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Four decades after Title IX was enacted, many colleges and universities across the country still struggle with the gender-equity requirements. If you’re not familiar with Title IX, allow me to give you a brief synopsis: The law states: “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” While Title IX has had obvious positive effects on women’s education, we most often associate this law’s success within athletics but compliance with Title IX isn’t always a clear task. Take for instance what’s happening at Colorado State University: The school plans to add scholarships through a new women’s soccer team but are doing so at the expense of the women’s water polo team. If you’re scratching your head in confusion, join the club.

According to reports, the complaint against the university filed in July 2012 alleged that CSU discriminated against female athletes by falling to provide opportunities equal to those afforded to their male counterparts. The university agreed to a turnaround plan that will bring it into compliance by September 2016 but many individuals have pointed out the odd juxtaposition of a women’s sport being eliminated to comply with gender-balance guidelines. “It definitely shows that they didn’t take our sport as seriously as maybe men’s basketball or football, because they definitely wouldn’t have eliminated them,” said Alexzandrea Daley, a 19-year-old junior and water polo team member at CSU. Officials at the university have sympathized with their outrage but reaffirm that the university could not afford to keep both sports. (For more on this story, click here.)

Sure, repeated failures to comply with Title IX can jeopardize a university’s federal financial support but do you agree with Colorado State’s solution? Do you think it fair to the female athletes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Whether you’re serious about sports or just having a good time (or both), your interest may help you find scholarships. Inhuman ability is not even required—most of the time. A bit of talent and a lot of fun may be all it takes. So flex your fingers, and dust off that keyboard; you may be a scholarship essay away from landing a lucrative college scholarship.  For more information on the scholarships below, including contact details, conduct a free college scholarship search at Scholarships.com

Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY)

Now in its 10th year, the scholarship program responsible for producing Santa’s drink of choice is affording students an education. And the SAMMY award will probably give student athletes more than Santa ever did.  Each year, the National Milk Mustache’s “Got Milk?” campaign gives away $7,500 scholarships to 25 high school seniors. Winning athletes will also be commemorated with a spot in the SAMMY Hall of Fame at the Disney World Milk House and will have the chance to appear in a Milk Mustache USA Today ad.  Scholarship applications for the 2008 award will be accepted between November 5, 2007 and March 7, 2008. Interested students will be required to write an essay of no more than 250 words about “How Milk Has Helped In My Academics and/or Athletics”.

Women’s Western Golf Foundation Scholarship

Evans Scholars won't be the only ones receiving golf scholarships this year. So far, the Women’s Western Golf Foundation has awarded more than $3.1 million in college golf scholarships, and they’re ready to award more.  This scholarship is available to, of course, women who play golf. Thankfully, applicants don’t need to be pros to win; excellence in the sport is not even a criterion. Winners will be awarded $2,000 grants renewable for four years under the condition that they continue to demonstrate financial need and maintain a 3.0 GPA.  If you are a female, a high school senior and you play golf, you can get this application thing down to a tee.

NCAA Scholarships

Are you looking for baseball scholarships? Basketball scholarships? College sport scholarships in general? The NCAA is the place to search. Of course, to receive a lucrative scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association you have to be good. The NCAA and its cosponsors award over 126,000 scholarships worth more than $1 billion each year to exceptional athletes. Interested student athletes should contact their colleges of choice for more information.

The Lou and Carole Prato Sports Reporting Scholarship

So maybe your baseball swings would be better categorized as swats. So what? If you can rattle off sports stats like a champ, you may still have a shot at winning sports scholarships. Each year, the Lou and Carole Prato Sports Reporting Scholarship program awards a $1,000 grant to an undergraduate (sophomore or older) pursuing a career in TV or radio sports reporting.  If you have good writing skills, a breathtaking voice and killer teeth (the last two are not required but won’t hurt) you may be one step closer to winning a scholarship.

With college football season underway, it's a good time for high school athletes starting their senior years to be making their decisions on whether they'll be pursuing sports on the college level. Athletic scholarships go a long way toward making those decisions easier, and even in a struggling economy, sports programs continue to set aside funding to better their teams. Better yet, even those who aren't the top soccer, baseball or tennis player on the roster are eligible for scholarship opportunities offered by local groups outside of the NCAA awards looking to reward students who balance their schoolwork with athletics.

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune points to several tips for talented athletes in the market for scholarships, including making yourself known to coaches and schools early and often and making sure your grades are where they should be. Most athletic scholarships require a minimum GPA for eligibility, even if you're the star of your basketball team. And even if you do get that coveted sports scholarship, you'll be expected to maintain a decent GPA to be eligible for continued funding and a spot on the team. Student athletes should also keep an open mind about schools they're targeting. Big-name schools are much more competitive, and unless you're one of the top athletes in your field, they may offer much less play time even if you do make the team than smaller colleges outside of Division I. A college search is a good place to start to learn more about colleges offering your sports program.

It isn't easy to be recruited for a full ride at a top university. A strategy of more students recently has been specializing in one sport, or getting involved in sports outside of football, baseball and basketball that get less attention to stand out more in the competitive world of sports scholarships. New sports scholarships in fields like lacrosse, for example, are becoming more common, and with new scholarships, the competition is often much less fierce than with more popular, established award programs.

For those who excel in both sports and athletics, straight academic scholarships may prove to be a good option as well, especially if you're a good essay writer.

It's obvious the economy has had an effect on the world of higher education. While there have been reasons to remain optimistic - some schools have created new scholarships to compensate for students' increased needs for aid - many states continue to deal with deep budget cuts, which have had a trickle-down effect on students' financial aid packages. Some have been forced to consider shutting down merit scholarship programs; others have raised tuition.

Schools' athletic programs then aren't immune to the economy's effects. An article today in The Chronicle for Higher Education describes the potential trouble schools could be in if they have recently embarked on big athletic program projects, like new stadiums (University of Minnesota) or extensive remodeling (Oklahoma State). The article compared schools' spending on sports programs to that of homeowners now finding they've purchased properties they can't actually afford. New projects will probably stall until economic projections brighten, and schools may find that it's not so easy justifying pouring money into capital improvements to athletic facilities when those same schools are facing layoffs and budget cuts elsewhere.

Numbers and hard data showing how the economy has affected sports programs has been vague. While schools report anecdotes of slow ticket sales to sports events, others say their endowments remain strong and that their football stadiums are more full than ever before. Perhaps students and alums use sports events as diversions from the economy. Or it's schools with a lot of buzz surrounding their football programs that are doing well this season. Luckily for sports fans, many projects that have been in the pipeline since before the economy began faltering are being paid for through donations and private funding, rather than borrowed money that may be harder to come by and riskier to an administration unsure when things will return to normal.

Or maybe those schools with the big athletic programs are just adding more to their debt. Debt overall has risen at colleges. Over the last four years, the average debt has gone up more than 50 percent, according to rankings of 200 public institutions by Moody's Investors Service. At the same time, revenue at those schools has been down significantly. The Chronicle article suggests funding that has gone to sports facilities has at times been diverted from other campus sites that could use more work, like remodeling old dormitories or improving academic facilities. It can get difficult, though, to criticize spending money to improve programs that bring so much money into a school, especially at schools with high-profile athletic teams. Sports will always be an important piece of many big campuses, and student athletes should still go for athletic scholarships if they have the grades and the talent, since the situation would probably never get so dire that teams would be disbanded.

As the city of Chicago begins to adjust to the news that the 2016 Olympic Games will go to Rio de Janeiro, it could be a good time for you athletes to begin evaluating your options for sports scholarships at your intended college next fall. Just remember this: you don't need to be an Olympics-caliber athlete to win athletic scholarships, or even Youth Olympic Games-caliber for that matter. (The first ever Youth Olympic Games will be held in Singapore in 2010 for athletes ages 14-18 competing in 26 summer sports.)

Traditional sports scholarships are very competitive and usually come directly from the college you hope to play for. While those awards will usually be the most generous, unless you're playing at a high enough skill level to be recruited onto a team or have wowed your intended college's coaches with your abilities, it's going to be tough to land a full or even partial sports scholarship. Lucky for you, sports scholarships from outside organizations aren't always all about athletics.

Local leagues and organizations in sports ranging from the high-profile like baseball and golf to the more obscure like fencing and marksmanship offer many awards based on criteria that have nothing to do with that sport. If you enjoy bowling as a hobby, contact your local league. They could have an award for bowling enthusiasts who don't necessarily plan to bowl on the college level but may have stellar academics or an impressive community service record. If you do intend to play your sport in college but on the club or intramural level, your chances of landing a private scholarship could be even better, as sports scholarships will often ask for a commitment to the sport you're being awarded funding for playing or having an interest in, even if that commitment means you continue playing the sport for fun and not for competition.

Check out our examples of athletic scholarships, but don't rule out academic scholarships when applying for funding. If you're a good enough athlete to compete for awards based on athletic skill, you'll need a minimum GPA set by the NCAA to not only get some funding but to play on a college team. For additional information about sports scholarships and awards based on different criteria, try conducting a free college scholarship search to see all of the awards you could be eligible for.

Chicago didn't win the Olympics, but something good has come out of the effort. This week's Scholarship of the Week comes from World Sport Chicago, which was created as the lasting legacy of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Bid to support the city's student athletes as they prepare to go to college. As part of the scholarship program, 56 students will be chosen to become World Sport Chicago Scholars and participate in Kaplan ACT Tutoring and a Chicago Scholars mentoring initiative. Of those 56, 16 student athletes will be chosen to receive renewable college scholarships worth up $10,000 annually.

World Sport Chicago was launched in September to help high school student athletes not only pay for college but be more prepared for the transition. The chosen scholars will get ACT prep help for the spring 2010 testing dates. The award is a good example of athletic scholarships that look at more than your abilities in your chosen sport.

Prize: 16 renewable college scholarships worth up to $10,000 annually.

Eligibility: High school juniors who live and study in Chicago and have participated in an Olympic/Paralympic sport for two seasons in the past three years. Athletes of all levels are encouraged to apply; the judges just want to see that you're committed to your sport, on whatever level you may be. Commitment to the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect on the playing field in school and in the community will be considered during the evaluation process. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA or better and be willing to perform the duties of World Sport Chicago scholars, which includes promoting Olympic values in the community.

Deadline: November 30, 2009

Required Material: An online application from World Sport Chicago, which includes three short essays, two recommendations and an unofficial high school transcript. Scholarships must be applied to accredited four-year institutions. Preference may be given to student athletes with high financial need.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Most presidents at colleges across the country believe that they won't be able to sustain the high costs of their athletic programs, according to a survey from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics published earlier this week. The survey polled 95 college presidents whose schools compete in the 119-member Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The presidents also admitted they had few ideas on how to fix the problem.

We already know schools' athletic programs haven't been immune to the effects of the economy. Schools that had continued to expand their facilities despite weak economic projections could be in trouble down the line. But college presidents hadn't asked for sweeping reform to schools' athletic programs until now.

An article in the Chronicle for Higher Education this week said presidents felt they had "limited power to control the rising expenses of sports on their own campuses and at the national and conference levels." Making changes to athletic programs is a touchy subject. Administrators could be at risk of losing alumni support if they rock the boat too much. According to the survey, more than 80 percent of college presidents said more transparency is needed when it comes to spending on athletics, especially during an economic crunch that has affected many academic programs. About 85 percent responded that college football and basketball coaches are paid too much, and that those salaries are exceedingly difficult to control.

So if college presidents, the leaders of the schools, feel powerless to change what appears to be an increasingly difficult situation, what can be done about the problem? At a meeting this week that commemorated the 20^th anniversary of the Knight Commission’s founding, athletics directors and college administrators had competing ideas. Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said it was dangerous to cut costs, especially when athletic programs brought funding in to schools. Dutch Baughman, executive director of the Division IA Athletic Directors Association, said he had already proposed ways to cut costs: less travel and changes to hiring practices.

Perhaps presidents should have more faith in their actions and authority. Many responded that athletic programs have become too political or bureaucratic. Nathan Tublitz, co-chair of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, said presidents were being too "wimpy." It can get difficult, though, to criticize spending money to improve programs that bring so much money into a school, especially at schools with high-profile athletic teams. But what if spending money on sports programs hurts the academic programs at a school? What do you think?

If you're an athlete, don't rule out sports scholarships to pad your financial aid package, because if you're good enough, you could find yourself looking at some generous scholarship money. For more information on athletic scholarships and scholarships based on other criteria, conduct a free scholarship search.

Congress has a lot going on right now, from the ongoing health care debate to a number of bills looking to improve student lending and credit card practices. But that doesn't mean college football fans shouldn't have their day in government.

Just in time for this season's Bowl Championship Series (BCS), a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday that would change the way the current championship series is run. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who introduced the bill, said college football champions should be crowned through a playoff method rather than a series of bowl games, such as the Fiesta, Sugar, Meineke Car Care and Rose Bowls, among others. The bill, named the College Football Playoffs Act, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I football game as a national championship, which Barton called unfair, unless it's the outcome of a playoff.

An article in the Dallas Morning News today details how the subcommittee came to its decision, noting that even President Obama has voiced his displeasure over the lack of playoffs in college football. One legislator said the current process was less about finding the best team out of dozens but about revenue sharing. Another said schools with less fundraising power are less likely to find themselves in a Bowl game. The one dissenting vote, Rep. John Barrow of Georgia, said Congress had better and more important things to do than worry about college football.

In other college football news, a recent study released by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida showed that of the 67 schools surveyed, 57 had graduation success rates of 66 percent or more for white football players participating in bowl games. But 21 colleges (up from 19 in 2008-2009) graduated less than 50 percent of their African American football athletes; 35 colleges (up from 29 in 2008-2009) had graduation success rates for African American football athletes that were at least 20 percent lower than their rates for white football athletes. What's it all mean? Racial gaps remain between white and African American football student-athletes despite any progress with overall graduation rates. As the findings only looked at schools appearing in bowl games this year, it would be interesting to see what kind of data exists across the board.

In addition to being a day off from work or school, today is designated as a day to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his immense contributions to the Civil Rights movement.  America has taken tremendous strides toward equality in the past several decades, in large part due to King's activism in the 1960's.  While honoring King, now is also a good time to keep in mind some of the other major contributors to the civil rights movement.

This week's Scholarship of the Week gives high school students an opportunity to do just that.  High school seniors have a chance to win two $2,500 scholarships by writing a scholarship essay of 1,000 words or less about Jackie Robinson, the first African American player in Major League Baseball, focusing on his contributions to the Civil Rights movement and the way he broke racial barriers in his career.   The Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Committee Scholarship is sponsored by the Negro Leagues Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research.

Students respond to one of two prompts: "What influence or impact did Jackie Robinson, as the first African American to play modern day Major League baseball, have on the Civil Rights Movement?" or "What are the comparative aspects of the historical breakthroughs of Jackie Robinson in baseball and Barack Obama in politics?"  Formatting guidelines and a list of potential references can be found on the contest website.

Prize: Two $2,500 scholarships

Eligibility: Current high school seniors who are planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution.  Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 at the end of their junior year and must be planning to graduate this academic year.

Deadline: February 19, 2010

Required Material: A completed scholarship application, found online, a list of high school and community activities you have been involved in, a letter of recommendation from someone in your high school (a teacher, counselor, or school administrator), and a 1,000 word essay response to one of two essay prompts.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.

Sports scholarships are not only available to athletes from their respective colleges. A number of professional organizations and private groups offer generous awards to student athletes looking for some help to meet their college costs. This week’s Scholarship of the Week targets student bowlers already in college who are able to maintain good grades while competing in the sport on the amateur level.

The Billy Welu Scholarship from the Professional Bowler Association awards student bowlers with $1,000 scholarships. Applicants must not only be decent bowlers, but good students, as well, and meet GPA requirements associated with the award. Welu, for whom the award is named, was a charter member and Hall of Famer in the PBA who was a familiar voice in the sport as an analyst during Pro Bowlers Tour telecasts. If you’re a college student who competes in a different sport, though, make sure you check out some of our examples of sports scholarships and look beyond your college for award funding, as there are hundreds of awards out there that target student athletes.

Prize:

Eligibility:

Deadline:

Required Material:

Those interested in the scholarship must fill out applications available on the PBA’s website. Applications will ask student bowlers to detail their experience in the sport, and write a 500-word essay on how the award will positively affect their bowling, academic, and personal goals. Applicants must also send a reference letter and transcript along with their completed applications.

Further details about the application process can be found by conducting a free college scholarship search on Scholarships.com. Once the search is completed, students eligible for this scholarship award will find it in their search results.