The Atlantic 10 Conference is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX amendment.
The legislation, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1972, banned sex-based discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal funds. The A-10 has pledged to honor the anniversary throughout its semicentennial year and will display a commemorative logo throughout winter, spring and fall A-10 finals and will conclude at the 2022 Volleyball Championship in November.
“On behalf of the A-10, it is a privilege to honor and celebrate this landmark legislation,” A-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade said in a release. “Personally and professionally Title IX has had a profound effect on me as well as so many.”
Passed June 23, 1972, as part of the Education Amendments, Title IX has served to promote equality in education, as well as to root out sex-based discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Prior to its passage, restrictive quotas, unequal scholarships and other discriminatory practices were commonplace.
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,” the amendment states.
The amendment has been crucial to equal opportunity in athletics, boosting participation in women’s high school sports sevenfold since its passage in 1972. Moreover, since 1982, Division I schools have seen the highest ratio of women’s sports participation rate to men’s, from 29.8 percent to 46.7 percent as of 2016.
Among the celebrations, the A-10 conference promoted their new “What it Means to Me” campaign, an effort to highlight the importance of Title IX in providing equal and accessible access to students and staff around the league. The campaign will feature stories from A-10 student-athletes, coaches, administrators and alums whose lives have been impacted by Title IX and will be told through social media, videos and the Atlantic 10 website.