#TakeActionTuesday: In a recent article, USA Today shared a new investigation as part of their #TitleIX50 series about women collegiate student-athletes across the country who are not receiving equitable athletic scholarships at their schools. Title IX requires that the total athletic scholarship dollars be awarded in proportion (within one percentage point or one scholarship) to the number of students of each sex participating in athletics, absent a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason. According to the investigation, for the universities researched to be in compliance with the law they would have needed to offer $23.7 million more in athletic scholarships - nearly a half-million per school - in 2020-2021 alone. #TheEquityProject Your Turn: 1. Know your rights - Even though the budgets provided for women’s and men’s sports do not have to be equal, the disparities in budget can lead to unequal treatment and participation, indicating deeper non-compliance. Revenue levels, the source of funds and perceived spectator interest cannot be used as a justifiable reason to offer women athletes less in scholarship funds. 2. Hold your athletic department accountable - The "there's not enough money" excuse does not relieve accountability. Speak with decision makers at your school (e.g. coaches, AD, Title IX coordinator) to discuss the inequity you’ve found and ways to rectify the situation. 3. Reach out to WSF at [email protected] or check out our website for more information about Title IX’s athletic financial aid requirements.