Beginning next fall, students, prospective students, and the public will have a better opportunity to gauge how colleges and universities treat men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports.
Under final rules released this month by the U.S. Department of Education, institutions of higher education must release annual reports each year by Oct. 15 that detail the resources provided to men’s and women’s athletic programs, participation rates in those programs, and other pertinent information about gender equity in college sports.
The Equity in Athletics Disclosure ACT also requires that the institutions divulge financial data about recruiting practices and coaches’ salaries as well as the gender of their staff members in athletic programs.
The rules apply to all coeducational institutions that receive federal funds and field intercollegiate teams and sports.
The legislation was passed last year as a way to spotlight those colleges and universities that have yet to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which outlaws sex discrimination in education.
