It comes as no surprise that some Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are in desperate need. Several recent, high-profile headlines have highlighted the budgetary and enrollment concerns that many HBCUs face.
These issues are so prominent that even the president is paying attention. Recently, many HBCU leaders landed in the Oval Office to express the importance of HBCUs and the challenges they face in the current political and economic landscape. We all remember that awkward photo.
As an HBCU graduate, I know the value of HBCUs. Historically, HBCUs provided an environment for Black students to receive degrees when predominantly White institutions prohibited or admitted only a low number of Black students. The importance of HBCUs cannot be questioned.
While there have been numerous stories publicizing the dwindling number of male students and financial despair of some institutions, a practical solution may be right in front of us. HBCUs already have a key to solve many of their financial and male-enrollment woes to create stability: athletics.
We all know some of the ways college sports can benefit student-athletes: developing and growing leadership qualities and having a well-rounded college experience. They also can provide a sense of community for student-fans of competitive teams. The same rings true for athletics on HBCU campuses. On average, student-athletes account for 8-10 percent of all HBCU students. However, this number spiked to well over 20 percent for some HBCUs and even 40 percent for two HBCUs.
In order to fully utilize athletics to help with financial and enrollment stability, HBCUs should tackle head-on and even embrace what some see as a legal obstacle to expanding men’s athletics – Title IX. Although at first glance it may seem counter-intuitive that a federal regulation focused on providing equal opportunities for female students can be used to increase male enrollment, allow me to explain.
In 1972, Title IX was signed into law. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity, which includes college athletics. The athletic provisions of Title IX are enforced by the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education (“OCR”). There are three parts to Title IX as it applies to athletics programs: (1) effective accommodation of student interests and abilities (participation), (2) athletic financial assistance (scholarships), and (3) equitable treatment components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes).
