2008 Woodie Awards
Title IX not being met by community colleges
Report Studies show only 8 percent meeting standards
By: Michele Polendey
Issue date: 5/13/04 Section: Sports
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Women are being denied the opportunity to play sports as often as males, as only 8 percent of community colleges in California are in compliance with Title IX standards, according to state studies published by the L.A. Times.
Title IX, the federal law that requires a balanced ratio of men to women in all school sports, was passed in 1972. Under Title IX requirements, each coach is paid the same, and equipment costs are equal as well as recruiting.
"We try to give all teams equal support, meaning the track team gets the same support as the volleyball team," Dave Shannon, athletic director, said,
EC currently offers 10 women's sports and 11 men's sports and meets Title IX standards.
While not making sports available to students is a problem, that is only one of the factors that contributes to the decreasing rate of women participation in sports at the community college level.
Title IX has forced many of the four-year colleges to work harder to enroll women athletes into their sports so that they comply to its regulations.
The study shows that universities are reaching compliance at a much higher standard than community colleges are.
"Women who would usually be going to a two-year college and then transferring to a four-year are now gaining scholarships to the UCs right out of high school," Shannon said.
This has caused many EC coaches to become more aggressive in their scouting for players from the feeder high schools.
Another problem lies in the tuition increase. Tuition fees are expected to rise over the summer, which will force some athletes to make a priority decision among classes and the sport they wish to compete in.
"Where sports like cheerleading may have cost twenty-two dollars a semester, it will now cost fifty-two dollars," Shannon said.
Badminton player Tomoe Okaguchi said that the hike in cost will not discourage her from coming back.
"I like playing the sport," she said. "I will still continue to play with the increase."
Title IX, the federal law that requires a balanced ratio of men to women in all school sports, was passed in 1972. Under Title IX requirements, each coach is paid the same, and equipment costs are equal as well as recruiting.
"We try to give all teams equal support, meaning the track team gets the same support as the volleyball team," Dave Shannon, athletic director, said,
EC currently offers 10 women's sports and 11 men's sports and meets Title IX standards.
While not making sports available to students is a problem, that is only one of the factors that contributes to the decreasing rate of women participation in sports at the community college level.
Title IX has forced many of the four-year colleges to work harder to enroll women athletes into their sports so that they comply to its regulations.
The study shows that universities are reaching compliance at a much higher standard than community colleges are.
"Women who would usually be going to a two-year college and then transferring to a four-year are now gaining scholarships to the UCs right out of high school," Shannon said.
This has caused many EC coaches to become more aggressive in their scouting for players from the feeder high schools.
Another problem lies in the tuition increase. Tuition fees are expected to rise over the summer, which will force some athletes to make a priority decision among classes and the sport they wish to compete in.
"Where sports like cheerleading may have cost twenty-two dollars a semester, it will now cost fifty-two dollars," Shannon said.
Badminton player Tomoe Okaguchi said that the hike in cost will not discourage her from coming back.
"I like playing the sport," she said. "I will still continue to play with the increase."