Throwback: April 21

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Yale University has recently come into the national spotlight for alleged Title IX violations. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights launched an investigation based on complaints of students and alumni.

Title IX was passed in 1972 so that any educational program or program receiving federal financial assistance could not discriminate on the basis of sex.

In 1996, Penn needed to recertify its Athletics Department with the NCAA. In an effort to bring Penn Athletics up to the terms of Title IX, the department created a Gender Equity Advisory Group.

The committee met twice a year to discuss issues and inequalities between female and male athletes. It worked mainly toward bringing women’s facilities up to par with those the men used. It also studied safety issues, such as the need for alarms in all athletic facilities — “particularly for women who may be there late at night,” then-intramural softball coach, Chairwoman of the committee and former Penn Nursing professor Ruth McCorkle said.

1999 College graduate and one of the student-athletes on the committee Matt Schroeder told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the largest issue facing gender equality in athletics was the media. “The media in particular should be more attune to women’s athletics. I don’t think television or newspapers give women’s athletics enough coverage ­— and women’s athletics is just as exciting,” Schroeder said.

Although there is no Gender Equity Advisory Group at Penn Athletics today, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee works on athlete welfare issues, including gender equity.

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