More Legal Trouble For A MEAC School; Title IX Case Against DSU

[superman7515]

Well, DSU doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, but a federal judge disagrees and gives class-action status to the suit allowing present and future female athletes, regardless of the sport they participate in, to join in the lawsuit...

Title IX Case Against Delaware State Gets Class-Action Status (http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100714/NEWS03/7140353)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

More info on this:

Participants: Men's Tennis 6, Equestrian 20
Cost per participant: Men's Tennis $1,831 ($10,000 total), Equestrian $3,319 ($66,373 overall)

More background: DSU's equestrian team's budget was the third-highest for women's sports (behind basketball and softball).

Mostly, though, it seems like the knee-jerk reaction when a women's team is dropped - regardless of cost - is to sue. Meanwhile, Hofstra and Northeastern drop their football programs, and nary a lawsuit.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Here (http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/delaware/dedce/1:2010cv00149/43702/103/) is the decision. Keep in mind that it is a memorandum by a federal magistrate, not an order by a judge. No word yet if the horses themselves have to be gender balanced as well.

The DSU Equestrian Team:


http://216.97.229.165/diverse/img/photos/biz/040810_DSU-Equestrian.jpg


Just sayin' . . . .

[TexasTerror]

SFA dropped equestrian recently...

Its an emerging sport in the NCAA and I just do not think it has caught on as much as many schools thought it would. In light of budget cuts, you have schools cutting sports, instead of adding. Schools that need to add sports are looking into beach volleyball, another emerging sport, that is much cheaper in light of using some athletes from the indoor volleyball squad.

In SFA's case, I believe they were under the impression that a few other schools in the SLC would add it. SFA dropped it and added bowling. SHSU has added bowling as well.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Stabling, grooming, feed and tack, and veterinary and farrier costs, for horses are very expensive. The horse ends up getting a scholarship, too.

[zymergy]

Title IX requires you to match enrollment, and since they have a 60/40 split favoring women they need to meet that as closely as possible in sports. They dropped wrestling for men also didn't they?

[superman7515]

Yes, they dropped wrestling and were the last college in Delaware that had a wrestling program. Very sad. Not sure if it's still included, but according to a News Journal article when they first agreed to extend the program a year, the original lawsuit against DSU alleged racism as well because the equestrian team is all white.

[Uncle Rico's Clan]

Does it affect Title IX if the horse is male or female?xlolx

[darell1976]

Yes, they dropped wrestling and were the last college in Delaware that had a wrestling program. Very sad. Not sure if it's still included, but according to a News Journal article when they first agreed to extend the program a year, the original lawsuit against DSU alleged racism as well because the equestrian team is all white.

UND had to drop wrestling too. They need to get rid of Title IX.

[MplsBison]

More info on this:

Participants: Men's Tennis 6, Equestrian 20
Cost per participant: Men's Tennis $1,831 ($10,000 total), Equestrian $3,319 ($66,373 overall)

More background: DSU's equestrian team's budget was the third-highest for women's sports (behind basketball and softball).

Mostly, though, it seems like the knee-jerk reaction when a women's team is dropped - regardless of cost - is to sue. Meanwhile, Hofstra and Northeastern drop their football programs, and nary a lawsuit.

Probably because title IX is about gender equality and Hofstra/NE probably still have more male athletes and still spend more money on men's athletics, even with football gone.

If Hofstra/NE spent more money on female athletics, even when the football team was active, then you might have a case for a lawsuit.

[MplsBison]

I guess the question now in the class action lawsuit: were female athletes at DSU being discriminated against while DSU was receiving federal dollars?

I'm guessing that, like most any school in the nation, there is a decent case that female athletes have been discriminated against. Having a football team alone almost single-handedly does a school in as there is no other female equivalent type of sport for the school to field.

[superman7515]

Looks like DSU is going to lose their case on Title IX grounds. DSU Not Likely to Eliminate Equestrian (http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100728/SPORTS08/7280341/1002/SPORTS)

[Bogus Megapardus]

"Of greatest concern to DSU is the fact that so little of this money goes to student welfare," DSU lawyers said in court documents. "On the contrary, most of the expenses are for the housing and care of the horses."

Ya think?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

"DSU intends to create a new women's varsity sport -- competitive cheerleading," the university argued in a March federal court filing.

The Connecticut decision has not affected any of the university's immediate plans to develop a competitive cheerleading team. DSU has invested $100,000 in the program and hired a new coach. The team will compete as scheduled this school year, and for now the university will consider it a varsity sport, spokesman Carlos Holmes said.

"Cheerleading has been a part of Delaware State for a long time, and nothing is going to change that," Holmes said. "Its status as to whether it continues as a varsity sport will be determined at some point."

Fascinating.