COLLEGE'S STATS INDICATE SPORTS FUNDING EQUAL; FEDS LOOKING INTO BIAS CLAIM BY WOMEN AT A.V. CAMPUS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Budget figures released by Antelope Valley College show it spends as much or more for coaches' pay, equipment and supplies per athlete on women's teams as on men's teams.

But officials at the college, under investigation for discriminating against female athletes, said they were unable to provide total budgets for the five male teams and five female teams.

``They don't have the budget set up that way,'' said Steve Standerfer, spokesman for the college.

Federal education officials made a three-day visit last week to the college to investigate a complaint of discrimination against female athletes under Title IX, the civil rights statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender.

If any inequities are found, the college will be asked to come up with a plan on how it intends to address them.

The civil rights office received the complaint March 4, alleging it is discriminating against female students by denying them an equal opportunity to participate in intercollegiate athletics, according to an April 14 letter from the civil rights office to college President Linda Spink.

Specifically, the complaint cited disparities favoring male athletes in ``accommodation of the athletic interest and abilities of women students; provision of opportunities for athletes to obtain work study jobs in the athletics department; provision of equipment and supplies; scheduling of games and practice times; modes of travel and per diem allowance; opportunity to receive coaching and assignment and compensation of coaches; provision of locker rooms and practice and competitive facilities; provision of medical and training services; provision of publicity; recruitment; and support services.''

The college's athletic programs are football, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's baseball, women's softball, men's and women's track, and men's and women's cross country.

For the 1997-98 school year, salaries for coaches who are full-time physical education instructors range from $51,996 to $69,410.

Head women's softball coach Eugene Pagliaro earns $69,410; head volleyball coach Jane Cwayna, $66,303; head cross-country and track coach Mark Covert, $59,438; head women's basketball coach Jackie Lott, $54,886; and head baseball coach Joseph Watts, assistant football coach Frank Blua, and men's basketball coach Newton Chelette all earn $51,996, records show.

No salary figure was provided for Brent Carder, head football coach.

In addition, coaches are paid stipends ranging from $1,980 to $2,546 a year, and in some cases wages for extra days worked when school is not in session.

Between the 1995-96 and 1996-97 school years, spending per athlete on supplies and equipment increased in all sports except men's basketball and men's baseball, records show.

Spending per athlete in football went from $174 to $212, in women's volleyball from $205 to $249, in cross country from $50 to $73, in women's basketball from $261 to $374, in track from $76 to $91, and in softball from $289 to $453, records show.

Spending per athlete in men's basketball decreased from $203 to $198, and in men's baseball from $221 to $180, records show.

Title IX was passed by Congress in 1972 and bans discrimination on the basis of gender in athletics and other programs and activities that receive federal funds.

``A person could could claim they were discriminated against as far as access to classes,'' said Rodger Murphey, a U.S. Department of Education spokesman.

Title IX regulations cover many areas including provision of practice and competitive facilities, equipment and supplies, travel, accommodation of interest and abilities of athletes, coaching, training facilities, and scheduling of games and practice times.

``We look to see if there is equity in the way it's being handled,'' Murphey said.

There is no set formula for how much schools should spend on men's and women's athletic programs.

``Athletic spending should be substantially proportionate to the participation rate,'' Murphey said.

According to the Feminist Majority Foundation, women college athletes receive less than 24 percent of college sports' operating budgets and less than 18 percent of college recruiting money. In addition, women are still only about one-third of interscholastic and intercollegiate athletes.

College officials said they have tried to offer opportunities for men and women, and have a record of success in sports for men's and women's teams.

Antelope Valley College reported 86 members on men's teams and 40 on women's teams this year, records show. That does not include the track teams, for which information was not provided.

Federal officials said they cannot disclose who filed the complaint or what sports are being targeted.

The civil rights office team requested as part of its investigation 37 pieces of information from the college pertaining to each area contained in the complaint.

The requests include copies of budgets for the men's and women's athletic programs for the past two years; a description of the methods used to determine the athletic interests and abilities of students; a description of the program for providing, maintaining and replacing equipment and supplies; competition schedules for teams; and the names of all coaches and a summary of their backgrounds and qualifications.