Lawsuit Alleges Title IX Discrimination at Pa. Colleges

A discrimination lawsuit has been filed against nine of the universities in the Pennsylvania state system, alleging that the schools have repeatedly failed to provide equal opportunities for female athletes.

The schools --  Bloomsburg, Cheyney, Clarion, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville and Shippensburg -- are among the 14 that make up the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

The six PASSHE schools not named in the lawsuit are California, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Slippery Rock and West Chester.

The lawsuit was filed by the Women's Law Project late Wednesday, CBS reported Friday night. 

“There is no excuse for the athletic disparities at these PSSHE member universities," Terry Fromson, managing attorney of the Women’s Law Project said. "Despite the fact that Title IX has obligated them to achieve gender equality for more than four decades, these universities have not undertaken genuine efforts to increase opportunities for or satisfy the athletic interests of their female students. It is time for PSSHE as a whole to undertake appropriate and ongoing measures to effectively and promptly address the inequities in their athletic programs.”  

Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for PASSHE, told CBS that the state's schools are committed to providing equal opportunities to all students.

“All of our universities take their responsibilities under Title IX very seriously,” Marshall said.

The Women's Law Project said that for these nine schools, "the disparities over the past ten years average between seven and almost 15 percent,” said Sue Frietsche, senior staff attorney for the Women’s Law Project, who said that collectively worked out to more than 900 missed athletic opportunities for women.