CU Title IX adviser won't go easy on sexism

Hogshead-Makar says she'll take an advocacy role

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Nancy Hogshead-Makar was raped while in college.

The University of Colorado's new Title IX adviser knows the issues of athletics and gender equity from all sides.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar teaches courses on federal gender-equity law at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. She won three gold medals and a silver medal in swimming at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

And she was a rape victim as a sophomore at Duke University in the early 1980s.

"Before I got raped, I would say my thinking was that I understood that there was sexism out there, that people didn't think very highly of women in certain contexts. But I didn't think that was ever going to affect me because I was a great athlete and I was smart," Hogshead- Makar, 45, said Monday.

"Shortly thereafter, I went into women's studies and have been out there trying to make it a better world for women and men."

Hogshead-Makar's appointment as Title IX adviser is part of the settlement in a case brought by two women who charged they were raped by CU football players and recruits during a night of heavy drinking in 2001.

Hogshead-Makar, who holds a law degree from Georgetown University, said she was flattered to be offered the job. The fact that CU sought out a strong advocate of gender equity demonstrates the school's sincerity, she said.

"They know who it is they're hiring. They're clearly hiring an advocate," Hogshead-Makar said.

"If you look at any of my scholarship and research, it's clearly from the advocacy standpoint of wanting stronger enforcement of Title IX and wanting to create more opportunities for women in athletics.

"They very easily could have filled this position with somebody who has much more of a defense background - representing schools, limiting liability - but instead they hired me."

CU wants an adviser who will challenge administrators, said Boulder campus Chancellor Bud Peterson.

"I think that's OK," he said. "We expect that. We're trying to develop the best program we can."

CU was joined in announcing the appointment by Baine Kerr, the attorney for one of the plaintiffs in the 2001 case, Lisa Simpson.

Hogshead-Makar will continue to teach at Florida Coastal but will take a sabbatical next year. Her appointment at CU is for five years, beginning in April. Her salary and the amount of time she will spend at CU are under negotiation, she said.

Hogshead-Makar will advise administrators on gender-equity policies. But she will also be involved in individual cases, including incidents - if one occurs - like the 2001 party that sparked the lawsuit.

"If I smelled there was something going on dealing with any athletic program and how it was running its program and some risks that it might have for the other female students at the school, then I would be able to talk with the chancellor about that and be able to make changes," she said.

Hogshead-Makar will get involved in cases of individual students who believe they faced discrimination or sexual harassment. She wants people who bring such cases to feel "that the process was fair, that their concerns were redressed."

Hogshead-Makar said Duke University was supportive when she was raped.

She was attacked while she was out running by an assailant who was never caught.

morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5209

Changes for CU athletics

The University of Colorado last year paid $2.85 million to settle a lawsuit by two women who said they were raped by football players and recruits during a 2001 party.

As part of the settlement, CU on Monday hired an adviser who is an expert on the federal gender-equity law in athletics, called Title IX.

Separately from the legal settlement, CU has overhauled the athletic department, replacing top officials and imposing stricter financial scrutiny.

Visits by football recruits are limited to 48 hours. They are prohibited from being in the presence of anyone consuming drugs or alcohol.