Abstract:
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibited discrimination on the
basis of sex at any educational institution that received federal funding. Intended to
focus on unfair admission practices, Title IX became known for improving the treatment
of female intercollegiate athletes. However, the intricacies of implementing federal
standards of gender equality presented substantial challenges, and colleges and
universities confronted the ideological intersection of femininity and athleticism in
different ways. The University of Oregon administration remedied cases of overt
discrimination, 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 Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibited discrimination on the
basis of sex at any educational institution that received federal funding. Intended to
focus on unfair admission practices, Title IX became known for improving the treatment
of female intercollegiate athletes. However, the intricacies of implementing federal
standards of gender equality presented substantial challenges, and colleges and
universities confronted the ideological intersection of femininity and athleticism in
different ways. The University of Oregon administration remedied cases of overt
discrimination, most notably in facility access, but acute inequities persisted. Becky
Sisley, the first and only Director of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics for the
University ofTitle IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibited discrimination on the
basis of sex at any educational institution that received federal funding. Intended to
focus on unfair admission practices, Title IX became known for improving the treatment
of female intercollegiate athletes. However, the intricacies of implementing federal
standards of gender equality presented substantial challenges, and colleges and
universities confronted the ideological intersection of femininity and athleticism in
different ways. The University of Oregon administration remedied cases of overt
discrimination, 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 extensive interviews, former female athletes corroborated this
struggle for recognition. Archival evidence shows the University of Oregon
administration increased funding for women’s athletics during the 1970’s. However, the
Women’s Intercollegiate Association survived on a meager budget and remained autonomous until the Athletic Department combined men’s and women’s athletics in
1977. The merger, and Sisley’s resignation shortly thereafter, hindered any further
attempts for reaching true equality. Title IX presented 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. Discrimination against female athletes persists at
the University of Oregon and there is just cause to explore gender equality in all aspects
of higher education.