Title IX and Gender Equality in Education

Student from The Buccaneer, 1976
Image Source: The Buccaneer, 1976.

Amid debates over the Equal Rights Amendment, Congress passed the Education Amendments of 1972. A portion of the new legislation, known as Title IX, stated “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Three years later, in the summer of 1975, the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare provided guidelines for compliance. At issue was continued eligibility for federal funds. With more female students than any college or university in the state – nearly 6,000 in 1974 – and a long history of leadership in higher education for women, East Carolina was well positioned to make the case that sexual discrimination was not a major problem on the campus. Still, compliance initiatives were undertaken, redoubling the historic commitment to providing women opportunities for educational empowerment. Also, while compliance in athletics was not expected until 1978, ECU proactively moved to expand scholarships and develop women’s sports, providing for greater equity in athletics.

At ECU, Dr. David B. Stevens coordinated “a massive campus-wide” effort to comply with HEW guidelines. Stevens had been on staff at ECU earlier, but in the spring of 1974 was appointed university attorney and director of the Office of Equal Opportunity tasked with overseeing compliance with federal regulations related to Title IX. His assistant, Richard Farris, commenting on the new legislation and its challenges, stated, “Title IX is a good law, a law that is long overdue. Its effects will complete a revolution in education which has been in the making for quite some time.”

To eliminate sex-discriminatory practices at ECU, officials re-examined policies in the areas of admissions, financial aid, housing, employment, counseling, dormitory curfews, and athletics. Title IX did not address birth control as such, but its regulations concerning equal health care were interpreted to apply to it.

Twelve campus subcommittees were established to work with Steven’s office and another campus group, the Committee on the Status of Women led by dean of women, Carol Fulghum. To highlight ECU’s commitment to gender equality at all levels, a new tradition was pioneered with the annual Women’s Awareness Week. ECU also highlighted the pivotal roles of women in its history and sponsored lectures by prominent women addressing new cultural visions encouraging greater levels of equality for women.

ECU chancellor, Leo W. Jenkins, contributed to ECU’s efforts with a keynote address delivered during the 1975 Women’s Awareness Week. In his address, Jenkins noted several recent ECU graduates who had excelled on campus in leadership positions and then, following graduation, succeeded in high-level professional endeavors. Jenkins encouraged his audience to continue in this tradition, stating, “Get involved, think positively and don’t be turned off by archaic notions about the roles of women.” He added, “Women have been overcoming traditional barriers, directing their energies to new endeavors, and succeeding in expanding careers. Through the past and pending legislation, social and political activities, and determination, women should soon achieve true equality.”

Some of the most important changes were in athletics. For the first time, seven athletic scholarships were awarded to females in 1975. With these, the beginning of a revolution was underway, one elevating women’s sports and funding for female athletes as never before. Only in the 1920s and 1930s had women achieved similar prominence in campus sports, but then without scholarship funding or substantial investment by the school. By January 1976, however, ECU had 20 intercollegiate team sports, eight of which were women’s teams (swimming, golf, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, track, and field hockey) including 150 athletes compared to 11 men’s teams including 320 athletes. Six years earlier, ECU had not had any intercollegiate women’s teams. As Chancellor Leo W. Jenkins affirmed, ECU had made “tremendous progress” towards equal opportunity in athletic teams if not actual equality in numbers of athletes. Jenkins affirmed ECU’s intent to “continue to expand our efforts on this front.”

In effect, Title IX gave ECU new incentives to advance its commitment to gender equality in higher education, a commitment dating back to its first charter recognizing the school as coeducational, albeit then within the confines of early-twentieth-century Jim Crow culture.

Sources

  • “Chancellor Tells ECU Women To Be Assertive.” High Point Enterprise. April 24, 1975. 2B.
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  • Taylor, Diane. “Women’s Athletics Achieves Status, Works Toward Title IX Compliance, Awards 7 Scholarships – First Time in ECU History.” Buccaneer. 1976. Pp. 194-195. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15327
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  • “Title IX deadline for ECU is July 1976.” Fountainhead. Vol. 7, no. 17. November 6, 1975. P. 13. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15327
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Citation Information

Title: Title IX and Gender Equality in Education

Author: John A. Tucker, PhD

Date of Publication: 2/25/2020

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