UA pays travel expenses for more than team

Although Athletics Department officials yesterday would not release a list of people who were part of the UA's delegation to the Final Four, players, coaches, cheerleaders, band members and others directly affiliated with the team are not the only people traveling to the tournament at the university's expense.

Wilson and her father departed from Tucson International Airport yesterday morning aboard the University of Arizona basketball team's charter, ASUA accountant Gail Tanner said.

In a phone interview last night, Wilson said that her airfare, hotel costs, tournament ticket, ground transportation and meals were all being paid for by the Athletics Department.

UA President Manuel Pacheco and senior vice presidents Joel Valdez and Paul Sypherd also left yesterday to go to the Final Four, a secretary in Pacheco's office said on condition of anonymity. The secretary, however, did not know if any of the three were aboard the team's charter flight.

Athletic Director Jim Livengood, reached in his Indianapolis hotel room yesterday afternoon, said a list of people the UA sent to the Final Four was available for release, but he did not have it. He directed the Daily Wildcat's inquiry to John Perrin, senior associate athletic director for business affairs, who is also in Indianapolis.

"I have no problem releasing it (the passenger list). I just want it to go through the proper channels," Livengood said.

Perrin, however, said last night that he was not able to find the requested information.

"Some of the people are not university employees and I don't know if I'm allowed to release those names," he said.

Other Athletics Department officials at the UA refused to release the documents, stating that the department decided before yesterday that the information would be kept private.

ASUA adviser Jim Drnek said that each year the UA basketball team goes to the Final Four, the ASUA president receives a pair of tickets to the tournament.

Wilson, however, said she believed the Athletic Department invited her to the tournament because of her position as the student representative to the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee.

"Honestly, I think that if I didn't sit on the committee, I wouldn't have been given this opportunity," she said.

The Intercollegiate Athletic Committee plays a role in deciding how student basketball tickets are distributed.

Each school participating in the Final Four was given 3,500 tickets. Of the four schools, the UA made the least number of tickets available to students - 350.

Wilson said she has been in Washington, D.C., since spring break and was unaware of student opinions regarding Final Four ticket allotments. She said she could comment on the issue because she has been out of town.

Wilson said she would like to work on the number of student tickets allotted and the possibility of changing the disbursement of available tickets. She said she would begin that process by discussing the issue with Athletic Department officials in Indianapolis this afternoon.

"If students were upset (about the ticket allotment for the Final Four) there is nothing that we can do this year, but I think that there is potential for change in the system," she said. "It is perfectly reasonable that students want to support their fellow students (in events such as the Final Four)."

Wilson said that she is hoping to make changes in the system before the end of her term as ASUA president.

Daily Wildcat reporter Amanda Riddle contributed to this report.