NT Daily web site..Opportunities for womens

[OldTimer]

This article was posted on the "other Mean Green Board" by Scottie, but the following article I pulled off the NT Daily web site. Interesting comments by RV quoted.

Opportunities for women athletes increase with Title IX compliance

Sandie Taylor

Assistant Managing Editor

July 31, 2003

The arrival of 14 women's softball players, who will have their scholarships in the bank, will mark the beginning of the NT athletics department's compliance to Title IX legislation this fall.

In the last year, the athletics department has undergone a series of changes by recruiting women players, hiring female coaches and purchasing extra facilities to equalize gender representation in the department.

"I believe we need to give our female athletes as much opportunity as we can," Dr. Bonita Jacobs, vice president for student development, said.

"Whether it is extracurricular activities, athletics or in the classroom, it's definitely in our best interest to be honest and fair with all students."

All of the recent hustle and bustle within the athletics department has been caused by NT's concern about satisfying the legislative piece that was passed over 30 years ago, which states that a federally-funded educational facility may not discriminate or exclude on the basis of gender.

The criteria for certifying a school as Title IX compliant has been revised over the years and now NT is trying to make changes to meet those demands, Jacobs said.

"Softball is just the last piece in the puzzle," athletics director Rick Villarreal said.

"Increasing the number of female athletes in all sports throughout walk-on programs has also been instrumental in our progress."

Jacobs said the university has to balance the number of men and women's teams and players to be compliant, and those figures have to be somewhat equivalent to the population and gender ratio of the entire campus.

"In addition to adding softball, we have worked with men's sports to be aware of the number of participants in football, track, golf and basketball during each year and do a better job of managing those numbers," Villarreal said.

Jacobs said it's incredibly complicated to stay in compliance.

"We've spent just about every dollar [from the athletics fee] on women's athletics this year," he said.

While Villarreal said there is an artist's rendition of a future football stadium, the athletics department has no plans to build a new stadium at this time.

"We made a commitment to students that we would upgrade women's athletics and that's what we have done."

The university is in the process of purchasing Liberty Christian School, located at 1500 S. Bonnie Brae St., for $5.1 million to use primarily as a women's athletics facility.

Liberty Christian School will provide the university with a place for women's softball, soccer, volleyball and possibly women's tennis.

In addition, the buildings will be used for meeting rooms and for other departments such as the School of Kinesiology.

The cost will be split between several NT departments, including athletics, which will contribute $2 million toward the purchase using money from the athletics fee and private donations.

The university has a four part payment schedule with Liberty Christian, which will be completed on June 1, 2004.

At this time, the university will acquire the facility and begin building a softball stadium on the land where the current school's softball park already exists.

Villarreal estimates this renovation to cost anywhere from $600,000 to $1 million.

Until the expected stadium is finished in Fall 2004, the women's softball team will play its inaugural season at Denia Park.

"It's a really exciting time for women's sports," Jacobs said. "They are gaining respect they haven't had before."

This year, the softball team will play its first season since its disbandment in 1988.

Director of compliance, Cinnamon Sheffield, said the official season of softball starts in Spring 2004.

However, NT has provided 14 scholarships for the softball team members that will start in Fall 2003.

The scholarships are provided for by the general scholarship fund, advertising money, the Mean Green Club and the athletics fee, Villarreal said.

With the popularity of softball in this area, Villarreal thinks it will attract a lot of local fans, as well as many students, faculty and staff.

"We should be very competitive the first year, so I hope it will catch on quickly."

[NT80]

While Villarreal said there is an artist's rendition of a future football stadium, the athletics department has no plans to build a new stadium at this time.

If we want greater revenue to help fund these new women's programs, a new stadium is a must. Football and basketball are the only revenue producing sports. To attract fans and quality opponents to play at UNT we must have a modern football facility. Fouts was built in 1952 and while some cosmetic changes have and are being made, many aspects of it (like restrooms) still date it to the 50's.

[PlummMeanGreen]

If we want greater revenue to help fund these new women's programs, a new stadium is a must. Football and basketball are the only revenue producing sports. To attract fans and quality opponents to play at UNT we must have a modern football facility. Fouts was built in 1952 and while some cosmetic changes have and are being made, many aspects of it (like restrooms) still date it to the 50's.

UNT will build a new football stadium as soon as its gets 1, 2, a coalition of private donors OR a major corporation to provide the funds to build it. Nothing has changed on the football stadium timetable in that regard. If Rick V gets the "BIG DONOR(S)" to give the mega-bucks tonight, an annoucement would soon be forthcoming.

This football season could very well tweak the interest of the kind of donors we need for our new football stadium at Eagle Point. The momentum our football progam now has going is not going to hurt our efforts in getting the attention of the one(s) who will under-write the building of our fabulous new football stadium. UNT chose a good time to turn the thing around!

Edited August 1, 2003 by PlummMeanGreen