By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Whenever the subject of University of Hawai'i basketball coach Riley Wallace's soon-to-expire contract comes up, fans have unhesitatingly shouted, "pay the coach."

When negotiations broke down on football coach June Jones' contract extension, some fans wrote letters demanding the school find a way to keep him.

Even before enhanced contracts are drawn up, with the already looming gender equity necessities, rising travel costs and other expenses, the bill for running and upgrading the state's only Division IA athletic program is coming due.

Now, we'll see if the season ticket-buying public is willing to make the all-too-necessary investment in UH's future by buying into increased ticket surcharges for priority seating.

On the heels of a 9-3 season, football season ticket holders in coming weeks are scheduled to receive notice the school is doubling the surcharge on prime seating locations this season. Seats between the 30-yard lines that carried a $25 surcharge on top of the base ticket price will rise to $50 this season. Seats in other sideline locations and the South end zone loge level that carried a $12 surcharge will rise to $25. Other locations will not be affected, school officials have said.

This isn't about trying to catch up with the University of Miami, Michigan, Texas or the other big spenders of college athletics in one greedy swoop. Even if UH wanted to.

Rather, in UH's case, it is about attempting to stay afloat and become a little more competitive among the institutions the school plays and would like to rub shoulders with.

By themselves, the surcharges — 80 percent tax deductible, according to UH — are modest compared to much of Division IA athletics. In many places, prime sideline seating — when it is even available — often runs well into three figures.

But at UH, only recently and with foot-dragging reluctance has the school begun attaching a premium on its best seats. For the longest time, the fear in Manoa was that season ticket holders, accustomed to occasional slight increases, might revolt at any attached cost.

While the hands-off policy succeeded in muting the level of protest, it has only slightly raised revenues. And, even then not to anywhere near where UH needs if it is to enhance its competitiveness.

Now, as it confronts the necessity of raising the quality of its across-the-board athletic program while eyeing conference options, UH is asking its season ticket holders to underwrite the upgrade.

Of course, it behooves UH to use the money wisely and show some positive results.

UH fans, especially those who have hung with the program through thick and thin, will likely pay for perceived value. Give them some bang for their buck and even some reluctant fans will rally around the process.

That's where the challenge comes.