Cal Athletics raises $8 million for women’s teams

As campus leaders honor Title IX — the landmark federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial aid — the campaign’s success is particularly timely.

“As we launch our yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the implementation of Title IX, we are incredibly excited to surpass this milestone,” said Chancellor Carol T. Christ, who has made the Gender Equity Campaign a priority. The capital project process is ongoing and both facilities are currently in the environmental review stage.

Chancellor Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton are celebrating the teamwork that made this campaign a winning endeavor — particularly the leadership of the Gender Equity Campaign committee’s co-chairs: Lynda Brothers ’68, Bill Ausfahl ’61, and Brad Brian ’74. The committee’s dedicated efforts since 2018 made it possible for the Banatao family’s recent gift to bring the campaign to a close.

“I agreed to be a co-chair because the facilities were inequitable and it was the right thing to do,” explained Bill Ausfahl, who was a 2021 Cal Athletic Fund’s Golden Bear of the Year. Ausfahl was also moved to help lead the campaign because of his wife, Trudy, his daughters in law, and five granddaughters, all of whom are good athletes. “Trudy was denied the right to compete in high school and college because she grew up well before the passage of Title IX in 1972.”