Increased Sports Opportunities for Women

Cal State U. Says in Report That It Has Increased Sports Opportunities for Women

By ERIK LORDS

Five years after settling a lawsuit that charged it with discriminating against female athletes, the California State University System is providing more funds, scholarships, and opportunities for participation in women's sports, according to a report released by the institution Tuesday.

Most of the system's campuses are in compliance with the terms of the settlement, and those that are not will be within a year or two, according to Ken Swisher, a spokesman for the system.

The changes are in response to a consent decree that settled a lawsuit brought in 1993 by the California chapter of the National Organization for Women. The lawsuit alleged that all of the system's campuses were discriminating against female athletes by not providing enough money for scholarships for women's teams, and by not offering enough opportunities for women to play sports. Cal State issued the report on its progress Tuesday in accordance with the terms of the 1993 decree.

"We're very pleased with the results of our internal report on gender equity in athletics," said John D. Welty, president of Cal State's Fresno campus and chairman of a committee that is monitoring how the consent decree is being carried out. "C.S.U. campuses have allocated massive resources to ensure equality of opportunity, and we will continue our commitment to this standard."

Linda C. Joplin, Cal-NOW's coordinator for athletics issues, said that she was pleased with the progress and that her organization would continue monitoring the system.

"C.S.U. has taken seriously its commitment to women's athletics," she said. "Although all of the campuses are not quite there yet, the progress is significant, and their planning is sound."

Three campuses -- California Maritime Academy, and the Cal State campuses at Monterey Bay and Channel Islands -- were not part of the system when the lawsuit was filed, and the San Marcos campus did not have National Collegiate Athletic Association sports. Nineteen campuses are included in the report.

Some of the changes made between the 1992-93 and 1998-99 academic years: Financing for women's athletics jumped 266 percent, and financing for men's sports grew by 44 percent. Fifteen of the system's 19 campuses are now in compliance in this area.

Athletics scholarships for female athletes in the system increased by 184 percent; for men, the number of grants jumped by 59 percent. Currently, 49 percent of grants go to women in the system, up from 35 percent. Eleven of nineteen campuses are in compliance in this area.

Participation opportunities increased as at least 38 new sports were added. Roughly 53 percent of all of the system's athletes are women, up from about 34 percent. Eleven of nineteen campuses are in compliance in this category.