Feds investigate University of Delaware for cutting men’s track team
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the University of Delaware for the school’s decision to cut its men’s track team as a varsity sport.
About 40 members of the team filed a complaint in February when the sport was reclassified as a club team to reportedly help the university comply with Title IX.
An article in The Review says the university cut the team to comply with the standards that require schools to provide equal opportunities for male and female athletes, and Athletic Director Bernard Muir told the paper the team had to be reclassified to keep the gender opportunities balanced. The alternative of continuing to expand the program was not financially wise.
But team members say more options should have been considered, and the decision discriminates against male athletes.
If the university is found to be in violation of Title IX, it must settle or face losing federal funding.
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