Brown Battling Judge

Brown University refuses to comply with a judge’s order that it create four new women’s varsity sports to remedy a sexual discrimination case.

President Vartan Gregorian said the school will press on with its appeal of District Court Judge Raymond Pettine’s finding in March that Brown violated federal law by cutting women’s volleyball and gymnastics teams.

Gregorian said Pettine was meddling in school affairs by ordering Brown to not only reinstate gymnastics, but elevate it to varsity status along with three other female sports.

Pettine ruled Thursday that Brown’s offer to cut men’s sports and expand women’s junior varsity teams was not adequate and still violated Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sexual discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.