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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, July 11, 2003

Boosters can buy tickets for 'donation'

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

A new and little-publicized University of Hawai'i athletic policy requires most first-time, season-ticket buyers for women's volleyball and men's basketball to join the school's primary booster club.

'Ahahui Koa Anuenue's annual fee of $300 gives a member the right to buy a season ticket in a prime location in any UH sport that requires a premium-seat "donation."

The policy affects most first-time buyers or those wishing to move to seats in the Stan Sheriff Center's lower bowl.

"Basically, if you're not a (booster club) member, you need to be one to purchase a (season) ticket (in the lower bowl)," UH associate athletic director Tom Sadler said.

Sadler said current season-ticket holders are exempt from joining the booster club, although they must pay a premium donation of $60 for women's volleyball and $80 for men's basketball. He said a booster club fee covers the cost of the premium-seat "donation."

This year, the UH Board of Regents approved measures allowing 'Ahahui Koa Anuenue to control 3,379 season tickets — the majority of lower-bowl seats — for women's and men's volleyball and men's basketball.

In his proposal to the board, UH athletic director Herman Frazier said the money generated would pay for gender-equity expenses, mandated union salary raises and increased travel costs.

"It's all of the expenses of running an athletic department," Sadler said.

Jack Laufer, a Kailua accountant, learned of the new policy when he tried to upgrade his two season tickets for Rainbow Wahine volleyball. For the last five years, he bought two season tickets in the Stan Sheriff Center's upper bowl. Based on information from a brochure included with his ticket-renewal package, Laufer believed he needed only to pay a higher premium-seat donation to relocate to two seats in the lower bowl. Laufer said he did not realize he would have to pay an additional $300 per ticket.

Laufer voiced his objection in a letter to this newspaper's editor. Yesterday, he likened the situation to "Sears or some other department store advertising a product at a certain price, and then you find out you have to pay extra. It's like a bait-and-switch to me. They advertise at one price and charge you much more."

Sadler said the brochure indicated that joining the booster club was a requirement. "If we were remiss, we needed to say there was a $300 annual fee," Sadler said.