Thirty-two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the University of Oregon on Friday, claiming the school is violating Title IX.
The plaintiffs, all of whom are members of either the varsity beach volleyball team or the club's rowing team, accuse the school of “denying women equal treatment and equality, equal athletic support and equal opportunities to participate in intercollegiate athletics events.”
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon, seeks correction of the alleged violations and unspecified damages.
The women's lead attorney is Arthur H. Bryant of Bailey Glasser, known for his legal efforts to enforce Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender inequality by educational institutions that receive federal funding.
The beach volleyball players say they have no opportunities to practice or compete. Instead, the team must train and compete in a public park with inadequate facilities.
“For example, the public park has no bleachers for spectators, has restrooms without doors at the stands, and is frequently littered with feces, drug paraphernalia, and other discarded items,” the players allege in the lawsuit. “No men’s team faces anything even remotely similar.”
Oregon released a statement saying an on-campus beach volleyball facility is currently in the development phase. It also said Oregon is “committed to providing a quality and positive experience for all of our student-athletes.”
Many of Oregon's men's teams, including the fifth-ranked Ducks football team, have state-of-the-art facilities, take charter flights to games, catered meals and other amenities. The Ducks played Washington in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night in Las Vegas.
Of Oregon's 20 varsity sports, only beach volleyball has no scholarships, although NCAA rules allow the school to award the team the equivalent of six athletic scholarships. The players say they are wearing used uniforms and are not receiving any Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) endorsement.
“Because of the way the beach volleyball team was treated, female athletes in Oregon do not need much food or water, good or clean clothing or uniforms, scholarships, medical treatment or psychological care, their own facilities, a locker room, transportation or other basic needs. Male athletes are treated incredibly better in almost every way,” team captain and lead plaintiff Ashley Schroeder said in a statement.
Schroeder said the team couldn't practice this week because someone died in the park.
In its statement, Oregon said it “provides academic support, tutoring, student-athlete development, medical care, mental health support, meals and snacks, and nutrition and athletic training to all student-athletes, including our female athletes.”
The school also said it had previously committed to increasing scholarships.
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“The university believes it is in compliance with Title IX. [The University of Oregon] We have not yet been provided with a copy of the complaint, so we cannot comment on further details,” the university’s statement said.
Beach volleyball has been recognized by the NCAA since 2010 and Oregon's program was founded in 2014. The first Division I championship was in 2016.
The rowers say the university does not provide equal opportunities for athletic participation because there is no women's varsity rowing team.
The lawsuit, which arose from an investigation published in July by the Oregonian newspaper, cites Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act statistics showing that 49% of Oregon's student-athletes are women, but only 25% of athletics dollars and 15% of recruiting dollars are spent on this.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has previously addressed potential inequities in NIL deals, saying he is concerned about the potential impact of Title IX since NIL opportunities appear to disproportionately go to male athletes.
The NCAA in 2020 lifted its ban on college athletes earning money for endorsement deals and endorsements.
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