Copyright 2002 Journal Sentinel Inc.  
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
June 19, 2002 Wednesday FINAL EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 10C

LENGTH: 436 words

HEADLINE: Group says Title IX falling short;
Women's Law Center cites money inequities

BYLINE: DON WALKER of the Journal Sentinel staff

BODY:
Thirty colleges and universities around the nation are failing to provide their female athletes their fair share of scholarship money, a women's advocacy group charged Tuesday.

The Washington-based National Women's Law Center released its long awaited report on the effects of Title IX just five days before the 30th anniversary of the landmark legislation that barred sex discrimination in education programs and activities, including discrimination in sports programs.

The study claims the annual gap amounts to nearly $6.5 million in lost athletic scholarships to young women at these schools.

None of the schools is in Wisconsin.

Among the schools named were such well known institutions as University of California at Berkeley, University of Miami, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame, Michigan State University, University of Cincinnati and University of Texas.

The law center sent letters to the schools, warning them that, as far as the organization was concerned, the schools were in violation of federal law.

For the purposes of the study, the athletic scholarship gap represents the difference between the percentage of female athletes and the percentage of scholarship dollars they receive.

The law requires the percentage of total athletic scholarship dollars awarded to male and female athletes to be within 1%, or one scholarship (whichever is greater), of their total athletic participation rates, absent any legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons. In other words, if female athletes represent 40% of the athletes at a school, they should get between 39%-41% of the athletic scholarship dollars.

According to the report, the athletic scholarship gaps at the 30 schools range from 4% to 17%.

The gap between what an average female athlete and an average male athlete at a school received in scholarship ranged from $993 to $6,545 per a year, for a loss of between $3,972 and $26,180 during a female athlete's four-year college career at the 30 schools.

According to the study, at the 30 schools, the average male athletic scholarship is $7,875 and the average female athletic scholarship is $5,744, with female athletes receiving on average $2,131 less per year than male athletes.

"As our investigation shows, we still need continued and greater enforcement of Title IX," said Marcia D. Greenberger, co-president of the law center.

"It takes a long time to root out this kind of persistent discrimination. Now is not the time to weaken the policies that have greatly expanded opportunities for student female athletes."



LOAD-DATE: June 19, 2002