STORRS, Conn. (AP) – The University of Connecticut told its employees Friday that they may no longer barter or sell their tickets to sports events.

One of the main architects of the new policy is Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway, whose ticket agreement with a car dealership has prompted a state ethics review.

“When you’re in a job like this you need to know that you’re a public official and subject to scrutiny,” Hathaway told The Associated Press. “I understand the scrutiny. Our decisions are reviewable by many different constituencies on a daily basis.”

Hathaway has acknowledged that his contracts with the dealership were a means to trade some of his personal tickets to UConn events for the use of two cars. He did not disclose the ticket swap in the agreement he initially submitted to the Ethics Commission for review.

The commission is now re-examining an exemption to state ethics laws that allows state employees who are considered “celebrities” to engage in outside employment and accept certain gifts valued above state limits. The commission has not determined if Hathaway falls under the celebrity exemption. The panel plans to meet next month to discuss better defining the term “celebrity.” Hathaway has not sought celebrity status.

Hathaway is among the handful of UConn administrators and athletic department employees who get tickets as a part of their contract, school officials said. UConn president Philip Austin called Hathaway’s actions “clearly a mistake” but lauded him for his “honesty, integrity and forthrightness.”

The new ticket policy does not preclude coaches and other staff from making endorsements. Both basketball coaches Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma have had promotional deals with Nike for years. As part of their contracts, the coaches were required to provide the company with basketball tickets. Under the new UConn policy, the ticket exchange must stop. The policy also does not apply to tickets made available in contracts between the university and corporations.

UConn already had a policy that barred employees from selling their tickets. The new, stricter policy leaves little room for interpretation and comes at a time when even perceived ethical missteps in the state are amplified after a corruption scandal brought down former Gov. John G. Rowland last year.

“We’re in an evolving environment where standards are different,” Hathaway said. “And my job, our job here is to make sure we’re achieving those standards.”

The ticket policy drew praise from the state Capitol.

“I think it’s very positive. Frankly, it’s long, long, long overdue. And I’m glad they’re taking this move,” said state Rep. Christopher Caruso, co-chairman of the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee, which oversees ethics issues.

Endorsement deals and corporate sponsorships are increasingly finding their way into the revenue streams of athletic departments to offset expenses. This year, about 80 percent of UConn’s $45 million athletic budget comes from non-university sources, UConn said.

The use of tickets is just one of a number of ways Division I schools attract and retain their top athletic administrators or coaches.

“Whatever your imagination can conjure up, there’s a contract out there,” said Dutch Baughman, executive director of Fort Worth, Texas-based Division I-A Athletic Directors Association. “What I see across the country now is that institutions are much more creative than ever before.”

Public scrutiny of those contracts is not uncommon, either.

“The notion is it’s an appropriate thing to do,” Baughman said. “I’m sure Jeff would probably agree, as ethical as he is and as much support as has been for (his) programs, most of the time the athletic director will welcome that kind of scrutiny. Frankly, that’s how it should be.”

UConn’s president said that while the practice of bartering tickets is not an NCAA violation, it is no longer consistent with the best interests of UConn or the state.

“As expectations and standards for ethical conduct of state employees evolve, it is important that our employees avoid any appearance of impropriety,” Austin said.

AP-ES-04-22-05 1721EDT