Hawaii athletics projects $11 million deficit, could cut three sports

The budget issues in the University of Hawaii’s athletic department have been well documented. This week, its Board of Regents released a report that anticipates an $11 million deficit for the next three years and recommends eliminating three programs – men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving and co-ed sailing.

Per The Ka Leo, UH’s student newspaper, the report states that the athletic department “remains in a very critical stage” and “without significant change to current operations or adding new revenue subsidy,” the department will face continued deficits.

"While our department’s sport programs strive to compete for championships, we do so on a very bare- bones operating budget and budget shortfall that has led to program mediocrity," the report says. "As our department struggles to fund our program aspirations, it remains difficult to achieve a sustainable and consistent level of competitiveness."

With that said, the Regents recommend five options in order to improve the athletic department’s financial situation.

From The Ka Leo:

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  Request and receive a direct allocation of G funding from the state legislature for the next two biennium state budgets between $3-$4 million per year.

  
  


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  Receive additional institutional support from the university over and above our current projected allocations for FY2016-FY2018 up to our full cost of athletic scholarships (tuition, fees, room, board and books).

  
  


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  Increase the student athletic fee from $50 to $75 per semester (which would generate approximately $850,000 to support the department’s 475 student-athletes).

  
  


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  Eliminate 3 sport programs —Men’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Swimming and Diving and the Coed Sailing Teams — which would save approximately $1.35 million but will eliminate 20 percent of our athletic opportunities representing 98 student-athletes from Hawai’i. Since the affected sport programs are equivalency sports, most if not all of these student- athletes are tuition and housing-paying students which will be additional lost revenue offsetting potential savings.

  
  


• 
  

  Create a well-thought and comprehensive business plan to take the university’s licensing program in-house after the Licensing Resource Group (LRG) contract year concludes to grow (and protect) our UH brand and marks in Hawai’i and overseas. Review and optimize the number of licensees and the diversity and breadth of licensed apparel and soft goods.

  
  

The Hawaii athletic department previously asked the state for $6 million for two years to help alleviate its budget concerns.

Former athletic director Ben Jay resigned in December.

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