Three Rivers closing gender equity gaps in school sports

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Three Rivers College official says the institution has made "considerable progress" in addressing gender equity concerns after an audit nearly a year ago found Title IX compliance lacking.

Jason Hoseney, Three Rivers' vice president for Student Success, said the athletic department has evened the score in coaching positions for men's and women's programs, improved facilities, and is addressing athlete participation deficits.

Last May, Three Rivers' athletic director released findings from an audit, commissioned by the community college, that found the school was not in compliance with Title IX in several areas.

In her report, Title IX consultant Helen Grant said more men competed in athletic programs than women, despite the fact that women make up a sizable majority of Three Rivers' students. While there are an equal number of sports -- baseball and basketball for men, softball and basketball for women -- softball has a smaller roster than baseball. The report also found the school does not have a "history and a continuing practice of expanding athletic opportunities for female students," because Three Rivers cut its volleyball program after the 2006 season.

Facilities for female athletes were not up to the same standard as those found in the men's sports, at least on the baseball and softball front, according to the report.

Hoseney said the institution commissioned the audit because the new administration at the time wanted an accurate assessment of processes and programs at the college. That review included the fidelity of Title IX, the nearly 40-year-old federal law prohibiting discrimination based on gender in school that receive federal money.

"The consultant made recommendations, and in two of the cases we've made considerable progress," Hoseney said.

The school has hired two assistant women's basketball coaches, and one assistant softball coach, evening up the number of coaches at five for both men's and women's programs, according to Hoseney.

The college has improved facilities for softball, adding a scoreboard to the softball field like the one found at the baseball park, the Hoseney said. Three Rivers still has plans to build a new softball clubhouse in the next year or two, which would equal the new baseball clubhouse.

"One area we still need to work on is in participation," Hoseney said. "According to Title IX, you have to have the same proportion of athletes as the student body demographics, and at our school 65 percent of the student body are female, and 35 percent are male."

Currently, Hoseney said, the number of male athletes is higher than female athletes. So Three Rivers needs to add a women's sport in order to increase the number of female athletes.

Hoseney said the athletic department is looking at adding volleyball, and it has weighed the potential of bringing on a rodeo team. Rodeo, however, is not a sport covered under the National Junior College Athletic Association, the governing body of junior and community college athletics.

One of the possible recommendations at one time was that Three Rivers cut a sport to gain gender equity. Hoseney has said that eliminating programs was a worst-case scenario.

He said there is no set timeline on adding a women's sport.

"While volleyball is on the top of the list, we're not excluding any other sport at this point," he said. "We're looking at what sport works best at our institution and what the community feels like it would most benefit from."

Three Rivers' work to improve compliance with Title IX continues as Southeast Missouri State University finishes a self-study as part of the NCAA Division I recertification process. That report found the university mostly in compliance with NCAA program areas, but it did note some gender equity issues, among other deficiencies.

mkittle@semissourian.com

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