Higgins' story is being repeated more frequently across the country as colleges are spurred on by Title IX, a federal statute that requires gender equity in sports programs.
And Title IX got some more teeth Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that strictly interprets the statute. Under that ruling, schools must ensure that the number of female athletes mirrors the proportion of women in the student body, or show steady progress in that direction, or meet the athletic needs of qualified women seeking to participate.
Advocates of Title IX view the decision as a welcome warning to colleges to move more quickly toward full parity.
``Educational institutions are now on notice,'' says Carol Tracy of the Women's Law Project in Philadelphia. ``They know they're at risk. Many schools are still out of compliance and haven't been sued.''
Though the statute is 25 years old, most Division I colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware still don't provide the kind of sports parity the court requires.
At Villanova, women make up 51 percent of the student body, but only 35 percent of the school's athletes. At Rutgers University, women make up 52 percent of the student body, but only 40 percent of student athletes. At Delaware State University, women are 57 percent of the student body, but 29 percent of the athletes. The figures come from 1996 federal equity disclosure forms.
Nationally, women make up 52 percent of the student population at Division I colleges, but only 37 percent of student-athletes. In addition, 38 percent of athletic scholarship aid goes to women athletes, and 30 percent of total sports operating expenses go toward women's teams.
That's not to say that schools always spend more on men's teams. Villanova spends $548,890 on its storied women's track team and $459,129 for the men's team.
