Granted, the UH football team is in dire need of support and would have a tough time getting it under the current budget constraints as mandated by UH president Kenneth Mortimer.
But what kind of message does it send to the other departments on campus, who also suffered severe cuts under the current administration? And how does Cayetano do it without undermining Mortimer's authority?
"He's going to try to assist us," UH athletic director Hugh Yoshida said yesterday after Cayetano arranged a meeting with Yoshida and Rainbows head football coach Fred vonAppen.
"I think he's sensitive to it," Yoshida said. "So he's going to try to approach it from a standpoint that it will be beneficial to everybody."
Cayetano became concerned after vonAppen told the Star-Bulletin last Wednesday that the program needs some modifications if it wants to be competitive on a national level.
Although Yoshida disputes some of the promises vonAppen believes were made when he first came on board in December, he agrees that charter flights, a review of stipends and an expanded budget for recruiting trips are necessary if Hawaii wants to escape its current downward spiral.
"The governor wanted to discuss some of the concerns, and see what the situation was and see what could be done to help the program," Yoshida said.
"Some of the things we discussed were constructive, and trying to see how some of those issues can be resolved. When we have concrete answers, we'll announce them."
Yoshida said it was possible the Rainbows would get a charter flight as early as this season. He also said that while the kids could eat as much as they wanted on upper campus, the modest stipend of $650 a month for off-campus athletes is something he will address.
Another sensitive area being discussed is the $1.2 million that Mortimer removed from the athletic department budget last year.
This money was formerly supplied by the Legislature. Mortimer has given the department three years to wean itself from this sum and become self-sufficient.
"At this juncture, nothing has changed," Yoshida said. "The president gave us a directive and it was to become self-sufficient in three years.
"Based on my marching orders, this is what we're trying to get done. I will be visiting with the president to see if there are any other options available."
Mortimer was not present at yesterday's meeting with Cayetano. Yoshida said it was not an emergency session, and that Cayetano didn't instruct vonAppen to quit complaining to the media.
Was vonAppen called into the principal's office?
"If he got called in, it was just the fact that the governor wanted to visit with people," Yoshida said. "He wanted to know what he could do to help the athletic department at this time."
VonAppen voiced his concerns, but said the meeting held in the governor's office was a constructive one.
"It was an exchange of ideas about the problems here," vonAppen said. "I don't know how the meeting was driven. Any time you can discuss problems and the solutions to those problems, I think it's therapeutic. But then you have to solve the problems. That's the next big obstacle."
VonAppen wants the problems to be settled as soon as possible to benefit his current team, not just the squads of the future.
He feels these first few steps to upgrade the program were promised to him by Yoshida eight months ago, but the athletic director disagrees.
"I honestly don't remember making these specific commitments to Fred," Yoshida said.
VonAppen countered, "Do you really think I would come over here and become head coach if I wasn't offered some assurances by the administration that things would be done to improve the program?"
Yoshida added that he wasn't sure when these problems would be solved, but hoped it would be over the next week or so.
Teams: Boise State Broncos at Hawaii RainbowsWhen: Saturday, 7:07 p.m., Aloha Stadium.
Weekend update: Boise State lost to Eastern Washington, 27-21, onSaturday when Maurice Perigo scored on a 28-yard interception return with 4:52 remaining. Boise State, was held to 43 yards rushing in the first half.
Facts & figures: Boise State, which bolted the Division I-AA Big Sky Conference to join the Division I-A Big West this season, is 1-2.