Title IX History Page

Timeline of Title IX

The Title IX legislation is part of the 14th Amendment: The Education Amendments of 1972.

Timeline:

The bill was introduced in the Senate on Feb. 28, 1972
The bill was passed by the Senate on March 1, 1972
The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on May 11, 1972
The bill was agreed to by the Senate on May 24, 1972 with a vote of 63-15 and then by the House with a 218-180 vote
Title IX was signed into law by President Nixon on June 23, 1972
In 1975, the United States Department of Education issued implementing regulations requiring every educational institution that receives federal financial assistance to file a document assuring its compliance with Title IX.
The NCAA filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of Title IX in February of 1976. The court dismisses the case in 1978
In October of 1979, the US Department of Education is created and given oversight of Title IX through the office for civil rights.
In 1984 the Supreme Court ruled that Title Ix's non-discrimination and compliance requirements apply to any educational institution receiving federal financial assistance through grants provided directly to it's students. Previously, the requirement only applied to the specific program receiving federal assistance.

Title IX Tidbits:

Championed by Edith Green and Patsy Mink in the House of Representatives and Birch Bayh in the Senate, Title IX was signed by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972. It states: “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.”
Title IX’s language says nothing specifically about athletics. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare determined that because educational institutions receive federal funding, all aspects of the school’s operations were covered by Title IX, including sports.
Prior to the implementation of Title IX, the NCAA did not hold championships for women’s sports. Instead, women’s athletics were administered by the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) until the NCAA began sponsoring championships in 1982.
After a study and implementation period, universities were required to abide by Title IX by 1978.
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, there are three parts to Title IX as it applies to athletics programs: (1) effective accommodation of student interests and abilities (participation), (2) athletic financial assistance (scholarships), and (3) other program components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes). The “laundry list” includes equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily per diem allowances, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, recruitment of student athletes and support services.
Today, Denison competes in 14 women’s varsity sports: basketball, fencing, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming & diving, tennis, track (indoor and outdoor)/cross country, and volleyball.

What were athletics like before Title IX?

In 1906 the NCAA was created and went on to be the governing body of college athletics, but to start, few opportunities were given to female athletes.

Women were not offered athletic scholarships and there were no women's championships. They also struggled with funding and their facilities, equipment and overall experience was far less than their male counterparts.

The lack of scholarship, championships, recognition and proper equipment, women did not make up much of college athletics.

Who does Title IX apply to?

Any school, local or state educational agency and any institution that gets federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education must comply to Title IX. This is around 17,600 local school districts and 5,000 postsecondary institutions, charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries and museums.

What does Title IX require from schools?

Scholarships must be given to male and female athletes proportional to their participation, they must work to expand the "underrepresented sex" and treat all genders equally.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for investigating cases of discrimination based on gender and provides schools with information on how to adhere to Title IX. Anyone who files a complaint with OAR is kept confidential.

Why Title IX is important

Title IX created a more equal playing field for male and female athletes, something that did not exist before. It finally allowed women to get the recognition they deserved.