Thirty-five years ago, a simple 37 words changed the course of athletics with the adoption of Title IX. But it could be the four words at the end of the law which have led to hundreds of debates trying to determine their meaning.
"Receiving federal financial assistance" is how Title IX closes its statement that no person shall be excluded from participation in any educational program, including athletics, which coincidently, was never mentioned in the original text of the law, yet is where the law is frequently applied.
The question then lies, if an academic institution is to adhere to Title IX because it receives federal aid, then what about private institutions who receive no tax revenues from the state? Do private schools such as Valparaiso University and Andrean High School have to regulate their athletic programs if they are not receiving the same state monies that Indiana University and Valparaiso High School might see?
"It's not just about athletics' financial aid," NCAA director of education services Karen Morrison. "If private schools receive any financial funds, which almost all of them do, such as a guaranteed student loan, then they need to adhere to Title IX.
"It only takes one dollar of any kind to make them qualify."
The NCAA does not enforce Title IX on its programs; rather, the Department of Education handles the cases. Throughout the history of Title IX, there have been institutions such as Grove City College in Pennsylvania (1984) that have challenged whether it is wholly necessary to abide by the law.
Grove City continually refused state and federal financial assistance, but allowed its students to receive Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which then qualified the school to participate in Title IX.
When Grove City failed to comply with the law, the Department of Education sought to suspend the student financial aid program, eventually determining that there was no "substantive difference" between institutional assistance and money received by the institutions students.
"(Title IX) just the right thing to do as an athletics program," Valparaiso director of athletics Mark LaBarbera said. "We don't need the federal government to tell us that all of our athletes should have the same opportunities.
"If you play soccer, it doesn't matter what squad you're on, and if you play basketball, it doesn't matter which one of our teams you're on, you're getting the same treatment."
With many of today's high school athletic directors growing up during the formation of Title IX, it has become a law that is as commonplace as the Constitution for every school.
"It's hard to picture the law not existing," Andrean athletic director Bill Mueller said. "I don't know how it couldn't.
"The one sound bite that fits is that when you get to a no child left behind, there was a stage, no matter your situation. Women have the ability to run, skip, jump and fly just like everyone else and in my mind, it has worked very well for all of us."Labels: academy awards, career training, education online, financial aid, free college, free education, high school, scholarship, student loans, study abroad |
