HONOLULU — One by one, current and former University of Hawaii student-athletes stepped up in the Bachman Hall conference room to voice their support for Athletic Director Craig Angelos and criticize UH President David Lassner’s decision to fire him.
Lassner was unswayed.
UH’s system leader, who is due to step down at the end of the year, defended his call to let go the same person he hired 18 months prior “based on performance” as well as the controversial timing of the move, saying he did not want to burden incoming President Wendy Hensel with it.
[Note: See below for more photos of Thursday's UH Board of Regents meeting.]
More than a dozen UH student-athletes and UH Athletics supporters listened near the back of the room. Among them was Maya Holman, a Rainbow Wahine senior heptathlete who, in her short time on campus since arriving this fall, has been impressed by Angelos' empathy for the women's track team's Title IX issues that included a lack of adequate training space on campus.
"We were hoping that because we all showed up, we had people speak, that they would hopefully reverse the decision and reinstate him," Holman told Spectrum News. "I’m hoping the numbers speak volumes."
If they did, there was no immediate indication on UH's end.
Ostensibly for liability reasons, Lassner did not go into specifics on the reasons of Angelos’ dismissal during a 15-minute speech from prepared remarks, but he said he gets both solicited and unsolicited feedback from “internal and external stakeholders and colleagues on a regular basis.”
Lassner acknowledged some of Angelos' accomplishments that the outgoing AD posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, after his firing became official on Tuesday — some of which were mentioned by testifiers Thursday. However, on one of the big ones, UH's move into full Mountain West Conference membership while eliminating opponents' travel subsidies, Lassner remarked that multiple people had a hand in it, including himself as UH's representative on the Mountain West board.
“Positive accomplishments are part of everyone’s performance assessment and I always applaud them," Lassner said.
“As I know full well from my own performance evaluations … a list (of accomplishments) is important but does not capture the totality of the performance of an executive. My job is to make sure that this absolutely critical position is held by someone who can lead all aspects of our program, with its diverse internal, and the many important external constituents into a future we all know will look very different from the past.”
As for the timing of the Angelos dismissal — it was Lassner's last Board of Regents meeting in the president's chair — he acknowledged it was "awkward."
He said he'd realized sooner that change was needed in the AD position but decided he should not make a move while the search for his successor was underway. "The reaction we see now and particularly on social media demonstrates exactly why," Lassner said. "It would have become a major distraction and might have overwhelmed that absolutely critical search."
At the same time, he said he didn't want to leave a problem of his own making to the next person.
Lassner seemed to be well-versed in the discussions that have dominated sports message boards, airwaves and social media all week.
He spent much of his speech blasting online conspiracy theorists — he called them "haters and liars" — some of whom have accused him of rewarding longtime UH Athletics administrator Lois Manin with the department's top position. Manin, the UH associate athletics director, is due to assume the AD job on an interim basis on Dec. 2, the day after Angelos wraps up his tenure.
"The accusations of a coup by individuals in the department, or my rewarding my friends are outright lies," Lassner said.
Manin, who was a finalist for the job that went to Angelos, issued a statement Wednesday that she will not apply again for the permanent position and will relinquish it when Hensel finishes a position search. Lassner said that they are professional colleagues and not social friends.
“If I wanted to hire her as athletic director I had every opportunity to do so,” Lassner said. There were "even worse" allegations that he said he would not dignify with a response.
"Everyone involved in these attacks, whether creating them or promulgating them, whether they are ever held accountable, legally or otherwise, should absolutely be ashamed of themselves and hope they are never caught in some similar web of lies," he said.
Gabe Lee, chair of the Board of Regents, acknowledged to Spectrum News the passion from the UH fan base and those who testified. He said he was thankful for the feedback given to Lassner and the regents, but did not say if it would change anything.
“It is the decision of the president. There’s been some comment that he’s only here for a short while, but we have confidence in him and it is his decision,” Lee said.
However, Lee acknowledged that “there was a communication to the Board” and said the Angelos matter would be under discussion with Lassner in executive session — behind closed doors — near the end of the meeting.
One of the UH supporters in the room was Kaipo Fajardo, a season ticket-holder for Rainbow Warrior basketball for 33 years.
Fajardo, who now lives in Texas but still has tickets for both UH basketball and football, said he felt positive momentum had been generated under Angelos' leadership and that he was saddened by his sudden termination.
He also tried to put himself in Lassner's shoes.
"I think after hearing the President speak, I can empathize with his position," Fajardo said. "It gives a little bit more perspective. ... I don’t have all the data that he has and all the information. I can only see things on my level, which is support for Craig. I don’t think it’s a good decision, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know all the things he’s dealing with too."
While other boosters have pulled support amid considerable uproar within the fan base, Fajardo said, "I guess at the end of the day I’m a big University of Hawaii Athletics supporter. … I’m one of those fans and that’s not going to change."
Jess Mackenzie, a member of the track team who was one of a half-dozen people who testified, said Angelos went out of his way to help address their Title IX concerns with an increased budget and expanded travel roster. Holman, the UH heptathlete and Mackenzie's teammate, said afterward she was underwhelmed by Lassner's response to those kind of points that were raised.
"I thought he spoke down to us, slightly," Holman said. "I thought he addressed the social media stuff himself way too much instead of the community and the issues at hand that we spoke about. I think he was just trying to avoid the subject of what was actually the issue and what we were concerned about."
Also among the testifiers was Kurt Nusterer, the UH men’s volleyball middle who started a change.org petition to get UH to retain Angelos that had nearly 3,000 signatures as of midday Thursday.
“We saw participation from every single sports team in some capacity,” Nusterer said. He said 100% from the men’s volleyball team and women’s cross country signed on; as well as 78% from men’s golf; 61% from women’s soccer and beach volleyball; 67% of women’s track and field; and over 50% from the cheer and softball teams.
“I hope to continue gaining traction and demonstrating the evidence of support there is for Craig Angelos from the University of Hawaii community," Nusterer said. "In the coming weeks, I will ensure majority participation from every single sport on lower campus in the signing of the petition and asking for the reinstatement of Craig Angelos as athletic director.”
Abigail Mawae, a former UH swimmer and a former student member of the Board of Regents, took the opportunity to blast Lassner for what she called his "unilateral decision-making" over the course of his nearly 11 years in the position and a consistent lack of "transparency and accountability."
She pointed to the appointment of Angelos as a direct example. At the time the board approval for Lassner's pick of Angelos in May 2023, regents expressed frustration that they did not get to view details on any other candidates, or even know who they were. A handful of finalists had been recommended to Lassner by a selection committee. The regents' vote was 8-2 with one abstention.
"President Lassner effectively forced the Board to rubber-stamp his preferred choice, and left little room for collaborative decision-making process of the board," Mawae said. "His unilateral approach continued with his decision to dismiss Angelos this week, a calculated move that threatens to destabilize the future of UH Athletics, particularly as we are moving into a new conference, and undermines the trust placed in the university’s incoming leadership."
Jill Nunokawa, an advocate for Native Hawaiian issues and a former UH women's basketball player, gestured at the students in the room when it was her turn to speak.
"Our students matter. They come to the regents to matter," Nunokawa said.
She turned back to Lassner and the board.
"You hired Craig Angelos. Eighteen months later, you can hear from so many of the student-athletes, nevermind the crescendo of the coaches stating that he has their full support. He’s trying to address Title IX. He’s trying to address other issues. And yet, that doesn’t rise to the level of ‘performance’? You have to begin to question this leadership."
The student-athletes applauded loudly at each testimony.
Two people gave remote testimony. One of them was former UH track and field thrower and team captain Montserrat Montanes i Arbo. She appeared via video call from her native Spain despite the 12-hour time difference.
“I can even see from Spain, that this excuse of ‘performance’ for firing him, it’s ridiculous,” Arbo said. “He actually did his job. He met with the students, he listened and he tried to make things better. Even when it wasn’t his mess to clean up. Is that why you fired him? Because he cared?
“Honest actions would have honest reasons, not vague and confidential ones.”
She also criticized Manin, UH’s Senior Woman Administrator, for a lack of support for the women’s track program, which lost its official competition space when the Clarence T.C. Ching Ahtletics Complex was expanded for football purposes. (A new track and field venue is under construction at the space formerly known as Cooke Field.)
Lassner said the in-person testimony was passionate and respectful, in contrast to much of the written testimony.
All that he has done, he said, has been in the best interest of the university in his view. That included the Angelos move.
"To the student-athletes, coaches and staff of our beloved athletic department, I assure you I care deeply about the UH Manoa athletics program and I believe my actions have been necessary, appropriate and professional, based on the information available to me," he said. "I know many of you do not agree with me today, and you are entitled to your opinion based on what you know and I absolutely respect that." He closed with a "Go Bows!"
When he finished speaking, Lassner received applause from some spectators in the room. Few, if any, UH athletes and UH Athletics supporters were among them.
Note: This story has been updated with details and interviews.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.