Adrian College to build, upgrade female athletic facilities after investigation cites 11 violations of gender-equality rules
Detroit Free Press
September 19, 2011
The federal government is forcing Adrian College, a private school in southeast Michigan, to build and renovate facilities after citing it for 11 violations of gender-equality rules, including not adding female locker rooms when it built a new $6.5-million multipurpose stadium.
The college, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, agreed to a series of changes, including better pay for coaches of women's sports and more public relations staff time on them. Failure to comply could cost Adrian any federal aid it receives. The agreement with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights caps a three-year investigation.
The college spent $15 million on its athletics facilities in recent years but neglected to include appropriate facilities for female athletes, according to the federal office. Such a lengthy list of violations is unusual, said Erin Buzuvis, a law professor at Western New England College who blogs about Title IX, the federal rule that requires gender equality in college athletics.
