The Evolution of Civil Rights- Part 4

Sex discrimination was part of the original 1964 Civil Rights Act. It was added to the New Hampshire statute in 1971. And then there is the Education Bill of 1972. In that law is Title 9, which guarantees that any educational program receiving federal funding must be equal for all. The New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights Executive Director Katharine Daly says this law has done some exciting things for women.

Track 9
4:28 it applies to any educational programs that apply to funding. It says it is illegal to discriminate in educational programs that receive federal funding. What we think of is sports in title 9. B/c that is one of the biggest areas of where it has had an affect. Don?t spend 2 million on boys sports, and 10 bucks for the girls. If you receive federal funding. I think title 9 has had one of the greatest affects of any of these statutes?

Track 2
:23 the neigborhood I grew up in, in WI, was a very athletic neighborhood. Three went on to have careers in National Football. But there weren?t a lot of little girls, and if they were there, they were playing with dolls. And I loved to compete, play with my brother who was three years older.

JILL HIRSHINGER COACHES THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE VOLLEYBALL TEAM.

:44 And there would always be a knock at the door, could Jeff come out and play. And I would want ot play, and my brother would have the little helmet and shoulder pads, and they would let me play, but my parents wouldn?t let me wear football equipment. B/c my parents didn?t think it looked girl like. SO I would be the only one out there playing tackle football, no helmet, no shoulder pads. And one time I ended up scoring like six touchdowns and my brother had one. So the next day was like, there was a knock at the door and they asked if Jill could come out and play.

1:33 we had some great days playing baseball, football, and basketball. And that?s where I fell in love with sports?it just became a passion for me that became a career.

HIRSHINGER WAS A MEMBER OF THE CLASS OF 1975. AND ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN IN THE NATION TO RECEIVE AN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. NEITHER SHE NOR HER PARENTS THOUGH KNEW ABOUT THAT A FEW YEARS BEFORE.

4;45 with my brother, he was trying for a scholarship, he didn?t have to get a job. He was playing baseball and my parents would give him a bigger allowance. Iwas treated different being the girl. When I was a teenager, and my brother was the same age, he did not have to get a job during the summer or during the school year. B/c he was playing sports and he was going to get a scholarship, and that was his job. Being a female, there were no scholarships, so being a female, I had to work every summer.

BUT IN ?74 TITLE 9 PASSED. A POINT NOT LOST ON THE HIRSHINGER HOUSEHOLD.

1:07 I remember reading the newspaper articles, and having discussions with my father and he was talking about that would be the downfall of men?s sports. Once the women came in, htye were going ot give them to the women, they were going to take them away from the men. Men?s programs were going to collapse. He didn?t think that was fair. Even though I was a real good athlete?

3:22 back in the 70?s it was like we were the bad kids on the block, b/c we were moving in ot the male scholarship male territories.

DIDN?T FAZE HIRSHINGER.

2:50 To get a scholarship was unheard of. Senior year they were offering scholarships, it was like wow, I can get money to get an education, and still get to play. It was the cat?s pajamas. It was the best thing.

EVEN THOUGH HIRSHINGER ENDED UP PLAYING VOLLEY BALL, SHE ACCEPTED A SCHOLARSHIP FOR TRACK AND BASKETBALL FROM NEW MEXICO STATE. AND FORTUNATELY HIRSHINGER WAS QUITE FAMILIAR WITH SECOND CLASS CITIZEN STATUS.

2:18 I remember down at NMS, my freshman year, I was having problems with my knees. You would go to the training room, and kind of get ignored by the trainers. They would take the men first. As a female athlete you were supposed to wait your turn. And then when they would see you, they would tell you if it hurts, just take some advil. If you needed to go to a physician, it was a 40 minute drive, and if you were a male athlete, they would personally drive you or give you ten dollars for gas. Anyway, I got reffered to the doctor and I went in to get my ten dollars for gas, and they go ?we don?t give that to the women athletes.? SO we are responsible to get down to our doctors, where the men are really taken care of.

:23 I transferred to Utah State and the men on scholarship got their books paid for. They had a big library in the athletic department filled with the course books, and if they didn?t have the book, they would just purchase the book. Our athletic director, Marilyn Weiss had to go in and fight for us to get books. They came to a concession with the men?s dept. After all the men got their books in the first three days of classes, then the five females could go in and see if there were course books left over. So we were getting scraps. That was the first time they started getting books. Back then we were just getting scraps.

SCRAPS. IT?S THE STORY THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM HEARS WHEN THEY ASK COACH WHAT IT WAS LIKE BACK IN THE DAY.

4:12 sometimes we will get into discussions on the bus on what it was like in the old days. The players will ask me what it was like back then. B/c of my senior women?s administration position I am very involved in the gender equity issues. And I explain to them what the issues have been, where we are right now. We didn?t get shoes as a player, we didn?t get practive clothers. I always tell my team they are spoiled. Now it?s the norm. If we don?t do that, we are going to get behind in recruiting.

5:08 we used to have to take a van and a station wagon, and drive 14 hrs for a match. Now we are flying, taking trains, taking a bus. We used to sleep 4 to a room. 2 people to a bed. Nowadays, 2 people to a room. It?s just the way you are treated as an athlete. The training room the things they are getting are on standard with what the men got.

SLARIES FOR ASSITANT COACHES IS STILL A REALM WHERE HIRSHINGER BATTLING FOR EQUITY.

11:12 the biggest impact 9 has had is on the scholarships. The opportunities, when you have scholarships, you have to have full time coaches. Coaches that don?t teach, and don?t coach two or three sports.

Track 4
:00 one of the schools that I was at before, I had to fight to get my assistant coaches? salaries up to the level of football coaches. They have assistants, so I had to fight to get the salary to the same place as the football assistants. The next year, they (football) coaches went in and said they needed to be paid more?

:51 it?s just a game, b/c as their pay raises you can fight for more, b/c they are equitable positions, any time one group gets more, you know the other group is going to have to get it sooner or later, b/c of 9.

HIRSHINGER SAYS MORE AND MORE MEN ARE BECOMING COACHES OF WOMEN?S SPORTS. AND SHE WANTS HER PLAYERS TO HAVE THE CHOICE TO PURSUE THE SPORT AFTER THEIR PLAYING DAYS.

3:26 we need to let them know where we came from, but more importatntly we want to look at where they need to go. I don?t want to dwell on the past so tey are just thankful to be here. I think that is the mentality I grew up with. I want them to expect those thigns, and expect more. It doesn?t matter what happened in the past. I want them to look at what they need in the future.

4:00 I think where we need to go is the kids need practice opportunities, they deserve marketing. We need to get more attention? I am encouraging my players to go into coaching, I think we need more people, more females wanting to become role models, and not get intimidated, work hard and prove we are good coaches, b/c female coaches have to work twice as hard to prove they are good coaches.

JILL HIRSHINGER IS THE WOMEN?S VOLLEYBALL COACH AT UNH. FOR NHPR NEWS, I?M DG.