IC News

Students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications aren’t strangers to assignments that give them a taste of real-world professional experience—whether they’re producing live TV broadcasts, working with community clients, or anything in between. Over the past year, sports media students enrolled in a course called Title IX and College Sports: The Next 50 Years took that mission a step further by creating a podcast that expanded to have national reach. Taught by Ellen Staurowsky '79, professor of media arts, studies, and sciences and a renowned expert on social justice issues in sports, the course was planned in recognition of the 50-year anniversary of Title IX.

Title IX, which was established under the Education Amendments Act of 1972, prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funding. Just 37 words long, the regulation has had an immense and lasting impact on collegiate athletics and programming on college campuses—a topic Staurowsky has extensively researched and written about throughout her career.

When developing the course curriculum, Staurowsky looked to national trends. She’d identified a lack of Title IX compliance in athletics and saw a need for direct communication with athletes, coaches, and parents. “My goal was to engage students in a meaningful way, through a project that they would be proud of and that would contribute to the national dialogue on an important issue related to gender equity in sports,” she said.

With this goal in mind, Staurowsky decided that a podcast would check all the boxes, giving listeners easily digestible episodes, opportunities for industry experts to join in on the conversation, and roles for students with varying interests to flex their individual sports media skill set. “I was very intentionally trying to up the ante and say to the sports media students that we can, as a community, really do something of national consequence,” Staurowsky said. “These students are magnificent. I didn’t have to sell them on it. I didn't have to pitch it to them. They just got it and were on board.”

When it came time to produce and distribute the content, Staurowsky knew she’d need the help of an expert. She turned to the Park School’s alumni community and was connected with Gavin Berger ’20, owner of High Tops Media. Founded while Berger was a student at IC, High Tops Media is a podcast network and media production company offering young creators the outlet to produce content that matters to them.

Berger worked alongside the class to produce the episodes and navigate the distribution process, making Talking Title IX and College Sports accessible worldwide on platforms such Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. “I feel like the goal of every professor is for your students to really learn something new,” said Berger. “I think a podcast specifically, but also a social media page, a video series, anything like that in this new world of media, is a great way for students to learn and show their skills.”

In addition to production and distribution, Berger also worked closely with students in the class to guide them through the best way to structure episodes and work with guests. “Gavin was a key collaborative partner in the distribution and development of the podcast,” Staurowsky said. “His support was crucial in ensuring the project’s success.”

Each episode was hosted by a different student, and everyone got the chance to guide discussions and connect with the industry’s leading voices. Arla Davis ’23, a sports media major and member of the IC field hockey and track and field teams, cohosted the first episode and interviewed Oglesby and Larkin. “It’s honestly difficult to put into words how special this opportunity was to me. To work so closely with Dr. Staurowsky—who is one of the most influential role models in my life—on a project about something we both care deeply about meant so much to me,” Davis said. “I had the chance to interview Deborah Larkin and Dr. Carole Oglesby, who both played critical roles in growing girls’ and women’s sport since the passage of Title IX, and I felt absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude afterwards when I began to truly think about the impact these two made, not only in my life but in the lives of millions of girls and women like me.”