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The group’s complaint follows West Chester’s April 28 announcement that it was discontinuing women’s gymnastics and men’s lacrosse effective for the 2003-04 academic year in a budget-cutting move. The university also announced the addition of women’s golf for next year.
The group claims there is "enough statistical disparity" between men’s and women’s sports at the university to warrant further examination by the Office for Civil Rights to determine:
l if elimination of the women’s gymnastics team is compliant with Title IX requirements;
l the reason why statistical disparities have existed over a period of seven years and if the university is compliant with Title IX requirements;
l if student interest is being accommodated in the university’s decision to eliminate women’s gymnastics and add a women’s golf team; and
l whether other program components, benefits and services are Title IX complaint in light of budget "disparities."
In the complaint, the group cites statistics in the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Reports from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 2001, to support their claims. Those statistics include:
l while women represented 60 percent of the undergraduate population, men’s coaches salaries exceeded women coaches salaries by 39 percent;
l recruiting expenditures for men’s sports exceeded women’s sports by 48 percent;
l athletically related student aid for men’s sports exceeded women’s sports by 30 percent; and
l athletically related operating expenses for men’s sports exceeded women’s sports by 33 percent.
Citing the EADA Reports, the group also states that women’s gymnastics is the ninth most expensive of ten women’s sports at West Chester.
"We believe that in the interest of equity and Title IX consideration, the University should have eliminated the Men’s Tennis Team, as it is the ninth most expensive men’s sport in the athletic program rather than Lacrosse to logically correspond to the decision to eliminate Women’s Gymnastics."
Asked to comment on the complaint, West Chester University Athletic Director Dr. Edward J. Matejkovic said Friday: "I take it personally as an athletic director that we can’t do things we’ve done in the past. I still have to be responsible to the programs we have. I feel as bad as everyone else. None of this has to do with Title IX."
Matejkovic said state budget cuts have forced the athletic department to trim about $98,000 from its budget. He said the university is facing budget cuts of $5 to 6.2 million for the 2003-2004 school year.
"I don’t expect people to agree with all of our decisions," he added. "Fifty percent of them will agree and 50 percent won’t. That’s what athletics is about. I don’t think there would be any other sports that would be happy if we dropped them. This is over. We have to move on."
The support group is seeking reinstatement of the women’s gymnastics team as a varsity sport and reinstatement of Heather Straccia as coach of the team.
Straccia is listed as one of the complainants along with players Elizabeth Barrett, Cecile Allen, Stephanie Herrmann, Caroline Krystopolski, Jessica Deutsch. Kyla Lenti, Ashley Gillman, Carmen Mills and Melanie Heckert and parents James Barrett and Robert Allen.
Straccia could not be reached for comment.
According to the Office of Civil Right’s Web site, a complaint must be filed within 180 days of the discrimination taking place. The OCR’s goal is to resolve the matter within 180 days.
The OCR reviews such complaints to determine if the laws enforced by OCR apply to WCU and whether the complainant has provided enough information for the OCR can understand if it is discriminatory and who was involved. Once the complaint is understood, the OCR decides whether to proceed.
The OCR uses three principal methods to resolve complaints: resolution between the parties; agreement that addresses the allegations and investigation and findings.
If civil rights violations are found and an agreement to fix the situation can not be reached, the OCR initiates formal proceedings to terminate federal funds or refers the case to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Now the complainants and the university wait for the OCR’s findings and decision.
"We’re not going to live with this (initial) decision (to drop gymnastics)," said Allen. "I didn’t pay my (state) taxes so my daughter’s life could be cut off like this."
Another point of contention for those associated with the gymnastics team, although not mentioned in the summary of their complaint, is a salary increase recently given to WCU President Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler.
Allen and Barrett indicated that that raise was about equal to the $20,000 to 25,000 annual cost of funding the women’s gymnastics team.
"How can they afford to cut a sport when the school’s president gets a pay raise?" Barrett said. "How can the state do that?"
