Ball State being investigated for Title IX Violations

The Indystar reported last week that Ball State is the target of an Title IX investigation triggered by a complaint filed in march 2008

The investigation itself took place on the Ball State campus a little over a month ago (6/8 - 6/10) and was run by a four member team. The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights dispatched the team to go over program budgets, resource access (e.g. the weight room), and the sizes of locker rooms.

The team gathered data and left with no word on the status or when Ball State will learn the outcome of the investigation.

"They came in and did (the investigation), and then they left," Ball State athletic director Tom Collins said. "We're cooperating with them, and we haven't heard back from them since they left."

The exact nature of the complaint has not been made public but usually when an audit is being performed and the question of general budgets comes up nothing is off limits.

"They were very vague when they were here, so I don't know where (the investigation) is right now," Collins said. "We're cooperating fully. The ball's in their court. We respond to them when they have questions for us, but again, the ball is kind of in their court."

A reasonable assumption is that coaching salaries have something to do with this investigation:

"According to the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) of 2005-06, Ball State University's then nine full-time female coaches made $730,757, with the average salary of $81,195.23. All nine were coaches of women's sports, and the only male that coached a women's sport was then coach Randy Litchfield. The eight male coaches, including Litchfield, made $974,022, with the average salary of $121,752.75. Coaching salaries also include benefits, bonuses paid by the university and related entities and other compensation and benefits paid by a third party, according to the EADA." -- BSU Daily News