Today's Date: March 22, 2023
The Battle Against Erosion Just Got Greener with Ecological Improvements' Arrival in South Carolina   •   Gilead Sciences Announces $3 Million in Grant Funding to Eight Organizations Addressing HIV Disparities in Rural U.S. Communitie   •   iCRYO Announces Newest American Hero Program Franchisees   •   Procare Solutions Launches Integrated Assessments for Child Care Centers to Track Young Children's Growth and Development   •   Mental Health Leader SonderMind to Provide More Personalized Care with Acquisition of Mindstrong Technology   •   CBC/Radio-Canada and Canadian Paralympic Committee partner to broadcast 2024 and 2026 Paralympic Games   •   Two-Year Study Data for EVBA Procedure with Unique MobiusHD Device Presented at Technology and Heart Failure Therapeutics Meetin   •   Drexel Hamilton Relocates to New Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan   •   Celebree School Debuts in Texas: Announces 7 Signed Franchise Agreements   •   Mark Farrah Associates Simplifies Analysis of the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Senior Markets   •   Breaking Barriers: SANS Institute's HBCU+ Academy Expands to Promote Greater Black American Representation in Cybersecurity   •   Starlight Cardiovascular Awarded $2.16M NIH SBIR Phase II Grant from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute   •   itel's "No Plastic is Fantastic" Initiative Protects the Environment and Eliminates Over 160,000 Disposable Water Bottles   •   Mary Kay Highlights the Importance of Women’s Leadership and Private Sector Engagement in Conservation at the World Ocean   •   A Role Model For Women In Wine, CEO Sailé Ramirez Of Hammeken Cellars Accepts Award For Best Export Management In Spain   •   Nycole Freer Announces Publishing of First Book "Haisley's Birthday Money"   •   GE and Svante Announce Collaboration to Develop Carbon Capture Technology for Power Generation   •   Social Media Victims Law Center Sues ByteDance and TikTok in the Death of 16-Year-Old Chase Nasca; Parents Travel to Washington   •   FCPS and Battelle Announce $34,000 in STEM Mini-Grants   •   Particle Health to Showcase Industry-Leading Data Interoperability for Individual Access at ViVE 2023
Bookmark and Share

Quinnipiac Ordered To Comply With Equality Rule

NEW HAVEN, CT - The ACLU-CT, assisted by cooperating attorneys Jonathan Orleans and Alex Hernandez of Pullman & Comley, LLC and Kristen Galles of Equity Legal, filed the lawsuit on behalf of several players and the coach of QU's women's volleyball team shortly after the university announced in March 2009 that it planned to eliminate the team.


The district court found that QU violated the law in the academic year 2009-10, and may not eliminate the volleyball team in 2010-11. Judge Stefan R. Underhill declared: "I conclude, as a matter of law, that Quinnipiac discriminated on the basis of sex during the 2009-10 academic year by failing to provide equal athletic participation opportunities for women."


"This victory gives force to the law that has opened doors for women over the last 30 years." said Andrew Schneider, Executive Director of the ACLU of Connecticut. "Today's ruling requires QU to stop playing games with the important principle of equal opportunity for women."


When they filed the suit in March 2009, the volleyball players contended that QU's decision to eliminate their team violated Title IX because the university did not provide sufficient varsity athletic participation opportunities to women. In May 2009, Judge Underhill granted a preliminary injunction preventing QU from eliminating the volleyball team pending further order of the court, thus allowing the team to compete in the 2009-10 season. In May 2010, Judge Underhill granted the plaintiffs' application to allow them to represent a class of all present, prospective, and future female QU students who oppose the University's violations of Title IX. 
"The athletes all look forward to getting back on the volleyball court for preseason in three weeks," said Volleyball Coach Robin Sparks, a plaintiff in the case. "As their coach, I feel fortunate to be able to work with such strong young women who are not afraid to stand up for their principles. It will be a joy to be back in the gym with them this fall."
"This is a victory not only for the student athletes and their coach, but for women's collegiate sports generally. We look forward to discussing with Quinnipiac its plan for compliance with the court's ruling," said Attorney Orleans.


Among the issues in the case was that QU proposed to comply with Title IX by creating a new women's sport, competitive cheer, to replace the women's volleyball team. Judge Underhill noted that while in the future, competitive cheer may qualify as a sport under Title IX, today the University's competitive cheerleading team "does not qualify as a varsity sport for the purposes of Title IX and, therefore, its members may not be counted as athletic participants under the statute." In addition, Judge Underhill held that "Quinnipiac's practice of requiring women cross-country runners to participate on the indoor and outdoor track teams, and its treatment of the indoor and outdoor track teams as, in essence, an adjunct of the cross-country team, are sufficient to show that some cross-country runners who participate on the indoor and outdoor track teams should not be counted under Title IX."


Judge Underhill has given the university 60 days to submit a compliance plan detailing how it will bring its athletic program back into compliance with Title IX, and that plan must provide for the continuation of the women's volleyball team during the 2010-11 season.


"Our clients, the women of the Quinnipiac volleyball team and their coach, have done a great service for all women athletes," said Attorney Hernandez of Pullman & Comley. "Their bravery and tenacity in pursuing this case has led to a milestone decision ensuring that academic institutions which receive federal financial assistance must uphold the spirit of Title IX."



Back to top
| Back to home page
Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News