In recent years, few laws have had greater impact on public education than Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. As a result of this legislation, participation levels of female athletes have risen dramatically. Conducted in the Texas Education Agency's Region XI, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions of high school principals, the lead coaches of male athletes, and the lead coaches of female athletes with regard to their schools' compliance with the components of Title IX. The study centered on the results of a survey instrument that included twenty Likert-scale questions as well as several demographic questions. The research questions sought to determine: (1) respondents' overall perception of compliance; (2) any differences in perceptions of compliance based upon the role of the individual; (3) any differences in perceptions based upon the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch; (4) any differences based upon the state classification of the schools; (5) any differences based upon the gender of respondents; (6) whether complaints filed via OCR result in a perception of increased compliance; and (7) the program component areas in which respondents view their schools to be most compliant. Descriptive and causal-comparative methods were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that school leaders in north central Texas public high schools perceived a high degree of compliance of their schools with the requirements of Title IX regardless of their role. A descriptive analysis of the responses based upon respondent role yielded slight differences between coaches of males and females. An ANOVA of responses considering the variables of free and reduced lunch as well as state classification did not yield a statistical significance in terms of perceptions of compliance. Although the mean scores of female respondents were slightly lower than males, the research did not yield statistically significant differences based upon gender. The study was inconclusive in terms of whether districts that have experienced formal Title IX complaints are more compliant with Title IX. Finally, the study indicated that school leaders should focus more attention on the areas of coaching assignment and compensation as well as publicity as they seek to comply with Title IX.

The purpose of this study is to identify students’ awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of the mandatory reporting policy related to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Mandatory reporting requirements are being implemented in higher educational institutions; however, existing literature does not examine students’ perceptions or their knowledge of the specific requirements that apply exclusively to them. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of college students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. Drawing on survey data (N = 501) from a large, public research university, the study explores two outcome variables: students’ awareness of the mandatory reporting policy and students’ knowledge of the university’s Title IX and mandatory reporting policy. It is hypothesized that variation across such views may be predicted by several factors, such as rape myth acceptance, knowing a victim of sexual misconduct, knowing an individual falsely accused of sexual misconduct, and demographic characteristics. Most of the students were aware of the university’s mandatory reporting policy, but they were not especially knowledgeable about the specifics. An overwhelming number of students support the use of mandatory reporting on college campuses for sexual misconduct, but fewer individuals stated they are more likely to disclose personal sexual victimization with an enacted mandatory reporting policy. Being knowledgeable about the university’s mandatory reporting policy was positively associated with higher general support of mandatory reporting. In addition, being aware of the enacted mandatory reporting policy also emerged as statistically significant and positively associated with perceptions of disadvantages and advantages of the mandatory reporting policy. Other findings and implications are discussed.

This study examines the coverage of women's athletics at USF provided through photographic representations on the university's Athletics Internet home web page during the 2009-2010 academic year. Findings revealed that, consistent with recent research on coverage of female athletes and women's athletics on university web pages, women, compared to men, were underrepresented in the majority of the five areas of the home page analyzed. Studies such as this can be beneficial because, if gender coverage inequities are brought to the attention of university administrators and Athletics personnel, actions could be take to reduce the inequities, thereby setting the tone for how we see and think about female athletes.

Within the past three years, men's track and field teams were being eliminated in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Gender equity legislation, namely Title IX, was being blamed for those cuts. By probing the beliefs and opinions of coaches and administrators, a more accurate representation of gender equity could be drawn. The focus of this study was to gain a greater understanding of how gender equity is perceived by Mid-American Conference (MAC) athletic administrators and coaches.Q-methodology was chosen as the most relevant method to achieve the desired outcome. This method would take the subjective opinions and beliefs of the subjects and transform them into numbers that could be analyzed. The resulting information would create factors, or groups,which would help draw some conclusions on the true impact of gender equity legislation in the MAC.The subjects of this study provided two distinct factors labeled: "Title IX Defenders" and "Title IX Amenders." Title IX Defenders felt adamant that Title IX should not be altered. They primarily wanted to protect the integrity of the legislation. Title IX Amenders felt that Title IX should be altered to prevent further damage to men's non-revenue athletes, while continuing to protect female athletes. / Department of Journalism

On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter on campus sexual assault reaffirming the intent of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits discrimination sex-based under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. In response to growing concern over due process rights for defendants, in September 2017 the guidance was rescinded. Public policy continues to evolve, leading to potentially lasting institutional changes on many college campuses. These developments include the formalization of campus investigations and adjudications, the development of campus coordinating committees and expanded support mechanisms for victims. In Virginia, laws passed in 2015 require transcript notations and notification to law enforcement prosecutors’ offices of certain sexual assault offenses reported to colleges and universities. To date, no research exists on how prosecutors, as the presumed gateway to justice, make sense of and navigate these emerging developments when making decisions about cases. The present study helps to fill that void by using inductive qualitative methods through a symbolic interactionism theoretical framework. The findings are based on in-depth interviews with prosecutors across Virginia to examine how they create meaning based on case elements in campus sexual assault cases including legal considerations and victim and offender characteristics, as well as their perceptions of the influence of internal and external relationships on their decision-making. A modified grounded theory approach informed data coding and analysis, which yielded the development of a theory that explains the ways various factors and interactions with campus officials, and survivors that influence prosecutors’ action including decisions to charge, to take a case to trial and to collaborate. Results of the study inform the development of public policy to ultimately improve practice, collaboration and information sharing processes in both campus and criminal justice-prosecution systems.

Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972 has significantly improved women's access to previously male-dominated areas of education in the United States, but few of these studies have focused on the experiences of women currently in the higher education field. This study explored female head athletic trainers' perceptions of the role of U.S. higher education institutions in preparing and supporting their achievement of leadership positions in U.S. collegiate sports: it also explored their views on potential changes in current higher education curricula and certification processes. This phenomenological study used Ridgeway's status construction theory as its theoretical lens for examining the role of higher education in participants' career progressions. Data were collected from a purposeful sample of 9 female head athletic trainers from various intercollegiate schools in the United States. The trustworthiness of findings was increased through use of the constant comparison data analysis method and sharing transcripts and excerpts of findings with participants. The study findings showed that the participants perceived higher education program preparation and support as limited in both helping women achieve collegiate leadership positions and overcome barriers to professional advancement. Suggestions for improving athletic training educational programs included adding mentorship and role models, experiential learning and interactions with sport personnel, networking opportunities, leadership training, and courses in gender roles and biases. This study promotes positive social change by identifying underlying gender biases inhibiting women's promotions into sport leadership roles and by providing policy and curricular suggestions for addressing these, thereby promoting greater social equality.

Gender discrimination, such as sexual harassment, sexual assault and inequitable treatment has long been considered a prominent issue on higher education campuses and is regulated under the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, commonly known as Title IX. Title IX is enforced by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) who responds to gender discrimination complaints on campus through investigations resulting in what are called OCR Resolution Letters. These letters define numerous policies and procedures Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) must put in place pertaining to the prevention of gender discrimination. This qualitative study looks specifically at the ways that gender discrimination on campuses of higher education was defined by the OCR from 1997-2011. The study explores the research questions (1) How have the types of conduct determined to be gender discrimination changed over time? (2) How have expectations of IHE responsibilities for gender discrimination issues changed over time? and (3) What gender discrimination issues have surfaced as priorities in the implementation of Title IX, as reflected in OCR resolution letters? Analysis of the letters using a social construction framework demonstrates that while the definitions of specific types of gender discrimination remained constant, the context in which they occur and the types of behaviors determined to be gender discrimination have both expanded in response to societal attitudes. The OCR tends to take the stance of being an ally vs. a punishing body when aiding IHEs in implementing Title IX; however IHE’s required investment in addressing the problem in both response and preventive measures has grown. Finally, OCR Resolution letters demonstrate that student on student interactions have been less common than faculty on student interactions. Implications for IHE practices and future research are discussed.

abstract: This project presents an institutional history of women’s intercollegiate athletics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. By looking to the individual campus, we learn about the ways in which administrators, coaches, faculty, and students understood the educational value of college sports. The UNC women’s program began in the 1950s as extramural play and quickly transformed into big-time college sports. By the early 1980s, the women experienced the same tension between academics and athletics at the heart of intercollegiate sports as the men. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, colleges, the media, and most Americans strongly associated the Big Time with the revenue-producing sports of football and men’s basketball. In Chapel Hill and across America, however, all sports teams, men’s and women’s, revenue and non-revenue, felt the effects of the increased professionalization and commercialization of the collegiate athletic enterprise. The history of women’s intercollegiate athletics provides a new window into exploring the benefits and challenges of big-time sports in higher education. Frances Burns Hogan, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, and her colleagues worked hard to expand sporting opportunities for women. They helped create the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, which provided governance and began hosting national championships in 1971. They collaborated with university administrators and athletic officials to implement Title IX compliance during the 1970s. Hogan and many directors eagerly joined men’s athletic conferences to commence regular season play, and by the 1980s, supported the move to the NCAA. Providing the best competitive experiences for Carolina female student-athletes motivated Hogan’s decisions. Frances Hogan and women’s directors nationwide determined the nature of women’s intercollegiate athletics. Hogan and her colleagues debated whether women’s sports should be inclusive and participatory or competitive and elitist. They struggled over the tension between the drive to expand women’s sporting opportunities and the desire to maintain educational priorities. They grappled with men in the athletic department who resisted their efforts to gain publicity, access to better facilities, adequate operational support, and the legitimacy enjoyed by men’s teams. By 1985, Hogan’s tireless efforts created the premier women’s athletic program in the Southeast. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation History 2015

This work is a case study of sexual violence at the University of Richmond, which examines the major cases and changes that took place at the university in the period from 2011 to 2021. The topic of sexual violence on American campuses has received much attention prevention in 2011 and the increase in protests against sexual violence in 2017 led to greater public attention, during which students criticized universities for their inaction against perpetrators of sexual assault. In selected cases, this work points to the fact that the University of Richmond has faced several media-known cases of sexual harassment, which has forced it to take steps to increase the prevention of sexual violence on its campus. Furthermore, this study points to the limits of ethical research and restrictions that are associated with research on sexual harassment on American campuses. This made the possibility of agreeing research on campus more difficult and also pointed out that although university academics are aware that the data obtained by the questionnaire would be beneficial to the university, it is not possible for such research to be in charge as a primary research student.

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