Hawaii Pacific University has gained a reputation as more than just an academia pit-stop offering a quality, diverse education.
As a recent graduate of HPU, I have seen the administration’s bold and even ruthless behavior to students’ effort to bring quality change to the campus newspaper.
The Kalamalama, the student-run newspaper, has been cited over and over for administrative censorship in articles written by students hoping to bring effective change.
US News and World Report, the Honolulu Advertiser, and the UH Manoa student newspapers have all covered the student groups who have been fighting for change. These articles written this past semester cover the efforts of students, both in the student government and across campus, who petitioned that,
*(1) “The paper should be completely journalistic, resulting in a student led newspaper, where students are free and encouraged to challenge and criticize college policies.
*(2) Be only edited by students and faculty members of the journalism and communication Departments on the basis of grammar, spelling, and content accuracy; giving those full rights and responsibilities over content, editing and other major functions of the Kalamalama, without other administration and or faculty interference.
*(3) Give all students equal opportunities to write about and submit their concerns; and as long as those concerns align with legal speech; they should be given an equal chance to be published.” Apparently this is too much to ask for.
Additionally, these students collected 1,634 signatures (gathered in just four days in support of this petition).
The University administration responded by printing an article on December 7.
Instead of heeding the calls for a free and uncensored student newspaper, Hawaii Pacific University’s chief faculty editor, Larry LeDoux wrote a front page article in the