UH Official Agrees KTUH May Be Useful Link to Campus Community During Emergencies

CHORE has talked with Dr. Francisco Hernandez, vice chancellor for students at UH-Manoa, who was quoted in the Honolulu Advertiser story this week on campus emergency communications planning.

KTUH’s possible role as an information channel during a campus crisis wasn’t mentioned in that story or any other, as we noted on Wednesday.

We referred Hernandez to Wednesday’s post and our hope that “the ultimate PA system” – KTUH – will be integrated in the UH emergency communications plan. He said the point was well taken and that he’d begin discussions with KTUH’s management. We look forward to updated media stories and future discussions with Dr. Hernandez on his progress.

That’s the kind of positive response we love to see. It certainly feels better than being attacked by an agency you’re trying to help! For a comparison, check out our March 1st post: General Lee Launches Counter-Offensive at CHORE; We Respond with Defense-in-Depth

Maybe UH will be open to meeting with citizens -- especially students -- and allowing them to participate in discussions on how the institution can best serve them during emergencies. The failure of the Governor-appointed Comprehensive Communications Review Committee to meet with the public during its sessions last year was a major blunder, from our perspective, as we noted from the get-go.

It seems reasonable to anticipate greater openness from the University -- an institution dedicated to open discussion and debate -- than from government agencies adept at obfuscation.