Despite the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s recent attempt to balance pay scales between male and female coaches, SIUC Assistant Athletic Director Nancy Bandy does not expect immediate improvements.

The commission released its new guidelines in mid-October, stating that coaches for women’s teams must receive similar salaries to their men’s team counterparts. The average women’s team coach earned 44 percent less than her male counterpart at Division I schools in 1995-96, according to a study by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

However, Bandy said universities have not acted in the past concerning the issue.

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I don’t how strictly they can be enforced or how quickly, Bandy said. It’s taken 25 years to begin the enforcement of Title IX (the Gender Equity Law). I don’t see this school or any complying with these guidelines immediately.

Compared to the national average, SIUC has fared well in equal payment of salaries. The women’s golf, tennis and softball coaches all earn more than their male counterparts.

With the exception of basketball, we’re in pretty decent shape, SIUC Athletic Director Jim Hart said. In fact, the total number of salaries is just a 9-percent difference between men and women.

Hart said that the small amounts of revenue generated by female athletic teams makes it difficult to increase women’s coaches income. He said it would be different if, for example, SIUC received the same fan support as the Southwest Missouri State University women’s basketball team.

SMSU is one of the few schools where the women’s team has more fan support than the men’s team.

We’re not putting the people in there, Hart said. We’re spending more in trying to do that for the women than the men. It’s a fun atmosphere to go to Southwest Missouri and walk in the place and see that big of a crowd for a women’s game.

In addition, the state of Illinois decided to cut the University’s athletic funding by 50 percent in 1995. Hart said the loss forced SIUC to use a portion of the money earned from ticket sales, advertising and sponsors for salaries.

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Are we state employees? Yes, Hart said. Then shouldn’t we get paid by state money? I am a state employee, and I should be paid by state money, not somebody’s contribution dollar.

But Bandy said financial reasons should not interfere with the seriousness of the issue.

The argument we’ve heard for years with Title IX is that we’d love to do this, and we agree with it philosophically, but we just don’t have the money, Bandy said. I don’t believe it’s a legitimate argument because if you’re discriminating, and you’re told you’re discriminating, you stop it and adjust the situation.

The commission’s guidelines most likely will have the greatest impact on basketball, Hart said. On a national scale, women’s basketball coaches are paid 39 percent less than men’s basketball coaches.

SIUC women’s basketball coach Cindy Scott faces the largest salary difference at SIUC. Rich Herrin earns $102,000 per year on the men’s side, compared to Scott’s $66,895.

Scott would not comment on her personal situation. But volleyball coach Sonya Locke pointed out that Scott has one of the larger complaints.

Locke said the notion of men working harder in their profession comes into play.

The perception that those people (male coaches) have to work harder in those sports than their counterparts is not true, Locke said. We recruit really hard and have to spend time on the road and have to spend time away from our homes and families, just like everybody else.

In order to file a complaint under the commission’s guidelines, a person must provide proof that a fellow employee earns a higher salary for similar work.

One SIUC coach, who asked not to be named, tried this approach in the past, but the results did nothing to improve the situation.

At one time, there was a tremendous difference in the amount of wages, the coach said. I complained, but shortly after I got the increase, they gave [the other coach] an increase.

Cases like this have brought Bandy to the conclusion that the salary problem will not end anytime soon.

She said no matter what actions a female coach takes, there is always a negative side.

Once you file a complaint or lawsuit, it’s very difficult to get another job because they think you’re a troublemaker, Bandy said. It is unfortunate because these laws are here to protect you, but there are a lot women who won’t step up. I really don’t see an end to this in my lifetime.