(This is the second article in a four-part daily series examining proposed restructuring of the Virginia athletics program.)
At a glance, it's easy to see that the Tier Three sports in the Strategic Planning Task Force on Athletics' proposal are all female sports.
Tier Three programs are essentially the female equivalents of the Tier Four programs. But unlike their Tier Four counterparts, the Tier Three sports expect to see little to no change in their operations.
The task force recommended that the seven women's sports placed in Tier Three - tennis, softball, volleyball, outdoor track and field, indoor track and field, cross country and golf, if it is added by the Board of Visitors - be restricted to receiving a limited number of scholarships. The sports also would get only "limited staffs and operating budgets."
In its recommendations, the task force emphasized that the athletics department stay out of financial trouble, commit to the provisions in Title IX that prohibit gender discrimination, maintain academic excellence and field competitive teams. The provisions made for the Tier Three sports, which historically have performed well academically but have not competed at a national championship level, are based largely on compliance and financial concerns.
As part of the Virginia 2020 initiative, President John T. Casteen III formed the task force in December 1999. One of its charges was to make budget recommendations for the athletics department in the next 20 years.
The task force currently has a relatively small but persistent operating deficit projected at $200,000 for the athletics department for the 2000-2001 fiscal year. However the task force most conservative estimate projected a cumulative 10-year deficit of $47 million because of increasing athletic expenditures.
"We don't have the option to be in debt," Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. "The assumption was that if expenses continued to increase at the same rate, you would have to find some way to make up that debt."
In addition to addressing the increasing expenses of athletics, the task force also sought to ensure the University's compliance with Title IX, which was passed in 1972 to level the playing field for women in higher education.
Title IX states that the proportion of each gender's athletic teams must reflect the proportion of each gender in the student body at NCAA institutions. Currently, 55 percent of the student body at the University is female, but female athletes comprise only 47 percent of overall student-athletes. The task force's proposal to add women's golf and subtract men's indoor track would increase this number to 51 percent.
Title IX compliance and financial constraints forced the task force to place some female sports in a higher tier than their male counterparts. Although they share similar histories, the female Tier Three sports would receive more funding than the male Tier Four sports.
"Title IX gives women opportunities, but with every rule, there are usually flaws associated with this," said Jenny Harmon, a third-year Commerce student and a volleyball player.
According to task force Chairwoman Carolyn Callahan, Title IX played an important role in deciding which tier each sport would fall under, but financial concerns were the driving force behind many of the recommendations.
"I am not going to pretend that Title IX wasn't a consideration. But I have to say that money kept being the frontline issue every single time, every single decision," said Callahan, who also pointed out that the University and other schools already tier their sports informally.
Although the Tier Three sports believe that the task force's proposal will have little effect on them, they worry that they might be next in line if the University wants to cut athletics in the future.
"They would never touch the Tier One and Tier Two babies," volleyball coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said. "Hopefully by taking this proactive steps, we will be able to prevent risk of future cuts."
Though these changes may have implications on the ability of some Tier Four sports to compete at their current level, the Tier Three sports still should compete at their same level, if not higher, according to softball coach Cheryl Sprangel.
"I don't think the effects of the changes are totally clear on how they will effect Tier Three sports," Sprangel said. "In fact, we may get a little more of the things we need"
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