Epilogue: The Sea Change of Title IX (continued)

Title IX was hardly the end of the struggle for the acceptance of women's athletics. It sparked debate and hostility from many corners, particularly from that of revenue sports, which saw themselves as being unfairly forced to shoulder the financial burden for non-revenue producing women's sports. At Wisconsin, the matter was far from settled. Chancellor Edwin Young appointed a committee headed by Athletic Director Elroy Hirsch to study the situation.

Nine months later, Hirsch's committee had met only once, and no plan of action had been constructed. On April 3, 1973, a complaint was filed against the University of Wisconsin with the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for "flagrant violation" of Title IX.⁴⁸ Two weeks later, Chancellor Young appointed a new committee; most of their recommendations were eventually adopted.

The Women's Intercollegiate Athletic program was officially created in May 1974, and began administration with the 1974-75 academic year. Kit Saunders was appointed the first director of the program, to oversee eleven sports with a $118,000 budget.⁴⁹ This is the milestone we use to celebrate as the birth of women's intercollegiate sports at the University of Wisconsin.

The following year, the first women's booster club in the Big Ten was founded at Wisconsin (WIS Club), and female athletes became eligible to win the famed "W" letter. In fact, every year since Title IX passed, great strides have been made. After being firmly established, the women's athletics program has produced many spectacular world-class athletes. The previous 100 years, for better and for worse, helped to shape the existing program. Women have been active and participating in sports and games since their first days on the Madison campus. They deserve credit for every catch, jump, and hit.

For more information on the history and legacy of Title IX at Wisconsin:

• Visit UW Women's Sports History, 1974-2004: http://www.uwbadgers.com/history/wbb/history_summary_1678.pdf
• View a video celebrating the 30^th Anniversary of women's sports at UW-Madison: http://www.uwbadgers.com/audio_video/stream/?id=108
• Schedule an appointment with the Oral History Project to hear oral histories from key players, including Kit Saunders-Nordeen: http://archives.library.wisc.edu/ORAL/oral.htm