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Ashley Edwards

Professor Stubee

College Composition II

Proposal Essay

Time for a Permanent Change

A problem is defined as matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and

needing to be dealt with and overcome. The global Title IX crisis is just that and cannot be

further overlooked. To understand the need for change it is important to know the significance of

the Title IX and how it affects students and educators within the school system. Beginning with

its initial purpose, the Title IX was implemented to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex

for all educational programs and activities that receive funding through the Federal Student Aid

program and other federal assistance programs” (Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale,

2018). This legislation protected those in the educational background from being judged and

mistreated according to characteristics that are simply out of their control. The implementation of

Title IX set a basis for what is considered an infraction or not, but also prevented many

dangerous and scaring acts from happening because of the potential consequences aligned with

it.

Although Title IX has been in effect for close to 50 years, discrimination and prejudice

acts in the workplace of educational backgrounds still occur. Scenarios like what happened here

at Rowan is living proof that the Title IX could not work miracles. The Chronicle of Higher

Education, the nation’s largest newsroom dedicated to covering colleges and universities, dove

deep into the outrageous story that revolved around Rowan’s Women’s cross-country team. The

title of the article was enough to quickly cause attention to rise regarding the university’s athletic
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program. “Sports-Bra Outrage and a Fight for Everyday Sexism” swarmed the screens of

students, parents, and especially those involved in university athletics. The unexpected explosion

of responses Jack Stripling received after the posting of his article was proof that this issue was

extreme, and the Title IX representatives had a lot more investigating to do.

Fast forward to about 5 months after the disgusting comments made by staff members of

a male dominant sport to the coach of the women’s cross-country team at Rowan, not much has

changed. Yes, the story was blown up and made clear to a lot more people, but what was actually

done to fix the problem? As a member of the Women’s Track and Field team, I can honestly say

that no changes have been made to the staff of the athletic department or coaching staff of any of

the teams here. All we got in return from this scaring mess was an article expressing our

suffering and a few meetings with one of the female athletic coordinators, in which we are told

that “we matter” and “we are supported” by her and her department. Every now and again

reporters will ask my teammates and I how we feel about the turnout of the situation and we

never have anything positive to say. There was an outrageous amount of disrespect shown

towards our coach and us as females and no major changes were made to the staff of the athletic

department nor was there even the simplest of apologies to us from the offenders. What does that

say about the Title IX investigation and its effectiveness? It was like there was a huge problem

the school was faced with and all they did was sweep it under the rug. Soon enough, the dirt and

mess hidden will be brought to light, which will lead to even bigger issues.

With all that being said, something needs to be done in making sure that the Title IX

legislation is carried out to its full extent. At first, I thought, well, maybe it would help if the

consequences were made stricter. By that I mean the loss of a person’s job or the expulsion of a

student from the respective university. That way people would be more mind-full of their actions
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and think before they say or do something they will regret. That all sounds nice but then I sat

back and found flaws in that strategy. It would be hard to categorize all infractions of the Title

IX equally and some infractions could be less severe than others and call for a lesser

consequence. So, I went back to the drawing board and tried to think of a way that would prevent

Title IX infractions from happening to begin with instead of trying to fix the problem when the

damage is already done. I think the installation of students’ rights initiatives and anti-

discrimination seminars and trainings are crucial now. Although some of these ideas are most

likely already in place, I would make them a priority in school systems, starting from particularly

young age. Having equity in working conditions and having a diverse staff, including race and

gender in schools is a very important start to an infraction free zone. If students are taught at a

young age to respect each other’s space and bodies and treat everyone equally, there would be

less of a concern when it comes to the Title IX when they become adults.

Along with those qualities, we often see groups such as the Rowan Athletics OWL group,

Outstanding Women Leaders, that represent the strong women on our campus. Groups as such

help develop a safe space for women to share their stories and struggles with women who are

just like themselves. They can uplift each other and teach one another not to run away from

problem such as those represented by Title IX infractions, but to face them in the best way

possible. While most schools have programs like the OWL group, you hardly see a group that

does what the OWL group does, but for men. I feel like a lot of times females are represented as

weak and “in need of assistance and guidance” all the time because we try to divide and conquer.

Men need guidance and training on how to overcome problems as well and I strongly believe

that the best way to do so is to come together and understand both sides of the issue. If men

understood how women felt and vice versa, Title IX infractions would surely decrease because
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respect levels of each gender would increase. Not one person knows everything in the world so

there is always room for knowledge, especially in regards respect and how discrimination throws

a wrench in our social and personal lives.

Overall, these initiatives that are present, but far from present enough could impact the

lives of college students and educators tremendously. They are as even as they can get and

respect both the female and male perspectives. The Title IX legislation was created to handle

situations that have went array, but the less we have to use it, the better. Students in K-12 and

collegiate level and all educators and adults who are employed by schools are all affected by

Title IX infractions. So, in the end, it is up to us to prevent crises from getting to the point of

Title IX investigation. No one should ever have to go through something as scaring and

embarrassing as the ladies on the Rowan cross-country team. Take a stand. Speak up and fight

for what matters because even though you might not be directly affected, it still makes a

difference in your quality of life.

Ashley,

I think you are exactly on the right track with this! I love that you center this on Rowan and look

at groups specific to the University, like the OWL program. But as you note on your reference

page, I think your paper would benefit from more source use. For example, can you find any

numbers on demographics? You note that it is important to have a diverse staff and student body.

Are most schools and universities truly diverse in this way?

Excellent start!
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References

https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/2019-03-21-rowan#article

https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/abcge/title_ix_and_school_sports/0

*I want to add more sources with details on initiatives*