Last May 6, the decision to drop the women’s field hockey program in favor of a women’s soccer program was made by the NIU Athletic Board. Consequently, the board thought that it would be left at that.

However, a complaint was filed last week due to the board’s decision. Pat Marino, mother of former field hockey player Karin, filed a complaint that there are not enough athletic opportunities for women as there are for men.

According to NIU Legal Counsel George Shur, the complaint says that NIU “fails to provide equivalent benefits and opportunities to female athletes of its intercollegiate athletics program, in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.”

The board’s decision last spring was based on the fact that there are not enough IHSA participants in the sport of field hockey.

Shur said that the complaint was ironic since an article in USA Today four months ago ranked NIU second in NCAA Division I-A as far as the equal amount of funds given to men’s and women’s programs.

The complaint will set off a federal investigation of the NIU athletic program. NIU will cooperate fully with the investigation. NIU administrators, coaches and some student-athletes will have to, and have agreed to help in cooperating with the investigation.

NIU will take the complaint seriously, but Shur feels that

othing will be found.

“It’s not necessarily bad,” said Shur. “If they find a glitch of which we’re unaware, we’ll fix it. We don’t think they’re going to find anything. We are one of the leaders in the country, but that doesn’t mean we should be exempt from inquiry.”

“NIU provides the maximum NCAA-allowable number of scholarships in seven of the eight women’s programs,” said NIU Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell, “while the full number of scholarships are provided in only two men’s sports—football and basketball.

“We’re proud of our leadership in providing opportunities for women’s intercollegiate athletics.”