Thought some of you might be interested in this.
Volleyball coach sues ESU
By Stuart Goldman
goldman@emporiagazette.com
Emporia State University volleyball coach Maxine Mehus is suing the university for $200,000 on the grounds of sex discrimination, a hostile work environment, unequal pay and Title IX violations.
Mehus and her attorney, Denise Henning of Kansas City, Mo., filed the lawsuit on Friday. A timetable for a trial has not been set, although the trial is designated to take place in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.
�This hasn�t been a spur-of-the-moment situation,� Mehus said Sunday. �This has happened over several months� time, probably the better part of two years.
�I�ve pursued avenues on campus to get this resolved, to no avail. It left me with no other alternative than to pursue this in this manner. I feel strongly that the facts of the case will prove themselves out.�
At the heart of the lawsuit is Mehus� claim that she is not being paid on the same level as her �similarly situated male counterparts.�
In a news release from Henning�s office, Mehus claims that she is paid $15,000 to $20,000 less a year than her �male head coach colleagues at Emporia State University.�
Mehus, who has coached the ESU volleyball team for the past 15 seasons, earns $46,499 a year, according to figures released on Sunday by ESU athletic director Kent Weiser.
Mehus is the fifth-highest paid head coach of the nine head coaches in the ESU athletic department. Dave Wiemers, who just completed his second season as ESU�s head football coach, earns $63,000 annually. Brandon Schneider, in his fifth season as women�s head basketball coach at ESU, earns $61,327. David Moe, in his second season as men�s head basketball coach at ESU, earns $60,008.
David Harris, who has coached at ESU for 11 years, is the fourth-highest paid coach at $51,937. Harris technically serves as the head coach of six teams at ESU: men�s and women�s cross country, men�s and women�s indoor track and field, and men�s and women�s outdoor track and field.
Mehus also is dissatisfied that she has a 10-month contract and not a 12-month contract. Among ESU head coaches, only Wiemers, Moe and Schneider have 12-month contracts.
Another sticking point for Mehus is that she has teaching responsibilities in addition to her coaching duties, something other ESU head coaches do not have. Weiser said Harris and baseball coach Brian Embery are the only other coaches who have teaching responsibilities.
�We�ve been working with Coach Mehus on some of these things for a while, so (the lawsuit) was not a complete surprise,� Weiser said. �We take it very seriously. We have always respected the law, and I respect her right to file such a suit. But we also firmly believe that the accusations have no merit, and we will vigorously defend ourselves.�
In the lawsuit, Mehus claims that she is receiving fewer resources toward the volleyball team�s overall budget, travel accommodations and supplies. Mehus also claims that she is working in an atmosphere �of open hostility toward women and women�s athletics.�
The athletics department�s senior woman administrator, Carmen Nelon, associate athletic director for internal operations at ESU, said, �This is my third year (at ESU), and no way have I seen any open hostility towards women or women�s athletics.�
Last fall, Mehus was interviewed by The Gazette for a story on Weiser and his cousin, Kansas State athletic director Tim Weiser. In the interview, Mehus addressed the environment of the ESU athletic department.
�I go can go into (Schneider�s) office and say, �How did you do last night?� and vice versa,� Mehus said in the Oct. 25 article. �Coach Moe will come and shoot the breeze with me. That�s the kind of atmosphere that makes me feel comfortable.
�I think it starts from the top.�
On Sunday, Mehus was asked about those comments and their relation to the lawsuit.
�We have a good group of coaches,� Mehus said. �I don�t have any animosity toward any coach, nor do I have animosity toward any administrator. It�s just that there are things that need to be looked at and addressed, and I feel that that hasn�t been done.�
Mehus has long been a supporter of Title IX, the legislation enforced in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX has created a lightning rod of controversy in recent years with the growth of women�s college athletics at the expense of some men�s programs such as wrestling.
Mehus gave a lecture on Title IX for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on Nov. 13 in the Emporia Public Library.
Mehus has won 451 matches at ESU and 605 matches in her career. Last season, the Lady Hornets were 20-13 overall and tied for fifth place in the MIAA conference at 7-9.
Mehus won her 600th career match on Oct. 5 in a tournament in Hoover, Ala. Before ESU�s home match against Northwest Missouri State on Oct. 9, Weiser presented a game ball to Mehus in honor of her 600th win.
Mehus won 154 matches in nine seasons at Peru State (Neb.) College from 1979 to 1988. She also served as Peru State�s athletic director before coming to ESU. Mehus� career accomplishments, however, are not listed in the 2002 ESU volleyball media guide, nor is any other biographical information about her.
As for her future at ESU, Mehus said, �I�ve seen retaliation happen against those that pursued these kinds of avenues. That�s not my call. That�s the administration�s call. But I still believe in this administration, that if they�re open-minded, if they want to resolve things for the betterment of the university for men�s and women�s athletics ... things can get settled.�
Weiser said: �(The lawsuit) has not and it will not affect the professional relationship between the athletics director and the coach.�
The lawsuit comes at a time when the ESU athletic department is enjoying great success. The football team won the Mineral Water Bowl and completed its third nine-win season in school history. Both basketball teams are currently in first place in the MIAA.
�We have had a terrific year,� Weiser said. �Any time you have to deal with things that are like this, it takes away from the efforts and the accomplishments of coaches and student-athletes. I would hate that if it happened. But it might.�
Pay Check
Salaries for ESU head coaches in 2002-03:
- Dave Wiemers, football, $63,000
- Brandon Schneider, women�s basketball, $61,327
- David Moe, men�s basketball, $60,008
- David Harris, cross country, track and field, $51,937
- Maxine Mehus, volleyball, $46,499
- Brian Embery, baseball $40,562
- Ivan Huntoon, women�s soccer, $27,500
- Shawn Siegele, tennis, $24,727
- Stacy Gemeinhardt, softball, $24,508
