Students and faculty of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Outreach College were surprised to find out last Wednesday that Krauss and Sakamaki Hall were being turned over to the UHM psychology department after Gartley Hall was closed down last month.
Outreach faculty supposedly did not know of any plans to relocate when approached last Thursday and Friday about the e-mail sent out on Wednesday, Oct. 28, stating the new plans.
An office clerk declined last Thursday to comment about the validity of the claims regarding the Outreach College being moved. In a phone call made the next day, another office clerk did not know if the changes were going to be made for sure, and that they had just found out that morning.
In an e-mail interview with Kathleen Cutshaw, UHM vice chancellor for administration, finance and operations, she confirmed that the e-mail was sent out.
“Yes, the Outreach College is being asked to vacate its existing spaces in Krauss and Sakamaki in order to accommodate the psychology department,” Kutshaw said. “Psychology is a core academic program and must remain on campus and in consolidated spaces. Outreach College is an important part of our activities, but it does not have the core student interactions or teaching responsibilities that psychology has. We would prefer to keep all of our programs on campus; however, our current space limitations are substantial, leading us to utilize other options.”
The Outreach College will have to move, which will impact students and classes.
“We have secured space both on the Mānoa Campus and in downtown Honolulu. Outreach College will make the final determination as to which of its operations will remain on campus and which will move downtown. This will NOT have an impact on students taking Outreach classes, as these will still be taught on campus, and direct student services will remain on campus,” said Kutshaw.
A written statement from “concerned faculty and staff of Outreach College” released on Friday said that Peter Tanaka, the interim dean of the UHM Outreach College, was given a written proposal last Wednesday concerning the move, effective Dec. 18, and the Outreach College was “in the process of responding, but before any further discussion was possible, the Mānoa chancellor announced at 4:58 p.m. (Friday) … that the relocation plan was being finalized and thanked Outreach College ‘for its cooperation in this move.’ ”
The statement said the Outreach College faculty and staff was never consulted about the move, and they “were shocked at the initial announcement, and stunned by the Chancellor’s public proclamation (Friday).”
“Although we are sympathetic to the predicament of the psychology department, we believe there are alternate solutions to the issues presented and that they should be explored,” the statement continued. “We have serious concerns about the impact this will have on our college and mission, as well as our ability to serve our students, campus and larger community. We believe there is no place for this type of unilateral decision-making and bullying on a campus of higher learning.”
The university has been making budget cuts because of the fiscal crisis resulting from the poor economy. Now that Gartley Hall has been added to the list for much-needed repairs, it could be some time until Gartley Hall is deemed safe and usable again.
In an e-mail sent out to students this weekend, Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw said, “Engineering studies of the structural damage of Gartley Hall caused by water seepage are continuing, and it is expected to be several more months before we know if it can be safely renovated and at what cost.”
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