UofL A National Leader in Women’s Athletics
October 09, 2015 | General
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville has been among the national leaders in women's athletics and student-athlete welfare.
While a recent story referenced poor and inaccurate assumptions about the culture for women at UofL, the conjecture could not be further from the truth.
"In my four years as a student on Louisville's campus and as an athlete competing for the Cardinal Athletic Department, I have never been put into a situation where I felt uncomfortable or felt I had to 'toe a line,'" volleyball's Katie George, who also serves as Miss Kentucky and earned ACC Postgraduate Scholarship, said. "I have been treated with respect as a young woman and I feel that my play, my achievements and my femininity at UofL have been appreciated by male and females within the athletic department faculty as well as players on both male and female teams."
Under the guidance of Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich, UofL has been an exemplary program in gender equity. Not only does Jurich see extensive and equitably funded women's facilities, coaching and support staffs, he has a personal stake in maintaining a nurturing and healthy environment at Louisville as his twin daughters, Haley and Lacey, were letterwinners on Louisville's field hockey program.
Most recently, CBS Sports has recognized the UofL athletics program among the top three nationally in its annual "Best in College Sports" review each of the past three years, including a second-place ranking in the 2014-15 season. Louisville was successful in its highly competitive new home in the Atlantic Coast Conference, joining seven league schools ranked among the top 30 in the Learfield Sports Director's Cup final rankings in 2014-15.
Women's sports at UofL have been at the forefront of the Cardinals' overall success, highlighted most recently by the women's basketball's two NCAA Championship final appearances, swimming's two national championships and women's tennis doubles pair runner-up finish in the indoor national championship. It would seem unlikely that women's sports would be as successful in an environment with unjustified claims.
"In the soccer program, our coaching staff has always emphasized the importance of representing ourselves and the city of Louisville well by serving and respecting other people," Jerry Ramirez, senior soccer athlete and president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), said. "This message has been communicated to all student athletes. I remember four years ago during the freshman orientation, one of the points the staff emphasized was the importance of consent and respecting women. I also remember my freshman year going to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and meeting in the football conference room. On the wall, there were five rules that the football team lived by and one of those was 'Respect Women.'
"As young men, we have the challenge of resisting a mainstream culture that objectifies women. I can testify there has always been an effort from the athletic department to give us resources to make better decisions."
The athletic department has a comprehensive support system called L-Care. It is anchored by a Performance Team that is comprised of counselors and specialists to support student-athlete welfare. The lead counselor for L-Care is a licensed social worker. Throughout a student-athlete's career at Louisville, they take part in an orientation, class, and other educational sessions that address many issues, including personal safety, sexual health, and responsibility. For more details on this extensive program, click here.
Christine Simatacolos, Associate Athletic Director for Student Life and former NCAA staff member from 2005-2013, oversees student-athlete welfare. Simatacolos is the athletic department's liaison with the Dean of Students and University Police. She regularly communicates and reports incidents that come to her attention regarding student-athletes.
"I meet with each team annually and talk to them about looking out for one another and coming forward with any concerns," Simatacolos said. "We promote an environment that is safe and healthy, so that they can excel academically, athletically and personally."
Eight of the 22 members of the UofL athletics administrative team are women.
"Having been a part of this department over the last 11 years, first as a track and field student-athlete, then as an assistant track and field coach, and now as the Senior Woman Administrator, I can testify that Tom Jurich is an advocate for both our female student-athletes and employees," Christine Herring, Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator said. "This department does not condone any behavior that mistreats, disrespects, or is harmful to women. The culture that has been created here is one that people want to be a part of well beyond their athletic careers.
"We have the facilities to promote and encourage the athletic success for all of our sports, both men and women, and the student-athlete support systems to harness a proactive approach to any issues that arise. We promote all of our teams fairly and ensure that we are staying on the forefront of compliance with Title IX. Our administration fully supports and embodies the philosophy of our Vice President of Athletics and the coaches we have employed to influence and support our student-athletes."
The athletic department regularly works with the University's PEACC Center (Prevention, Education and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community), which provides education, advocacy and assistance for women who are victims of relationship violence. The student-athletes conduct an annual fundraiser to support the PEACC center and many get involved in their educational programming.
Recently, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in the One Love Escalation Workshop, at which the SAAC representatives viewed a video about warning signs of an unhealthy relationship and then participated in a discussion about what those signs were and how to recognize and respond to those. UofL partnered with the One Love Foundation in the spring as part of a larger initiative through the ACC.
"In my 16 years as the women's soccer head coach at the University of Louisville, I have coached hundreds of female student-athletes and I have always spoken very candidly with all of them about healthy relationships and taking pride in being confident and independent women," Karen Ferguson-Dayes said. "Tom has created a culture of equality at UofL and that is evident in his pursuit of building the best facilities and support staff for all of our men's and women's student-athletes.
"For my program in particular, we are privileged to play in the best soccer stadium in the country - one that we share with our men's soccer program. In my 16 years at UofL, not one of my students-athletes has ever come to me with any concerns about feeling they have been subjected to a culture that disrespects and demeans women."
