University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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Athletics

“No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, be treated differently from another person or otherwise be discriminated against in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics offered by a recipient, and no recipient shall provide any such athletics separately on such basis.” 34 C.F.R. § 106.41

Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has provided significant policy documents and general guidance on athletics. Due to Title IX, universities are required to provide an equal opportunity for female and male students to become intercollegiate athletes and provide equivalent treatment of participants in the overall women’s program as compared to the overall men’s program. As a result, athletic opportunities for women and girls has dramatically increased since 1972. In 1972-73, women were 15% of the collegiate athletics participants, and by 2002, they were approximately 42% of the interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics participants. According to the NCAA, in 2017, the percentage of female student-athletes grew to 44%.

Sources:
Bonnette, V.M. (2004). Title IX and Intercollegiate Athletics: How it all works – in plain English.

NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Research http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/sports-sponsorship-and-participation-research

Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Athletics

Sara Burton
Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Intercollegiate Athletics
(217) 333-3630
sarab4@illinois.edu

The Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Athletics assists in compliance efforts regarding gender equity in athletics and in education around Title IX.

External Resources

Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA)

This tool provides rapid customized reports for public inquiries relating to equity in athletics data.

Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Athletics Resources

Provides links to policy guidance, case resolutions, and publications related to Title IX and Athletics.

NCAA Board of Governors Policy on Campus Sexual Violence

On August 8, 2017, The NCAA Board of Governors adopted a policy on campus sexual violence that requires the athletics department be fully knowledgeable about, integrated in, and compliant with institutional policies and processes regarding sexual violence prevention and proper adjudication and resolution of acts of sexual violence. It also requires that the policies and processes are readily available in athletics, in addition to all student-athletes, coaches and staff be educated on sexual violence prevention, intervention and response.

NCAA Women, Gender Equity and Title IX