The Iowa Civil Rights Commission has been investigating the 2014 firing of field hockey coach Tracy Griesbaum. The results, issued in early December in a brief report by the commission, clear the path for Griesbaum to file discrimination lawsuit against the university. It is expected she will do so in the next few weeks. The report states that there was a "reasonable possibility" that the coach's dismissal was a result of gender discrimination and that the university has not provided evidence that her dismissal was the result of a combative nature (one of the university's claims for her termination).
In related news, the complaint filed by four current and former field hockey players in the wake of Griesbaum's firing will bring OCR to Iowa City some time this spring. Though the complaint deals specifically with the treatment of female coaches, OCR will assess the entire program and could issue a report on, in addition to coaching, things such as access to facilities and medical care, availability of practice times and equipment, quality of travel and competition. In other words, this visit is not just about whether there is discrimination against female coaches, it will be about whether there is equal treatment in the department. What we have seen is that when there is disorder in one part of the house, there are usually messes elsewhere. The university may be working hard on its defense in the presumed Griesbaum lawsuit, but the athletics department should also be doing an assessment of the overall state of the department and making proactive (in terms of an OCR visit; obviously things should already be in order) moves to demonstrate to OCR that they are committed to achieving equality in the department.
