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Western Illinois University Athletics

Title IX Compliance - Accomodations of Interests and Abilities (Sport Offerings)

The accommodation of interests and abilities is the regulatory language addressing what sports an institution offers. Compliance is analyzed by means of a three part test for participation opportunities and a two part test for levels of competition. Compliance problems under the two part test for levels of competition are unusual because institutions generally have both women’s and men’s teams competing at the same division level. However, the three part test for participation opportunities is the analysis that focuses on the most serious, and one of the most common, of compliance problems.

Participation opportunities are, in effect, the number of students actually participating in the program. A participant is someone who is on the squad list and on the team as of the first date of competition. This includes walk ons. Anybody who quits after two weeks of practice is not counted. An athlete who competes for more than one team is counted for every team for which he or she competes. That is, the athlete who competes on cross country, indoor track and outdoor track should be counted three times. This is a different count than that used for athletics scholarships where athletes are counted only once even when they compete on more than one team.

There are three ways to comply. An institution need only meet one of these three methods in order to comply. An institution may provide participation opportunities for women and men that are substantially proportionate to their respective rates of enrollment as full time undergraduate students; or demonstrate a history and continuing practice of program expansion for the under-represented sex; or fully and effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of the under-represented sex.

Western Illinois University does not currently meet the test for compliance in regard to participation opportunities that are substantially proportionate to the rate of enrollment. Women are underrepresented in the intercollegiate athletics program when compared to their enrollment as full-time undergraduate students. In order to meet test one, WIU must add opportunities for women, decrease or discontinue opportunities for men, or effect a combination of both. Participation rates have improved slightly with the addition of women’s soccer and the addition of women’s golf in 2001. However, though not fully enforced, roster management has become a fluid strategy in our effort to achieve gender equity in terms of participation.
 
Student-Athlete Participation (From EADA Reports, 2004-07)
2006-07Males
Females		320
179		64%
36%
2005-06Males
Females		319
175		65%
35%
2004-05Males
Females		338
202		63%
37%

Western Illinois University continues to encourage coaches of women’s sports programs to increase participation opportunities for women by the recruitment of and the allowing of more walk-on student-athletes (non scholarship) to participate during the off season, non competitive seasons and during the traditional competitive season. Additionally, coaches of women’s sport programs are continually encouraged to provide participation opportunities for women (roster size) equal to that of their full NCAA allowance.

In order to meet the second method for compliance, the University would have to demonstrate a history and continuing practice of program expansion for women. Due to actions taken in 1985 when two women’s sports were dropped for financial reasons, a history and continuing practice of athletics program expansion would be difficult to demonstrate at this time. The University and Athletics Department continues its interest in engaging the interests and abilities of women on campus, and along with possible and available competition of certain sports may at some point in the future consider the feasibility of adding sports, which reinforces that the institution has a history, interest and continuing practice of program expansion for women.

According to OCR clarification, in order to comply with test three, an institution would have to add any women’s sport where the three factors of interest, ability and available competition are met for a sport not currently offered for women. As indicators of interest, OCR considers the existing club teams and requests by students that a sport be added at the intercollegiate level; the results of questionnaires; and participation in high school and other feeder programs. OCR examines ability by considering students’ athletic experience and accomplishments in interscholastic, club, or intramural competition, and reviewing the opinions of coaches, administrators, and athletes regarding ability and potential ability. Determining available competition involves a review of sports offered by institutions against which an institution now competes, and those sports offered by other institutions in the same geographic area.

Results of the 1995 survey conducted by intercollegiate athletics at WIU revealed that the factors of interest, ability, and competition were apparent for the sports of women’s soccer and women’s golf. In 1997, the University added women’s soccer as a varsity sport and added women’s golf for Fall 2001.

The addition of women’s soccer in the Fall of 1997 has provided increased opportunities for women student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics. Women’s soccer began with a limited schedule in 1997 and has been increased to a full competitive schedule. A coach and a graduate assistant coach were hired for the purpose of developing the program. The program began as an outgrowth of the women’s soccer club on campus with 20 student-athletes and has expanded to a team of 33 in the Fall of 2006.

Women’s golf was added as an intercollegiate varsity sport program with competition beginning in Fall, 2001. A full-time coach was hired in the summer of 2001 to lead the program. Women’s golf has developed to the point of providing up to twelve intercollegiate varsity sport participation opportunities for women, with an expectation there will a roster size equal to that of participants in the men’s program.

The institution will maintain an aggressive approach to identify interest, ability and available competition of the under-represented sex.


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