Title IX has long been known for its impact on gender equity in sports. But as the landmark law celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, Washington State University is recognizing the broad impact it’s had on making an array of educational programs and services more equitable.
Through system-wide events aimed at educating and empowering the WSU community, Compliance and Civil Rights (CCR), WSU Athletics, and other groups around the system are honoring the legacy of Title IX while highlighting the work that remains to be done to make higher education accessible and equitable for all.
“It’s important to remember that 1972 wasn’t that long ago,” said Jill Creighton, associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students/deputy Title IX coordinator. “Our mothers and grandmothers didn’t have equal access to the things we have today. So, these events are important to contextualizing our history and examining how those decisions and environments shaped where we are now. We’ve come a long way, and we still have long way to go.”
The events kicked off last month and will continue throughout the spring semester and into the fall with panels, trainings, and activism opportunities.
On March 4, the WSU Alumni Association is hosting a Women’s Leadership Summit moderated by WSU First Lady Dr. Noel Schulz that will give WSU community members an opportunity to celebrate the successes and learn from the experiences of women at the university. Other notable events include a Kids’ Science and Engineering Day and a talk on the intersectionality of Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The full list of events is on the WSU Events page and on the CCR website. Most events are available online and system-wide.
Access and equity in education
Passed in 1972, Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities that receive federal funding. When it was passed, there wasn’t a broad understanding of what it would do, said Holly Ashkannejhad, director of CCR and Title IX coordinator on the Pullman campus.
“Nobody fully understood what it would mean,” she said. “It has radically changed over the years in terms of what it means and how it impacts people.”
The law initially focused on things like housing and academic programs; in the late 1970s, the focus shifted to athletics. WSU played a prominent role in this era with the 1979 Supreme Court case Blair v. Washington State University, in which female students at WSU alleged that their athletic programs were receiving inferior funding, publicity, facilities, and coaches.
The students won the case, dramatically improving equity in women’s sports at WSU and setting a precedent for athletics at four-year institutions around the country. (Read more about the case in Washington State Magazine.)
In 2011, as the U.S. was undergoing a gradual shift in how society viewed and responded to sexual misconduct, the Obama administration issued a letter that clarified the federal government’s expectations for university process and response to misconduct reports.
“They recognized that there was this huge gap in responding to those complaints and laid out what they expected us to do in responding to harassment, preventing it, helping students through it, and having an effective investigative and adjudicative process,” she said.
The letter and the resultant changes in how sexual misconduct complaints are handled in higher education is one of the most significant impacts of Title IX.
“That document and the subsequent changes to WSU’s policies and procedures are about ensuring fundamental fairness for students of all genders,” said Creighton. “It’s about recognizing those areas where we must support students and making sure they have equitable access to their education.”
Community members who have experienced discrimination or harassment can contact CCR to learn about reporting options and processes. Concerns may be submitted anonymously.
