Females forgotten?
Title IX examination unfolds
Jonathan B. Opet
Issue date: 10/17/05 Section: News
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Wanted: women athletes for College of Marin women's athletics. Needed: more women's athletics.
About 114 male student-athletes were involved with the athletics department during the 2004 to 2005 academic year, which is in stark contrast to the 19 women who participated. However, that year women's basketball had been discontinued due to low enrollment; it was re-instated in 2005. The projection for 2005 to 2006 is 114 men and 35 women.
"In the last ten years the percentage is essentially the same," said Jim Brovelli, director of athletics at COM.
There are apparent contributing factors to the inequality of the number of male and female athletes competing. Most discernible are the football and baseball programs.
Two sports are all-women: basketball and soccer. Football, baseball, basketball, and soccer each have an all-male team. Swimming and diving, track and field, and water polo are coeducational. Nine men and no women participated in track and field during 2004 to 2005 and seven men and one woman participated in water polo the same year.
"On our coed sports there are more males than females, and then secondly, you have the football and the baseball-all male," Brovelli said.
Recently a complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights against COM's athletics department. Representatives from OCR were on campus Sept. 19 to Sept. 21 in order to investigate the college's compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
"The Office of Civil Rights ... received a complaint and so the district's obligation is to provide information as well as the OCR having the ability to investigate the allegations," said Linda Beam, the executive dean of human resources and labor relations.
Beam said the OCR hasn't determined whether the allegations are true or false.
A previous similar complaint was filed against COM in 1982. An investigation by the OCR revealed no violation of gender discrimination.
Title IX says no person shall be subjected to discrimination, on the basis of sex, under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
About 114 male student-athletes were involved with the athletics department during the 2004 to 2005 academic year, which is in stark contrast to the 19 women who participated. However, that year women's basketball had been discontinued due to low enrollment; it was re-instated in 2005. The projection for 2005 to 2006 is 114 men and 35 women.
"In the last ten years the percentage is essentially the same," said Jim Brovelli, director of athletics at COM.
There are apparent contributing factors to the inequality of the number of male and female athletes competing. Most discernible are the football and baseball programs.
Two sports are all-women: basketball and soccer. Football, baseball, basketball, and soccer each have an all-male team. Swimming and diving, track and field, and water polo are coeducational. Nine men and no women participated in track and field during 2004 to 2005 and seven men and one woman participated in water polo the same year.
"On our coed sports there are more males than females, and then secondly, you have the football and the baseball-all male," Brovelli said.
Recently a complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights against COM's athletics department. Representatives from OCR were on campus Sept. 19 to Sept. 21 in order to investigate the college's compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
"The Office of Civil Rights ... received a complaint and so the district's obligation is to provide information as well as the OCR having the ability to investigate the allegations," said Linda Beam, the executive dean of human resources and labor relations.
Beam said the OCR hasn't determined whether the allegations are true or false.
A previous similar complaint was filed against COM in 1982. An investigation by the OCR revealed no violation of gender discrimination.
Title IX says no person shall be subjected to discrimination, on the basis of sex, under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.