Fresh off a historic Final Four appearance, several members of the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team will join other female athletes and trailblazers next week during an evening to celebrate the history of Title IX.

The School of Communication will host a roundtable discussion event, 50 years of Title IX History at Virginia Tech, from 4-7 p.m. April 11 in the Cube at the Moss Arts Center.

Women's basketball coach Kenny Brooks along with players Georgia Amoore and Elizabeth Kitley will be among a host of athletes, including the university’s first female scholarship athletes, to discuss the past, present, and future of Title IX in athletics. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in school activities. 

The event is the culmination of a special topics course taught by Megan Duncan, assistant professor in the School of Communication, about gender, sports media, and the history of Title IX's impact on athletics.

“This is the first public event to celebrate how Hokie sports have advanced equity for athletes in the more than 50 years since Title IX became federal law,” Duncan said. “It’s a time to reflect by hearing from the first women scholarship athletes and some of our current trailblazers. I hope alumni and the Hokie fandom walk away from the event feeling more connected to the community and students walk away with a greater sense of the importance of sports in social change.”

Students in Duncan’s course have spent the semester learning the history of Title IX, discussing best practices in covering issues related to gender in athletics, and documenting the history of women’s sports at Virginia Tech. Students will present their final multimedia projects at the end of the event.

All sessions are free and open to the public. Food and drink will be provided.

Register online in advance because of limited seating in the Cube. You can register for the entire event or individual sessions. A full agenda is available below.

4-5 p.m., “The Past”

The roundtable will feature:

  • Lynne Jones Krulich '81, first athletic scholarship for a varsity women’s team at Virginia Tech

  • Anne Jones Thompson '81, first athletic scholarship for a varsity women’s team, first full-time women’s tennis coach from 1985-2000, and Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductee

  • Lisa Karlisch '92, volleyball athlete, second woman to have her jersey retired, NCAA All-American and Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductee

5-6 p.m., “The Present”

The roundtable will feature:

6-7 p.m., “The Future”

The mixer will feature a student multimedia showcase including:

  • Oral histories of women’s varsity and club sports at Virginia Tech

  • Profiles of athletes and coaches who broke records and barriers

  • Curated collections of historical photographs and documents that reveal the forgotten history of Virginia Tech’s female athletes

  • Interviews with current athletes and experts about the current issues in collegiate sports

Written by Cory Van Dyke