Thursday, June 24, 1999

Assistant AD post
being cut by UH

Eliminating the job will save
$75,000, athletic director
Hugh Yoshida says

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

The position of assistant athletics director for student services will be eliminated in a budget-cutting move, according to University of Hawaii athletic director Hugh Yoshida.

The cut, which Yoshida said would save more than $75,000, affects Kaia Hedlund. Her duties are to oversee athletes' academic needs, compliance with NCAA regulations, training, equipment and facilities.

"We felt we needed to downsize," said Yoshida, faced with a $1 million operating budget deficit for the current fiscal year.

Hedlund, who is chairwoman of the Men's NCAA Water Polo Committee and will soon become chairwoman of the NCAA Committee on Financial Aid, is expected to stay with the university in another capacity.

"It's strictly a budget decision, and she will be involved in the transition," said Yoshida. "We're not putting her out to pasture."

Yoshida said the job will be phased out within a year in a reorganization process, but he could not set a timetable.

He said he could not offer any information at this time on what Hedlund's future at the school might be.

"The details have not been worked out at all," said Hedlund.

There is speculation she could assume the vacant position of tutorial coordinator.

Yoshida was asked if he expects any repercussions for cutting an administrative position held by a woman while the school is attempting to comply with Title IX gender equity requirements.

"There could be, but I don't anticipate any because this is really based upon budgetary considerations," he said.

Yoshida said once the position is cut, responsibility for overseeing NCAA compliance will be delegated to another part of the athletic department, and the academic supervision of athletes will be handled by a department on the upper campus.

"What we will be doing is placing the academic component in the (College of) Arts and Sciences," said Yoshida. "Then we will be working with them to ensure we provide the best from a tutorial standpoint, an advisory standpoint, and a scheduling standpoint, so that our kids can graduate."