You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Kent State University found its athletics officials did not violate Title IX when they cut a women’s field hockey game short last month to accommodate a football fireworks display.
In an email to Kent State students and staff, President Todd Diacon wrote that Kent State is “grateful” there were no findings of gender discrimination by the university’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
He offered to have Kent State fund a rematch between the Temple University and University of Maine field hockey teams, who were playing during a Sept. 7 tournament held at the Kent, Ohio, campus when they were asked to leave the field -- though the game was tied and required a second overtime period. As it stands, the game is recorded as a scrimmage in both teams’ records.
“We deeply regret the negative impact of the match cancellation upon the Temple University and University of Maine field hockey teams,” Diacon wrote. “We are sorry this incident has reflected poorly on the proud tradition of academic and competitive excellence in women’s athletics at Kent State.”
The department will review its upcoming schedule of home matches to prevent similar scheduling conflicts and to communicate better with visiting teams, Diacon wrote. Kent State’s Intercollegiate Athletics Equity and Diversity Committee will also begin conducting “a self-study on gender equity in athletics,” which it is due for under its own five-year review policy.
