Michigan adding lacrosse

Lest we think that all schools are in financial crises and being forced to cut sports...
University of Michigan has announced that it will be adding men's and women's lacrosse to its list of intercollegiate sports. Both teams are currently club sports at the school. Interestingly the men will be upgraded next year and the women will achieve varsity status in 2012. Not sure what the reasons are behind this timetable. Perhaps it has something to do with facilities. Still, I have not seen any explanation of why the men before the women. (And I would expect, if the plan were reversed, to be informed as to why.)
Michigan is planning on adding, but does not currently have, a dedicated lacrosse facility.
The school is banking on data that reveal lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
Michigan is currently complying with the accommodations of interest and abilities by adhering to prong one. Women comprise just under half of the undergraduate student body (49 percent) and receive roughly 47 percent of the athletic opportunities. I assume the size of the respective teams will be about equal and thus the numbers will not change much.

No sand v-ball in San Diego

Bucking national trends that show further increases in the number of women attending college, San Diego State University has seen its numbers of enrolled female undergraduates drop in the past few years. The decrease (to just under 57 percent of the total enrolled undergraduates) means SDSU's plans to add two women's sports have changed. The university planned to add women's lacrosse and sand volleyball in order to decrease the gap in scholarship dollars between male and female athletes (based on the percentage of undergraduate enrollment). Like all CSU institutions, SDSU must remain in compliance with the 1993 Cal-NOW settlement that requires equitable distribution of scholarship dollars (or grants-in-aid) within 5 percentage points.
But with the decrease in women attending the university*, plans for the addition of sand volleyball have been shelved. The athletic department believes it can close the gap by adding only women's lacrosse. A coach has already been hired.


* Might be a good time to remember the investigation into the allegations that some colleges are discriminating against female applicants in an attempt to keep their undergraduate population even(ish).