UH Released the Sugar Bowl List

About how UH needs to release information quicker in the future, JD said:
"There are probably several lessons to be learned here, but first and foremost, we need to go back and figure out a better way to get accurate information out. Even though I wasn't involved in setting the policy or determining who would go, during my term, we will be committed to correcting this situation and doing things right. Even though this was our first (Bowl Championship Series) bowl, and (UH's opponent) the University of Georgia didn't release its (travel) information until about a month ago, I want to apologize to The Advertiser, who filed the initial request, for not providing full details by the end of April or early May." (HA)

HA Note: "Herman Frazier, in consultation with the Chancellor's office, crafted a policy in which each department within the athletic program was allotted a specified number of personnel who would receive all-expenses-paid trips to the Sugar Bowl. What's more, each invitee was allowed to bring a guest and, in some cases, additional family members. A guest list also was created for Upper Campus employees. According to people familiar with the situation, the athletic department employees received printed invitations distributed by the office of Carl Clapp, the associate athletic director who was in charge of implementing Frazier's travel policy. As the guest list was compiled, several concerns were raised about the selection process. For instance, one athletic department officer was allowed to invite his girlfriend and her twin daughters. But the administrative assistants to Frazier and Clapp — Margie Okimoto and Erika Buder-Nakasone — were not extended invitations. Okimoto has the most seniority in the athletic department with four decades of employment. Buder-Nakasone helped organize the travel arrangements."

Not understanding why UH took so long to release the full list, UH Regent Kitty Lagareta said:
"They should have disclosed this (list) from day one. I don't see why it was so top secret." (HA)

HA Note: "Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and her husband, Leighton Oshima, were among the dozens of people who flew on a University of Hawai'i charter jet to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans."

HA Note: "Hirono, in a statement issued by her spokesman Marvin Buenconsejo, said she flew on the UH charter with her husband with the understanding that they would pay for the roundtrip flights later. The flights cost about $1,300 per person. According to Takayama, Hirono and Oshima paid for the trip after the costs were calculated in March."

Stating that she had always planned to pay for her trip, Hirono said in a statement:
"I attended the event on the clear understanding that I would use my personal funds to fully pay for all of my and my husband's expenses, which I did. It was an honor to join the University of Hawai'i administration and athletic department in attending the biggest game in Hawai'i Warrior football history." (HA)

HA Note: "Hirono was the only political figure who flew on the UH charter. Other elected officials who attended the Sugar Bowl such as Gov. Linda Lingle and Mayor Mufi Hannemann flew to New Orleans on their own, paid for their own flights and hotel accommodations and were not part of the official travel group. Clapp, the UH associate athletic director, also traveled to the Sugar Bowl with family members. According to records release yesterday, five members of the Clapp family were among the members of the UH party. Clapp said earlier he paid the university for the travel of his family members but declined to disclose the costs. According to Takayama, Clapp's reimbursement presumably occurred after March since the costs for the airfare and other travel costs were not available until then."

About how the Sugar Bowl travel party issue is not over, Rep. Takai said:
"From my perspective, disclosing the names is just part of the equation. The question that still needs to be asked is how was the $2 million spent." (HA)

HA Note: "The full list included the names of at least 45 people that the university previously blacked out due to concerns raised by the public-employees union, the Hawai'i Government Employees Association. The university also revealed the names of 30 other participants — including Associate Athletic Director Carl Clapp and five members of his family — who were previously left off the list because they reimbursed the school for the travel. The university had earlier promised participants that their names would not be released publicly if they reimbursed the school."

Mark Platte, senior vice president and editor of The Advertiser, welcomed the disclosure by the university but said the newspaper's review of the matter is not done.
Happy that the list was released but noting that HA's review of the Sugar Bowl travel situation is not done, Mark Platte, senior VP and editor of the HA, said:
"The Advertiser is pleased that the University of Hawai'i finally agrees with us that the official UH travel list for the Sugar Bowl is the public's business. Now we can get down to investigating in what official capacity each travel guest represented the university at taxpayer expense." (HA)

About how taking so long to release the list was an unnecessary PR nightmare for UH since the trip involved state funds and the list was public, UH journalism professor Gerald Kato said:
"I'm surprised that the university dragged its feet in releasing the information. The worst part of this delay in releasing the information is that it makes it seem like they have something to hide." (HA)

About how they do not know when they will determine whether laws were broken by providing trips to certain people, Hawaii Ethics Commission Executive Director Daniel Mollway said:
"We'll just review it to see who went. If we have questions, we'll ask them." (HSB)

About why they released the full list, UH spokesman Gregg Takayama said:
"We basically told (the union), 'We understand your concern, but we don't feel you have a strong case.' Also, we took pains to edit out the names of children best we could. That was a lengthy process, as well as (conferring with) our legal counsel. There were many moving parts." (HSB)


The letter from HGEA's Kevin Nakata to UH President McClain asked UH to withold releasing the names of its members and their guest, saying in part:
"Unfortunately, it appears that the university failed to inform the affected employees that their travel would be subject to public disclosure. Had that fact been shared with potential travelers they might have declined the opportunity to travel. As a result of the university's oversight, HGEA respectfully requests that the university not release the names of the affected employees and their guests." (HSB)

HGEA Executive Director Randy Perreira said that HGEA members were in New Orleans to work and they requested to have the names blacked out to discourage:
"scrutiny, including 'why he went and why he didn't go.' Granted, it's an assignment no one would turn down, but the bottom line is they were going for a purpose. Our organization was not seeking to protect their (UH's) interest. Our interest was to maintain confidentiality for our employees. We didn't want to see employees subjected to questions like 'Why'd you get to go?'" (HSB)

About their reaction when UH first asked the HGEA if it would be okay to release the full list, Perreira said:
"Our response, at the time, was we believed the university should not release the names." (HA)

Perreira said that HGEA members went to the Sugar Bowl with:
"legitimate work assignments. ... In that sense, they had to go." (HA)

HA Note: "Bringing along a guest followed a practice used when the Warriors played in the 1992 Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Perreira said the union believed its members would face "unnecessary scrutiny" if their names were released."

About the requests for the list, Perreira said:
"I understand the motives of the (news)paper." (HA)

However, Perreira added that others might question why some employees:
"were selected and not others." (HA)

About how concerns over who got to go to the Sugar Bowl should be directed towards UH officials, Perreira said:
"We don't control nor do we have a say in (the invitations). Our interest is to protect our employees." (HA)

About the letter he sent to UH officials stating HGEA's position to keep the list private, Perreira said:
"We did not make any threats. We made a request." (HA)

About how guests, including spouses and children, might fall under a different level of scrutiny than employees, Perreira said:
"We're not looking to contest what the ethics commission is doing, but I don't think the ethics commission should question if staff was invited inappropriately. Undoubtedly, there are others who should be questioned. Our organization does not think it's right for people to travel on the state's dime for no good reason." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Six people who were guests of UH employees have reimbursed the school for Sugar Bowl travel expenses. They are the wife and four children of associate athletic director Carl Clapp, and a guest of then-media relations employee Markus Owens."