Delaware State University Board OKs Gender Equity Plan
By Kristian Pope, the News Journal, 11/12/04

DOVER -- The Delaware State University board of trustees unanimously approved a $300,000 commitment Thursday for women's athletics, the first portion of a proposed $5 million budget increase over five years to address gender equity deficiencies in the school's athletic department.
 
The $300,000 is for the 2005-06 school year and will come from the DSU general fund. Last month, DSU informed the NCAA in its recertification report, required every 10 years, that the athletic department has failed to meet federal Title IX regulations.
 
Under Title IX, institutions receiving federal funding must offer proportionate athletic opportunities for women and men. According to 2002-03 figures, DSU fell short because women account for 57.5 percent of the student body but just 37 percent of the athletes. They also receive a disproportionate share of scholarship funding. Men represent 42.5 percent of the student body and 63 percent of the athletes.
 
The budget proposed Thursday calls for DSU to spend $5 million from 2005-06 through 2009-10 on women's athletics. The school's general fund would provide $2.8 million, while the athletic department would contribute $2.2 million beginning with a $400,000 contribution in 2006-07. DSU's overall athletic budget for 2004-05 is $5.6 million.
 
Because the university's budget is approved on a year-to-year basis, the trustees did not vote on the full five-year proposal, board of trustees treasurer Michael Parkowski said.
 
"There is no choice but to do the five-year plan," Parkowski said. "But to do that, it has to be subject to yearly budget approvals."
 
Under the five-year budget, the number of women's athletic scholarships would equal that of men (92 each) by 2007-08.
 
"We've got to comply with the NCAA," board member Richard Barros said. "You can't not do this, or you'd have to close down the athletic department."
 
Scholarship funding is the biggest portion specified in each year's budget. According to 2002-03 figures, DSU female athletes received $412,792 in scholarships, 28 percent of the total athletic scholarship budget of $1,476,167. Title IX calls for the percentage of scholarship aid to females to be within one percentage point of the percentage of female athletes.
 
The women's scholarship budget would increase by $143,450 in 2005-06. The remaining $156,550 will go to various aspects, including the funding of a new field hockey team, increasing the women's recruiting budget, the hiring of three women's assistant coaches and salary increases for the soccer and basketball coaches.
 
The trustees did not address how the athletic department would come up with its share of the budget increase, starting with $400,000 in 2006-07. DSU reported $330,288 in athletic revenue in 2002-03.
 
"This plan allows us to get ourselves together and get cracking for 2006," said Tripp Keister, DSU associate athletic director for development. "It gives us time to put our plan together to increase revenue."
 
The budget wasn't met with total optimism, however. DSU sports sciences professor Tomas Butler told the trustees he was concerned that funding for athletics would be addressed at a time the school is short on full-time professors, according to him.
 
"I don't understand where our priorities are," Butler said. "You can talk about revenue streams from athletics, but [revenue is] always going to be negative with athletics."
 
Contact Kristian Pope at kpope@delawareonline.com or 734-7946.