A pillow-soaking nightmare is taking a test in a class you have not attended all semester.

A similar scenario played out last week when new University of Hawaii president Wendy Hensel and acting athletic director Lois Manin met with a group of state lawmakers.

After some introductory pleasantries, both were asked: What’s the financial plan for the UH athletic department?

Never mind that Hensel started managing the 10 UH campuses on Jan. 1. Or that Manin is a placeholder until a successor is found for Craig Angelos, whose 18-month tenure as athletic director ended on Dec. 1. Interim leaders do not get to set long-term policy, as the New York Jets emphasized after Robert Saleh was fired as head coach five games into the 2024 season.

It also is a question with an unconquerable answer. While most support UH fielding a sports program — it unites fans and communities; brings attention and revenue; fuels tourism, and boosts employment — most Division I athletic departments are not profitable, even with tax-exempt status and massive television deals. (Almost all university departments also are not profitable; science fairs, apparently, do not pay the bills.)

UH reported (and an independent auditing company confirmed) that the athletic department ran a $2 million deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. Despite a few programs turning a profit, notably football and both volleyball teams, overall the department finished in the red for the umpteenth year in a row.

What’s more, the cost of running an athletic department is skyrocketing. In addition to the usual expenses — scholarships; cost-of-attendance stipends; salaries and benefits; operational fees; travel; medical, insurance and training, and so forth — there are name, image, likeness payouts; gender-equity requirements, and the House vs. NCAA settlement that opens the way for retroactive pay to former student-athletes who did not benefit from NIL deals.

Specifically at UH, there is a football team that is playing home games at a temporary venue that many fans deem as inadequate, the growing division between power and mid-major conferences, and, even, the Manoa rain that continues to further delay the completion of an on-campus soccer and track complex.

But if lawmakers want a plan, any plan, the response should be:

>> UH is seeking to raise even more money through sponsorships and donations. Reality? That’s always the intent.

>> The goal is to maintain a partnership with Spectrum, which currently pays $3.1 million annually in rights fees, while also seeking a greater share of the future television revenue from the Mountain West. As a football-only affiliate, UH kept its Spectrum revenue but had only an inconsequential share of the Mountain West’s deals with TV outlets. In 2026, 15 UH teams will be joining the Mountain West — in time for what is hoped will be new television arrangements for the league and restructuring of distributions to member schools.

>> A new athletic director will be in place this summer, Hensel told the UH Board of Regents in a meeting last week. Hensel has said she likely would use a search firm to help build the pool of candidates. A screening group might be formed to narrow the field and, perhaps, offer a recommendation.

Hensel has promised a fair and transparent process. But there understandably are concerns, given the history of UH committees. Following Hugh Yoshida’s retirement as AD in 2002, a search committee was convened. The committee overwhelmingly recommended former UH football coach Dick Tomey. But then-UH president Evan Dobelle sifted through the applications, became star-struck when he saw an Olympic gold medalist among the applications, and hired Herman Frazier.

In 2015, the requirements for athletic director were so restrictive that Rick Blangiardi and Keith Amemiya did not receive interviews. In 2020, they were the finalists for Honolulu mayor. The requirements also appeared to be restrictive when the job opened again in 2023.

The hope is that a Hawaii-based search firm will be used. As a prominent sports figure suggested, the only requirement should be a candidate must know how to pronounce “Kalanianaole.”

And the next AD must have ties to a large national company or a billionaire or two willing to donate to UH and/or the construction of Aloha Stadium’s replacement. Amemiya and former UH basketball player Jarinn Akana are two prospective candidates with such connections.

Most of all, after detailing a plan — whether it’s workable or not — UH leaders should tell lawmakers: “We welcome your suggestions and guidance.”

When questioned by a group that controls part of your revenue, the best answer is always delivered with humility and inclusiveness.