Thursday, July 15, 1999
UH struggles to
achieve gender equity
Athletic Director Yoshida
By Pat Bigold
says he has even considered
cutting baseball to help Hawaii
comply with Title IX
Star-BulletinEliminating the baseball program was among cost-cutting options University of Hawaii Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida has explored to comply with Title IX.
He said the baseball program's $300,000 operating deficit was a consideration.
But Yoshida, responding yesterday to a critical report by the Commission on the Status of Women's (CSW) subcommittee on gender equity and Title IX, said the value of baseball's broadcast package ruled out such a move.
"If you have 40 to 50 games in baseball, then you are talking about a substantial portion of the TV package," Yoshida said.
He said that when the broadcast revenue was estimated against expenses, the idea of cutting baseball "became a wash."
The idea was mentioned by Yoshida on May 26 during a joint meeting of the CSW, the Athletic Advisory Board subcommittee on gender equity and the Faculty Senate Committee on Athletics.
Susan Miller, co-chair of the CSW subcommittee, broached the subject again at yesterday's meeting and asked Yoshida if he had seriously considered it.
At another juncture in the meeting, Yoshida referred back to the possibility of men's cuts in arguing the difficulty of full compliance with Title IX.
"We don't want to cut men's programs, but I see it as happening," he said.
"I don't want to do it, but we may have to do what other institutions have been doing."
Though Yoshida did not indicate he would be reconsidering a cut in a revenue-generating sport like baseball, he did not say he is ruling it out.
"We just have to look at it from year to year," he said.
Yoshida has said that he is cutting $155,000 from the men's budget and adding $55,000 to the women's in an effort to meet gender equity standards.
But he admitted progress is slow.
"We are far from compliance with Title IX," said Yoshida, as he met with members of the three campus gender equity committees in a classroom of the Richardson School of Law.
He was responding to criticism that he has not done all he can to comply with the six-year plan initiated in 1996 to bring the university athletic department in line with the tenets of the federal gender equity law.
Yoshida said combined projections for the school's big four revenue-generating sports (football, basketball, baseball and volleyball) had fallen short for the past fiscal year. He also repeated that he is saddled with a $1 million operating deficit.
Yoshida was particularly criticized for not being ready with plans to start a women's track and field team in 1999-2000.
According to the CSW report, the UH athletic department "failed to adequately plan or set aside funds required for the inaugural season of women's outdoor track and field."
But Yoshida said the Legislature's unwillingness to fund plans for an overhaul of facilities at Cooke Field makes the addition of track impossible right now.
"We need a first class facility where safety is not an issue," Yoshida said. "Why hire a coach if we don't have the facility?"
Yoshida was also criticized for increasing the disparity between men's and women's athletics on campus by pouring more money into the football program.
But Yoshida defended his spending policy on football by saying that it is the "lifeblood" of the Hawaii athletic program.
He said that if the football team rebounds from its winless 1998 season, there could be money for the track program.
"If we are successful at the gate for football, we can have this six months down the road," Yoshida said. "I feel very good about this."
He projected 2000-2001 as the starting season for track.
But this brought a strong response from university civil rights lawyer Jill Nunokawa.
"All we hear is 'down the road' and 'when the football team gets better,' " Nunokawa said.
"I remember when we won the WAC and the Holiday Bowl and we didn't use any of our resources then to improve gender equity. Now it's 'God help us, I hope the football team wins.' Well that's not good enough."
Yoshida said he thought it would be necessary "to revisit" the six-year gender equity plan and "fine-tune it."
"To be in compliance, we're going to need tremendous help from the administration, because it will be a struggle to get this done," he said.
Several attendees questioned why Yoshida had not been able to convince UH President Kenneth Mortimer of how desperately he needs money to conform with Title IX.
John Cox, representing the Faculty Senate, asked, "Have you ever gone to the president and said, 'We have to provide fairness for women in athletics on this campus?' "
Yoshida said he had discussed it with Mortimer but that the president has had a number of other pressing issues to consider.
Yoshida complained that it was not productive for three different gender equity groups to be issuing separate reports. He suggested the three combine and approach Mortimer with their recommendations.
"They have to go up to the president and talk about the commitment to gender equity," Yoshida said.
In its summary report of the meeting, the CSW agreed to that suggestion and included the Rainbow Wahine Hui.
Senior Woman Administrator/ Assistant Athletic Director Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, who also appeared before the assembled committee members, passed out a sheet outlining steps toward gender equity in the athletic department between 1993 and 1999.
Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano said that the women's budget for athletics has increased from $1.5 million to $3 million in that period. She also said that the number of female athletes had risen from 100 to 160.
In its summary report compiled at a meeting following Yoshida's appearance, the CSW said it appreciated the AD's admission that the Hawaii athletic department is not in compliance with Title IX.
But the commission expressed dissatisfaction with Yoshida's answers to their most immediate concerns.
Yoshida said he thought his session with the gender equity groups was "productive."
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