The University of Hawaii Bookstore is willing to let the athletic department’s H-Zone take over athletic merchandise sales at the football team’s road sites, an official said.

Deborah Huebler, director of Campus Services, said the bookstore, will, "gladly bow out" of sales at the Nov. 15 San Jose State game if the H-Zone wants to step in.

Jeff Portnoy, chairman of the Board of Regents Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, expressed surprise at Monday’s meeting that the bookstore, not H-Zone, would be selling merchandise at the game site under exclusive agreement and was dismayed at learning that both were selling athletic logowear.

Huebler said the bookstore did not have an exclusive agreement and had initially turned down an approach by the UH Alumni Association to take on the game and the Rainbow Warriors’ other five road contests.

Subsequently, Huebler said, the bookstore consented to do just the one game due to costs.

The athletic department said it had been researching the financial feasibility of doing two games, the Oct. 18 game at San Diego State and the San Jose contest, before being notified by the UHAA that the bookstore would work the event.

Huebler said, "It was and is the intention of the UH Bookstore to work hand in hand with H-Zone to complement each other’s offerings and demographics."