Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1996)
Twenty-four years later, gender equity remains a mystery ■V ROBERT MARKER Aunt**! Ham * ARO CARRIE HUTCHISON SttuM.UMt I! NWBUtUBMtlUN *i M»rt h> Mt. V <* KamvU Laws AND RULES. TUEYRI MEANT TO ENSURE ORDER, civility and fairness in society. Without them, we would have chaos. And then there's Title IX — fed etal law requiring gender equity in education. With it has come chaos. What is gender equity? How does the government define it? Doe* it or can it really exist? And how is it to he achieved? I"he»c are the questions at the heart of the I »tlc IX debate as it applies to gender equity in college athletics. Almost a quarter century after the law’s incep tion, many people think these question* arc no closet to being answered than they were in 1972. Meanwhile, the majority of college athletic depart mem* still arc nut in compliance with Title IX. The situation has improved sime an enforcement crack down by the U.S, Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights began four years ago, but the problems remain far from strived. Addition by subtraction !>«*t Tayfew m preparing ho U of Wyoming bateball learn eliminated to achieve grmiei equity — fot it» final iraton *lt’» icverve ditcrimination.* Taylor tayt. adding that Title IX o becoming the dmwve iccue of ipmi — akin to ihe affirmative action debate *.VIen'» ipoitt ate getting dightrd by Title IX* To comply with Title IX. athlet K depaitmem* mutt demonutaie one of the following pruportiunali ty in partKtpation and funding feu male and female athlete*, a hotory of mcteaimg oppoitunitiet for female athlete* 01 an accommoda non of the tntetewt and ability of the uruictrepmettttd genckt Mc»*t tchoolt have choten the hut route to *ttt*fy Title IX — pn>. poioomitity But tt‘« often hard. if not imputubie. to add opportunity fot women without eliminating ■hem fot men Shrinking budgeti |u« don't allow ii One popular method of achy •ng getidet equity »» to eliminate "non revenue* iporn foi men —• team* tkti ton matt to operate than they hung into then athlrtK drpanment — nah at mmmmg wtettling at, at the U of Wyoming, hateful) That money then tan be uted to fund new wumrn't tramt ot to fund rutting wumrn't teamt at a higher level Todd hell, antttant due. tot of tommunttationi lot the Amrotan Football ( oatbn Attotiation. tar* too mot h emphato hat hern put on the propott tonality at pet t of that ten "It't a number* game, and it'* the eattcri one to prove,* be un "Title IX wa* implemented to enture tairnr**. and it'* hand af get nng away from that * W« Biavhrt, a tentot on the U of Wyoming hatrbaU team, tay* he undrnundt the impoctante of Tide IX and that budget* play a majot role in detttion making But he think* admtnittraton thould find hettet way* to ahmr gender etputy "I feel really bad for the guy* who have to find tomrwhere rite to play new year." Brathet tay* "I think if 'admintii(ainrt) went to make 'hinge equal. they thould add >(wm fol women mitred of pertaining torn * Mala, famala and toottMlt? The fact thet three o no ‘um puiwn tjwn* foe women mail King thr fort n tftaoon ami funding tori* of fwahd u ai the mat of the Tide IX dehatt In the propun Mutably equal ion, football. which allow i tat a man mum of If achoteiahip playett, »«* he tiffin by apptoaimatrly ftve women i trimi of 1? full wholai •hip pieyrti each That menu, on (he tutface. that a tthool with a Ml football wyued mutt oHri hie more '(“■in f<»i women then lot men to itfueve gender nputt But (he Al t A hei e hiofogn el non Bath lot ui Iheee are aiiuatlt three gender* I het n thr rutunek behind i*» cleim thet loot hell thould be given tpcctei cakutauon pnvi lege*, if not complete cermption from the equation land coa.hei claim thet then tpott. ekmg with men t beikrthell. hnngi more revenue into college athletic drpettmenti than any other quirt, mon at women > At many tchoolt, a portion at that money ti need lo fund thr "non revenue' (rami Aft A memhrri atk why they thould he prttaiord with teduced tchoiaithip numbetr and imallet head counti whik they aiteedy are doing then pett for Title IX by underwriting other trami "We've been accuaed of wanting to earrnpt football," Bell lay* "We re ium aikmg lhat (hey utc a Imk bu more fauneci m applying T«k tX." Bui fan o fan. *ay* Donna lop uno. eiecunvr director of the Women'* Sport* foundation She *ay» foothall t* a men * *port and thould he ucaird at any other men'* iport "foothall atktng for tpectal rehef under Ttdr IX u a lot like IBM atktng fot an antt-uutt earmpoon." the tayt It can b« don* While man athletic depart ment* are not in compliance with Title IX. Stanford U u often rtxug nued a* the example to follow IT»e Cardinal iport* program offer* 16 tram* for men. 16 for women and one coed tcpiad Stanford official* *ay they've tackled the football problem by awarding more tcbolartbipt to female athlete* cm 'non revenue’ tram* than (of men playing the *ame ipon (ot ream pie. the Stan fold women'* icntm team might (teem five full grant* m aid. while the men i icntm tram might have only one (Stanford U officialt would not irieaie tprtifk ctholar chip Rumhrr*) And through incrrated fundtaittng and revenue genera non, St anfocd ha* managed to add women'* team* without eliminat tng men * w)uadi Tfw road ahaad The Department of (dotation » Oflke foe Cjtfl Right* u in ihatgc of enforcing Title IX and hat drawn much ittocitm (ot ihai enforce mem !hc (X R ha* hern actutcd of failing m offer viable choice* to athletic depattmenu. placing too much t mplcam on the proportion ality option and ducounfing attempt* by vchuoi* to achieve r|ui ty via ihc two other tew* IV concern* of vattou* tchuuh, irverai men * athletic ntganiraoum and other comtituenc ic* have uum balled into a call lot the IX R to clarify it* pouuon on Tide IX com pltancr I hove group* would like the CX:R io recognue effort* to achieve equity in a lew quantitative manner Meanwhile, nothing ha* changed or been clarified I1*r deflate in the interpretation of Title IX appeat* to tlict right ac roc* America and all the way to the nation’* capital In fact. Title !X'» fate could become an i*»ue in ihu tail * election* U S Rep J Denni* Hattrrt IR III.), in an e*»ay tilled “The Unintended Effect* of Title IX.* encourage* athlete* to contact Cam giew member* concerning negative aapect* of the law “Eir*t, we need people to undmtattd that eimunat mg progr am* lot men » tun the way to comply wtth Title IX.“ Haunt write* “It dor* not help women, and tt unfairly puonftr* young men who want to participate “ Mm mT t mi /(*»►,»« m mil car ummrd u amar /*,. dwr Sau tamid tb» mam wa «w*v> mtmdnm ftmf rrttm LX, fa ft tt*m awwr to gmnift mtfuttyT
