Students and TMT
Students and TMT
The TMT observatory issue is no doubt one of the heaviest in our community and in our culture today. I am not opposed to science and exploration, nor am I fully against the curiosity of astronomers and what drives them personally. But I am currently a student at Hawaii Community College, and I’m just wondering, how much of the $1.3 billion is coming from the University of Hawaii system, whether it be student fees or government grants?
UH seems to have been well-represented in the building of the TMT, so I think it’s a legitimate question. If there is money from the UH system, how much of that money could be used for some students’ financial aid? How many students are struggling with not only making a living but maintaining it?
I’m just wondering. A project of such proportions would no doubt boost UH-Hilo’s already recognized astronomy program, but what about the other programs and fields of study that are offered?
I am not anti-astronomy, nor anti-science; I’m simply pro-student.
Bruce Meyers
Hilo
Too many studies
Seems the local government is all study and no action.
A Hawaii legislative committee recently passed a bill for a task force to study the privatization of state hospitals. Never mind that this has been done in Texas in 2012. Why doesn’t the task force just call them and ask how that’s working out?
The House Labor Committee creates another task force to study how state funds are managed and deal with its unfunded liabilities. Never mind how the funds have been mismanaged in the first place.
And let’s not forget the University of Hawaii’s $260,000 study to figure out how come $200,000 got sent to scammers in the “Wonder Blunder.” Any sensible employer would not need a study to simply fire the incompetent people responsible.
The relentless studies conducted by local government representatives would be fine if the task forces were actually empowered to DO SOMETHING to solve the problems rather than being used as an excuse to DO NOTHING. The only thing these studies seem to accomplish is line somebody’s pockets with cash and create a convenient excuse for lawmakers to delay any decisions or appease the almighty keepers of the status quo. Maybe we need a study to see how many of these studies are a total waste of time and money.
Sylvia Dahlby
Hilo