Is the Kansas University athletic department headed for another public relations debacle? One would think after the controversy stirred by the handling of the redistribution of season-ticket seats in Allen Fieldhouse that the department's management would be more sensitive when tampering with tradition. But now, word is seeping out that long-term ushers for KU basketball games may soon be on their way out.
The athletic department isn't entirely responsible for the change -- Manpower, the company that currently manages the ushers is getting out of the business -- but, again, it seems the situation could have been handled better. A Kansas City firm has been hired to provide staffing for all KU basketball games, but no special consideration apparently will be given to about 80 ushers and ticket-takers, some of whom have done those jobs for 40 years or more, many of those years on a volunteer basis.
The current workers will have to reapply for their jobs, and the statements of a representative of the new staffing firm didn't indicate the new contractor felt any obligation to try to retain existing workers.
To make matters worse, as of the middle of this week, not all of the workers even had received notification of the situation although their services may no longer be needed after next Saturday.
As was true of the reallocation of Allen Fieldhouse seats, poor communication and handling has created far more hard feelings than were necessary. Change is inevitable, but that is no reason not to consider the feelings of longtime KU fans or workers.
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