The Context
I am here today representing
the thoughts, perspectives and concerns of over 1,000 collegiate women
administrators who are members of NACWAA, the National Association
of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators. My name is Peg Bradley-Doppes,
I am the Director of Athletics at the University of North Carolina
at Wilmington and I am the President-Elect of NACWAA, as well as a
member of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics.
Ten years
ago the Knight Commission changed the face and culture of the world
of intercollegiate athletics and in our collective opinion, the changes
have been very positive. As this prestigious group reconvenes, we
ask you to look at the world of intercollegiate athletics objectively
and equitably. We believe that you again can make a positive difference.
This
is a time of opportunity, challenge, change and transformation that
provides the context and cornerstone for your deliberations. Intercollegiate
athletics are, and indeed should be an important part of higher education
and must be aligned with the institution's academic mission. College
sports provide an important educational opportunity to student participants.
A
decade ago, the Knight Commission established the following set priorities:
student welfare, institutional welfare and the dominance of academic
values over competitive or commercial objectives. Today you are faced
with the challenge to recommit to these priorities and principles
to ensure that the future of intercollegiate athletics is indeed heading
in the right direction. NACWAA is an active and willing partner -
we represent over 474 institutions; our female athletes make up over
41% of the total student athlete population; and, without question,
our female student-athletes lead the way in regards to graduation
rates. We stand ready to help you in any way that we can.
The
Concerns
Diversity and Equal Pay
Since
Title IX was passed some 28 years ago, there has been tremendous growth
in opportunities for female student-athletes. However, women have
not enjoyed the same progress in sport related careers, and in some
instances have lost ground.
For example:
· Women
are aspiring to coaching careers and in 1972 held over 90% of the
head coaching positions for women's sports teams, however, they currently
hold only 45.6% of the head coaching positions for women's sports
teams and 2% of the head coaching positions for male sports teams.
The statistic of 45.6% is a decrease from 47.7% in 1998 and is the
lowest representation of females as head coaches of women's teams
to date.
· In 1972, female head administrators directed
more than 90% of women's collegiate sports programs. In 1981, the
NCAA replaced the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(AIAW) in the administration of women's championships. At that time,
many women administrators lost their jobs or were demoted to an assistant
position reporting to the male athletics director. Currently, women
hold only 17% of collegiate athletics director positions which represents
a decrease from the 1998 figure of 19.4%
· From 1998
to 2000, there was an increase of 418 administrative jobs in the athletics
programs of NCAA institutions - women filled only 45 of the 418 new
jobs.
In addition, there is significant evidence indicating
that coaches of women's teams are paid much less than coaches of men's
teams. In April 2000, a Chronicle of Higher Education study found
that the average salary for coaches of women's teams in Division I
was $55,120 compared to an average salary of $102,155 for coaches
of men's teams.
We urge the Knight Commission
to conduct an independent salary survey or salary audit to examine
pay equity issues.
Diversity is an area of
concern for both men and women in athletics. A review of the findings
detailed in the report entitled, "1999-00 Race Demographics of
NCAA Member Institutions' Athletics Personnel" indicate that
African Americans hold 8.7% of all administrative positions, 7.8%
of head coaching positions for men's teams and 14.7% of assistant
coaching positions for men's teams, 7.5% of head coaching positions
for women's teams, and 11.6% of assistant coaching positions for women's
teams. Overall, the African-American representation in athletics administrative
roles and head coaching roles has not increased since 1995 and has
actually decreased in assistant coaching roles.
There are
many reasons for the under-representation of women and other minorities
in sport related careers. There has been a lack of effort and commitment
to recruit and retain women and other minorities. There is also a
lack of incentive for coaches of women's sports to stay in coaching
due to pay and benefit inequities, all factors which contribute to
the fact that women and minorities are not viable and visible leaders
in the world of intercollegiate sports. Since the NCAA student-athlete
population includes 41% women and 35.5% minorities, it appears that
there is nothing but a lack of visible role models. This must change
- with your help this will change.
We request
that the Knight Commission emphasize that Institutions, Conferences
and Associations hire and support women and minorities, particularly
women of color, without bias against age and sexual orientation, in
positions with decision-making authority by:
1)
Actively recruiting, hiring/appointing, and retaining women as athletics
directors, faculty-athletics representatives, athletics administrators,
head coaches and other central administrators with a demonstrated
commitment to gender equity.
2) Ensuring voice, vote, and
full participation from women at member institutions in conference
affairs.
3) Actively recruiting, hiring/appointing, retaining
women/women of color as commissioners and senior level administrators
within conferences with a demonstrated commitment to gender equity.
The
Misinformation Campaign Waged Against Title IX
Title
IX is a federal law that bans sex discrimination in federally funded
school programs. Prior to the passage of Title IX, the opportunities
for girls and women in high school and college sports were less than
10% of what they are today. In the last ten years, NCAA participation
opportunities for female student athletes have increased from 90,180
to 145,832 and NCAA male sports participation opportunities have also
increased from 178,520 to 207,592. Anti-Title IX groups like Simply
Common Sense and the National Coalition for Athletic Equity would
impede and even reverse some of the progress we have made to close
the gender gap based on their unfounded belief that the expansion
of opportunities for women and girls in sports has come at the expense
of sport opportunities for men. The group focuses on the "proportionality" component
of the law, in which a school compares the ratio of male and female
participants in the athletic program with the ratio of full-time male
and female students. The proportionality test is only one of the three
ways in which a school can demonstrate that it is in compliance with
the interest and athletics component of Title IX; however, Title IX
has been and is still unfairly targeted as a quota system that eliminates
athletic opportunities for men, particularly in olympic sports like
gymnastics and wrestling.
Schools are not being forced to
eliminate men's olympic sports, nor do we think they should. Instead,
they choose to cut programs rather than ask all teams to operate on
smaller pieces of the financial pie. In fact, schools are spending
more money on men's sports than ever. The NCAA Gender Equity Study
revealed that from 1992-1996, in Division I-A institutions, average
operating expenses for women's sports increased by $400,230 while
increases in average operating expenses for men's sports were $1,379,580.
In short, for every new dollar spent on women's sports, institutions
spent at least three new dollars on men's sports. The 1999 NCAA Revenue
and Expenses of Divisions I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs
study revealed that, in Division I-A institutions, average total operating
expenses for women's sports were $3,741,000 while average total operating
expenses for men's sports were $9,544,000. The indication is the same-total
dollars being spent are still almost three for men to every one for
women.
Though it does appear that the majority of concerns
revolve around Division I athletic programs, it is important to note
that there has been a trickle down effect on Divisions II and III.
A close inspection of their programs reveals that many of them have
created systems of privilege for and over funding of "major" sports
despite no hope of significant revenue generation. In addition, many
have mirrored Division I by integrating other practices that threaten
educational integrity, including but not limited to, increases in
special admission slots, lengthy and costly off-season practice segments,
and inflated rosters for "major" sports.
We
request that the Knight Commission support the effort to halt the
arms race. We ask that you reaffirm the policies that will reinforce
the principles related to gender equity, diversity, ethics, and integrity
in educational sport environments.
More specifically,
we ask the Knight Commission to:
1) Speak out against the
elimination of men's olympic sports, which is an institutional decision
made to increase funding to the men's "major" sports.
2)
Continue to support Title IX and the expansion of opportunities for
women until parity has been achieved.
3) Investigate ways
to decrease excessive spending in the following three areas:
a) Review
and resolve the two separate scholarship issues
1) Determine
what percentage of scholarships should be need-based athletic aid
versus talent-based athletic aid.
2) Return all sports to
equivalency-based scholarships versus head count scholarships. This
move would drastically reduce scholarship costs, and the saving could
go a long way in funding olympic sports.
b) Support
squad size limitations in all sports.
NACWAA is not endorsing
limiting varsity sport opportunities for anyone. What we are supporting
is the belief that there are criteria, which define a positive varsity
sport experience that are educationally sound. Many schools have rosters,
especially in men's football, that go beyond accepted student to teacher
ratios. The practice of stockpiling athletes who don't travel to away
contests and don't take part in all team activities is inappropriate
and a way of denying a young man or woman the opportunity to participate
at another institution where they could get the true varsity experience.
It is a self-serving strategy that coaches use to keep good athletes
from playing against them and to inflate their articulated need for
more assistant coaches, better facilities and other claimed necessities
of the arms race.
c) Eliminate the excesses.
Encourage
the elimination of costly activities that do not significantly impact
the academic or athletic performance of student-athletes such as staying
in hotels the night before home contests, building elaborate support
facilities, and providing casual sports apparel for athletes personal
use. The truth is that many of the support facilities on our Division
I campuses are better than those at the professional level. In addition,
many of these support services are redundant to services that are
already provided on the campus for the student population.
The
Knight Commission must reassert the need for accurate data collection
and create a systematic monitoring of results with special attention
to:
· The Equity in Athletics
Disclosure Act. Currently, information for the EADA is analyzed
only in aggregate form. NACWAA supports rigorous independent audits,
which would complete audits of random institutions, ensuring compliance
with NCAA and conference rules, as well as with financial matters,
student academic standing, progress towards degrees and student welfare
issues.
· Revenues and expenses associated
with athletic programs. Currently, the NCAA Revenue and Expenses
of Division I and II Intercollegiate Athletics Programs indicates
that 46% of Division IA schools bring in more revenue than they expend
and only 24% of all Division I institutions do so. However, it does
not take into account facility expenses and other costs that the university
covers which greatly inflates the perception of revenue production
and equally inflates the reality of commercialization.
Closing
Remarks
In essence, NACWAA believes that the passage
of Title IX presented an excellent opportunity to halt the arms race
that had already begun in the 1960's. It provided all the right reasons
to reassess spending patterns and to create educational policies regarding
the administration of intercollegiate athletics while providing continuing
exploration of a model tiered program. It was a perfect time to hold
the line on spending for men's sports without eliminating opportunities
for males while exploring ways to generate new dollars for women's
sports. Instead, more and more dollars went into the men's "major" sports
under the guise that building megapowers in football and basketball
would create the revenue needed to support men's and women's olympic
sports. Sadly, what is left are incredible excesses in men's football
and basketball, which create huge operating deficits, that leave very
few dollars for other sports. Blaming Title IX and pitting the have-nots
(men's olympic sports) against the have-nots (women's sports) is easier
than confronting the powerful sub-culture surrounding men's revenue
generating sports.
NACWAA members, like the majority of those
individuals who have invested their professional and much of their
personal lives to intercollegiate athletics, believe that college
sports are an important part of higher education. We believe in equality
and fairness for all of our student athletes and athletics personnel.
The goal is to provide positive experiences for all students who choose
to compete and to provide positive role models, modeling the composition
of the student athlete population. The Knight Commission must provide
guidance so that college athletics will reflect the academic and intrinsic
values of the university. The task is not an easy one. NACWAA is a
willing and able participant to assist in these efforts.
NACWAA
requests that the Knight Commission support, by forwarding to the
NCAA, Institutions, and National Governing Bodies, the following recommendations
for action:
1) Reaffirm the policies that
will reinforce the principles related to gender equity, diversity,
ethics, and integrity in educational sport environments.
2)
Conduct an independent salary survey or salary audit to examine pay
equity issues.
3) Ensure that women and minorities, particularly
women of color, and without bias against age and sexual orientation,
are in positions with decision-making authority.
4) Speak
out against the elimination of men's olympic sports, which is an institutional
decision made to increase funding to the men's "major" sports.
5)
Continue to support Title IX and the expansion of opportunities for
women until parity has been achieved.
6) Investigate ways
to decrease excessive spending in intercollegiate athletics.
OVERVIEW
Issue #1
Diversity and Equal Pay
Strategy A: Ensure
fair and equitable pay for coaches of both men and women's teams,
and athletic department personnel with like titles and responsibilities
Actions:
A.
Conduct an independent salary survey or salary audit to examine pay
equity issues.
Strategy B: Ensure that women and
minorities, particularly women of color, and without bias against
age and sexual orientation, are in positions with decision-making
authority.
Actions:
A. Actively recruit, hire/appoint,
and retain women as athletic directors, faculty-athletics representatives,
athletics administrators, head coaches and other central administrators
with a demonstrated commitment to gender equity
B. Ensure
voice, vote and full participation from women at member institutions
in conference affairs.
C. Actively recruit, hire/appoint,
retain women/women of color as conference commissioners and senior
level administrators with a demonstrated commitment to gender equity.
Issue
#2 The Misinformation Campaign Waged Against Title IX
Strategy:
Reaffirm the policies that will reinforce the principles related
to gender equity, diversity, ethics, and integrity in educational
sport environments.
Actions:
A. Speak out
against the elimination of men's olympic sports, which is an institutional
decision made to increase funding to men's "major" sports.
B.
Continue to support Title IX and the expansion of opportunities for
women until parity has been achieved.
C. Investigate ways
to decrease excessive spending in the following three areas:
1)
Review and resolve the two separate scholarship issues.
2) Support
squad size limitations in all sports.
3) Eliminate the excesses.
D.
Reassert the need for accurate data collection and systematic monitoring
of results with special attention to the Equity and Athletic Disclosure
Act (EADA) and revenues and expenses associated with athletic programs.
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