Gathering Place
Randy Iwase
West Oahu campus
is critical to Second CityThe University of Hawaii- West Oahu must remain open and plans for the proposed West Oahu campus must proceed.
During my years on the Honolulu City Council and the state Senate, I strongly supported West Oahu.
One of the three newly appointed regents who opposes West Oahu said that the vision of a university campus on the Leeward Coast is a "pipe dream" and that the "tough decision" to refuse to open West Oahu should have been made long ago.
Thirty years ago, the "tough decision" was made -- to build West Oahu. It is a vision and decision that was actively supported by Governors Burns, Ariyoshi, Waihee and Cayetano, by all the presidents of the University of Hawaii, and by the members of the Board of Regents and the state Legislature who served throughout this period. All of these individuals were serious-minded people who heard all of the pro and con arguments, understood the importance of the campus and made the "tough decision" to proceed. The easy decision is to focus only on the present, make noises about costs and refuse to build for the future. Had this bean-counter mentality prevailed with other projects, Hawaii would not, for example, have the community college system, a medical school or a law school providing professional opportunities for our young adults and leaders of our community.
Good dreams for the future never die, nor do they fade away. The vision for West Oahu remains as relevant and vital today as it was 30 years ago.
First, it provides UH with greater opportunities to develop plans for its four-year campuses. When I was in the Senate, there was talk of Hilo providing the "small town" campus for applicants who did not wish to matriculate at big-city schools. Manoa could develop and strengthen its graduate program and perhaps be the graduate school campus. West Oahu could be the four-year undergraduate campus. Whether this plan remains viable is up to the regents to decide, but it does illustrate the options available to the university in its efforts to improve and remain a top-flight university.
Second, the West Oahu campus is a critical component of the "Second City." The Second City was and remains a significant planning concept for Oahu. It is a growth plan intended to achieve a degree of responsible land-use planning for the most populated island in our state. In 1986 and 1987, the Honolulu City Council took the initiative to jump-start the Second City plan. Since then, the Leeward Oahu population has grown tremendously.
However, the Second City of Kapolei cannot become merely another suburb. It must become a community where people live and work. West Oahu is an anchor development that will bring businesses and jobs to Kapolei. Its importance was recognized again this year when the Honolulu City Council unanimously adopted a resolution supporting funding for the West Oahu campus. Additionally, it must be recognized that a Second City with job centers will address traffic congestion.
Finally, West Oahu is the kind of development the Leeward Coast deserves. A campus there could -- and should -- provide outreach programs to the communities in need. One example is educational resources. West Oahu also would provide employment opportunities for area residents.
West Oahu can and must happen. And it's all quite simple: Have the courage to do what our visionary leaders have done -- make the "tough decision."
Randy Iwase, a former Hawaii state senator, is chairman of the Labor Appeals Board for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
