Syracuse University kicked off its celebration of 50 years of women's athletics this past weekend. The festivities included games, special recognitions and a symposium on Title IX and the future of women’s athletics. It's been 50 years since the passing of the landmark legislation that prohibited sex-based discrimination in all schools.
The panel focused on the future of women’s athletics and the historical impact of Title IX. It consisted of experts in law, gender and sports.Western New England University law professor Dr. Erin Buzuvis specializes in Title IX Law and spoke about how universities could better support Title IX.
“[having more] Title Nine literacy, making sure that you understand your compliance obligations under the law, because oftentimes when things go wrong, people claim I didn't know that this is how Title IX works...dedicating resources, even when it’s hard, I think standing up for and this applies to regardless of whether it’s a female athlete or an athlete of any gender.”
It wasn't just in conversation that SU celebrated women’s athletics. They also hosted multiple games this weekend: Women’s ice hockey took on Clarkson on Thursday, the football team lost to Wake Forest, and the women’s soccer team lost to Virginia. But the field hockey and team came out victorious beating Wake Forest on Friday and shutting out Colgate on Sunday.
The weekend is not the end of the celebrations. The athletic department plans to honor the history of women's athletics with three jersey retirements of former women’s athletes over the coming year.