Ka Leo article on the ASUH opposition to an athletics fee at UH

KL = Ka Leo O Hawaii

About how they will oppose a athletics fee until they see a formal proposal and take a student poll, ASUH President Jaime Sohn said:
"On February 10, we announced our stance in opposition to the proposal until a formal proposal and student poll is presented. We don't want to support the implementation of a fee unless the proper steps are taken, so that we can get the students' input." (KL)

KL Note: "A press release sent out by ASUH this week stated that Donovan "requested that ASUH not poll students and instead make an informed decision on their behalf.""

About how their might have been some miscommunication with ASUH about taking a student poll, JD said:
"I specifically told the subcommittee that it could be more powerful if the students were polled, but we just don't have that much time to get a referendum. ... We can't wait 12 to 18 months to get the results of a poll back." (KL)

KL Note: "In late January, the athletics department and student Senate met in an open meeting to discuss the proposed athletics fee for each full-time undergraduate student. With the athletics fee, Donovan stated that a percentage of seats to sporting events would be made available to students for free."

About how he feels that the athletic department has tried hard to communicate with ASUH regarding the proposed athletics fee, JD said:
"We did exactly what (ASUH) told us to do. (They) canceled two subcommittee meetings and we tried calling and rescheduling, because we told them that it was very time sensitive for us and we wanted to try to get something to the regents by May or June so that it can be approved for September 2009." (KL)

KL Note: "In a third meeting, the student Senate passed a resolution stating opposition to the implementation of the athletics fee."

About how he wants to avoid cutting a sport, JD said:
"I absolutely don't want to cut any sports. I think we have the right size programs for the University of Hawai'i and the state of Hawai'i. But at some point we may have to cut expenses, and we're going to have to look at possibly cutting a sport." (KL)

About the men's sports that might get cut, JD said:
"We can't cut football or men's basketball. So, that leaves baseball, men's volleyball, tennis, swimming (and diving), and golf." (KL)

KL Note: "Despite the possibility, Donovan said that the regents' meeting last Thursday and Friday gave him the sense that they won't be cutting a sport anytime in the near future."

About how UH is the only school in the WAC without a student athletics fee, JD said:
"The thing I kept telling the Senate was ask yourselves why we are one of the few schools in the country, and the only one in the Western Athletic Conference, that doesn't have a student athletics fee. What is the compelling argument or reason why we don't have it?" (KL)

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