Support for Plaintiffs in Title IX Suit Against Delaware State

The AAUW (formerly the American Association of University Women) has awarded $11,500 to the Women’s Law Project in support of a key gender equity lawsuit against Delaware State University. The suit was filed by members of the women’s equestrian team who argue that the institution violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by cutting their team and replacing it with a competitive cheerleading team. The circumstances of the suit closely resemble those of a recently-decided suit against Quinnipiac University. In that case, a federal judge determined that the university had violated Title IX by cutting its women’s volleyball team and replacing it with competitive cheerleading, an activity the judge determined cannot be counted as a sport to determine gender equity compliance.