by Mike Gunderson and Darcy Hendricks
Daily Illini reporters

The University is set to add a women’s softball team to continue better compliance with Title IX equality regulations. But not everyone agrees mandating equality is a good idea.

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has been working for years to comply with the amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act requiring all institutions receiving federal aid to have equal educational opportunities, which includes athletics.

Collinus Newsome, senior in LAS and member of the women’s track team, thinks Title IX is a matter of common sense.

"I can’t understand why someone would be against it. It would be stupid not to have it," she said. "There’s some things we have to implement to make sure things are fair."

Title IX requires all schools to provide equal funding and facilities to men’s and women’s athletics, accommodate the interests and abilities of women athletes on campus, and ensure that a correlation exists between the ratio of men-to-women students and the ratio of men-to-women athletes.

However, because of the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics’ budget constraints, complying with Title IX has not come without sacrifice. Three men’s sports were cut in 1993: swimming, diving and fencing.

According to athletic director Ron Guenther, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics was struggling with its budget at the time the programs were dropped. He said coaches, DIA staff and students were disappointed.

Jim Lutz, women’s swimming coach, thinks the loss of a men’s swimming team is hurting recruitment for his team. He said most recruits have trained with men all their lives and want to continue to train with a men’s team.

"Other schools use that there is no men’s swimming team against us," he said.

Amanda Smith, junior in LAS, thinks the elimination of the men’s programs was unfair to men’s athletics.

"I don’t really think that they should limit one gender’s opportunity because the other gender is behind," she said. "Since there is not an equal amount of funding and scholarships, they should allot the funds they have to make them equal."

"But it (Title IX) is a good idea in itself," she added. "I am glad that soccer came about because of it."

Complying with Title IX has opened the doors for hundreds of women athletes. It is responsible for increases in the number of women athletes, scholarships and sports teams. Women’s soccer was added last fall and softball will begin this spring.

Newsome thinks Title IX has made it possible for women’s athletics to become more influential today.

"Women’s athletics is a very important part of society," she said. "It’s ludicrous that someone would have an opinion against it (Title IX)."

However, some people disagree.

Mark Melone, junior in engineering, does not see the benefit of adding two new women’s sports.

"We have too many uninteresting sports as it is," he said, referring to sports which do not draw a large attendance. "A lot of people don’t want to go to a lot of the sporting events here."

Melone also believes Title IX is detrimental to men’s athletics.

"Title IX unfairly punishes male athletics by allocating limited funds to sports that don’t have priority," he said. "There aren’t a lot of people interested in a lot of these sports."

"Title IX is another example of reverse discrimination," he added. "Innocent people are being punished for something they don’t have any control over."

Newsome points out society may not be "innocent."

"We don’t live in a fair and just society," she said. "People will see things the way they want."

Students disagree on the need of federal regulations which mandate equality.

"You can’t force equality," Melone said. "People may not necessarily be interested in the same thing."

"This (Title IX) is something that needs to happen," Newsome said. "And it’s up to the University to make sure it does."