Gender Equity: The True Sportsmanship : Cal State Fullerton is barred from dropping women’s intercollegiate volleyball

This year is the 20th anniversary of Title IX, the federal law requiring gender fairness in college sports. But there’s not much to celebrate.

Yes, there are small victories. One is expected today when a preliminary injunction barring Cal State Fullerton from dropping women’s intercollegiate volleyball is due to be formalized. But, according to a recent National Collegiate Athletic Assn. survey, women’s athletics in general lags woefully behind its male counterpart in terms of money spent on programs, coaching salaries and recruitment funds.

It’s long past the time when gender fairness should be an issue in college sports.

The NCAA--which once sued to overturn Title IX--is under pressure from Congress to address the question of fairness. An NCAA task force is in the works to study the matter, which NCAA executive director Dick Schultz said recently was “more than a financial issue--it’s a moral issue as well.”

Meanwhile, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights warned college presidents to take Title IX into account when dropping teams for economic reasons. The office also is reviewing colleges and universities--among them Fullerton, Fresno State and San Jose State--for possible Title IX violations.

In addition, the House subcommittee on commerce, consumer protection and competitiveness will hold a hearing on the subject April 9, and Rep. Thomas McMillen (D-Md.), a former professional basketball player and member of the subcommittee, has introduced legislation to try to force compliance with Title IX. His bill also would restructure the distribution of television revenues to achieve gender equity.

Subcommittee chairwoman Cardiss Collins (D-Ill.) has said throughout a series of hearings on the subject that if the NCAA is incapable of bringing about substantive internal reforms that would apply to all of its member organizations, Congress is willing and ready to intervene.

It’s clear from all these activities that, even in times of economic duress, colleges and universities must address seriously the gender issue when making decisions to cut back sports programs.

Suddenly, as one committee spokesman said, equity in college sports funding seems to be “one of the hottest issues going.”

It only took two decades to get there.