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Do not expect Syracuse University women’s athletics to retreat in the face of a recent Detroit judicial deci sion. At least not tomorrow. Or next week. Next year? Wait for the next chapter in the on-going soap opera saga of Title IX. For the moment, some faces are grinning, some frowning because of a guy named Charlie Joiner ... No, not wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. U.S. District Judge Charles W. Joiner. He ruled that Title I X's ban on sex discrimination in school programs does not apply unless the programs receive direct federal support. His rul ing means women do not have to be offered the same opportunities as men in sports programs which are self-sup porting. Joiner's decision stemmed from a 1980 suit in Michigan brought against Ann Arbor Public Schools by Arthur Quhen, who demanded that a women's golf team he started at Ann Arbor Pio neer High School. The judge said the original intent of Congress, regarding sex discrimination and Title IX of the 1972 Education Act has been misinter preted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The rule, ladies, is this: Virtually all big-time athletic de partments are self-reliant, receiving no direct government assistance. And that's been the NCAA's argument in a class action suit awaiting docket as signment in a Kansas City, Kan., fed eral court — that the ‘feds' should not dictate how an athletic department spends self-generated funds since it receives no federal money. “This has put a smile on the faces of athletic directors across the country,” said Chuck Nevias, executive director of the College Football Association. “I Think the ramifications will be disastrous,” exclaimed Chuck Guer rier, director of the Womens Law Fund in Cleveland and author of a book on Title IX. . Crouthamel: ‘We wouldn't go back’ Still, the decision is but a battle in a long war. Appeal seems certain. And other cases are pending. “Given if Syracuse University was in a position, even if we could go back to the way it was 10 years ago, we wouldn't,” declared SU Men's Ath letic Director Jake Crouthamel. “It will have nearly a zero dollars and cents impact on Syracuse Univer sity,” suggested SU Women’s Athletic Director Doris Soladay. “Our financial aid office administers scholarships for athletes, as they do all scholarships. Aid to athletes is in part federal fund ing, and since it is, it would still be bound by the equal opportunity man dates.” “It would be very difficult to find an institution of higher education which does not use federal money,” said Croutharel. “It may be tucked away in an innocuous department. But it's there. “Some of our scholarships, for ex ample, may come through TAP (New York State Tuition Assistance Pro gram) or federally-funded BEOG (Ba sic Education Opportunity Grant). “There's nothing new added to the argument. It's just the first test case,” added Crouthamel. LeMoyne College AD Tom Niland doesn't see Joiner’s ruling having any impact on the program up at The Heights. “To the beginning (the '70s), we felt the federal government did not have the authority to do what it did. But we do think that if women athletes come here, they should have the opportu nity to compete. “Personally, I feel the bigger schools, big-money schools, football schools might not be obligated to in vest as much money in women’s pro grams, conjectured Nuand, referring to Joiner's decision. I hope it doesn't quash legitimate women’s programs.” Equal funding Title 1X, though dealing with equal athletic opportunity regardless of sex, has serious financial implications. They've already been felt, from a fis cal standpoint, from coast to coast. Colleges and universities have, among other reasons, put the ax to so called minor sports (non-revenue) in order to find dollars to fund women's teams dictated within the Title IX framework. With inflation hitting us across the board, the monetary Squeeze has been felt even more in the past couple of years. Complex Title IX, reduced to its simplest form, holds that if a school has say 200 male athletes is is spend ing $400,000 on men’s programs, then it must allocate $200,000 for every 100 female athletes it has. Men's ADs have argued that football and basketball, which — basically — pay for them selves and everything else in an ath letic department, should not be counted in the proportional ratio. “This could give the institutions the
Newspaper Details
Syracuse Herald American
Syracuse, New York, US
Sun, Mar 01, 1981
Page 105
Full Page
Clipped by
Tracy T.
USA 10 Jun 2026
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