Dobelle's message is clear: He's in charge

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

In the days since his selection as the new University of Hawai'i president, Evan Dobelle has made a habit of referring to himself as "UH's No. 1 fan."

While some who have invested many more years and tears in the fortunes of the Rainbows and Wahine might dispute the sports part of that designation, there can be no doubting who calls the shots on UH athletics.

When it comes to sports these days, the buck stops on the koa desk in Room 202 of Bachman Hall.

Three weeks into his reign, Dobelle has served notice that they are, as he is wont to say, "my coaches" and "my teams."

That was underlined by the way he took charge of the projected athletic department surplus a week ago, earmarking at least part of the $361,000 for scholarships and other needs on the overall campus.

And, if there were doubts about who holds title to UH's 19 teams, lock, stock and jock, Dobelle got everybody's attention by overturning the athletic department's ticket refund policy Friday. A policy the athletic department said was two decades old, Dobelle chucked out the window in barely 72 hours. A policy that had been cited like a commandment was dismissed as, "failing the common-sense test."

With television cameras looking on, Dobelle also flew in the face of athletic department policy, saying:

• He would at least consider switching the Warriors' Nov. 24 game with Air Force to Nov. 23 (6 p.m. the day after Thanksgiving) if ESPN and the Western Athletic Conference presented compelling reasons. This after athletic director Hugh Yoshida pledged the Oct. 26 UH-Fresno State game would be the only game the school would move this season.

• He would talk with coaches soon to determine if the WAC was the best conference available to UH teams.

Of course, Dobelle isn't the first UH president to publicly countermand athletic administration. Nor is he the only one to take advantage of athletics as the most visible pulpit on the UH campus to send a message statewide.

But none of his predecessors did it even as the glue dried on their nameplates or took stands across such a wide spectrum of topics.

In doing so, Dobelle held up athletics as an example. He challenged the athletic department in particular and the university system in general to look at the larger picture. "To me," Dobelle said, "we're not thinking as big-time winners. We're reacting to small-time politics. You can't be big-time if you think small-time.

"I want every man and woman who is involved in athletics and coaching — I don't care if they are trainers or head coaches — I want them to be thinking this is a preeminent institution with the opportunity to win a national championship in every sport and win the Sears Cup (symbolic of overall athletic department strength). You have to think that way."

After less than a month, Dobelle has not only changed the way people at UH look at their mission, but who they look to for the final word on athletics.