By CAITLIN COODY
Columnist
Northwestern recently went through a massive face lift in the athletic department during the “Vision for Victory Campaign”.
For the past eight years, Northwestern has been on a mission to upgrade all athletic facilities. Projects included a new football locker room, which has space for athletic training and strength training facilities, a new press box and public use facility, permanent seating and new dugouts at the baseball field, and a new indoor practice facility for the baseball and softball teams.
The new football field is covered in artificial grass and includes a brand new, two-story story press box, equipped with suites, concession areas and retail space. Baseball has also renewed their irrigation system to water the outfield since the infield is artificial grass.
With all these upgrades, equality comes to mind. In the Vision for Victory Campaign, male sports were the only ones on the list for change, except for softball, which can be conveniently thrown in with baseball needs. So, where exactly does the female sports stand in this vision?
Currently, soccer and softball use Alva’s rec center as their home. This means Northwestern is paying 25,000 dollars a year in return for the use of the center’s facilities. Both baseball and football have full access to their own field and locker room which are located next to the fields.
The more difficult teams to support are volleyball, basketball, golf, rodeo and cheerleaders, since they all have to share a building or grounds with each other. Sometimes, cheerleaders and golfers even share with baseball and softball at the Armory located south of the Ranger Field.
In the Vision Campaign, Northwestern left out a vital part of the athletic program; the ladies. In order to comply with Title IX, Northwestern has to “avoid the use of federal money to support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individual citizens effective protection against those practices.” Unequal budgets can affect the number of athletes on a team. Insufficient funds may not permit a coach to supply the necessary equipment, uniforms and travel costs to a large number of players. Such disparities may violate Title IX.
To date, over 4 million dollars has been spent on upgrading male athletic facilities. Back when the campaign first came to order the Charles Morton Share Trust of Alva pledged a lead gift of $1.5 million to Northwestern Oklahoma State University to begin the school’s “Vision for Victory” plan of rebuilding its intercollegiate football and baseball facilities. Notice how it only mentions football and baseball. Where is the equality?
Not only do the facilities get more attention, game days for a few certain sports is the only thing anybody ever hears about on campus. There is a lack of spirit when it comes to female athletics and it’s time to change. Our school needs to focus more on female athletics and show more support for the ladies who work hard even in the shadow of male athletes.