ENTERS SIXTH DAY
Lance Culnane, a graduate student in chemistry, rested on the steps of Bachman Hall late yesterday afternoon after having been at the UARC protest since Friday night.
Protesters issue
4 demands
A sit-in continues at UH over
a proposed Navy research site
Protesters were expected to reach their sixth day of occupation of Bachman Hall today as they oppose plans to establish a military-affiliated research center at the University of Hawaii.
"What we're dealing here with the UARC (University Affiliated Research Center) is not standard military research," said Ikaika Hussey, a member of the Save UH/Stop the UARC Coalition, yesterday.
"There's no moral ambiguity when it comes to UARC because we know that the research will be done for the military. The military have a very clear, stated goal which is very different than the goal of academia," Hussey added.
More than 35 protesters held a news conference in UH interim President David McClain's office at Bachman Hall yesterday to announce their new four-point proposal relating to the University Affiliated Research Center.
Protesters contend that decisions involving the research center have been done in secret, and negative effects of the center were hidden from the Board of Regents.
The four-point proposal asks McClain to:
» Suspend any action toward bringing the research center proposal to the Board of Regents until at least Oct. 1.
» Release all UH and Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii documentation that has to do with the research center.
» Present relevant information in a public meeting with the Board of Regents and facilitate an opportunity to present a complete picture of the research center to the board before any action is taken.
"I find much in it with which I can agree. I have referred the request to university counsel for their expeditious review," McClain said in a written statement.
McClain said he will have a response no later than today.
Uriah Mills, left, shot live video of the scene yesterday. Mills' video has been picked up by filmmaker Michael Moore and is being broadcast live over Moore's Web site.
The University of Hawaii was recommended for the fifth Navy University Affiliated Research Center in July. The other Navy research centers are located at the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Texas at Austin and Pennsylvania State.
McClain has been working from College Hill since protesters occupied Bachman Hall, including his office, Thursday.
The conference room near McClain's office has since been converted into a study room with books, laptops and paper scattered across the long table. Eight tents are set up on the lawn of Bachman Hall with multiple protest signs hanging on the walls of the administration building.
Hussey earlier said spirits among the protesters are high. "I've never seen a group of people quite as focused as these," he added.
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