VALDOSTA — This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of Title IX, a portion of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.’

Although Title IX deals with any federally funded organization, the act is especially prevalent within college athletics.

Prior to the passing of Title IX in 1972, Valdosta State was a male-dominated sports college. No female teams competed in official intercollegiate athletic events for the school.

Since the passing of the education amendment, Valdosta State has added six women’s sports, most recently with soccer in 2011. The first women’s sport established by VSU — then known as Valdosta State College — was tennis, which started play in 1973. A year later, the college added women’s basketball and volleyball. Cross country began competing in 1975. The college added softball in 1983, which came three years after it discontinued volleyball in 1980. Volleyball returned in 1995.

“I can’t speak to VSU prior to Title IX, because it is 40 years old, but Title IX changed the face of intercollegiate athletics significantly,” said Valdosta State athletic director Herb Reinhard. “Some might argue that might be the largest, most single, defining issue to impact women’s athletics in history. I certainly remember, as a boy, growing up where women’s athletics was shuffled to the side and they played in whatever facility was left over. They weren’t treated as equal citizens. Title IX has certainly changed that.”

Although women’s sports were established, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) did not start regulating women’s competition within intercollegiate athletics until 1981, following a vote at the NCAA National Convention.

Prior to the NCAA taking over, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women governed women’s college athletics. The passing of the 1981 vote by the NCAA was essentially a death notice for the AIAW.

Since the establishment of women’s sports at VSU, the ladies have blossomed, especially under Reinhard, who took over as the head of Valdosta State athletics in 1992. In fact, 2011-12 was a particularly successful season for women’s athletics at VSU. In the fall, soccer captivated the community in its inaugural season by winning 11 games and appearing in the Gulf South Conference championship match. In the winter, women’s basketball competed in the NCAA tournament and appeared in the South Region championship game, losing by just two points to Rollins, which advanced to the Final Four. In the spring, the Blazer softball team set countless records, won 58 games and captured the school’s first women’s sports national championship.

“That is rewarding on many levels,” said Reinhard when asked about the women’s athletic success. “I am proud of what we have done with our women’s athletics program, but I am proud of our student-athletes. They are great ambassadors for not just our athletic department, but also our university and community.”

The passing of Title IX, which guaranteed, at least, a fair opportunity for women to showcase their athletic abilities, started all of the women’s athletic success at VSU.

The regulations implementing Title IX require all universities receiving federal funds to perform self-evaluations of whether they offer equal opportunities, based on sex, within athletics.

Among the factors examined by the Department of Education when determining if equal treatment exists include: Whether the selection of sports and levels of competition effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of members of both sexes, the scheduling of games and practices, travel and budgets, opportunity to receive coaching and academic tutoring, provision of locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, training facilities and housing and dining facilities.

At Valdosta State, women’s basketball associate head coach Jennifer Grubbs is in charge of making sure the university keeps to the athletic standards brought forth by Title IX, as she serves as the Senior Women’s Administrator, a position mandated by Title IX.



Coming Monday: A look at Title IX’s effect on local high school sports