Southern Illinois University has been found out-of-compliance with federal Title IX regulations. The findings of the investigation comes in spite of reducing the number of men’s scholarships it offers early last year – which at the time, SIU said was a result of a budget and Title IX compliance review.
As a result of the latest findings, SIU will add a women’s soccer program to its offerings. The team will play as a club program in the 2018-2019 season and evolve into a full varsity program in 2020.
The report outlines the findings that Southern Illinois does not meet any of the 3 tests for determining Title IX compliance. Title IX is designed to ensure equal opportunities in scholastic athletics for male and female student-athletes.
- SIU does not meet Test 1 requirements. There was a 7.0 percent difference between the participation rates between male and female student athletes and the enrollment rates of male and female students for the 2015-2016 academic year. The difference is significant and represents approximately 65 participation opportunities.
- Currently, SIU does not meet Test 2 (history and continuing practice of program expansion) requirements because it has been twenty-six years since the last sport for women was added (swimming/diving in 1989-90).
- It cannot be determined that SIU meets the third test because there are indicators of interest (i.e., club & high school participation and competitive region competition) for bowling, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer and rugby. Additionally, since beach volleyball has become an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women it has grown significantly and is being considered by most NCAA Division 1 institutions. It is difficult to comply with Title IX requirements for Test 3 in general and probably not possible for SIU simply because of not sponsoring women’s soccer. Women’s soccer is a major intercollegiate sport for women, and is played by over 750 high schools in the state, and is sponsored by seven other schools in the MVC. However, if SIU chooses to adjust the sports it sponsors and proportionally (Test 1) compliance is obtained, Test 3 compliance will be moot.
For reference, the three-part test is as follows:
- The number of male and female athletes is substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments; or
- The institution has a history and continuing practice of expanding participation opportunities responsive to the developing interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex; or
- The institution is fully and effectively accommodating the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex.
In the same announcement that they would be reducing scholarships for the men’s swimming and diving team, the school also in January of 2017 cut both the men’s and women’s tennis teams in order to save $660,000 amidst the state’s ongoing budget crisis. It was the coach of the tennis team, Judy Auld, and former player Molly Beckmann whose complaint with the Office of Civil Rights that prompted this investigation.
I’ve been saying it for ten years and no one seems to listen. If you want to save swimming and olympic sports amend the ASA so that colleges that receive federal funding must spend a certain amount of their athletic budgets on Olympic sports and give a certain percentage of scholarships to American athletes. Stop ragging on Title IX. The enemy is football.
Illinois is a large USA Swimming LSC had has incredibly talented athletes. Is is very sad that Illinois universities have very little to offer these swimmers to stay in-state. University of Illinois doesn’t even have a men’s program. The state’s continuing budget issues will only get worse, and we will continue to see our in-state talent compete for out of state schools.
as sad as the state that has hosted the last 3 (soon to be 4) Olympic Trials that has zero D1 scholarships for men.
It is time for us to enact Title XX! into law! This law will offer scholarships and opportunities to the fastest, strongest, and most athletically gifted.regardless of gender. There will be no “underrepresented sex” as NCAA sport will be gender neutral. That is the fairest way and the way of the future. If whimpy men and all women athletes are dissatisfied with this they can play intramural sports!
some of the most talented athletes in the world are currently ncaa women swimmers. you’d do away with that because their times aren’t as fast as the guys? talk about a lousy opinion. Can’t think of a race i’m more excited to see this spring than the women’s 200 free rematch
So basically no women’s athletics except for the ones who can compete with guys at high level like Katie Ledecky
ABSOULTELy NOT!!! This is a gender neutral move neither against women nor for men…think of it as there are no men or women JUST ATHLETES all doing their best. This way the best compete and the “rest” can do the same in intramural or club events UNTIL they become the best. This is the fairest system possible.
It always seems swimming gets the shaft. Sorry to hear swim scholarships were reduced. Do they not have a women’s swim to divert the scholarship funds?
Is there anything that says that they have to add a sport or can they cut another sport? What decides that? I guess budget and the minimum number of sports?
Who owns the swimming facility, is it athletics or campus rec? I assume they are not filling in the pool so you still have the cost of the pool maintenance. Could they have kept women’s swimming to stay compliant?
Dan – just to clarify, they didn’t cut men’s or women’s swimming, they just reduced the number of scholarships available to the men’s team.
I’m puzzled about this sentence: “..the school also in January of 2017 cut both the men’s and women’s teams in order to save $660,000 amidst the state’s ongoing budget crisis.” Was that a temporary cut?
Tennis teams*