University of Hawai'i officials yesterday apologized for the delay in releasing the complete list of the school's traveling party to the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

What's more, they promised to avoid a similar delay in responding to future requests for information.

Faced with a lawsuit from The Honolulu Advertiser and an inquiry from the state's Ethics Commission, UH yesterday released the complete travel list and expenses.

Two weeks ago, UH released a partial list, with at least 48 redacted names. That list did not include each traveler's position, role and expenses.

"There are probably several lessons to be learned here, but first and foremost, we need to go back and figure out a better way to get accurate information out," athletic director Jim Donovan said. "Even though I wasn't involved in setting the policy or determining who would go, during my term, we will be committed to correcting this situation and doing things right.

"Even though this was our first (Bowl Championship Series) bowl, and (UH's opponent) the University of Georgia didn't release its (travel) information until about a month ago, I want to apologize to The Advertiser, who filed the initial request, for not providing full details by the end of April or early May."

Last December, after completing a 12-0 regular season, the UH football team received an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl, one of six lucrative games that is part of the BCS.

Soon after, Donovan's predecessor, athletic director Herman Frazier, in consultation with the Chancellor's office, crafted a policy in which each department within the athletic program was allotted a specified number of personnel who would receive all-expenses-paid trips to the Sugar Bowl.

What's more, each invitee was allowed to bring a guest and, in some cases, additional family members. A guest list also was created for Upper Campus employees.

According to people familiar with the situation, the athletic department employees received printed invitations distributed by the office of Carl Clapp, the associate athletic director who was in charge of implementing Frazier's travel policy.

As the guest list was compiled, several concerns were raised about the selection process.

For instance, one athletic department officer was allowed to invite his girlfriend and her twin daughters. But the administrative assistants to Frazier and Clapp — Margie Okimoto and Erika Buder-Nakasone — were not extended invitations.

Okimoto has the most seniority in the athletic department with four decades of employment.

Buder-Nakasone helped organize the travel arrangements.

In January, Frazier was fired as athletic director.

In March, Advertiser columnist Ferd Lewis filed a Uniform Information Practices Act request seeking the travel list. When the information was not released, The Advertiser announced it would file a lawsuit to spur the release of the list.

UH's legal counsel then contacted the Hawai'i Government Employees Association, the union that represents state workers. HGEA was asked if it objected to the release of the list.

"Our response, at the time, was we believed the university should not release the names," HGEA executive director Randy Perreira said.

He said the union members on the list were invited for "legitimate work assignments. ... In that sense, they had to go."

Bringing along a guest followed a practice used when the Warriors played in the 1992 Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

Perreira said the union believed its members would face "unnecessary scrutiny" if their names were released.

"I understand the motives of the (news)paper," Perreira said, but added that others might question why some employees "were selected and not others."

He said those concerns should be posed to university officials.

"We don't control nor do we have a say in (the invitations)," Perreira said. "Our interest is to protect our employees."

Perreira said he sent a letter to UH officials stating the union's position.

"We did not make any threats," Perreira said. "We made a request."

UH then released the list with the redacted names.

While maintaining that the union members' names should not be included, Perreira yesterday said the union would not mount any legal challenge if the school was compelled to release the list.

Many of the previously redacted names released yesterday were UH athletics administrators such as assistant athletic directors, and athletic staff members such as trainers, equipment managers, etc.