Title IX: good or bad?

Many people believe Title IX was helpful. Many blame Title IX for programs being cut.

Title IX states, "No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be exclude from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal aid."

Title IX is a part of the 1972 anti-discrimination laws. It has a three-prong requirement in reference to intercollegiate athletics.
1-Financial Aid
2- Accommodation of Interests and Abilities
3-Other Areas

Financial assistance is based on the number of male/female athletes. It must be financially proportional between the genders. In other words, a school must give as much money to male athletics as they do to female athletics.

The sports and competitive level must accommodate the interests and abilities of the students. A school may not offer women's archery if there are no athletes willing to participate, just to fulfill the gender requirement.

Finally, other areas include benefits, treatment, opportunities including equipment and supplies, game/practice scheduling, travel, housing, publicity, recruitment, etc. and must be equivalent.

Title IX forced Universities and high schools that receive federal aid to re-evaluate their athletic distribution. At the time, in order to accommodate to female athletes, schools did not have enough money to just create these programs for women, and were forced to cut male programs. For example, at the University of Colorado, there used to be Division I Men's Wrestling and Men's Baseball. But when Title IX came into effect, those programs were dropped.

However, recently the Department of Education issued a 'clarification' policy within Title IX that threatens to reverse the past 34 years of women/girls in sports. This policy asks schools to show they are providing information and opportunities to their female students by sending out an email survey asking interest/ability to play. If the student does not reply the school interprets this as a lack of interest and schools can use the emails as a justification of meeting their obligation to female athletes.

You can send an email to Secretary Spelling and ask the new Clarification policy be withdrawn.

Whether the government absolutely needed to step in, women in sports were bound to happen. But Title IX has put women ahead and given them an opportunity, that is yet to equal men's athletics, but it is a start (if it will ever happen). It is unfortunate that at the time Title IX was initiated many programs were cut. But what Title IX does not do, is prevent schools from bringing back those programs. In fact, here at the University of Colorado many believe baseball should be brought back. But if baseball is a Division I sport, CU will implement softball. It is beneficial for all, but it's all about the money.