Self-Evaluation of compliance with Title IX regulations

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It is recommended colleges have an ongoing college-wide committee which deals with gender equity issues in athletics and set a schedule to regularly do an internal review of compliance with Title IX regulations enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the US Department of Education. The committee should include all parties from the college with an interest in equity in athletics. The outcome of this review should provide your college the information needed to assure the committee that the athletic program is in compliance with Title IX athletic regulations, or to provide the information necessary to develop a plan to bring your college into compliance.

During this review you will be first looking at the sports offerings, then comparing the benefits provided to all men’s teams to all women’s teams. Colleges have a great deal of flexibility in the sports they offer and the benefits and services needed and desired for their teams. It is important to remember that equivalent benefits need to be provided in the same sports and appropriate levels of benefits for dissimilar sports.

Good planning is essential to ensure that overall benefits and services are equivalent for women's and men’s sports. Keeping track of benefits and services without a plan is very difficult. Remember that the final analysis is based upon a comparison of the total women’s program to the total men’s program.

This guide is divided into three sections, which follow the three major categories used for analysis for compliance: sports offerings, scholarships, and everything else.

• Accommodation of interests and abilities,
• Athletic financial assistance,
• Other program areas including:
  • Equipment and supplies,
  • Scheduling of games and practice time,
  • Travel and per diem,
  • Opportunity for coaching and academic tutoring,
  • Locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities,
  • Medical and training facilities and services,
  • Housing and dining facilities and services,
  • Publicity,
  • Support services,
  • Recruitment of student athletes.

Sources of Assistance

Office for Civil Rights, http://www.ed.gov/policy/rights/reg/ocr/index.html

NWAACC, http://www.nwaacc.org/

The NCAA Title IX /Gender Equity Resource Center, http://www.ncaa.org/