The parties have issued this joint statement: Willamette University and its former women’s rowing team are pleased to announce that we have reached a resolution to our dispute over Willamette’s elimination of women’s rowing and its compliance with Title IX in its women’s sports program. We believe the coming years will bring many additional opportunities in Willamette’s women’s athletics, including the planned addition of women’s lacrosse and triathlon. We are encouraged by plans to coordinate and cooperate in the surveying and recruitment of women – both present students and new candidates. While we all regret deeply the elimination of Willamette women’s rowing, we are grateful for the opportunity to work together to uphold the university’s recommitment to women’s sports. Willamette will recognize the team at its 2018 athletic awards event for their contributions to the sport and to women’s athletics.
The athletes have posted the Consent Decree here: Consent Decree.
Jennifer Middleton and Meredith Holley of Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton and Nancy Hogshead-Makar of Hogshead Enterprises represented the plaintiffs in this case.