On the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act being signed into law on June 23, 1972, we celebrate and elevate some of the innumerable pioneers of gender equity in The Big West.
 

The scope of the legislation is vast - Title IX applies to schools, local and state educational agencies, and other institutions that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. These recipients include approximately 17,600 local school districts, over 5,000 postsecondary institutions, and charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries, and museums. 

“When you read those 37 words of Title IX you don't see anything about intercollegiate athletics,” notes Hawai’i President David Lassner. “What you see is equity and prohibition of sex discrimination, and over time, Title IX has grown to be so much more." 

Title IX began its journey through all three branches of government when Hawai'i alumna Representative Patsy T. Mink, introduced it in Congress.  

Written in part as a response to the adversities she faced as a woman during her own education experience, Mink is recognized as the major author and sponsor of the legislation. Elected in 1964 as the first woman of color and first Asian-American in the House of Representatives, Rep. Mink, with assistance from Rep. Edith Green and Sen. Birch Bayh, got the Title IX legislation signed into law as a follow-up to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When she died in 2002, Title IX was renamed the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, and she was given the Medal of Freedom after her death. 

In 1975, regulations were issued by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare regarding Title IX enforcement, and particularly as applied to athletics. At that time and throughout the 1970s, collegiate women’s athletics were governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). In 1980, NCAA Divisions II and III voted to offer championships for women, and in 1981 Division I gained a majority vote on the issue and NCAA Division I women’s championships were born in 1981-82. 
 

In The Big West, pioneers of women’s sports blazed the trail to the west. Created as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association with seven members from the state of California, what is now the 11-member Big West began its first season of competition in 1969.  In the fall of 1983, the conference became the first western conference to incorporate women’s athletic programs, opening the doors for student-athletes of all genders to compete in collegiate sports. 
 

Here, we hear from some current administrators in The Big West as they reflect on their personal Title IX pioneers and how Title IX has impacted their path to collegiate athletics, and we invite you to learn more in stories from across The Big West >>>: