Brown University’s Athletics Excellence Initiative Inspires Criticism & Legal Challenges on Multiple Fronts
By Ellen J. Staurowsky, Contributing Writer and Professor, Sport Management, Drexel University & Professor, Sports Media, Ithaca College, ejs95@drexel.edu
On May 28, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown University president Christina Paxson announced a plan to restructure its varsity athletic program by demoting 11 varsity teams (five women’s and six men’s) to club status and elevating two club teams (co-ed and women’s sailing) to varsity status (Paxson, 2020a). The de
