A crowd of about 400 Chinese nationals were pushing and shouting at each other in Chinese at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Campus Center last Thursday.
Police cars arrived on campus with “flashing blue dome lights,” according to the UH director of communication, Diane Chang, in her blog.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) held an event last Thursday at Campus Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Chinese students to renew their passports.
Chinese nationals had three choices to renew their soon-expiring passports: get it done at Campus Center or at Tokai University, a two-year international liberal-arts college in Mō‘ili‘ili, or travel to the mainland West Coast.
The CSSA expected about 50 renewals, but an unexpected surge of applicants caused a mob scene on campus. With only three Chinese Consulate agents on hand, people became impatient and irritated. But with the help of Campus Security officers under the command of Chief Wayne Ogino and Captain Donald Dawson, as well as Campus Center staff led by director Sarah Park, the crowd was controlled. Two lines were immediately formed and monitored, and waiting areas were set up near the restrooms.
“Successfully, Campus Center was able to extend its hours until about 8 p.m. so that everyone waiting could be processed,” Yap said in an e-mail. “This was certainly a community service and definitely well-attended.”
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