UH Threatened to Cut Hawaiian Language

Context:

Kenneth P. Mortimer became the eleventh president of UH and chancellor of Manoa in September, 1993. The administration had to make decisions dependant on the need to cut expenditures. Because the economy in Hawaii was declining because of the 1991 Gulf War, it’s decrease of tourism, and the loss of production units such as sugar, the governor at the time (Benjamin J. Cayetano, the first governor in a few decades who hadn’t studied at UH) ordered the university to reduce their fund expenditure by 10% (a $31 million cut).

Hawaiian Language Class Cut Protest:

The University cut staff size, limited purchases of library materials, restricted travel support, deferred “building repair and campus maintenance” (Kamins), and cut 14 Hawaiian language classes.

As a result, a peaceful protest of over 200 University individuals successfully occupied the building, and representatives met Joyce Tsunoda and Thomas Gething who assured that Hawaiian language was a priority and that the classes will be offered.

This success was celebrated by singing “Hawaii Aloha.”

Aftermath:

In order to address the budget cuts, the students and people of Hawaii focused their protests on the governor. After a march of UH Manoa to the state capitol, Cayetano was unable to speak to the crowd and suffered abuses and retaliation. UH regents apologized to the governor, who did not accept a proposal to spare the university of its sacrifices and budget slash. He ordered that the curriculum be tailored to the new budget. Instead they increased admission standards to limit the number of undergraduates and relied on community colleges to provide remedial courses or the associates degree necessary to qualify for Manoa without an exemplary high school record.

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