Posted on: Friday, February 18, 2005

UH seating plan approved

By Ferd Lewis and Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents yesterday approved the new "high-roller" seating section at football games, a move that will "take the (athletic department) deficit question almost off the table," Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert said.

The athletic department has run a deficit for three consecutive years, the last two of which it has sought loans from the chancellor. But Englert said, "my expectation is that with the revenue we will gain from this and other initiatives by Herman (Frazier, athletic director), it will finally lead us out of the deficit and back into the black. This is a key element."

The plan, which will turn 660 seats in the brown loge level at Aloha Stadium over to the 'Ahahui Koa Anuenue booster club for lucrative corporate and individual sales, was passed by an 11-0 afternoon vote of the regents.

In morning public testimony, eight of nine speakers, including UH men's basketball coach Riley Wallace, made presentations in favor of the plan.

Wallace said the ticket plan was needed because, "we are behind in what we're doing as far as asking the community to help us. What we are trying to do with the football tickets, with the loges, is a step everyone (else) already has."

The lone dissenter was Jill Nunokawa, UH Civil Rights Counselor, who said the athletic department was, "asking the fans to bail them out." She asked the regents to hold officials "fiscally responsible."

Bert T. Kobayashi Jr., Koa Anuenue president, said the 660 seats were held by 234 individuals and corporations who would have first option at paying the $3,500 to $15,000 charge. The price rises to $5,000 to $20,000 by 2007.

Included in the price are four to eight seats, depending upon payment level, plus seating rights in arena sports, parking and other considerations. Donations may be 80 percent deductible, UH said.

Vince Baldemor, executive director of Koa Anuenue, said UH expects to take in an additional $1 million through the plan, though Frazier said that number "might be conservative."

Frazier said the money would be used to help underwrite scholarship and recruiting costs and not be used in funding salaries. UH said it has 307 athletes on scholarship.

UH officials said they would personally contact the affected seat holders and offer them relocation options, including reduced rates in some areas.

Derrick Yim, who said he has held tickets in the loge area since 1980, said, "I'm not going to renew. Three tickets I'm probably not going to renew." He said he wasn't interested in being relocated because the seats in the loge area, "are the best seats we could get, rain or shine."

Although payments are expected to be received by June 30, the last day of the school's fiscal year, Frazier said the money would be counted toward the 2006 budget, not 2005.

Frazier said he did not consider cutting sports in light of the deficit years. "They (the regents and chancellor) challenged me to go find new revenue streams instead of cutting, cutting, cutting. I think we've done that."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044. Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8051.