Title IX Complaint Prompts Antelope Valley Investigation

The Antelope Valley College athletic program is under investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Education for alleged violations of Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination against women.

Representatives of the department’s Office for Civil Rights, responding to an anonymous complaint filed in March, are visiting the college this week, touring facilities and interviewing administrators and coaches.

The complaint alleges that the college is “discriminating against female students . . . by denying them an opportunity equal to that afforded to male students to participate in intercollegiate athletics.”

The school is accused of favoring male athletes in the following areas:

* Accommodation of the athletic interest and abilities of students.

* Provision of opportunities for athletes to obtain work study jobs in the athletic department.

* Provision of equipment and supplies.

* Scheduling of games and practice times.

* Modes of travel and per diem allowance.

* Assignment and compensation of coaches.

* Provision of locker rooms, and practice and competitive facilities.

* Provision of medical and training services.

* Provision of publicity, recruitment and support services.

The three-member group will submit its findings to school officials by the end of the week and a final determination on a course of action will be made within the next two months, a department spokesman said.

“We cannot identify [the source of] the complaint,” spokesman Rodger Murphey said. “But there is no such thing as an unimportant civil rights case. We investigate them all.”

Jackie Lott, the Antelope Valley women’s basketball coach, said she would welcome improvement in women’s athletics.

“I have a real strong loyalty to Antelope Valley College and I have faith in the system,” Lott said. “It is my belief that most institutions--including Antelope Valley--think they are in compliance when, in fact, they probably have some work to do.

“Do I have a wish list? Of course, I do. But I certainly don’t think we’re being mistreated here.”

Coaches of the Antelope Valley softball and women’s volleyball teams could not be reached.

Brent Carder, the college’s athletic director and football coach, referred questions to a campus spokesman.

“We have no idea who made the complaint,” said Steve Standerfer, director of public information for Antelope Valley College. “It’s disappointing. We already were doing an internal review of the athletic program. We were looking internally to address what we were already doing.”

Murphey of the Office for Civil Rights declined to speculate on possible consequences if the school is found in violation of Title IX. Murphey said the case is one of approximately 5,000 handled annually by the OCR, and most are resolved without sanctions being imposed.

The OCR can withhold federal funds from schools that fail to comply with Title IX, which was adopted in 1972 to ensure equality between sexes in education, including interscholastic athletics. Murphey described withholding funds as “a worst-case scenario.”

“If what we find is true, [Antelope Valley] will be given an opportunity to resolve the issues,” Murphey said. “If they address the issues in the complaint, it almost always ends with that.”