Road trips caused most of basketball funding gaps

Penn's men's and women's basketball teams differed in their operating expenses by $43,000 last season -- the largest gap in the Ivy League. And the numbers didn't make sense until Senior Associate Athletic Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich examined the budget dollar by dollar. According to Penn's first Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act report, the men's basketball team spent $106,000 in operating expenses, while the women's squad rung up just $63,000. "I think initially I was surprised that there was that kind of a difference," Femovich said. The EADA, a 1995 law, requires that most universities with intercollegiate athletic programs release operating expenses for each varsity team, among other data. As defined by the law, such expenses include lodging, meals, transportation, referees, uniforms and equipment. The principal factor behind Penn's basketball budget gap, according to an Athletic Department statement, was $26,200 for additional men's basketball road trips. Each season, both the men's and women's teams may attend a tournament over Thanksgiving or winter break. Last year, the men's squad traveled to Arizona State University, while the women went to Northwestern University, near Chicago. The men's Arizona trip cost significantly more than the women's Northwestern trip, presumably because of the greater distance. In addition, the men's squad played one game at St. Louis University, an Atlantic City double-header and a playoff game against Princeton at Lehigh University. "The women would be afforded the same opportunities should they receive similar invitations," the statement said. Other operating expenses incurred by the men's basketball program -- but not the women's team -- included the following: ·$4,500 for radio personnel travel expenses; ·$6,000 to cover greater referee costs; ·$4,100 for the junior varsity team. These additional expenses total $40,800, accounting for most of the gap between the two teams. The statement also indicated that the women's team had a budget surplus last year. Carol Tracy, executive director of the Philadelphia-based Women's Law Project, initially criticized the Athletic Department for the basketball disparity. But after talking with women's head coach Julie Soriero, Tracy said she is satisfied with the explanation for the gap.