Athletics maintain gender balance

    Female athletes at many colleges are still not receiving equal treatment or opportunities to participate in sports 35 years after the passage of Title IX. 
   Over the last five years the gap between male and female athletic participation grew from 1.13 to 1.25 million, according to a report from the Women’s Sports Foundation. 
   This is not the case at SAC. Athletics officials have done as much as possible to keep men and women’s athletic programs equal. Teams rotate turns at playing during peak hours, have the same amount of hours with athletic trainers, are allowed the same transportation opportunities and have identical locker rooms.
   Santa Ana College is in compliance with federal Title IX regulations, according to a self-survey conducted by Dean of Exercise Science and Athletics Avie Bridges.
   SAC abides by, catering to the interest and ability of women’s sports since women are the underrepresented gender.
   Some feel that Title IX has changed since it took action in the mid-70s.
   “I have two daughters, I am all for women’s sports, and I want women’s sports to flourish, but let’s keep it fair. Numbers are now unbalanced and the playing field is not level,” Dick Gorrie, men’s golf and football running back coach said.
   In 2005 the Bush Administration enacted a policy that allowed schools to use surveys as their only proof of compliance. That policy was repealed this April and schools are now required to take a more comprehensive approach in the implication of Title IX.
   “We were given money to build a new men’s locker room, which was obviously not fair, given the condition of the women’s locker room at the time. The board of trustees voted to use Measure E money to build a new women’s locker room as well so both teams would be working in the same conditions,” Bridges said.
   Many critics of Title IX argue that it is the reason for cuts to men’s teams at some educational institutions. The recent suspension of women’s tennis was because of a lack of participation in the sport on the part of students. Men’s track, cross-country and swimming were suspended as a result of the budget. The suspension and eventual return of these programs have no effect on the school’s compliance with Title IX.
   “Women’s tennis was canceled because a lack of interest. It would be easy to get enough people off the street to fill up programs like tennis, but we need to make sure these people who want to participate are able to participate at the college level,” Bridges said.
   The future of Title IX at SAC continues to receive support from coaches, directors and board members.
   “I can’t see us not being in compliance with Title IX as long as we have the programs, faculty and board of trustees that we have,” Bridges said.
   Signed into law by President Richard Nixon in June of 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments requires that all academic institutions that receive federal funding, with the exception of military and religious schools, shall not discriminate or exclude any individual from an educational activity on the basis of gender.
   The law was renamed as the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act for its principal author, Patsy T. Mink, after her death in 2002.