Judge Grants Injunction Blocking University of Iowa from Dropping Women’s Swimming in 2021-22

Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble

The University of Iowa women’s swim team might not be done after this season after all.

On Tuesday, Dec. 22, a federal judge announced the decision to grant an injunction that blocks the University of Iowa from dropping women’s swimming for the 2021-2022 school year.

The university cut the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, effective after the 2020-21 school year.

The decision by Federal District Judge Stephanie Rose came at the end of a hearing on the Title IX complaint filed by four female swimmers, according to the Press-Citizen.

According to the complaint, which was filed earlier this month, the swimmers claimed the university is violating Title IX by dropping women’s swimming and diving teams.

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The university has argued that it is not a Title IX violation to make the cutbacks, but that program reductions are needed to help balance an estimated athletics department budget hole of $55 million to $65 million caused by lost ticket sales and other revenue shortfalls because of COVID-19.

“The University of Iowa last recently completed a four-year review by the Office of Civil Rights on compliance with Title IX in the Athletic Department. In 2019, the Office for Civil Rights closed its investigation with no findings of any violation in the 13 categories of Title IX. The university remains committed to staying in compliance with Title IX,” the statement from the university reads. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are important parts of the Iowa Athletics Department’s mission. The elimination of these four sports will not negatively impact our efforts in this area. In fact, impact on Gender Equity and Title IX compliance was one of the factors used to determine which sports to eliminate due to the fiscal financial crisis created by COVID-19. Finally, the decision to eliminate three men’s sports and one women’s sport, will impact 64 male student-athletes compared to 38 female-student athletes (roster numbers) and result in the loss of 20.7 male scholarships compared to 14 female scholarships. The university will work hard to support each student-athlete as they go through this very difficult transition.”

According to the Press-Citizen, four of Iowa’s six coaches and 15 of the 35 members of the women’s swimming and diving team have taken new jobs or committed to another school. An additional four are in transfer portals, according to the complaint.

“When you’re riding as close to the Title IX compliance line as the university has been … when a crisis hits, options become pretty limited” for the school to react, Rose said.

The University of Iowa stated that since there is one more year of competition, reinstatement is not possible at this time, since it hasn’t been taken away yet.

— Swimming World will continue to update as more details unfold.

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