[ OUR OPINION ]

UH wise to go back
to the drawing board

THE ISSUE President Dobelle has withdrawn the much-criticized logos proposed for the University of Hawaii system.

LOOKS like University of Hawaii officials got the message loud and clear about the logos they proposed to represent the institution. Perhaps if the designs themselves had been as readily apparent, there would not have been such a fiercely adverse reaction to them.

UH President Evan Dobelle did right to pull the plug on the logos. Still, the fumbled effort has caused the community to look askance at the university's administration, and Dobelle and his team would do well to smooth ruffled feathers. By the same token, critics should let bygones be bygones and not let the dispute about the designs become more than that.

The university last week showed off the logos -- one dubbed the "Wave" and the other "Spectrum" -- and asked for comments before the Board of Regents made its selection. Criticism blew in as people complained not only about the tepid designs, but about the $82,000 cost and the mainland firm selected to do the work. Of the 1,200 e-mails UH received, 60 percent were negative.

If university officials were surprised by the intense opposition to the logos, which look more like surf-shop emblems than symbols of an educational institution, they should not have been. Dobelle, who has been on the job for two years, should be aware by now of island sensitivities whether he considers them valid or not.

The expense, while miniscule compared to UH's $1 billion budget, rankled because the university is short of cash to pay for instructional needs. Although the need to market the university to increase enrollment is uncontested, officials should have been prepared for the backlash from professors and students who are doing without.

In withdrawing the logos, Dobelle seemed perplexed by the rancor about choosing a mainland company to develop the logo instead of a Hawaii firm or designer. "You know, the local thing is kind of interesting to me," he said. "We don't have these conversations in California or Massachusetts or in Florida."

The president should refrain from dismissing this ticklish disposition since it is obvious that when it comes to representations of Hawaii and the university, people care -- and this is not necessarily bad. Indifference about UH and its operations would be worse.

The dust-up gives the university an opportunity to start anew. Although Dobelle says he'll stick with the Maryland design company, he is considering opening the logo project to others. He should. Good ideas ride on waves of collaboration with a spectrum of participants.