Softball players in Montana are alleging Title IX violations in a discrimination lawsuit filed against Carroll College on Friday.
According to the Helena Independent Record, five Carroll softball players – three current and two former – say that their athletic experience wasn’t equal to other sports. The lawsuit alleges that Carroll, which is located in Helena, Mont., unlawfully discriminated against female student-athletes, including lacking facilities, locker rooms, funding scholarships, fundraising opportunities, equipment and travel budget.
“Due to Carroll College’s failure to initiate any plan to remedy its non-compliance with Title IX, or even acknowledge the pervasive inequities that exist throughout the athletic department, my clients are now forced to file this lawsuit on behalf of all female student-athletes who have come before them, are currently enrolled, and those who will follow them in the years to come,” said attorney Dylan McFarland, of Knight Nicastro MacKay, LLC.
Title IX was established in 1972 by the U.S. Department of Education. It 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.”
Chato Hazelbaker, Carroll College’s vice president of enrollment management and marketing, said that an independent consulted found the athletic department was compliant with Title IX after a 2019 review.
The softball players disagree, saying that male student-athletes have priority use of facilities and golf is the only Carroll men’s sport that doesn’t have an on-campus practice and playing facility.
Carroll College softball games have been played at Centennial Park since the program was formed prior to the 2015 season. The park is owned by the city of Helena, and softball players are required to maintain the field while only being allowed to use it during designated practice times.
