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GEORGE WASHINGTON

The private Northwest Washington school was cited in The Chronicle of Higher Education's study as achieving "substantial proportionality." However, George Washington is in jeopardy of failing the proportionality test because its student body recently has undergone a substantial increase in the number of women. As the percentage of women in the student body rises, so must the percentage of female athletes.

"We have to take a hard look at what it is we are doing," said Athletic Director Jack Kvancz. "The trends may force us into doing something."

Currently, 54 percent of the student body is female and 49 percent of the athletes are female. Of the 17 varsity sports, women compete in eight—basketball, cross country, gymnastics, crew, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

.George Washington boasts the Atlantic 10 Conference's 1997 women's tennis player of the year. Its women's basketball team came one victory short of advancing to the Final Four this season.

The women's programs receive 44 percent of the university's total athletic expenditures, which do not include athletic scholarship aid. That is one area in which women fare substantially better than men. Women received 53 percent of the $3,269,961 in athletic scholarships GW awarded last year.

Because George Washington has limited athletic facilities and limited land to build additional facilities, Kvancz doubts the school has the resources to increase the number of sports for women. The school has not added a sport since it began fielding a men's and women's cross-country team in 1991. Before that, the last sport it added was women's soccer, in 1982.

Kvancz fears that to come into compliance with Title IX, the university might be forced to "add by subtraction," meaning taking away from the men's programs. George Washington eliminated its wrestling program after the 1987-88 season. The school has not had a football program since the 1960s.

"Our history, our philosophy has been that we're going to do the right thing for men and women," Kvancz said. "We like to think there is no difference between men's programs and women's programs. They're all the same in our little family."

© Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company

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