Title IX at CMU

CMU athlete at the MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, 2008

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 called for gender equality in all aspects of the educational experience at institutions accepting federal funding. This represented the first time that the federal government attempted to protect citizens from sex-based discrimination in education. Today, this legislation affects more than 17,000 school districts and over 5,000 universities and colleges—including right here at Central Michigan University.

Initially, Title IX was intended to ensure equal access to the university's academic spheres. These areas included aspects such as admissions and financial assistance. The actual language of Title IX states that: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Slowly, Title IX expanded to include a range of experiences beyond academics. In the months and years after the passage of Title IX, it encompassed athletics and other extracurricular activities.

In 2011, the Obama administration broadened Title IX to include issues of sexual violence and harassment on college campuses. Still later, in 2021, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed that Title IX's protections also extend to prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Because of the efforts of extraordinary CMU faculty, coaches, administrators, students, athletes, and alumni, the Central Michigan campus, programs, and activities have become more inclusive for women. Learn more about the history of differentiated education for women at Central as well as the history of the people who moved the needle for gender equality and how Title IX supported them in terms of athletics and sexual violence on campus.