After adding stunt as a varsity sport this year and potentially women’s flag football come 2027, Cal Poly is still under fire by multiple groups claiming the university is still not Title IX compliant.
Multiple letters have now been sent Cal Poly’s way from Olympian, civil rights lawyer, and CEO of Champion Women Nancy Hogshead and founder of Equity IX, Leigh Ernst Friestedt, claiming that despite the administration’s efforts to provide more athletic opportunities for women, it still does not address the inequities.
“Nothing's changed," Hogshead said. "The school is required to provide men and women with equal educational opportunities. They're not doing that. They need to reinstate the winning swimming team."
In an initial letter to Cal Poly in June, both Hogshead Friestedt outlined that Cal Poly would need to add 141 more female athletes to its athletic programs and $1,428,121 in athletic scholarships for women in order to be equitable.
In March, both the men’s and women’s programs were cut due to budget constraints, with the university citing a $450,000 loss per year due to the House vs. NCAA ruling. However, Friestedt says the school still needs to provide equitable opportunities for women, despite the financial constraints.
“Financial constraint on an athletic budget is not an excuse in any way, shape or form to exempt a university from complying with Title IX," she said.
Additionally, an executive order from President Donald Trump titled "Saving College Sports” was signed on July 24, aimed at responding to concerns over the loss of non-revenue sports in the wake of the House settlement.
“It's looking for, number one, for Olympic sports not to be eliminated and number two, for women's sports not to be eliminated," Friestedt explained.
In a press release announcing the addition of stunt and possibly women’s flag football, Athletic Director Don Oberhelman stated that with the cuts of the men’s and women’s swim and dive programs, “they did not shift the ratio of opportunities for Cal Poly's female student-athletes. While discontinuing a sport is difficult, it was a necessary decision."
The press release also explained that the new stunt program would add up to "65 roster spots available for female athletes" and a "cost-effective sport model with limited equipment and travel expenses."
However, with the news, sophomore Cal Poly swimmer Sofia Vargas stated that she’s “happy to see addition of stunt and women’s flag football;" however, "one serious concern is the university’s stated rationale for deleting these sports: cost-effectiveness.”
“If Cal Poly is implying that women’s athletic opportunities must be limited to low-cost options, that’s not just inequitable, it’s unacceptable,” Vargas said.
The executive order states that within 30 days, there will be a plan to develop enforcement for universities that don’t adhere which could result in a loss of federal funding.
Last week, Stephen F. Austin University temporarily halted cuts to the university's women’s beach volleyball, bowling and golf teams amid a Title IX suit. The university has since filed an appeal.
