Coaches and athletes offer views on Title IX

Most Penn coaches and athletes agree that the theory behind Title IX is a good one -- to achieve gender equity. But opinions are split regarding the implementation of the "first-prong" of the "three-prong test" of Title IX, namely the proportionality clause. "What is clear from comments of the commission is that these issues are extremely complex and gaining a consensus remains difficult," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said. The National Wrestling Coaches Association and several other coaches associations recently filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education, claiming that proportionality is a quota and is therefore illegal. Penn wrestling coach Roger Reina, a former president of the NWCA, is a strong advocate of the lawsuit. In contrast, Penn swimming coach Mike Schnur opposes the lawsuit. He pointed out that the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association joined the lawsuit without polling its coaches and that several swimming coaches, particularly of women's teams, are also against it. Reina noted that many men's programs have been cut because of the proportionality clause -- 25 percent of men's track and field programs have been eliminated and 160 of the 250 Division I men's wrestling programs have been cut since Title IX was signed into law in 1972. Most coaches and athletes are against men's teams being cut, but not all oppose proportionality like Reina. "That men's programs are cut is unfortunate," Penn women's squash co-captain Runa Reta said. "But at the same time, I think it's great to see female athletes receiving so much exposure." Penn women's swimming co-captain Jessica Anders agrees with Reta -- that having women represented in athletics is important. But she believes that cutting men's teams is more than "unfortunate" -- she thinks it's wrong. And, like many others, the Elkins Park, Pa., native thinks that there must be a better solution than cutting men's teams. Penn senior wrestler Jody Giuricich opposes proportionality. "I think that in college athletics, from my experience, there is more interest in male sports," Giuricich said. "By cutting men's programs, it does not directly provide women with more opportunities." Schnur proposes that instead of cutting men's teams, universities should add women's teams or increase women's roster sizes. He stressed that men's teams are often cut not because of Title IX, but rather because of funding issues. "This is not about men versus women, it's not about equality -- it's about money," Schnur said. But adding women's teams is not that simple. Reina offered a counter-example to Schnur's claim, saying that expanding a university's female programs cannot possibly compensate for a men's football team. Schnur insists that dropping a men's team at a school where men and women participate in that varsity sport is detrimental to the women's team, offering Nebraska's swimming programs as evidence. "Before Nebraska dropped its men's swimming team, both of its teams were ranked in the top 10," Schnur said. "After they dropped their men's team, 24-of-26 women swimmers dropped. Right now, even with full scholarships, their women's team is not as good as ours." Among coaches and athletes, there is disagreement as to whether or not there is in fact equity in intercollegiate athletics. "There is definitely not equity. We've come a long way in 30 years though," Schnur said referring to college athletics. But Schnur and Anders agree that there is equity at Penn. "From my personal experience with men's and women's swimming, I think that there is gender equity in athletics at Penn," Anders said. Reina believes that there is not gender equity in athletics, but from a different perspective than most. "There are more women's sports programs than men's programs," Reina said. Reina proposes dropping the proportionality clause altogether. "Enforcement of the other two prongs [is sufficient.] There is no need for proportionality whatsoever." Still, Reina insists that he supports Title IX, so long as it is implemented in a manner that favors both sexes equally.

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