University of Hawai'i athletic director Herman Frazier yesterday vowed to continue addressing "issues" involving the school's deteriorating athletic facilities, a day after star quarterback Colt Brennan called for improvements — including soap in locker-room showers.

Frazier said money for capital improvements is limited but added that UH is working on a master plan to improve facilities "in athletics and the entire university."

Associate athletic director John McNamara said the department is "working on problems that can be solved immediately."

This week, maintenance workers started the process of putting in soap dispensers. Several were installed yesterday.

Brennan raised attention when he called for upgrades to the facilities in an exclusive story in yesterday's editions of The Advertiser.

Brennan, who is a candidate for the Heisman Trophy as the nation's top college football player, announced in January he would return to UH for his senior season. But since his decision, he noted, there have been few to no changes implemented to improve conditions for the student-athletes and support staff.

He said the maintenance crew is understaffed, and the staff at the Nagatani Academic Center was underpaid and overworked. Brennan also emphasized the absence of soap in the football locker-room showers — a situation that he said has become symbolic of the athletic department's problems.

"We've had broken (soap) dispensers ever since I got here," Brennan said. "We've never had soap on a consistent basis."

The Warriors' monthlong spring training ended last Saturday.

Brennan's comments drew widespread response. Two companies offered yesterday to donate soap dispensers. Heide & Cook, a mechanical contractor, is willing to pay for a year's supply of liquid soap. The Honolulu Quarterback Club started a soap drive.

"I didn't speak out because I wanted to point the finger or put any people in a bad situation," Brennan said. "That was not the intent. I wanted to bring awareness to the upper campus and the people who allocate the resources to the lower campus (where the athletic department is located).

"I think upper campus really put the athletic department and faculty in the lower campus in a tough position by not implementing a plan to get us the resources and money to take all of our athletic programs to the next level."

McNamara said "limited resources" are forcing the department to prioritize projects.

Topping the list, he said, is changing the artificial turf at Les Murakami Stadium and the Cooke Field infield, which was condemned more than a year ago.

After signing hundreds of "H" logo merchandise items at last week's 'Ohana Festival, Brennan said he realized how little of those proceeds trickle down to the athletic department.

According to UH officials, the athletic department receives 40 percent of 8 percent of a product's wholesale value. For example, if a licensee sold a shirt to the RainBowTique for $10, the athletic department's share would be 32 cents, even if the retail value of the shirt was pumped up to $30.

"What trickles down affects us," Brennan said. "When resources are tight, things like soap can get overlooked pretty easily."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.