Thursday, September 9, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 23B
I
Golden Gophers athletics found in violation of Title IX
Vlichigan cited as one of the Big Ten schools that complied with the title
y Tammy J. Osid
iinesoa Dail
INNEAPOLIS - One major wing
y - 750 square feet - of the
niversity's new state fair building
epicts student-athletes slam dunking,
itting homers and driving down the
irway. But all these full-color, glossy
hotos showcase men: male athletes,
ale coaches and male athletic direc-
rs.
Female student-athletes were depict-
d on a single seven-foot divider near
e center of the building.
iversity spokesman Mike Tracy
a. the space discrepancy occurred
ecause a women's athletics represen-
tive began working with the state fair
-am too late.
However, fairgoers worried that the
isplay indicated the University values
s men's athletics department far more
an its women's teams.
Even though Title IX prohibited dis-
rimination in all educational programs
than 25 years ago, most colleges
Including Minnesota - have not yet
lly complied with the law.
At the University of Minnesota, vio-
tions occur not only in the three
ajor components of Title IX -
pportunities for participation, schol-
rships and other benefits - but also
underlying attitudes.
To be compliant with Title IX, col-
ges first must provide athletic partic-
ation opportunities proportional to
tall undergraduate enrollment. That
if 50 percent of students are female,
0 percent of athletic opportunities
hoild- be for women. Exceptions to
is component are granted if a school
hows continuous program expansion
esponsive to developing interests of
onieti,
Ii the University's case, athletic
pportunities were available for
Swomen during the 1997-98 school
, according to the University's
999 NCAA Certification Self-Study
eleased this summer. In 1997-98,
88 opportunities were available for
en.
During 1997-98, 51 percent of
ndergraduates were women, said Tom
'ilson, Institutional Reporting and
esearch senior analyst. So 51 percent,
r 329 athletic opportunities, should
ave been made available to women.
f#ad, only 39 percent were.
' hiversity officials have acknowl-
dged this gap in their 1998-2003
'erudr Equity Plan.
"Despite major efforts during the
ast five years, the University recog-
izes that continuing efforts are needed
o ensure that quality athletic opportu-
ities exist for male and female stu-
ient-athletes," the plan states.
Additions of women's soccer and ice
*ey teams along with the planned
ddition of women's rowing in fall
000 will tighten the gap, said Chris
'oelz, women's athletics director.
In 1997-98, only 38 cents of
omen's athletic scholarships were
ssued for every dollar issued to male
thletes, according to data from
Ainnesota's self-study.
To comply with Title IX,
Ylinnesotashould award athletic finan-
:ial aid proportional to the ratio of
4 andfemale athletes. Since 39 per-
:ent of athletes at the University are
emale, 39 percent of the aid should go
o females.
In the last three years, only 35 per-
ent of athletes receiving athletic
cholarships were women.
Even accounting for fewer numbers
f female student-athletes, the average
Jniversity female student-athlete still
ves $263 less than her male coun-
rt a year.
Currently, the women's athletics
department awards the maximum
amount of scholarships allowed by the
NCAA.
The NCAA limits athletic scholar-
ships to ensure schools remain compet-
itive; limits are placed on individual
men's and women's sports.
Title IX critics point out that some
women's teams are allowed more
scholarships than men's teams in the
same sport.
But Voelz said this evolved from the
1981 NCAA takeover of the
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
for Women. Because the NCAA
offered a more limited number of
sports than the AIAW, officials negoti-
ated to minimize harm to women's ath-
letics departments and teams.
"What the women said is, 'Now, wait
a minute. If you're going to take away
these sports from us, you're going to
have to make it up to us by giving us
scholarships in other sports,'" Voelz
said. "It was part of the negotiation so
that women wouldn't lose too many
opportunities overall."
In addition to the two more quantita-
tive criteria, a third category of Title IX
requires other, more qualitative stu-
dent-athlete benefits to be equivalent.
Eleven factors are required to be simi-
lar under this provision, including
equipment, scheduling, travel, tutoring,
coach compensation, facilities, publici-
ty, support and recruitment.
Game and practice scheduling, acad-
emic tutoring, competition spaces and
training facilities for women are all
exceptional at the University and are at
or near Title IX compliance, Voelz said.
The University is progressing in
making supplies, travel and per diem
allowances, and support services more
equitable, but still has work to do,
Voelz said. .
Equalizing medical, housing and
dining facilities and coaching compen-
sation are areas in which the University
has much more work to do, she
added.In order to pay women's coaches
equitably, women's athletics officials
first need to know what men's coaches
are paid, something the University does
not always provide.
Men's head coaches earned an aver-
agem salary of $71,761 in 1997-98.
Overall, the men's athletics department
spent nearly S1.25 million on coach
salaries that year.Women's head coach-
es earned an average $55,142 in 1997-
98. Overall, the women's athletics
department spent $973,545 in that
year, less than 44 percent of the men's
athletics department. Likewise, only 30
percent of University recruitment dol-
lars were spent to recruit female stu-
dent-athletes in 1997-98. Slightly more
than $200,000 went towomen's athlet-
ics while more than $460,000 went to
men's athletics. This figure has been
improving continually,Voelz said.
In 1995-96, 21 percent of University
recruitment money went to recruiting
women. In that year, less than
$100,000 was spent to recruit women
while more than $367,790 was spent to
recruit men.
As with other Title IX measures,
recruitment money is supposed to be
divided in proportion to the male-to-
female student-athlete ratio. Under this
criteria, women's athletics should
receive at least $65,000 more than they
did.
"Getting publicity for women's
sports is an area the University also
needs to improve on", Voelz said.
Because men's athletics draw adver-
tising, men's games are often broadcast
on radio and television. But women's
teams have not yet been able to draw
the same attention, so their games are
not broadcast as frequently.
Voelz said the University should
subsidize coverage of women's games
so women's teams can begin to garner
the public enthusiasm men's teams
already do. Without broadcasting
games, this will not happen, she said.
The state fair athletics display is
another example of the differing atti-
tudes toward men's and women's
sports.
But the state fair inequity is more
than just a visual problem. One-third of
men's and women's athletics tickets for
the entire year are sold at thefair, Tracy
said.
Since Title IX became law, critics
have said it will ruin high-revenue
men's college sports, especially foot-
ball, by giving valuable and limited
men's athletics resources to women's
teams.
Looking down on women's athletics
as an over-eager younger sister is an
attitude still far too prevalent, Voelz
said.
"It's very difficult for any human to
share when they perceive something is
being taken away from them," Voelz
said. "I was the second-born, and I bet
it was difficult when my dad and mom
said, 'Jeffrey, you've got to share with
Chris.' And he'd say, 'No! Why?'Those
kind of infantile and adolescent
responses are sometimes more preva-
lent than we would like."
But instead of women gaining and
men losing, Voelz said both men and
women have gained.
In an attempt to bring its own mem-
bers - the nation's largest universities
- into compliance by 2002, the Big
Ten conference has initiated a Title IX
plan. But the cooperation of its II
members will be necessary.
In 1992 the Big Ten initiated a plan
for 40 women to complete for every 60
men in its member colleges by 1997.
Only four schools - Iowa, Michigan,
Ohio State and Wisconsin - met that
goal. The Big Ten extended its plan to
total compliance by 2002.
"You have to have enforcement,"
Voelz said. "I still remember when the
55 mph law was first passed. I remem-
ber once it was posted 55, there were
police cars, and we were looking
around thinking, 'I'd better drive 55 or
else I'm going to serve the conse-
quences.' What happened with Title IX
is that for many decades people did not
serve the consequences."
As of 1998, none of the I I teams in
the Big Ten conference had neared 50-
50 participation.
The University, still near the bottom
of the conference in several Title IX
criteria, has a long way to improve
before 2002.
Planned improvements - including
new stadiums for women's sports
might be further hampered by scandals
which have rocked the men's athletics
department this year.
This University faces additional
problems stemming from investiga-
tions into academic fraud and sexual
misconduct in its men's athletics pro-
gram.
Although neither women's teams nor
women's athletics officials have been
implicated in these scandals, Voelz said
female student-athletes have borne part
of the stigma of the scandal.
Voelz and other officials in the
Office of Student Development and
Athletics are also unsure how the men's
athletics department's repayment of a
University loan for Clem Haskins' S1.5
million buyout would affect the
women's athletics department. Because
the men's athletics departmental bud-
get was already set when the decision
to buy out Haskins' contract was made,
the University loaned the department
money to be paid back over the next
several years, said Mary Amundson,
Office of Student Development and
Athletics budget director.
Contrary to University President
Mark Yudof's jokes that the University
would only loan money to the depart-
ment at a high interest rate, Amundson
said the loan was made at the
University's standard rate.
At that conference, Yudof also said
the University's gender equity plan
would not be in jeopardy because of
the buyout.
Even if outside organizations donate
money to the men's athletics depart-
ment to fund loan repayments, the
men's athletics department will spend
much more than its 1999-2000 budget,
further increasing the budget gap
between men'sand women's athletics
departments.
"It truly is a moving target," Voelz
said. "If they spent a lot more, they'd
still beinequitable even though we'd
made progress.
Title IX isn't about making men's
andwomen's athletics departments
exactly equal, Voelz said.
"We just want to make certain that a
little girl does not have a third of a
chance of getting a scholarship, a fifth
of the ability to be recruited and maybe
a tenth of the ability to have exposure
in the media," Voelz said.
3
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42
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DANA LINNANE/Daily
The Minnesota basketball team hasn't been that strong of late, but then again,
the enforcement of Title IX hasn't been strong at Minnesota either.
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To schedule an interview or to receive an application, contact
your campus recruitment representative:
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International Center 4
603 E. Madison Street
(734) 647-2182
Peace.Corp unich.edu
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