say the plans were already in motion before his term, Mortimer shepherded UH toward constitutional autonomy, freeing the university to handle its own affairs. This may prove to his biggest legacy, allowing administrators to decide what is important for the future of the institution without political interference.
Recognizing that UH had to find financial resources outside the state budget, he launched a fund-raising campaign that has brought in a record $116 million in four years.
Mortimer's tenure also has seen more grant money coming to the faculty, international recognition of university scientists for their work in cloning and astronomy as well as a prestigious supercomputing center contract that will bring $1.6 million a year to UH.
Mortimer departs with some stains on his career. He fired two football coaches that cost the university dearly, paying them about $350,000 to go away. Wanting to put more money into programs he felt gave the university more of a chance to excel, he shut down the School of Public Health, which died a slow death when he balked at sending on its budget. Another black mark was the 13-day strike by the faculty over pay raises and workloads.
After occupying College Hill for eight tough years, Mortimer may have done all he could do. His departure ushers in a fresh face, Evan Dobelle, who like Simone seems to be able to schmooze with the best of them. The university will need someone more sure-footed politically as it heads down a path that may prove to be rockier than Mortimer's.
Aloha, Ken Mortimer.
GOVERNOR Cayetano's veto of a bill intended to protect 14- and 15-year-old children from sexual exploitation by adults has drawn fire from state legislators, who should carry through with the legislation by overriding the veto in a special session. The governor said more studies are needed before Hawaii sheds the distinction of being the only state in the union without such protection. His explanation suggests that he may need further study of the issue after Hawaii comes into conformity with laws in other states, where the age of consent ranges from 15 to 18 years. Legislature should
override consent vetoThe issue: Governor Cayetano has
vetoed a bill that would increase the
age of consensual sex from the
present 14 years old to 16.Under present law in Hawaii, consensual sex with a person younger that 14 is a felony that carries punishment of up to 20 years in prison. The bill vetoed by Cayetano would raise the age of consensual sex to 16, protecting children aged 14 and 15 from predatory sex by adults at least five years older.
In first raising questions about the bill in January, Cayetano remarked that "it is not easy to tell who is 14, 15 or 16 years old."
However, present law makes clear that the crime consists of "knowingly" subjecting a minor to sex. The bill contains similar language, while reducing the age of protected children to those under 16 from those under 14. The supposed difficulty of determining a child's age should not be at issue.
In vetoing the bill, the governor maintained that it was "overly broad, and in some situations may inappropriately bring teenagers and young adults, as both victims and defendants, into the state's criminal justice system." He said a 19-year-old who "exercises poor judgment" by having sex with a 14-year-old "could be prosecuted and branded as a sex offender for life under this bill."
Actually, federal law requires no more than a 10-year registration as a sex offender for those convicted of a criminal offense against a minor. In any case, prosecutors can exercise discretion in deciding, in the interest of justice, whether to pursue charges, although -- as in other crimes -- "poor judgment" might be considered a lame excuse for committing the offense.
Numerous studies have been conducted regarding children subjected to sex by adults. National surveys have found that two-thirds of teenaged mothers reported being molested by an adult other than the baby's father, more than half of them by family members or acquaintances.
Republican House Leader Galen Fox of Waikiki pointed out that Hawaii has the third-highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that teenagers are vulnerable to sexual exploitation because of their "sense of immortality," mobility, naiveté, lack of worldliness and "savvy necessary to stay(ing) safe" and emotional need. That and other reports make clear that sex between adults and children has little to do with consent and everything to do with power.
The veto should be overidden forthwith.
Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, President
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