Outgoing University of Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier has been receiving some criticism for his commitment (or lack thereof) to gender equity during his five-year tenure.
We have heard about some gender equity issues at Hawaii because of track coach Carmyn James's now-dropped Title IX lawsuit. This article does not mention James or suggest that Frazier, who was bought out of his contract, was let go because of James's speaking out publicly. [His firing appears to be a result of his inability to negotiate a new contract with the football coach. I will refrain from remarking on how this reflects on the university's priorities.]
But it does highlight what was apparently Frazier's blind eye regarding gender equity in his department. According to a civil rights lawyer, who was herself a UH athlete, Frazier frequently received complaints from athletes about not just gender issues but racial discrimination, homophobia, and sexual harassment.
The interim AD, Carl Clapp, will not disparage Frazier and believes he did a good job with gender equity, as compared with other schools. Hopefully the new AD will not base UH's gender equity on other institutions, given the overall lack of true commitment to Title IX compliance, but on the situation at hand in Hawaii.
