At Two-Year Colleges, Less Scrutiny Equals Less Athletic Equality
Los Angeles Southwest College has a new athletic field house and football stadium, but almost no female athletes.
Women make up more than two-thirds of students at this community college in the city’s South Central neighborhood, but less than a quarter of its athletes. The college’s decision to suspend the track team this year left women who wanted to play a sport with a single option: basketball.
Henry Washington, the college’s athletic director and head football coach, acknowledges that his program is most likely violating federal law by failing to offer enough roster spots to women. But he said many of the female students are also juggling jobs and child care, and do not have time to play sports. Then there is the question of money. “I just keep my fingers crossed that we can keep what we have,” he said.
Pensacola State College in Florida has suffered through its share of budget cuts, and athletic officials have long faced the thorny question of how much interest there is at a college that devotes an entire campus to health sciences programs, where students tend to be older, overwhelmingly female and, supposedly, less eager to play sports.
But there is no shortage of women playing sports at Pensacola. The college invests about $1 million a year in the athletics program, and coaches scour the state and beyond for talented female players. The women’s basketball team won the state championship this year.
Bill Hamilton, the Pensacola athletic director, said his success had not come without struggle. But abiding by the law is a priority. “We don’t do things around here because it’s easy,” he said. “We do things because it’s right.
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Read more at the New York Times. It's a long article, but worth reading. I attended a community college my first 2 years, but honestly couldn't tell you what sports we did or didn't have. With more and more people opting to attend community colleges, this is definitely a concern
Women make up more than two-thirds of students at this community college in the city’s South Central neighborhood, but less than a quarter of its athletes. The college’s decision to suspend the track team this year left women who wanted to play a sport with a single option: basketball.
Henry Washington, the college’s athletic director and head football coach, acknowledges that his program is most likely violating federal law by failing to offer enough roster spots to women. But he said many of the female students are also juggling jobs and child care, and do not have time to play sports. Then there is the question of money. “I just keep my fingers crossed that we can keep what we have,” he said.
Pensacola State College in Florida has suffered through its share of budget cuts, and athletic officials have long faced the thorny question of how much interest there is at a college that devotes an entire campus to health sciences programs, where students tend to be older, overwhelmingly female and, supposedly, less eager to play sports.
But there is no shortage of women playing sports at Pensacola. The college invests about $1 million a year in the athletics program, and coaches scour the state and beyond for talented female players. The women’s basketball team won the state championship this year.
Bill Hamilton, the Pensacola athletic director, said his success had not come without struggle. But abiding by the law is a priority. “We don’t do things around here because it’s easy,” he said. “We do things because it’s right.
_______________________
Read more at the New York Times. It's a long article, but worth reading. I attended a community college my first 2 years, but honestly couldn't tell you what sports we did or didn't have. With more and more people opting to attend community colleges, this is definitely a concern