The Office of Civil Rights is investigating a complaint that the Ball State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has failed to provide equal intercollegiate athletic opportunities for women.
Jim Bradshaw from the U.S. Department of Education press office said the Office of Civil Rights initiated a review Oct. 1 after a complaint said Ball State was not providing equal intercollegiate athletics opportunities to women with respect to:
- equipment and supplies
- the opportunity to receive coaching and the assignment and compensation of coaches
- travel and per diem allowances
- the provision of locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities
- publicity
- the recruitment of student athletes
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins and Executive Director of University Compliance Sali K. Falling both declined to comment.
Bradshaw said he could not reveal who filed the complaint because they are protected under the Federal Privacy Act.
In response to the complaint, the Office of Civil Rights is conducting a compliance review to investigate whether the athletics department is providing equal intercollegiate athletic opportunities to members of both sexes with respect to:
- the provision of equipment and supplies
- the scheduling of games and practice time
- the allocation of travel and per diem allowances
- the opportunity to receive coaching and the assignment and compensation of coaches
- the opportunity to receive tutoring and the assignment and compensation of tutors
- the provision of locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities
- the provision of medical and training facilities and services
- the provision of housing and dining facilities and services
- the provision of support services
- the recruitment of student athletes
- publicity
"We try to wrap up our investigations as quickly as we can while taking into account all of the relevant information, statements and evidence that we can collect to develop our findings," Bradshaw said.
Bill Richards, who is in his 37th season as the men's tennis coach, said the Ball State coaches had to fill out a survey at their monthly meeting Wednesday. The coaches were not given a reason as to why they had to fill it out, he said. The survey took about 30 minutes to complete and there was nothing alarming about it, he said.
Richards became the men's tennis coach in 1972 - the same year Title IX was passed to ensure women receive equal opportunities as men in schools. Everything he has seen at Ball State is working toward complying with Title IX, he said.
The Office of Civil Rights - which is part of the U.S. Department of Education - has received six complaints against Ball State since Oct. 1, 2005, Bradshaw said. The only open case is the current compliance review, he said.
During the 2008 fiscal year, Bradshaw said, the Office of Civil Rights conducted 42 compliance reviews.
He said he is not sure whether six complaints against Ball State since Oct. 1, 2005, would be considered a high number.
"I don't know how I'd categorize it," Bradshaw said. "There are schools that do have more than that. There are some schools that have less."
Ball State has 18 intercollegiate athletics teams. Seven of the teams are for men while 11 of them are for women. During the 2007-08 school year, Ball State had 220 male athletes and 200 female athletes, according to the Web site for the Office of Postsecondary Education, which is another part of the Department of Education.
The average head coach of a men's team at Ball State makes $102,240 while the average head coach of a women's team makes $64,560, according to the Office of Postsecondary Education Web site. The average assistant coach of a men's team at Ball State makes $47,647 while the average assistant coach of women's team makes $25,585.
The men's teams generated 63.7 percent of the $13,319,137 in revenue the sports had from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. The men's teams generated $8,483,472 in revenue while the women's teams generated $4,835,665.
The men's teams accounted for 63.7 percent of the sports' $13,319,137 in expenses. The men's teams had $8,483,472 in expenses while the women's teams had $4,835,665.
The men's teams accounted for 63 percent of the sports' $176,591 in recruiting expenses. The men's teams had $111,321 in recruiting expenses while the women's teams had $65,270.
Of Ball State's $5,509,596 in athletically-related financial aid, 52 percent went to the male athletes while 48 percent went to female athletes.
If the athletics department is found to have violated civil rights laws, Bradshaw said, the Office of Civil Rights and Ball State would negotiate an agreement and work to get the university in compliance with the regulations. The Office of Civil Rights would also monitor the university for a few months or years, depending on the situation, he said.
In virtually all cases in which violations are found, the Office of Civil Rights can work with the violating school to get in compliance, Bradshaw said. In the rare case that an institution refuses to comply, the Office of Civil Rights can refer the case to the Justice Department for litigation or cut off funding to the institution, he said.
However, referring a case to the Justice Department for litigation or cutting off funding is a last resort and is rare, Bradshaw said.
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