The Cost of Gender Equity: Title IX at the University of Oregon

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at any educational institution that receives federal funding. Intended to focus on unfair admission practices, Title IX became known for mandating equal treatment (facilities, uniforms, coaching) for female intercollegiate athletes. The intricacies of implementing these federal standards presented substantial challenges, and universities confronted the ideological intersection of equality and autonomy in different ways. The University of Oregon administration remedied overtly discriminatory policies, most notably in facility access, but acute inequities persisted. Becky Sisley, the first and only Director of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics for the University of Oregon, served as the driving force for changing athletic policies for women athletes in the 1960s and 1970s. Archival evidence and extensive oral interviews corroborate this struggle for adequate funding, coaching, and recognition. The Women’s Intercollegiate Association (WIA) survived on a meager budget, but routinely competed in national competitions. The organizatio¬n remained autonomous until 1977, when the University of Oregon combined the WIA and the Athletic Department. The loss of leadership in the merger, and Sisley’s resignation shortly thereafter, hindered any further attempts to reach true equality. The implementation of Title IX at the University of Oregon created a paradox for women’s athletics: an expansion of equality for female athletes, but a decline in autonomy for coaches and administrators of women’s athletics.