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ASUH opposes athletics fee

By Glendalyn Junio

Published: Thursday, February 26, 2009

Updated: Monday, August 3, 2009

While opposition by the Associated Students of University of Hawai'i continues to delay the
possible implementation of a student athletics fee, athletic director Jim Donovan is still
reaching out to the students to help remedy the department's financial state.

"On February 10, we announced our stance in opposition to the proposal until a formal
proposal and student poll is presented," said ASUH Pres. Jaime Sohn. "We don't want to
support the implementation of a fee unless the proper steps are taken, so that we can get the
students' input."

A press release sent out by ASUH this week stated that Donovan "requested that ASUH not
poll students and instead make an informed decision on their behalf."

But there may have been some miscommunication, according to Donovan.

"I specifically told the subcommittee that it could be more powerful if the students were polled,
but we just don't have that much time to get a referendum. ... We can't wait 12 to 18 months to
get the results of a poll back."

In late January, the athletics department and student Senate met in an open meeting to
discuss the proposed athletics fee for each full-time undergraduate student. With the athletics
fee, Donovan stated that a percentage of seats to sporting events would be made available to
students for free.

While the ASUH press release states that there is still an open invitation for the athletics
department to provide them with a formal proposal, Donovan believes that the athletics
department has already made a number of attempts.

"We did exactly what (ASUH) told us to do," Donovan said. "(They) canceled two
subcommittee meetings and we tried calling and rescheduling, because we told them that it

http://www.kaleo.org/2.13219/asuh-opposes-athletics-fee-1.1789493 6/11/2010
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was very time sensitive for us and we wanted to try to get something to the regents by May or
June so that it can be approved for September 2009."

In a third meeting, the student Senate passed a resolution stating opposition to the
implementation of the athletics fee.

Donovan noted that an athletics fee would not only aid the athletics program, but it would
strengthen the school as a whole. When athletics programs do well, more alumni donate,
strengthening the university as a whole.

This week, an audit exposed the department's $5.4 million net deficit that has accumulated
over the past five years and has forced the department to consider a future that may see the
absence of one UH men's sport.

"I absolutely don't want to cut any sports," Donovan said. "I think we have the right size
programs for the University of Hawai'i and the state of Hawai'i. But at some point we may have
to cut expenses, and we're going to have to look at possibly cutting a sport."

With the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, a federal law on gender equality
formerly called Title IX, UH can't cut a women's sport. Because of NCAA Division I regulations,
"We can't cut football or men's basketball. So, that leaves baseball, men's volleyball, tennis,
swimming (and diving), and golf," Donovan said.

Despite the possibility, Donovan said that the regents' meeting last Thursday and Friday gave
him the sense that they won't be cutting a sport anytime in the near future.

"The thing I kept telling the Senate was ask yourselves why we are one of the few schools in
the country, and the only one in the Western Athletic Conference, that doesn't have a student
athletics fee," Donovan said. "What is the compelling argument or reason why we don't have
it?"

http://www.kaleo.org/2.13219/asuh-opposes-athletics-fee-1.1789493 6/11/2010