[01LUGrad]

September 29, 2006

HARRISONBURG — James Madison University's Board of Visitors voted today to approve a plan to bring the JMU Athletics program into compliance with Title IX.

The plan will take effect July 1, 2007, when the following varsity teams will be eliminated:

Men's
Archery
Cross Country
Gymnastics
Indoor Track
Outdoor Track
Swimming
Wrestling

Women's
Archery
Fencing
Gymnastics

With 28 varsity teams, the JMU Athletics program ties for the rank of seventh in terms of the number of teams among all 327 Division I schools nationally.

"The JMU Athletics program is unusually large for a public university of our size," said Joseph Damico, rector of the JMU Board of Visitors. "With so many teams, we faced an insurmountable challenge coming into compliance with Title IX. Fundamentally, that is why the Board voted today for this plan."

The proportionality requirements of Title IX mandate that collegiate athletics programs mirror each school's undergraduate population in terms of gender. As of the fall semester 2006, JMU's proportions place it fundamentally out of compliance with federal law:

Overall Enrollment
Female 61%
Male 39%

Athletics Participation
Female 50.7%
Male 49.3%

Jeff Bourne, JMU athletics director, said, "We explored every avenue in search of an alternative to this action. Lamar Daniel, a well-known consultant on Title IX compliance, has worked closely with us and he believes that this plan is our most viable alternative for reaching compliance with Title IX."

Once this plan is fully implemented, total participation in athletics will move to 61 percent female and 39 percent male, in alignment with current student enrollment. The university will then have 18 intercollegiate sports:

Men's
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf
Soccer
Tennis

Women's
Basketball
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track, Indoor
Track, Outdoor
Volleyball

This decision affects 144 student-athletes currently participating in these sports, as well as three full-time and eight part-time coaches.

"Now that the Board has voted to enact this plan, our main concern is with our affected student-athletes and coaches," said Bourne. "We are taking great care to preserve the financial guarantees already made to our student-athletes. If you are a student-athlete on an affected team and you are receiving a scholarship, you will continue to receive that scholarship until you graduate."

Currently, eight students on the rosters of the 10 affected teams receive a total of $13,500 in scholarships. Access to sports-medicine and academic-advising programs also will be available to them. Any affected student-athletes who decide to transfer to another program will be provided with full assistance regarding the transfer process. Affected coaches will receive severance packages appropriate to the university's policies and procedures.

All of the financial resources recovered from the implementation of this plan will be redirected to provide the full complement of NCAA scholarships for women's golf, tennis and swimming. Partial scholarship funding will return to men's golf and tennis, with a plan to enhance to full funding by 2011.

http://www.jmu.edu/jmuweb/general/news/ ... 7490.shtml

[LUconn]

who came up with this stupid thing anyway? some chick who tried to make the football team probably.

[WinthropEagleFan]

The proportionality compliance test is the primary roadblock to there being football at Winthrop, at least for the foreseeable future.

I definitely understand the underlying reasoning behind Title IX, and I'm all in favor in making sure that women who do want to play sports and have talent in that area are given a chance, but i hate to see it at the expense of existing men's sports. I also really hate seeing cases where schools just have women's teams just to have them and have 'athletes' on their rosters that have no business being on a college roster (ie. some women golfers shooting in the upper 90s or even in the 100s in the Big South tourney last year), because they have to fill a quota.

[SuperJon]

Title IX sucks.

[PeterParker]

Someone from the LU Cross-Country team should be burning up the phone lines to try to poach their top three guys to round out the LU team for a serious national title qualifying squad next year also...should be an easy sell, just down 81 to keep competing Division 1 and stay in roughly the same region.

[Stevev]

Great idea. JMU has had a great Cross Country program for years. Second to William and Mary in the Colonial.

[PeterParker]

Here is some possible JMU talent: With the possibility of being able to be part of a competitive national qualifier and the chance to train with a potential national champion in McDougall, perhaps these student-athletes would be willing to relocate to be part of the LU team. Add a couple of these guys and all of a sudden LU has a deep squad.

From: http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Players/8 ... p?TeamID=8

Bryan Buckland
Year: Jr.
Hometown: Centreville, Va.
High School: Westfield
Event: 3K, 5K, 10K

Personal Bests:
5000 (14:38.46), 10K (30:51.82), 3000 (8:38.42)





2005 Cross Country: Placed seventh among 48 at the JMU Invitational held at the New Market Battlefield… placed 181st at the Roy Griak Invitational… placed 197th at the Penn State National Open… placed 36th among 86 in the Colonial Athletic Association Championships… placed 143rd at the IC4A Championships.

2004-2005: Finished 32nd in the 10,000 at the 1C4A Championships… placed 17th in the 5,000 at the Duke Asics Invitational… placed ninth in the10,000 at the Raleigh Relays… turned in a personal-best time of 14:37.46 while placing 12th in the 5000 at the IC4A Indoor Championships… finished second in 3000 at U.S. Naval Academy Tri-meet with Navy and La Salle… finished 10th in 5000 at Penn State’s National Meet… finished 22nd in the 3000 at the Virginia Tech Challenge.

2003-04: Fifth in 10,000 at CAA Championships… placed 14th in the 5,000 at the JMU Invitational… third in the 5,000 at Terrapin Invitational… during the indoor season placed 12th in the 3000 at the Father Diamond Invitational… during the cross country season and at the CAA Championships placed 41st of 74… finished 40th of 76 at the Tribe Open… among 207 was 28th at Paul Short Open… finished 11th among 54 at JMU Open… placed 96th among 109 runners at Lou Onesty Invitational.

Before JMU: Member of two Concorde District championship teams in outdoor track... two-time MVP for the Bulldogs’ cross country unit... first-team all-state his senior year in cross country... two-time all-district performer in cross country... all-state in the indoor 3200... set a school record in the indoor and outdoor 3200.

Personal: Born October 10, 1984... son of Maureen and Eric Buckland... majoring in pre-law with a minor in political science.

[PAmedic]

I had the same thought reading that list, get them down on the Mt.

And what a joke- to cut T & F for cryin' out loud

[PeterParker]

Track Roster: http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Players/8 ... p?TeamID=8
Others:

http://www.jmusports.com/Team/Players/8 ... p?TeamID=8

Timothy Young
Year: So.
Hometown: Fredericksburg, Va.
High School: James Monroe
Event: 1500, 3K, 5K


2005 Cross Country: Placed ninth among 48 at the JMU Invitational at New Market Battlefield… placed 141st at the Roy Griak Invitational… placed 129th at the Penn State National Open… placed 28th of 86 at the CAA Championships… placed 11th among 207 at the Southeast Regional in East Carolina.

[PeterParker]

As seen in the accomplishment details, many of these guys have already been down to race on the LU track, so they are somewhat familiar with the locale.

Others:

Chris Ward
Year: Jr.
Hometown: Chesapeake, Va.
High School: Hickory
Event: 800, 1500, 3K

Personal Bests:
800 (1:58.81), 1000 (2:37.19), 1500 (4:07)


2004-05: Finished 10th in the 800 at the JMU Invitational… placed 23rd in the 800 at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships… placed 36th in the 1500 at the Lou Onesty/Milton G. Abramson Invitational… placed 14th in the 800 at the Liberty Invitational… placed 13th in the1500 at the Fred Hardy Invitational… ran the second leg of the 4x800 relay that finished second at the Navy Invitational during the indoor opener… placed 14th in the mile at Virginia Tech Indoor Invitational… ran the third leg in the distance medley relay that finished fourth at Virginia Tech Indoor Invitational… finished fourth in the 800 at U.S. Naval Academy Tri-meet with Navy and La Salle and ran the final leg of the 4x400 relay which finished third… ran the second leg of the 4x800 relay which finished third at Christopher Newport University College Classic… finished 10th in 800 at Christopher Newport University College Classic… finished 18th in the 1000 at the Virginia Tech Challenge… placed 40th in the mile at the Virginia Tech Challenge… finished eight in 800 at the Collegiate Open Invitational hosted by George Mason.

Before JMU: Team MVP for cross country, outdoor and indoor track his senior year... earned MVP honors his sophomore year in indoor track and was the team MVP in outdoor his freshman year… member of the 4x800 outdoor Eastern Region championship squad during his senior season... team captain in all three sports senior year…. Southeastern District champion in 1600 for both indoor and outdoor track as a senior… 1000 district champ indoor both junior and senior years... held 1600 school record all four years in outdoor… held 1000 school record senior, junior and freshman year… all-region in 800 outdoor sophomore year and held school record in the event sophomore and freshman years… district 800 champion freshman year... in 2002 Hawks won Eastern Region cross country crown… was a member of the 4x800 Eastern Region indoor and outdoor champions… coached by Judson Sarver and Pat Troia.

Personal: Born March 19, 1985… son of Cindy and Curtis Ward.