From Miami Herald

Published Monday, February 28, 2000, in the Miami Herald

Canes drop 2 men's sports

BY JEFF SHAIN

jshain@herald.com

The University of Miami will disband its men's swimming and diving and crew teams after this season in order to comply with Title IX gender-equity laws, athletic director Paul Dee confirmed Sunday.

The school also plans to launch a women's volleyball program within the next two years, Dee said. The moves are to be formally announced this week.

UM swimmers, who learned of the plan over the weekend, were distraught over the news.

``It still hasn't really sunk in yet, to know I'll never get up on the blocks and put on a Miami swimming cap again,'' said Ty Hubbard, a freestyle distance specialist from Columbia, Mo.

The Hurricanes have produced 20 men's NCAA champions and 15 Olympians, including two-time diving gold medalist Greg Louganis. UM divers have won at least one national title in each of the past nine years.

``It's like taking the sunshine away from Florida,'' said team captain Tom Caplis, a sprint freestyler from Burr Ridge, Ill.

Dee said the school was left with no choice but to cut the programs in order to comply with Title IX proportionality laws. One element requires schools to have athletic participation similar to the male/female ratio of the student body.

When UM began implementing a Title IX plan four years ago, the school's undergraduate population was 55 percent male and 45 percent female. By adding women's soccer and crew and capping walk-ons in football and baseball, UM managed to achieve a 56-44 split early this year.

However, by then the percentage of female students had zoomed up to 54 percent, leaving UM still 10 percent shy of compliance.

(More...)

-- Markus Archus (apxov@mail.com), February 29, 2000

Answers

Why did they drop the male swim team to comply? Why didn't they just start a women's swim team to even it up if that is what the goal is??

I can understand how the swim team must feel as I am a woman and have had to give up things my whole life for the best interest of or because of man's power and controling influences in life as a whole.

Maybe they should just look at it as they are going to see what the other side has had to live like for their whole lives in having to give up part of what you want from life in order to yield to anothers wishes.

-- Obo (whynot@both.com), February 29, 2000.

My son was on the AHS swim team and worked at the University of Houston during the summer. I spent quite a bit of time with the kids.I noticed the damnedest thing.

The boys looked different from the girls.

Anybody tell God about gender discrimination?

-- Mom (Mom@home.com), February 29, 2000.

This lady still thinks that Title IX is horrible.

-- Daisy Jane (deeekstrand@access1.com), March 01, 2000.

This happened at the University of Arkansas about 4 or 5 years ago. It is a pitiful shame that this had to be done. This is what you get when the legislators in DC decide what is best.

-- Joe O (ozarkjoe@yahoo.com), March 01, 2000.