Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 5, 1993 TAG: 9302050033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
TECH SWIM PROGRAM GETS 1-YEAR REPRIEVE
Facing the likelihood of a Title IX lawsuit, Virginia Tech announced Thursday that it has reinstated its swimming program for one year and will study all non-revenue sports, focusing on gender equity.The men's and women's swimming teams had been dropped, effective next year. However, the swimmers protested, and the women athletes were pursuing a lawsuit against Tech that would have accused the school of violating Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination by institutions that receive federal aid.
The school's decision to keep swimming gives 26 underclassmen at least one more year of competition.
"If we hadn't said anything about Title IX, it never would have been considered and the decision would have been final," said swimmer Sarah Howerton, a protest organizer, minutes after Tech athletic director Dave Braine talked to the team at poolside.
Hokies coach Wayne Norris can't give new scholarships for next year's team, Braine said, because Tech doesn't want to have to pay four years' worth of grants if the program is dropped again.
Nevertheless, Norris' program is alive for at least another season.
"It puts a spark of hope into the program," Norris said. "[But the scholarship situation] will make it very difficult to have a strong team."
Braine said the university will help pay for the swimming program next year. Student fees could be increased to help pay for non-revenue sports, Braine said.
Health and physical education professor Elyzabeth Holford, who has a law degree, will lead a committee appointed by Tech executive vice president Minnis Ridenour in studying gender equity issues such as budgets, scholarships, participation opportunities and facilities. Ridenour said in a statement he hopes to have a report by August.
Last year, an Athletic Committee sub-group that studied the finances of non-revenue sports recommended that swimming be cut. Norris and the swimmers were not consulted. Braine said the latest study will be "all-encompassing."
"We want to be involved in the study so that we're not misunderstood as a sport again," swimmer Jennifer Grizzard said.
Braine stressed the decision to cut swimming was "solely" financial and that the school's announcement Thursday was made "in the interest of fairness." It came 13 days after the swimmers' Jan. 22 deadline for a response to a letter asking Tech to reinstate the program or face a lawsuit, and only a few days after Howerton said the women swimmers had given up on getting a positive response and had begun to contact lawyers.
Braine said the impending lawsuit "really has nothing to do with this." Bennet Cassell, a dairy science professor who was head of the Athletic Committee last year, said the committee had gender equity in mind when it dropped swimming in favor of a women's soccer program, which will be added next year.
"We needed to figure out how to provide gender equity with no more money," Cassell said.
Braine said he welcomes a university study of Tech's non-revenue sports.
"Rather than make a big mistake, we're going to take the time," Braine said.
Staff writer Madelyn Rosenberg contributed information for this story.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.