HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

173

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ABANDON ESTABLISHING THE UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTER.

 

 

WHEREAS, an important role of the University of Hawaii (UH) is to promote the free exchange of ideas, to generate and disseminate knowledge, and to guarantee the right of faculty to freely publish their work; and

WHEREAS, UH's research, instruction, and service depend on academic freedom, an inclusive campus environment, and an open and critical review of methods, data, and analysis; and

WHEREAS, grants to fund classified research have the potential to undermine efforts to work cooperatively with other universities and countries, harm our fragile ecosystem, and contradict the values of native Hawaiians and other groups; and

WHEREAS, negotiations to develop a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) have been going on for over a year with minimal opportunity for faculty, student, and community input; and

WHEREAS, a certain portion of the research at UARC is classified, meaning that researchers cannot discuss or disseminate their findings in papers and publications; and

WHEREAS, the UH Board of Regents gave provisional approval to UARC, with the stipulation that "full consultation is to take place"; and

WHEREAS, although UH plans to contract with the United States Navy to create UARC in the second quarter of 2005, these consultations have not occurred; and

WHEREAS, a proposed site for UARC activities is adjacent to Noelani Elementary School, an inappropriate location for conducting military research; and

WHEREAS, over 55 percent of the land now occupied by the military in Hawaii is ceded land; and

WHEREAS, the UH is located on crown and government lands, the use of which should be for the public benefit and welfare of native Hawaiians, in accordance with section 5 of the Admission Act; and

WHEREAS, some native Hawaiians who are concerned about militarization and desecration of their lands, and neighbors of the proposed UARC site have not been properly informed or consulted; and

WHEREAS, a July 8, 2004, memo from Ronald M. Sega, Director of Defense Research and Engineering, cites one of UARC's purposes as the improvement of "systems performance of Department of Defense weapons"; and

WHEREAS, according to UH policies that will govern UARC, the UH Board of Regents will be denied access to classified information in possession of UH; and

WHEREAS, the UH Manoa Faculty Senate, citing "insuperable obstacles," has passed a resolution that "support(s) only research for which there is a reasonable expectation that timely publication of the results of the research will not be restricted by its sponsor"; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that UH is urged to abandon its plans for a University Affiliated Research Center and is requested to develop instead a policy that will prohibit classified and other forms of military research that involve weapons or other life-threatening systems; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of UH and the President of UH.

 

 

Report Title:

University of Hawaii; University Affiliated Research Center