Oberlin trends reflect more than just law

Everyone who has walked in front of the equipment cage at Philips gym has seen them at least once: nice women's lacrosse shirts, volleyball tops and bottoms and soccer bags for sale. Behind them, crisply folded and never worn piles of women's warm-ups and uniforms load the shelves of the Philips equipment room.

This is the paradox of Title IX at Oberlin. Title IX, which has spawned enormous change in educational institutions across the country since its inception in 1972, requires this surplus. The surplus in the equipment room indicates that Title IX, for all its positive effects, sometimes seems to get in the way. Yet the fact that there is a surplus on Oberlin's shelves symbolizes Oberlin's commitment to meeting every aspect of Title IX.

Title IX is an amendment added to an educational bill in 1972.

If a men's team has 15 players, and a women's team has only 10, the Athletic Department must still purchase fifteen uniforms for each team. Though this extra spending wastes budget resources that could go elsewhere, some prefer surplus to deficit.

"It's best to make up for the past," said Varsity Equipment Coordinator Virginia Covalt, "It's good to have enough in case you need it."

Covalt, who has been at Oberlin for 18 years, remembers when she had to run equipment for women athletes down to the old field house and Hales, the women's. "They didn't build the building with women athletes in mind. The women's gym was Hales and the men had Philips."

Oberlin's Title IX Athletic Policy Information Guide explains that "Title IX refers to a section of Federal law, The Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions which receive Federal funds."

Though often equated with "gender equity," Title IX has a narrower focus. Gender equity revolves around fairness, and emphasizes equal access, participation, and support for men and women. The explicit goal of Title IX is to avoid gender discrimination in athletics and in the classroom.

To meet this goal, Title IX provides a three-part test. First, institutions can comply with Title IX by providing opportunities for males and females that are substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.

This "proportionality rule" provides a readily calculable measure of compliance. Some institutions have axed entire men's programs to achieve a ratio of male-to-female athletes equal to the ratio of male-to-female undergraduates. As harsh as this may seem, some institutions find this test easier to pass than test number two.

The second test requires a history and continuing practice of program expansion responsive to developing interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex. Compliance with this test is difficult to prove in court.

The final test requires demonstration that the present program accommodates the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex. This test leaves the institution even more vulnerable in court, without even a history of expansion to defend its policy. Most institutions, Oberlin included, meet all three tests to varying degrees.

"We work in an institution," said Athletic Director Don Hunsinger, "that has always been committed to making sure all aspects (of Title IX) are met."

To ensure that to meet Title IX requirements, Oberlin compiles an annual report of participation and funding for all of varsity teams.

Head Swimming Coach Dick Michaels nursed Oberlin women's athletics in its infancy. In the early 1970s, Michaels allowed women to train with his men's cross country team. The women accompanied the men to a meet Sept. 22, 1973, planning to run exhibition. The competition had other ideas.

The Ohio Wesleyan University team threatened to go home if the women persisted in running with the men. OWU filed a formal grievance, citing an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) rule which limited competition to male students. The future Yeowomen headed south to OWU to protest the incident.

In a 1995 interview, Michaels said, "We had a bunch of students marching around with placards, and everyone said, 'Oberlin's raising hell again.' I said, 'We'll be here again next year because I'm going to do it again. It's unconscionable.'"

Michaels never marched again. The word male was deleted from the OAC clause that summer. Suddenly, Oberlin started to feel the effects of Title IX.

"It would've been difficult if not impossible for a school with Oberlin's avowed philosophical bent to ignore gender equity even without enabling legislation," said track team member first-year Mary Margaret Towey.

Nevertheless, many observers agree Title IX has been a crucial component of developing gender equity in athletics.

"Title IX is a tool that enables quality to be maintained," Hunsinger said. "But it's a sad commentary on society when you have to have a law to do what's right."

Dean of the College Clayton Koppes said, "It is not enough simply to say we don't discriminate. You need to work to provide education for women coaches and players. They're often very happy with their coaches."

Field Hockey player senior Kate Daloz thinks gender discrimination at Oberlin is still alive and well. "For the longest time, we didn't get jog bras issued while men's lacrosse got jock straps paid for," Daloz said. "We share our uniforms with the women's lacrosse team. I'm number six in field hockey and someone on the lacrosse team is out there wearing my uniform right now."

The most recent Title IX investigation conducted by the Office of Civil Rights challenged discrepencies in equipment between Oberlin's men's and women's teams. Oberlin was found to be in compliance March 1997.

"I took President Nancy Dye's class my first year on Women's History." said Daloz. I went in there and told her that our team didn't get our shoes paid for. In a few weeks, we had shoes."

The Athletic Department is now careful to purchase equivalent equipment for men's and women's programs. "We make sure all programs are equivalent, but not equal," said Volleyball Head Coach Suzanne Garland.

Some teams cost more than others. For instance, there is no female equivalent to football. And it is football's budget that pushes men's overall spending over women's. The law does not mandate equal spending on different sports, but does require equivalent standards of quality in equipment and overall athletic opportunity.

Some varsity athletes believe athletes are unfairly treated regardless of gender.

Men's basketball player first-year Zeljko Petrovic said, "It seems to me that there is some kind of opinion that athletes are stupid and that we can't successfully adjust to the classes and to our teams."

Petrovic is grateful he was given the opportunity to be a student athlete at Oberlin, but wishes the College would make a stronger push for its student athletes. "Women and men basketball players were here the whole Winter term and we had to pay for our own food. We played for Oberlin College, yet that college didn't want to feed us."

Koppes said, "We need to improve athletics across the board and women stand to gain in particular from an all around stronger athletics program. Not only do we need to be in compliance with Title IX, we need to move beyond it," said Koppes.

-Kiese Laymon

-Katy Durham-Hammer