Title IX enforcement is lacking at most institutions

Its been over 40 years, and Title IX is still not being followed

Read the full article: http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/19403308/woman-reported-gang-rape-baylor-football-players-files-title-ix-lawsuit 

In the May 31st class (module 10), gender equality in sports were discussed, most notably Title IX. Title IX was an amendment made in 1972 to the 1964 Civil Rights Act which states, " No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

In this article, by Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach, the injustices and improper actions of the Baylor football team are highlighted. One women just filed a lawsuit this past May 16th, against the University of Baylor. In the module power point, we learned that Title IX covers a variety of areas like standardized testing, learning environment, employment, and sexual harassment. Baylor University violated the sexual harassment aspect of Title IX, and there are many universities that have.

There was another incident at Michigan State university with 3 football players with sexual assault charges. The investigation has just been finished, but no announcement has been made for the football players. This was done externally by one a Rebecca Veidlinger, who worked at MSU's Title IX office. Although an incident happened, MSU has a Title IX office to handle these situations, while Baylor did not.

Most should find that Baylor did not take proper precautions with Title IX by not having an office dedicated to the enforcement of Title IX. This is systematic throughout the culture of higher education and needs to be corrected. In the power point, it is estimated that 80% of universities are not in compliance with Title IX. This is one example of non-compliance. Universities need to take a bigger stand and spend the money to be in compliance. To not be, is a social injustice and completely unfair to the women of this country. Sports reflect society and for women to have better opportunities in the workforce, it has to start with schooling.

Suggestions for improvement of this system is to have stronger enforcement, with outside federal agencies establishing standards for universities that are closely monitored. There already are, but it should be mandated that universities have Title IX offices on every campus for reporting and strict penalties for not. It will cost money, but fundraising through alumni and student participation could raise it. Students should be involved to help create a safer environment for our fellow students.

The media also needs to prevent stereotyping for genders. We learned in the power point that the media is powerful and persuasive. News outlets act as the watch dog function of society and sheds light on these wrong doings.  News media should be more investigative into our education systems, as they are integral part of our society. The costs are high for investigative journalism, but would be increased viewership for a younger demographic. One example would be the Seattle Times and their work with the University of Washington's rowing team.

The University of Washington fraudulently boosted their numbers of participation of the rowing team to be in compliance with Title IX. They interviewed multiple female students asking about their view on being listed on the roster and not playing. Many didn't even know they were on the roster, because they only attended a meeting. In 2012, they needed 63 women to participate, which they could have created a new team. Instead, they used the names of those who attended a meeting to meet the Title IX demands.

This video is from 60 minutes which institutional failure from Baylor is discussed and how this is societal.

These are two examples of universities that violated Title IX. Although demanding to meet, it is crucial for society to meet these standards. Student fees and tuition are being used for college athletics and universities aren't creating equal opportunity for both men and women. Unfortunately, it continues into the real world, where females only make 70 cents to a male's dollar. Title IX was great by creating a 403% increase in NCAA participation since 1972. But institutionally, we need to correct more to the foundation of how it works and universities need to proactive to take a stand. The nation looks to sport to shed light on social injustices. It will hopefully continue a chain reaction for women's rights in the work force and classroom. I would suggest stricter penalties but not the death penalty. That would only hurt the programs and athletes who weren't involved and decrease participation. Bystanders need to report incidents and staff shouldn't ignore when reported. Communication channels need to be clearer and operationally understandable.

References:

Lavigne, P. and Schlabach, M. (2017). Women who alleged gang rape by Baylor football players files lawsuit. ESPN. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/19403308/woman-reported-gang-rape-baylor-football-players-files-title-ix-lawsuit.

Solari, C. (2017). Title IX investigation into sexual assault allegations for 3 MSU football players complete. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2017/05/22/michigan-state-football-title-ix/337947001/.

Willmsen, C. (2017). UW women's rowing team numbers inflated, avoiding Title IX scrutiny. Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/uw-womens-rowing-team-numbers-inflated-avoiding-title-ix-scrutiny/.