Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 15, 1995                   TAG: 9502160028
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TECH REACHES SETTLEMENT IN SUIT OVER WOMEN'S SPORTS

The National Women's Law Center announced Tuesday it has reached a settlement with Virginia Tech in a lawsuit filed by 12 female students claiming the school discriminated against women by offering them fewer opportunities to participate in varsity sports.

Tech officials refused Tuesday to confirm a settlement of the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Roanoke on Jan.25, 1994.

``Until we get the approval from the Attorney General's office we can't say a thing,'' said Dave Braine, Tech's athletic director.

The settlement still must be approved by the court, but an ``agreement in principle'' has been reached, said Amy Sabrin, a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

``It's more than a formality'' in court, Sabrin said, ``but I have no reason to believe the court is not going to approve it.''

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Tech will significantly expand the women's share of varsity athletic playing slots and scholarships, and will ensure that the facilities and benefits provided to female athletes are comparable overall with those afforded male athletes.

Specifically, Tech will field varsity teams in women's lacrosse and softball for the 1995-96 school year. Tech also will expand the women's share of varsity opportunities to within 3 percent of the percentage of women's undergraduate enrollment by '96-97, and the women's share of athletic scholarships to within 5 percent of women's enrollment by '97-98.

When the lawsuit was filed, women were allotted approximately 20 percent of the school's athletic slots and scholarship money, even though women constituted more than 40 percent of the student body.

The suit alleged violations of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits federally funded schools from discriminating on the basis of sex in an education program or activities.

``With this settlement, Virginia Tech recognizes and acknowledges that it must level the playing field for its women's athletes,'' said Deborah Brake, counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based National Women's Law Center.

Sabrin said the lawsuit forced Tech to expedite its compliance to Title IX.

``In my mind, they [Tech] wouldn't have gotten as far as fast as they did if not for this lawsuit,'' Sabrin said. ``Before, they were kind of meandering down the road ... they weren't getting there real quick.

``Now, they're going to start with two sports and see if it got them far enough. I think once they get the sports up and running, they're going to to realize there's just a tremendous amount of interest among young women these days to play sports. There will be enthusiasm for the new programs and the demand for more.''

Tech is in the midst of a five-year plan scheduled to bring the school in complete compliance with Title IX by 1999. The school is expected to add two more women's sports, likely field hockey and crew, during that time frame.

In the settlement, Tech also has agreed to pay $50,000 to cover damages to the plaintiffs, as well as legal fees and other costs.

``The bulk of the money will go toward legal fees,'' Sabrin said. ``From conversation with some of the plaintiffs, I think they plan to take whatever they recover and donate it to organizations that support women's sports.''