University of Hawai'i Athletic Director Jim Donovan said the school is seeking help from its students and Aloha Stadium to stem a budget crisis that may force it to cut a sport.

An independent auditor, Accuity LLP, yesterday told the Board of Regents committee on university audits the athletic department has a $5.4 million net deficit built up over the past five years. UH officials are projecting a $3 million deficit for this fiscal year, which concludes June 30, as the economic slump batters the athletic department.

Donovan said cutting one of UH's 19 sports would be a "last alternative."

Donovan said athletic officials met with representatives of the Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i, asking them to consider an athletic fee, which would go to the department. Such fees are common at schools with major athletic programs and, in exchange, students get free admission to athletic events.

UH now offers students free admission to some events and reduced ticket prices to others. Until the early 1980s, UH offered a package to students and received about $50,000 in return, according to Donovan.

But Donovan told regents that ASUH representatives were against the fee. "They told us, basically, 'We don't want our money going to help you get out of a deficit.' " Donovan said he asked them to, "please reconsider, please go back and talk to the whole ASUH Senate."

"I did tell them, 'We will have no choice but to take a look at selling some of their prime seating (locations) to the public so we can turn it into revenue, because we're coming up short.' I don't know if we'll pull that trigger, but (pretty soon), that's going to be the only thing we can do."

Donovan said UH is the only school in the nine-school Western Athletic Conference that pays for use of a football stadium and does not share in parking or concessions revenue.

As the stadium's major on-field tenant, he said, "What I'd love to do is be able to have some of the (surplus) funds annually transfer over to us, if that's possible."