Female athletes sue the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations by the school

Thirty-two athletes filed a lawsuit against the University of Oregon on Friday alleging the school is violating Title IX.

The plaintiffs, who are all on the varsity beach volleyball team or club rowing team, accuse the school of “depriving women of equal treatment and benefits, equal athletic aid, and equal opportunities to participate in university intercollegiate sports”.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, seeks cure for the alleged violations and unspecified damages.

The women’s lead attorney is Arthur H. Bryant of Bailey. & Glasser, known for his legal efforts to enforce Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender inequality in educational institutions that receive federal funds.

Beach volleyball players say they have no facilities to practice or compete. Instead, the team must practice and compete in a public park with inadequate facilities.

“For example, the public park lacks bleachers for spectators, has doorless bathrooms in the stalls, and is frequently littered with feces, drug paraphernalia, and other discarded items,” the players allege in the lawsuit. “No men’s team faces anything remotely similar.”

Oregon issued a statement saying an on-campus beach volleyball facility is currently in development. He also said Oregon is “committed to providing a positive, quality experience for all of our student-athletes.”

Many of Oregon’s men’s teams, including the fifth-ranked Ducks football team, have state-of-the-art facilities, take charter flights to games, eat catered food and have other amenities. The Ducks were playing Friday night in the Pac-12 championship game against Washington in Las Vegas.

Of Oregon’s 20 varsity sports, only beach volleyball does not offer scholarships, although NCAA rules allow the school to award the equivalent of six full athletic scholarships to the team. Players say they wear hand-me-down uniforms and are not given any name, image or likeness.

“Based on the way the beach volleyball team has been treated, Oregon’s athletes do not need much food or water, good or clean clothing or uniforms, scholarships, medical treatment or mental health services, their own facilities, a clothing, transportation or other basic needs. Male athletes are treated incredibly better in almost every aspect,” team captain and lead plaintiff Ashley Schroeder said in a statement.

Schroeder said the team couldn’t practice this week because someone had died at the park.

In its statement, Oregon said it provides “all student-athletes, including our female athletes, with academic support, tutoring, student-athlete development, healthcare, mental health support, meals and snacks, and sports nutrition and training.” .

The school also said it had previously committed to increasing scholarships.

“The university believes it is in compliance with Title IX. The UO has not yet received a copy of the complaint and, therefore, we cannot comment on further details,” the university statement said.

Beach volleyball has been recognized by the NCAA since 2010 and the Oregon program was founded in 2014. The first Division I championship was held in 2016.

Rowers say the university does not provide equal opportunity for athletic participation by not having a varsity women’s rowing team.

The lawsuit, which arose from an investigation published in July by The Oregonian, cites Athletics Equity Disclosure Act statistics showing that 49% of student-athletes in Oregon are women, but only 25% are women. of athletics dollars and 15% of their recruiting dollars are spent on them.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has previously addressed potential inequities in NIL agreements, saying he was concerned about the potential implications of Title IX because NIL opportunities appear to be disproportionately targeted to male athletes.

The NCAA lifted its ban on college athletes earning money through endorsement deals and sponsorships in 2020.