UH-Fresno State football refund OK'd by Dobelle

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Saying the school's policy for refunding tickets "doesn't meet the common sense test," University of Hawai'i president Evan Dobelle yesterday announced fans will be able to get refunds for the Friday, Oct. 26 Fresno State football game without giving up their season tickets or place on the priority list.

Retired UH baseball coach Les Murakami said it would be "an honor" to have Rainbow Stadium named after him. Advertiser library photo • September 1997

The athletic department had announced last week that season ticket holders requesting a refund for the game, which was moved from Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. to accommodate ESPN, would have to surrender their season tickets and priority.

The announcement brought complaints from some of the approximately 25,000 season-ticket holders and swift action from Dobelle, who said he has a policy of reviewing problems and either finding a solution within 72 hours or explaining why there won't be a change.

Dobelle said he "fully understands and accepts the decision of the Western Athletic Conference to move the game" for the national exposure it would provide, even if in doing so means a game, "at 3 o'clock in the afternoon at rush hour on H-1 in the 11th largest city in the United States."

But Dobelle said, "How can I go out and explain to fans that not only are we going to do that, but if you don't go to the game and want a refund, we're going to penalize you by making you turn in all your tickets and lose your seniority? Penalizing your best supporters doesn't make any sense."

Of the previous policy, Dobelle said, "I don't know how (this occurred) and I'm not real interested in anecdotal history. My interest is that it doesn't make sense and let's talk it through."

Dobelle said he got a memo from athletic director Hugh Yoshida saying "he understood, was for (the change) and would be pleased to accommodate it."