WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 7, 2022 — West Liberty University is proud to support the efforts of Title IX legislation and mark its 50th year celebration of Telling the Story.
“Title IX is 50 years old in 2022 and we wanted to share in the effort to tell the story by featuring some of the amazing women working, learning and competing on the Hilltop. We are proud to continue the important mission of Title IX every day as we provide an education for our students,” said Kate Billings, Title IX coordinator and the Director of Student Activities.
Billings has held the position of Title IX coordinator since 2018 and is the contact person for students who may be looking for support and resources regarding Title IX and WLU’s process and compliance to the law.
June 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, which states that “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.”
WLU’s Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Cathy Monteroso knows the difference Title IX made in her personal life.
“The reason I was a college athlete was because of Title IX and the reality is that the opportunities I had in high school and college were all because of Title IX,” Monteroso said. Monteroso played volleyball at East Tennessee State and began the sport when she attended parochial grade school, followed by public high school, in the 1980s.
“The opportunities women have gained through sports gives us the skills to be leaders. Without perseverance, I could never do my job. So, it’s clearly important for girls and women to have these opportunities, not just in sports, in education and in the professional world. Title IX opened up opportunities in all fields. It helped all of us get a seat at the table,” she said.
Monteroso has been at WLU for 13 years, serving first as a member of faculty, then dean of the College of Education and Human Performance and now serving as interim provost and a member of the President’s Cabinet.
West Liberty University has a total of 195 student-athletes benefiting from Title IX and competing this semester. In fact, a total of 63 percent of the total students at WLU are female, according to fall 2022 numbers.
“Title IX remains important today and continues to provide the muscle that keeps discrimination of all sorts at bay in higher education. It is just as important now as it was 50 years ago,” concluded Billings.
To view a video Telling the Story of Title IX on the Hilltop, please click here.