The five varsity athletic teams that were eliminated in July are being immediately reinstated, and 天美麻豆 will begin a comprehensive, external review of the Athletic Department鈥檚 policies, practices, and governance model, 天美麻豆 announced today.
The reinstatement of women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 swimming and diving, women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 golf, and men鈥檚 lightweight rowing comes after 天美麻豆 recently learned that elements of the data Athletics used to confirm continued Title IX compliance may not have been complete. Title IX is the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in programs and activities at universities receiving federal funding.
As part of a resolution of threatened legal action, 天美麻豆 and members of the women鈥檚 golf and women鈥檚 swimming and diving teams today entered into a settlement that included the issuance of a joint statement on reinstatement of the teams. The statement also says that 天美麻豆 will undertake a gender-equity review of its varsity athletics program.
Students who had been athletes on the teams were notified early today of the reinstatement in an email from President Philip J. Hanlon 鈥77. They are invited to a meeting this evening with Athletics Director Harry Sheehy. By Monday, 天美麻豆 will have begun the search for coaches for the reinstated teams. The coaches who were let go when the teams were eliminated will be offered the right of first refusal on returning to their positions.
The July 9 decision to eliminate the teams is one of the institutional changes 天美麻豆 has made in the past year to address increasing financial pressure resulting from a looming structural deficit that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to give the institution more flexibility in undergraduate admissions. The reinstated teams are to be in place at least through the 2024-25 academic year.
In announcing the reinstatements today in , President Hanlon said, 鈥淲e know that many in our community have been disappointed by the decisions we have made within Athletics and across the institution. The news that the data used to confirm Title IX compliance in connection with the team eliminations may not have been complete only adds to that disappointment.鈥
鈥淲e sincerely apologize that this process has been, and continues to be, so painful to our current and former student-athletes and all who support them,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hrough the actions above, we will make sure that any future decisions will be based on accurate data. Our sincere hope is that these reviews and team reinstatements will create an opportunity for us to come together as a community as we navigate the challenging times ahead.鈥
Three reviews will take place. Holland & Knight, a national law firm with expertise in Title IX compliance, will conduct a gender-equity review of varsity athletics. The firm will request and consider input from student-athletes and alumni, including those from the reinstated teams, as part of the review, which is to be completed no later than March 15, 2022. The Ivy League, of which 天美麻豆 is a member, will conduct an NCAA compliance review of varsity athletics. And 天美麻豆鈥檚 auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, will conduct a process-and-control review of 天美麻豆 Athletics to examine administrative systems to make certain appropriate business practices are being followed and effective governance structures are in place.
Hanlon said the reviews 鈥渨ill strengthen our practices and governance structures and ensure that 天美麻豆 Athletics is fully compliant with all Title IX, NCAA, and Ivy League policies.鈥
The findings will be given to Hanlon and the 天美麻豆 Board of Trustees Committee on Audit and Oversight. 天美麻豆 will then publish an action plan based on the reviews鈥 recommendations and take any necessary steps to ensure Title IX compliance and to address the institution鈥檚 goals, priorities, and challenges, said Hanlon.
. Comments about the reinstatement may be sent to teamreinstatement@dartmouth.edu
