Battalion/Page 13
April 22, 1982
Battalion/lM
April 22,1
sports
ICS wiiAIAW to face new life inside world of NCAA
/ A TA C t[itor’s note: This is the second
VA Ax L Uly two-part series on the trials
1 tribulations of the Associa-
i for Intercollegiate Athletics
ICtlOIl
T omen, which after June 30
Ino longer be the major orga-
ation for women’s college
87, to take a 1-0 lead s '
A* ^5 at rf’. by Frank L. Christlieb
SCOrcd 23 of his P0!:E| Sports Editor
second half and theSii-hiring its 11 years of exist-
took command in i e, tjhe Association for Inter
quarter to takea 1-Ole; egitne Athletics for Women
best-of-three plavofl ^discovered that the male-
Game 2 of theseriesis ninpted college sports scene
Houston Friday night p’t Strayed much from tracli-
Williams, the leadi-^K
for Seattle during ih- College athletics still wear the
season, came alive in eotypical fabric of their male
quarter after hittingji ginaiors, although the
from the field in the I each have grown a bit thin as
The Washington Bi esult of the past few years’
the New Jersey Nets, ijj
other Eastern
miniseries. Game 2 itBanv rate, Texas
night at Landover, Uj, ,, , •
winner takes on theBtsK^ '’ women S athletic
tics. ogram will be under
The surprising Demti^A rules and reg
rets travel to Phoenii next year. And
night with a one-gameM. Athlrtir Dirr
the second VVesternCoifjfy'^” y it 11 Id 1C UU e
for Women Kay
m said that, as with
\y change, there will
adjustments to make.
series. Los Angeles is rj/
obstacle for the survive
ffts on the part of the AIAW.
|flver, after spending those
rspntributing to the unwav-
iglgrowth of women’s athle-
i the AIAW retains only a
jht breath of life,
is of June 31, the AIAW
be a force in college
hens athletics. In fact, the
anization won’t even exist.
Ithough AIAW institutions
will become members of the
either the National Collegiate
Athletic Association or the smal
ler National Association of In
tercollegiate Athletics, its actions
will certainly be remembered as
precedent-setters in the world of
college women’s athletics.
Kay Don, Texas A&M assis
tant athletic director for women,
has had a chance to witness the
struggle of the AIAW since its
creation in 1971. As the Region
IV representative to the AIAW
Executive Board, Don has been
involved in the AIAW’s buildup
into a 700-member organiza
tion.
Region IV includes schools in
Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and
Oklahoma.
Don said that after AIAW
officials realized last year that
the NCAA “was running them
out of business,” they decided
that measures had to be taken to
reassert the position of the
AIAW.
“The AIAW lawyers investi
gated the possibility of a lawsuit
and tried to determine on what
grounds to file the suit,” Don
said. “In September, the AIAW
filed suit against the NCAA,
based on the Sherman Antitrust
Act, claiming that (the NCAA)
was monopolizing and that it
was using its political and
money power to run another
organization out of business.
“At the same time, the AIAW
asked for a preliminary injunc
tion to stop NCAA champion
ships for women for 1981-82, or
until such time as the lawsuit
could be decided.”
But the injunction was de
nied, and after another injunc
tion was turned down in Febru
ary, the AIAW submitted an
appeal. The Executive Board
voted to withdraw the appeal
March 3, and a federal judge di
rected that efforts be made by
the AIAW and the NCAA to cre
ate a merger between the two
organizations.
The lawsuit, however, re
mains unheard by a federal dis
trict court.
Thejudge then instructed the
AIAW to send a merger propos
al to the NCAA by April 3, after
which the NCAA was to reply
within 15 days. Don said she
Although AIAW insti
tutions will become
members of the either
the National Collegiate
Athletic Association or
the smaller National
Association of Intercol
legiate Athletics, their
actions will certainly be
remembered as prece
dent-setters in the world
of college women’s
athletics.
doesn’t know the contents of the
NCAA’s reply to the proposal,
but expects to find out this week
or next week.
So although the AIAW had
not reached a final decision to
dissolve, its members began to
plan their exits from the organi
zation. The dissolution would
bring about a transfer into the
NCAA for many women’s athle
tic programs which had com
peted in the AIAW.
Don said that all AIAW re
cruiting rules were to be lifted
during the dissolution process.
“This meant basically that we
would have no recruiting rules
as of March 1,” she said.
But the NCAA had other
plans.
“The NCAA knew this was
going to happen, so they sent
out a letter to member institu
tions stating that if any of us did
not continue following AIAW
rules that we were under as of
Feb. 28, we would be subject to
sanction in 1982-83,” Don said.
“So that kept everybody using
the rules that they were under at
the time, even though the
AIAW had lifted the rules.”
The AIAW Executive Board
then met early this month to de
cide what steps the organization
had to go take to bring about the
dissolution. Officials made plans
for a special delegate assembly
June 7, at which the the final
decision will be made.
“So as of June 30,” Don said,
“the AIAW will be dissolved. At
that point, the executive com
mittee, which is composed of the
past president, the president
and the president elect, will be
come the executive board, in
order to continue any of the cor
porate matters — we’re actually
a corporation. There will prob
ably be some bills still out and
some housekeeping that you
have to continue with.”
The law firm representing
the AIAW says it will not drop
the lawsuit, even though the
AIAW will not be paying for the
firm’s services.
“The AIAW’s law firm has in
dicated that it will continue the
lawsuit through whatever stage
they felt that financially they
could continue to handle it,”
Don said. “That means that the
AIAW will no longer provide
money for that service. They
feel like they can carry it
through the initial lawsuit,
which they feel will probably be
heard in August or September.
“They don’t know if they can
financially handle an appeal or
anything, but they feel that they
can at least go through the initial
lawsuit just to see what exactly
would happen.”
At any rate, Texas A&M’s
women’s athletic program will
be under NCAA rules and reg
ulations next year. And Don said
that, as with any change, there
will be adjustments to make.
“Because we know we’re
going to be dealing with the
NCAA rules as of August or
September, even though that
See AIAW page 15
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