It's a new school year. And you can see the changes: classes, cafeterias, sidewalks, and campuses in general are more saturated with students then any time I witnessed over the past 3 years.
With approximately 60,000 students enrolled at University of Hawaii campuses this Fall -- a 10.7% percent increase from last Fall and the most ever -- it's apparent that the community is seeing the University as part of the solution to our State's economic struggle.
But this isn't necessarily a good thing for students as 150 instructors laid-off and 500 class sections placed on hold, there has been an increase of competition to get into the remaining courses. In large lecture halls, students are resorting to sitting on stairways. Some commuting students are being forced to arrive on campus hours before class starts, sleeping in their cars, just to secure a parking space.
[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="509" caption="With a 120 student enrollment, and more trying to get it, this accounting section of the course has twice as many students as last year."]
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[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="509" caption="Some lecturers who survived lay-offs had their salaries reduced to $12,000 for teaching two classes, while numerous administrators executives are sitting pretty with salaries at over a quarter million."]
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Although other media outlets did publish and broadcast a few stories concerning our University throughout the week,
I would like to commend KITV4 news for obtaining exclusive coverage on some issues, and for their extensive updates of our University in featured news stories throughout there first week of classes. They were on campus for 4 separate stories over the course of the first 3 days! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Honolulu Advertiser as well for continuing to seek out student input, and contacting ASUH, for virtually every story regarding our University.
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