SLIPPERY ROCK— To be or not to be? That is the question for three Slippery Rock University women's athletic programs.

A comprehensive settlement was reached April 6 between SRU and 12 plaintiffs — all athletes on The Rock women's field hockey, swimming and water polo teams — to maintain the existence of those three squads.

For now.

"We haven't won out in the end — not yet,"SRU women's swimming and water polo coach Jim Yeamans said. "This is bittersweet for us.

"There's a lot of positive changes that have come out of this and we're going to accentuate those positives. But this summer, the university is still going to try to prove compliance without us."

The 12 plaintiffs who challenged the university's decision of January 2006 to eliminate their teams received the Women's Sports Foundation's second Geena Takes Aim national resolution during a ceremony Tuesday night at Luigi's Restaurant in Slippery Rock.

Plaques bearing the resolution were presented to members of those teams by Joanne Tosti-Vasey, president of PANational Organization of Women.

The Geena Takes Aimresolution, which is named for former foundation trustee, women's rights advocate and actor Geena Davis, honors individuals and groups who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment in pursuit of gender equity, civil rights and social justice in sport.

"Title IXwas founded 35 years ago to eliminate inequities in funding of female athletics,"Tosti-Vasey said. "Because of such legislation, we have more female doctors today, more female lawyers, more professional women.

"Women have made more of an impact in the sports field, too. They're deserving of that, and female athletes at Slippery Rock University are deserving of it, too."

Sue Frietsche, senior staff attorney of the Women's Law Project, one of the lawyers working on behalf of the plaintiffs in the SRUcase, described Title IXviolations at the university as "clear, but not uncommon in Pennsylvania."

Based on self-reported data submitted by Pennsylvania colleges and universities in 2005, Frietsche said that for every dollar spent on male intercollegiate athletics, only 60 cents was spent on women's sports.

"(Indiana [Pa.] University) had a similar case filed a few years ago,"Frietsche said. "Women's athletic coaches at the University of Pennsylvania solved a case of gender inequity by going through the Department of Education a few years before that.

"Temple had a case years back and there's been a spattering of others, but most Title IXviolations go unchallenged. It takes guts for student athletes to come forward and challenge an injustice."

Individual plaques bearing the resolution were presented Tuesday night to plaintiffs Rachael Bienias, Emily Campbell, Beth Choike, Alison Nicole Nuckols, Elizabeth Penning, Sarah Sander, Laura Sanford, Ashley Stoner, Jessica Student, Jennifer Venet, Heather Walbright and Rebecca Zinn, along with Yeamans.

"These are gutsy kids who should be rewarded for their courage, effort and hard work,"Yeamans said. "Instead, the university is saying 'We don't want you.'

"I'm struggling with that. The team is struggling with that."

Tuesday's resolution ceremony was delayed because the women's water polo team went into triple overtime to defeat Grove City, 12-11, earlier in the evening at the Morrow Field House pool.

Choike, a Missouri resident, scored the game-winning goal, which snapped a six-game losing streak for The Rock (4-14).

"This is such a great academic school and if it wasn't for water polo, I wouldn't be here,"she said. "I wouldn't know anything about SRU. That's why we took it to court.

"I love the (public relations-communications) department I'm in. I love the family I've formed with my teammates. I want other girls to have the same opportunity I had here."

As for reaction to the 12 athletes filing a lawsuit, Choike said:"There's been no backlash, not from teammates, other sports, the student body or administration — only support."

The women's water polo, swimming and field hockey teams have posted a combined won-loss record of 4-37 in 2006-07. The field hockey team was outscored 88-2 during a 15-game losing streak to close its season last fall.

"We had four of our best players transfer, three others graduated and we had no recruiting class because of the uncertainty of the program," saidjunior field hockey player Ashley Stoner.

"There were games when we didn't have any subs, and this is a fast-paced sport," sophomore team member Jennifer Venet said. "We've got seven recruits coming in next year."

Stoner said the reality is it will take three years before the field hockey program is rebuilt.

"That's what happens when you try cutting a program — you cripple it,"she said. "We'll be on the sidelines, already graduated, by the time the team is on solid ground again. But that's OK.

"Few people get to compete in college sports. Even fewer can say they got their program back and positively impacted women's sports. I'm proud of what we did."

The swimming and water polo teams lost five athletes to transfers and likewise had no recruiting class this year.

Yeamans expects a poor recruiting class next year as well.

"If the university can prove compliance without these three teams, then we stay in existence next year, then we're done," he said. "How can I talk your daughter into coming here if I can only promise her one year of competition?

"They've given us a death sentence, basically. These athletes deserve more than that, but that's up to (university president RobertSmith.)"

"All I know is, these girls are proud to play for their school. They love their school. They know what's going on, yet they huddled together and shouted 'Let's Go Rock!' before working three overtimes to get a win." Yeamans added.

Frietsche attended that game Tuesday night before the resolution ceremony.

"What a special group of young women," she said. "There's lots of missing opportunities for female athletes all over this state. To cut three viable women's sports teams is just not acceptable."

Yeamans said the university is trying to comply with Title IXwithout water polo, swimming and field hockey by inflating the rosters of other women's sports programs on campus.

SRU's men's cross country roster has 15 athletes while the women's team has 29. The softball team has 27 players, the tennis squad has 14.

"The same six girls play tennis all the time. Only 10 can play softball,"Yeamans said. "All of those other girls never play. Is that the student athlete experience this university wants?"

SRUathletic director Paul Lueken lauded the efforts of the women involved in getting their programs back on the field.

He lauded the efforts of Smith in reaching the settlement with the plaintiffs as well.

"It's all good,"Lueken said. "All of the funding we're doing, the improvements we're making, were in the works anyway,"he said. "This just hastens the process.

"I applaud these young women for the effort and work they put into this. They're passionate about their sports and they care."

By agreeing to the settlement, Lueken said Smith "decided we're not going to spend money on lawyers, we're going to spend it on student athletes and facilities."