Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York, has agreed to a settlement of a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education concerning unequal access to athletic opportunities for women.
According to an investigation by the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, for a three-year period women were about half of all students at the college but only about a third of the student athletes. Specifically, during academic year 2013-2014, female students represented 48.39 percent of the enrollment and 33.08 percent of the actual athletes. Similar discrepancies were evident in the 2012-2013 and 2011-2012 academic years. The college enrolls a total of about 12,700 students.
The college has agreed to evaluate its women’s athletic programs and to survey women students about their desire to participate in intercollegiate, club, and intramural sports and to take steps that will provide them equal opportunities to participate in such activities.
A copy of the full agreement can be viewed here.