Our kokua to everyone during the healing process. I saw something that gives me hope for the future of the University of Hawai'i. In the normal course of the semester, professors are usually running to keep up with their commitments of research, teaching and service. Social interactions common in other fields don't happen as regularly in academia, as professors search their calendars for precious hours to spend in the lab, the library or the studio. In addition, professors tend to be independent thinkers and passionate about their beliefs.
Ideological differences can create divisions among colleagues.
Out on the picket lines, I saw colleagues from all fields come together for a common cause. I saw the passions that sometimes divide faculty united into a common passion and belief in the university. I heard stories of old feuds dissolving, as colleagues worked side by side for a common cause. I saw professors coming together with public-school teachers to strengthen their shared mission of public education. The feeling of hopelessness and despair that has been hanging over UH faculty like a dark cloud since the budget cuts began in the mid-' 90s lifted when faculty took action to create change.