Shoji putting in work to get students in stands

They spilled out of the 500 lower bowl seats allotted them. According to Stan Sheriff Center ticket manager Walter Watanabe, 605 University of Hawaii students attended the volleyball team’s first match of the season Friday.

The average for last year was 162 per match, with a 2011-12 season-high of 431 students lured to a match that included shooting of a "Hawaii Five-0" scene.

It’s a little bit of good news for a department, campus and university system that will take any it can get amid all the negative stemming from the failed Stevie Wonder benefit concert and its massive fallout.

One big difference in this case is UH isn’t making disgruntled people more angry with confounding and compounding missteps. Quite the opposite.

CREDIT THE athletic department for its initiative and monthly meetings with various campus entities, all aimed at reconnecting with students unhappy with the athletics fee instituted last year.

And Wahine coach Dave Shoji spoke with his own money last year; he paid $500 so 100 students could get into the NCAA tournament opening-round matches for free. That’s got to generate some goodwill and loyalty. "I felt that it was rough that all of a sudden they had to pay," he said.

At a gathering of about 1,000 new student dormers last week, Shoji delivered a David Letterman-style Top Ten list of why they should attend Wahine volleyball.

By all reports, he killed. And he breathed more life into the arena.

"The No. 1 reason I gave was ‘It’s free, a cheap date,’ " said Shoji, who has even offered to feed students and give them tours of the arena.

Plus, they win. That helps a lot. And there’s the location — right on campus.

"It was a very good start," ASUH student body president Richard Mizusawa said. "I think the meetings helped, as well as email blasts, banners. A significant impact, more excitement than previous years."

FOOTBALL’S a tougher sell because of the distance from campus to Aloha Stadium, the team being in what is expected to be a transition year, and the fact that HPD and the liquor commission cracked down on underage drinking in the parking lot last year.

But new head coach Norm Chow considers reconnecting with the students a priority. Plans include a personal note to the dorm students via email, reminding them about free transportation and tickets prior to the home-season opener against Lamar.

"I’m excited about what we already have in place, but even more for what’s on the horizon," said UH associate athletic director John McNamara, who has organized the meetings and promotions.

I still disagree philosophically with charging students a mandatory athletics fee, simply because so many of them cannot attend games due to other commitments, such as work. And Mizusawa said a survey of UH students shows most are still unhappy with it, too, leading to an ASUH resolution asking for repeal.

Realistically, that’s not going to happen. But at least more students are taking advantage of the benefits that come with the charge, and UH’s coaches and administrators are putting some real, sincere effort into letting them know what’s available and making them feel welcome.

———

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.