Monday, 6/30/97 Administrators, not law, should take the heat
Budget cutting makes feminism feel like reverse discrimination
By Steve Kim Daily Bruin Contributor Title IX– "No person in
the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex … be subjected to
discrimination under any educational program or activity." Numerous
collegiate athletic administrations have responded to Title IX in a
not so idealistic way. Their response is simple. To balance the
number of male and female athletic scholarships and maintain the
department’s budget, they cut off men’s teams and use that money to
either lower their budget deficits or replace them with women’s
teams. This has fueled thoughts of reverse discrimination and
bitterness to this seemingly feminist law. On June 12, Cal State
Northridge made the news by relieving four of its men’s sports
teams – baseball, volleyball, swimming and soccer – to comply with
Title IX and decrease its $800,000 athletic department deficit.
Cuts of such drastic measures were received with shock, since all
four of them, especially the baseball and volleyball teams, enjoyed
success. Northridge’s baseball team played in the regionals four
times in six years at Division I, while its volleyball team earned
national attention by placing second to UCLA at the 1993 national
championships. With such notable success, it is indeed a surprise
that Northridge’s officials decided to terminate these teams. Even
UCLA had to adjust to the shift in budget several years ago, by
cutting funds to its winning men’s gymnastics and swimming teams.
The recent Northridge incident brought an atmosphere of resentment
toward Title IX. Many believe that Title IX is a feminist law that
is meant to support females in the educational system at the
expense of males. That is not the case. The reason that Cal State
Northridge had to resort to cutting its four men’s team was that it
had not taken appropriate fund managing preparations in advance.
The very act of mentioning Title IX by the administrators and media
is a subtle way of blaming a fair and much needed law in our
society. This is a country where women have historically gotten the
short end of the stick, especially in sports. Title IX encourages
equal opportunities for both men and women in the educational
environment and should not be considered a burden. The title,
signed by President Nixon in 1972, was meant to expand women’s
opportunities in the educational system over a period of time
without having to downsize those of men. While Title IX’s
conception happened 25 years ago, it’s amazing that it wasn’t until
1988 that many colleges complied with it. In 1988 its jurisdiction
was restored by several lawsuits which sent a serious message to
balance opportunity in collegiate sports. Now numerous
institutions, like Cal State Northridge, which hadn’t fully
complied when they should have, are suffering the consequences of
failing to work creatively and efficiently with the given
situation. Had they taken appropriate accommodations and plans they
would have prevented much loss and frustration. Donna Lopiano, the
head of Texas’ women’s athletics, utilizes innovative fund-raising
ideas to increase the women’s athletic budget. Two of the annual
fund-raising events staged by the department, a spring walkathon
and a tennis-golf gala which includes an auctioning of memorabilia
of high- profile Texas athletes, raise about $65,000. These are
prime examples of how schools can create their own innovative plans
to work within the given budget. "Few people stop to think that the
primary mission of the university is the pursuit of truth –
learning. If we held to the theory that only the money-makers
should exist, then our education system would be in sad shape,"
Lopiano said. "Liberal arts is as important as chemistry despite
the fact it does not produce revenues. The same principle should be
applicable in athletic programs." Lets face it: in the majority of
cases, men’s sports enjoy more popularity than their female
counterparts. That’s why men’s teams command more media coverage,
corporate sponsors and even numbers of teams than that of women.
This applies both on the educational and professional level. Most
women’s sports on the professional level actually suffer more from
lack of support because professional sports is driven by the
commercial engine of capitalism. Just because men’s sports in
general reap more money and interest does not mean we should
abandon or neglect women’s teams. Especially in an educational
setting like colleges, where their very foundations are based on
creating opportunities to seek knowledge and broaden mental and
physical horizons, it is crucial to guard the sacred ideals of
civil equality and diversity. Of course it is great to have the
popular and profitable programs, but let’s not get too carried away
with our pride to put aside other important programs in the
educational system. That’s why it is so important to have equality
laws like Title IX without placing the blame on them. Blame the
fans for lack of support, blame the administrators for poor
financial management, but don’t blame the law. To oppose Title IX
is to oppose civil rights. It is sexist to say that women do not
deserve to have the same opportunity to play, excel and reap the
rewards of hard work and dedication as a larger percentage of men
have been doing. One wouldn’t dare say that people of one race
should enjoy more privileges than people of another race in fear of
being called a racist. However, when it comes to gender
discrimination it’s surprising how society treats sexism as a bias
of a lesser degree. Don’t do it. Equality is equality. Period.
Previous Daily Bruin Story Women merit equality in sports, April
24, 1997