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Iwamura said he did not have the specific cost figures for printing the handbook, but said $10,000 was allocated for staff stipends.
Although the handbook is funded with student fees, Javinar said students may not be necessarily entitled to a refund. Every semester, UH charges full-time students with a $13 BOP fee.
"Just because you collect the fee this year your premise is that the product must be delivered this year. If there is no product, there ought to be a refund to the taxpayer. Let's look again at analogies using property tax owners," he said. "Let's say your county said we're going to build a new county park and all the property tax payers are going to have to pay their property tax to do so. Let's say they're going to build it next year. They don't build it until three years later. Are the property tax owners to get a refund for that?"
Javinar said as the BOP accumulates student fees, there is an obligation to put out a product.
"For me, that doesn't necessarily mean that it has to fall within the same fiscal year," he said.
Iwamura said he did not know yet what the BOP was going to do with the handbooks that have been printed.
"We haven't discussed that yet," he said.
The 196-page handbook was largely centered around student activism and the power of protest.
"Before we can take the power back and create a world of social justice, we must learn the history of previous struggles to improve the university and Hawai`i," stated the handbook.
The handbook is also critical of the UH administration and Marriott Educational Services, the UH food service vendor.
"One lone students sits in the Asia Section overlooking the Marriott monolith remembering the once-beautiful rainforest that existed where students once studied and trees danced in the afternoon breeze," stated the introduction of the handbook.
The chapter that deals with food stated students could fast as an alternative to patronizing Marriott's retail outlets.
In addition to trying to spur a sense of activism in students, the handbook also offered some political commentary.
"For those with political aspirations, the Young Republicans (now isn't that an oxymoron) and the College Democrats have been joined with new political participants such as the Green and Youth party," stated the "The Scene" chapter of the handbook.
The handbook also criticized tuition increases and suggested a tuition payment strike.
"If another hike was proposed, we could organize a non-payment protest and effectively shut down the school until people in power realize the effects it will have on educating future students. Every dollar hike is blocking access to another student wanting to better themselves," stated the handbook.
Javinar said he is focusing on how to prevent this from happening again in the future.
"To me, it's a three-fold process," he said. "Again, to insure quality, there is an educator involved who ought to be looking for those standards of quality in writing. The other is the editor. The editor needs to be real clear on what the press freedoms are for the student handbook. Also, the board needs to make real clear what the parameters are."
Javinar said the "educator" in this instance would be the BOP editorial adviser. He said they are "very close" to finding someone to fill the position, which has been vacant since May.
"We're going to hire the best qualified candidate who knows how to write, knows about press freedoms, who can balance the interests of the Board of Publications, the interests and needs of the editor, and the interests and needs of the institution," he said. "If they don't know how to write, they won't be selected."
Javinar said any good educator ought to be able to write, since they had to write a thesis or dissertation to obtain their degree. He said the minimum educational requirement for the position is a master's degree.
He said the master's degree can either be one in journalism, with additional coursework in social sciences, educational administration, business administration, or social sciences.
Another option is a master's degree in student services, educational administration, business administration, or social sciences with coursework in newswriting, reporting, media law, photojournalism, communication law, advertising, or economics, Javinar said.
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