With the chance of women’s ice hockey at Syracuse reasonable, it’s natural to consider whether a Division I men’s team is possible some day. Alumni and community members have long called for the sport, pointing out the strength of men’s hockey programs at private schools such as Cornell across the Northeast.

‘If we added a men’s sport, we’d have to get rid of a men’s sport,’ said Michael Wasylenko, chairman of the Athletic Policy Board. ‘And that’s probably not a good idea.’

Still, the outlook isn’t as bleak as it appears.

While the actual acknowledgment of Title IX by institutions remains the driving force behind the significant increase in female athletes in the last 10 years, the proliferation of women on college campuses may not continue-currently 58 percent of undergraduates are women, according to The New York Times.

‘What if suddenly that’s reversed?’ Wasylenko said. ‘What if suddenly men came back to college and these ratios started dropping? Nobody think that’s going to happen, but nobody thought women would overtake men in college either. This is all a balancing act. Where we’ll be in 10 years on the ratio, who knows?’

Wasylenko and Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross know Syracuse can’t close the 11.8 percent gap given the female-dominated undergraduate population, but the school doesn’t have to in order to comply with Title IX.

The two said more new women’s sports are conceivable down the line. Couple those additional new sports-resulting in a continued compliance with prong No. 2-with a smaller male-female undergraduate gap at Syracuse and the possibility exists.

‘Adding one and one doesn’t get us toward our goal,’ Wasylenko said. ‘Adding three and one? We could.’

‘We’ll have to see where the numbers work out with gender-equity,’ Gross said.

– Ethan Ramsey, sports editor

Published on September 11, 2006 at 12:00 pm