By: Darcy Ramirez, Michael Garcia, and Rachel Tapps
Texas A&M University-Kingsville prides itself upon their athletic programs regardless of gender.
“Equipment usually plays the biggest factor in determining your budget allocations because,
you know, a softball bat costs $400, a baseball bat cost $400 to $500 as well, both equally expensive, and about the same. So, we can’t just say baseball, you know, you probably need more bats than softball, so even though the costs are the same, we’re going to give you enough money to go buy 30 new bats, but softball we’re only going to give you 10. But we also can’t just give women more and then start giving less and less to the men,” Hannah Lutz, deputy Title IX coordinator for athletics and the assistant athletic director for academics and compliance, said.
In 1972 Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibited sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Officials from the Office of Compliance confirmed TAMUK is a strong supporter of Title IX and protects both female and males equally from discrimination and enforces these regulations and rules by focusing on rosters, facilities, budgets and scholarships.
Javelina Athletics does attempt to maintain equity between both female and male sports, but because of factors regarding maintaining equipment, sizes of teams, updating facilities and operational costs, budgets are not always equal across the board.
“Some sports cost more for the equipment or they cost more for travel gear, or whatever it is that they need. Specialized sports, the equipment that’s available to them tends to be few and far between. So you have to pay a little more, go a little further to find the equipment that you actually need, so it probably costs more. As far as just equal dollar to dollar I don’t think it’s the same, but I do think that for the most part, it’s fair. As far as the administration goes, I think it has been a little bit skewed as far as gender goes, I think in the last five years or so the administration has made a push to try to even it out and to try to give females more opportunities. And, you know, better facilities, better equipment, that kind of thing can make it a more even playing field,” Tanya Allen, head indoor and beach volleyball coach, said.
But despite the support and implementation of Title IX there are student-athletes who feel the budgeting is still quite unbalanced.
“Personally, I don’t really think that it’s equal. I think one, one of the reasons being is they’ve (baseball program) already took care of their business. They’ve won their rings; they’ve done their job,” Anastasia Leibas, a softball player, said.
Currently the athletics department maintains three adjacent stadiums supporting baseball, football, softball and men’s and women’s track and field; and also utilizes shared space with the
College of Education and Human Performance in the Steinke Physical Education Center, in support of men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. In addition athletics also shares space with the Department of Campus Recreation and Fitness in support of beach volleyball and women’s tennis. In 2014 the athletic budget allocation was approximately $300,000 and in 2018 the budget jumped to $330,000.
Some of the veteran student-athletes have come to understand the complications that tie into the budget and facility costs and gradually began to be thankful for what the university can provide.
“You know, we hold ourselves accountable and we take pride in what we have. It’s not much of course if you’ve ever seen but we do enjoy it. We do work out and we get after it in there. So I think the facilities and the equipment that [is] provide[d] for us; it’s safe. I mean, it doesn’t look the best but definitely it gets the job done. And that’s really what it’s all about at the end of the day,” Tre ‘Michael Tutt, a football player, said.
