Chris Voeiz, assistant athlatic director, says Oregon’s switch to the NCAA from the
AIAW is motivated by money as well as better competition. “The NCAA was
■HHHnMl I II
looming an ever-loving gold carrot in front of our face. We saw It as a way to nibble
at the carrot." Oregon will compete In NCAA championships this season.
AIAW headed for new acronym - R.I.P.
By DONALD COULTER
Ot th* Emarstd
At the rate things are going,
the AIAW probably won’t exist
one year from today.
The AIAW—Association for
Intercollegiate Athletics for
Women—has lost 20 percent of
its membership (a drop from 961
schools to 772) since the end of
NCM may gain control of women's sports
the last school year Another 12
percent will not participate in
AIAW national championships
this year
The defections are due to a
new “old” kid on the block For
the first time, the NCAA (Na
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tional Collegiate Athletic As
sociation) is ottering national
championships in women’s
sports And they’re luring
everybody who’s anybody in
women's athletics away from
the AIAW
Prior to this year, the AIAW
was the voice for women’s ath
letics Formed in 1971, and rid
ing the crest of Title IX legisla
tion. it took women’s sports
from the days of bobby socks
and hoop skirts to the revenues
of bigtime television contracts
But all that changed on Jan
13, 1981 On that date, the
NCAA executive council voted
to offer national championships
for women, starting with the
1981-82 academic year
The consequences have
proved disastrous for the AIAW
Eighteen of last season s top
20 women's basketball teams
have shifted to the NCAA Vir
tually all West Coast schools,
which comprise much of the
best in women's athletics, will
compete in NCAA champion
ships this year Only 52 percent
of Division I schools that were
involved previously in AIAW
championships will return this
year
The decisions behind these
schools abandoning the AIAW
for the NCAA are varied and
complex Many coaches and
athletic administrators were at
tracted by the financial benefits
and prestige offered by the
NCAA Others wanted to escape
the stringency of AIAW rules
Most cite a combination of both
these reasons
Chris Voelz, Oregon's assis
tant athletic director and head
coach of the University s voll
eyball team falls into this latter
category Though Oregon has
yet to join the NCAA governing
body for women's athletics, it
will participate in NCAA cham
pionships this year
Voelz says one of the reasons
behind Oregon's switch was to
save money In contrast to the
AIAW, the NCAA will pay for
traveling expenses to send
teams to its national champion
ship Oregon spent an average
of $60,000 annually to send
women's teams to AIAW cham
pionships over the past few
years The savings will be used
to bolster other aspects of the
women’s budget, she says
"The NCAA was looming an
ever-loving gold carrot in front
of our faces," Voelz says "We
saw it as a chance to nibble at
the carrot ''
In addition, Voelz says Ore
gon was lured to the NCAA by
the huge national shift in
competition With many of the
best women's teams in the
Under New Management
Let’s do it again
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country to participate in NCAA
championships this year, the
competition in the AIAW cham
pionships will be watered down
"There would be a chance for
us to finish higher in the
AlAW's—and maybe even win a
championship," she says "But
we don't want to be a big fish in
a teeny pool ”
Voelz is also disappointed
with the AIAW s method of self
regulation A completely volun
teer organization, the AIAW has
strict recruiting rules to protect
the student-athlete, but often
lacks the means to enforce
those rules
"The AIAW needs to be more
realistic," she says "They have
moved into big-time athletics,
but there are flaws that exist
with their policing system
Tom Heinonen, head coach
for women s cross-country and
track teams at Oregon agrees
with Voelz "The restrictive rules
(in the AIAW) are there to
benefit the athlete, but on the
other hand, the rules are unen
forced
"Philosophically, it's fine But
practically speaking, it's ab
surd Schools cheat right and
left "
Heinonen's point illustrates a
mapr qualm about the AIAW
that many coaches and admin
istrators share The organiza
tion can not—or will not—come
up with money for a full-time
enforcement unit. Instead, it
professes not to need one
"You can't legislate morali
ty," AIAW president Donna
Lupiano said several years
back, "but I think that women
are different than men I don't
think were doomed to
repeating the men's mistakes."
The AIAW hasn't suffered the
scandals that men’s athletics
have gone through, but the op
portunities to cheat remain Al
most everyone involved with
intercollegiate sports feels that
Continued on Page 7B