HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A federal case in Connecticut could determine if cheerleading can be counted as a college sport toward Title IX gender-equity requirements.
Members of the women’s volleyball team at Quinnipiac (KWIHN’-uh-pee-ak) University filed the lawsuit after the school decided to eliminate women’s volleyball in favor of a competitive cheer squad.
The university says the cheer squad is a less expensive program that serves more female students.
The suit alleges the school has been exaggerating the number of its female athletes, and improperly counts competitive cheerleading as a sport to get around Title IX, the federal law that mandates equal opportunities for women in athletics.
A trial of the lawsuit begins Monday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport.
