NYT Reports on Flaws of Title IX

I was perusing the New York Times’ Twitter feed late last night (as a means of procrastination, of course) and I happened to come across this article. NYT’s Katie Thomas describes how some collegiate athletic programs in the country are finding loopholes around the 1972 gender equity-law, Title IX. This deception, of course, is designed to offer more spots to male athletes, which in turn, jeopardizes the integrity of women’s programs.

Interestingly enough, the Ivy League is also guilty of scheming. According to the article, Cornell’s women’s fencing team reports 34 participants, but 19 athletes on the roster are male. Men are also listed on Cornell’s women’s volleyball and basketball teams as well. Apparently the Big Red are able to justify listing male athletes on female squads if they receive instruction and practice with women. But, somehow, the five female coxswains on Cornell’s men’s rowing team count as females...

Clearly, this problem isn’t unique to the nation’s football powerhouses — it hits pretty close to home in the Ancient Eight as well.