UH sit-in continues
as protesters plan

Caution is urged after the
president agrees to all but one
demand on the Navy proposal

University of Hawaii-Manoa protesters planned to continue their weeklong sit-in at Bachman Hall today as they prepare a response to UH interim President David McClain, who agreed to all but one of their demands.

The protesters, who are against establishing a Navy research center at the university, met last night to discuss their next step, and scheduled a press conference at 4 p.m. today to update the public on their position.

McClain issued a written statement yesterday afternoon saying he agreed with all but one of their demands.

"I trust that these statements address the coalition's concerns, and the group will vacate Bachman Hall," McClain said.

Later in the afternoon, the Save UH/Stop UARC Coalition issued a statement saying, "given the flawed and deceptive process up to this point, the Save UH/Stop UARC coalition is proceeding with caution."

Kyle Kajihiro, a protest organizer, said the coalition planned to talk about their next step with supporters last night in a closed meeting at Bachman Hall.

McClain agreed not to bring the University Affiliated Research Center proposal to the Board of Regents until Oct. 1 at the earliest; to hold a public meeting where testimony can be presented to the board on the center; and to support the release of UH documents concerning the center that come under the state's open-records law.

But McClain said that he could not rescind a memo asking the regents for approval of the research center, because the regents already had granted provisional approval.

"I endorse the position of the Board as articulated at the close of discussion in November: More consultation is needed, and final approval requires another Board action," McClain wrote.

"I assure the Coalition that my position on the UARC will depend on the content of the still-to-be-finished consultations with both proponents and opponents of the UARC, as well as specific details of the contract."

Citing native Hawaiian concerns, protesters say the proposed center, which would be the Navy's fifth on a U.S. college campus and the first in 58 years, would further militarize a state that is home to several bases, including the Navy's Pearl Harbor and headquarters for the U.S. Pacific Command.

The university has denied protester accusations that the university would help develop weapons of mass destruction, and says the center would help the school compete with the nation's top research universities and attract federal dollars in tight budget times.