Monday, July 30, 2007 at 3:05 PM
For Immediate Release
Jennifer Hanson

Women's Sports Foundation Refutes CSUF Testimony

Florez frustrated by news Welty mischaracterized report to suggest Title IX compliance

SACRAMENTO – Senator Dean Florez, D-Shafter, expressed disappointment and frustration with officials from California State University, Fresno, after the Women’s Sports Foundation contacted him to say CSUF president John Welty “mischaracterized” a report by the foundation in testimony before a Senate committee last week on abuses of Title IX.

The Senate Select Committee on Gender Discrimination and Title IX Implementation was formed this month in the wake of a $5.85 million gender discrimination verdict against CSUF. A jury in that case agreed that former volleyball coach Lindy Vivas was let go because of her perceived sexual orientation and her advocacy on behalf of Title IX, designed to ensure gender equity in college athletics.

At the first hearing of the select committee, Welty made a statement regarding progress toward gender equity at his university, citing a report by the Women’s Sports Foundation which he said gave the school an “A” for its commitment to university athletics.

According to the foundation’s executive officer, Donna Lopiano, the report, “Who’s Playing College Sports? Trends in Participation,” contained no such statement.

In fact, the grading section of the report specifically states that it “does not provide a comprehensive analysis of gender equity at each institution nor does it seek to determine whether institutions are currently in compliance with Title IX.”

CSUF was given an “A” for having a percentage of women athletes that reflected the percentage of female students at the school, which is just one measure of compliance. The school is far behind in other areas, including scholarships and facilities.

“When you come before the Senate, you need to be prepared to be as accurate and honest as possible,” Florez said. “I now have a much stronger sense of how a jury was left less than convinced in the testimony of Mr. Welty. I can only hope the university puts as much effort into righting the wrongs that have gotten them to the point of losing litigation as they put into spin and damage control.”

Florez will continue holding hearings of the select committee to explore whether or not there is a pattern of Title IX abuses at California’s public universities. A second jury last week awarded $3.5 million for gender discrimination to a female coach at UC Berkeley, and several cases are pending against CSUF.

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