Title IX discussed

The Grand Rapids area participants in a lawsuit against the Michigan High School Athletic Association spoke in a panel discussion this week at Grand Valley. The lawsuit claimed the association discriminates against girls' sports, The presentation was sponsored by Grand Valley's Women's Center to help celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

The lawsuit said the MHSAA discriminates against girl athletes by holding nontraditional sports seasons, which could exclude them from college scholarship possibilities. A federal judge has tentatively accepted MHSAA's compliance plan that would switch girls' basketball and volleyball seasons, and other sports, in the 2004-05 school year. Currently, the girls play basketball in the fall and volleyball in the winter. Michigan is one of few states to hold nontraditional sports seasons.