March 2009 Insight Magazine

IRAQVETERANSReturn to College

SECOND-HANDFASHION

Vintage trends

FEMINISMNOWThe Newest Wave

A Diet Revolution

RAWNECESSITIES

COFFINAND WHAT?A Secret Society Unveiled

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Writers:Carolina ChaconJosh Culpepper Daniel Hansen

Danielle Gonzalez Janet Lee

Jenny LunaSteven Mahaffey

Robert Mills Adam Rasmussen

Aleece RoseJenna Small

Seham Siddiqui

Photographers:Matt Buccambuso

Tony ContiniDaniel Clark

Sebastian Diaz Michael GjurichDevanny Novak

The opinions expressed in this publication and its associated Web site are not necessarily those of the University of Nevada, Reno or the student body.

www.unrinsight.comClarissa León, Editor in Chief

4 INSIGHT MAGAZINE / MARCH 2009

c o n t r i b u t o r s

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Chris Faiman,20, Engineering

“I think would cut from sports because of course education is more important…But I like

football. I’m a sports man. I would rather make a living

later on in life by getting an education rather than sitting

at home and watching sports on the couch.“

Sophia Mesfi n,21, Biology

“Sports, duh. Are you kidding me? We’re a university, not a track fi eld. The foundation of

the University is academia, not sports.”

Mason Cole,18,Political Science

“Sports because I paid to come to college to get an

education and for academics.”

Quinn Dufurrena,20, International Affairs

“Sports because athletics are secondary at the University

and education is in fi rst place.“

Alexis High,18, Finance

“If I had to choose between the two, probably sports

because school comes fi rst. I’m here for school not sports. Sports are extra curriculum.”


Omnifarious (äm’ni fer’ es)

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In 1972, Dr. Jean Perry put on her skirt to play bas-ketball for the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Under the guidance of female coaches who earned nothing, she collaborated with her

teammates and had “play days”—six-play-er basketball games on half of a standard- sized court.

Back then men’s teams at the Univer-sity had a multi-million dollar budget with TV contracts, while the women’s basketball team worked with a $5,000 budget. “If you know what it was (like) then, you can’t help but appreciate what it is now,” says Perry,

now assistant to the president for Athletics Academics and Compliance at the Univer-sity of Nevada, Reno.

Originally passed in 1972, Title IX, a federal law, stated that women must receive equal participation opportunities in educa-tion with no discrimination.

Three years later President Gerald Ford updated the law to prohibit discrimination in college athletics.

Thirty-six years have passed since Title IX ensured that women must receive the same athletic opportunities as men, but some problems still surround the law that went into effect nearly four decades ago, says Cary Groth, director of athletics at

UNR. “Here we are 36 years later and we still have to worry about it.”

FEELING LEFT OUTSome players from the men’s club soc-

cer team at UNR have expressed dissatisfac-tion with Title IX, and say it needs some

defi nite changes. “The objective of (Title IX) is fairness,” says Erik Kulenkamp, 22. “But it ceases to be fair.”

Kulenkamp is just one of the soccer team members who feels Title IX has kept the men’s soccer club from becoming a part of the UNR Athletic Program. Sundance Bauman, one of the original organizers of the soccer team, says club teams on campus

Entitlement IXIn 1972, Title IX was passed, ensuring that women would receive the same athletic opportunities as men. But 36 years later, some feel that the title is no longer useful — instead of creating fairness, some believe it

has promoted inequality.

SPORT

S

“Football brings in the most revenue because it has the largest following fan base. It is what it is.” — Gary Powers, UNR baseball coach of 27 years.

STORY BY ADAM RASMUSSEN AND KARA LAPOINTILLUSTRATION BY CLARISSA LEÓN


have it much worse than athletic sports. “Title IX used to be good,” Bauman says. “Now it’s outdated.”

Loic Boucheny agrees. As another member of the soccer team, he says Title IX needs some modifications to make it more balanced. Boucheny, 20, says it’s unfair for men who work their whole lives to not get a chance to receive a scholarship. “Title IX creates inequal-ity,” he says.

But Perry says it’s “inappropriate” for any of the soccer team mem-bers to put the blame on Title IX because they are not a part of the UNR Athletic Program. “Title IX hasn’t cost them anything,” says Perry, who adds that people who feel the law has hurt them are “uninformed.”

Perry says many people don’t realize that the Kennedy Index, a national system that ranks universities based on diversity and gender equity, has ranked UNR number one for two consecutive years.

FOOTBALL BRINGS IN THE DOUGHGary Powers, the baseball coach of 27 years at UNR, says he is

pleased female athletes are receiving more athletic opportunities than they have before. “(It was sad) because you used to see females who were good but never had a chance,” says Powers.

Thirty-six years later, most collegiate men’s sports at UNR and across the country still dominate the media, bringing in the most rev-enue and having larger team budgets than women’s sports, he says.

Powers says at UNR it all leads back to one sport. “(You) gotta be realistic where the money really comes from,” says Powers. “Foot-ball brings in the most revenue because it has the largest following fan base. It is what it is.”

The UNR football team, 101 players and staff, had a budget of $4.3 million for the 2006-2007 season, while smaller teams on cam-pus such as women’s soccer and track and field both had a budget under $700,000.

“That $4 million wouldn’t be there without football,” says Powers.Many men’s sports at universities have larger budgets because

they bring in the most money. But not every men’s team at UNR has more money than the women’s teams do. The men’s baseball team had a budget of $683,000 in 2006-2007, while the women’s softball team had $785,000.

Powers says 30 percent of the baseball team’s budget is from state funds, with the other 70 percent coming from tickets or dona-tions. He added that the entire baseball facility, excluding the rest-rooms, was built just from donations. The softball field, on the other hand, was completely funded and built by the University.

But there are no sour grapes here. “I also choose to look at things positively,” Powers says. But

Powers also says that without the money that football and other popular men’s teams bring to UNR, women wouldn’t have the op-portunities they do now.

KNOCKING DOWN THE DOORJust one year after having a budget of $5,000, Perry and her team-

mates at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign received a $78,000 budget increase for the 1973 season.

According to a 27-year study done by Vivian Acosta and Linda Jean Carpenter titled “Women in Intercollegiate Sport (1977-2004),” there were an average of eight women’s teams at each university in 2004, compared to three in 1970. “The world for women is better now,” says Perry.

Four decades ago, people wouldn’t have even considered a wom-an to be director of athletics at a university such as UNR, says Groth. “You wouldn’t be talking to me if Title IX wasn’t here.” i


Coffin and What?


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Alpha pledge.


A M P L I F I E Dyou t h


“I took it upon myself to do it for the kids and create a safe atmosphere.” — Ken Allen, Amplified Entertainment manager


“Fearing that love will never come at a better time, people risk not understanding what their

relationship is all about.”


March 2009 Insight Magazine

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