TERRE HAUTE —
Hired by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1989, Jeff Jenkins coached his first of 23 (and counting) baseball seasons with the Engineers in 1990.
In 1999, he expanded his duties when he became the institute’s athletic director.
So Jenkins has seen a lot of changes on the eastside Terre Haute campus over the years, but probably none more significant than when females were allowed to join the previously all-male student body in 1995.
“I think when we went co-ed back in ’95, it was a great move for Rose-Hulman because it really opened up a lot of doors and avenues, not just for the girls, but for the guys,” Jenkins reflected recently.
“When we were an all-male school, you had companies trying to substantiate why they would go an to an all-male school to recruit.
“They go to a male-female mix. They know how talented Rose grads are. If you throw in female Rose grads, you’ve got a very talented pool [of potential employees]. That’s in very high demand out there in the corporate world. Women engineers are in very, very high demand … and women athletes even in higher demand.”
Jenkins emphasized that athletes — male or female — tend to be great leaders in everyday-life situations.
“They’re competitors, they have great time-management skills and they can work with a group,” he explained. “Those are all things that companies look for, not necessarily the highest grades, and our [athlete] kids get outstanding grades. Our athletes do better academically than our overall student body. They graduate at a higher rate. But I think if they are in our athletic program, that puts more on the table and gives them more substance [in the eyes of potential employers]. Thicker resumés are attractive to these companies that really want to hire females.”
With the 40-year anniversary of the enactment of Title IX on June 23, Jenkins described how modern-day Rose-Hulman handles the law in regard to its female student-athletes.
“It’s been a little easier for us because of being 80-percent male and 20-percent female,” he explained. “Title IX says you have to allocate the amount of resources at the same percentages as your enrollment for males and females. We technically could give 80 percent of our resources to the males and 20 percent to the females, but we don’t do that. Our girls are getting in the neighborhood of 35-40 percent.
“Actually, the girls live a little better than the guys here at Rose and we’re not complaining about that. They get treated very, very well. There’s a higher amount budgeted for each female athlete than there is for the male athlete here at Rose, without question.”
One might think Rose-Hulman, which competes on the NCAA Division III level with no athletic scholarships, can lure more female students because of how well it treats its women athletes, but obstacles do exist because of the institute’s academic focus.
“We do recruit athletes here,” Jenkins stressed. “Contrary to what some people think, we recruit athletes very, very hard. All of our sports recruit hard. If you want to win, you have to recruit and our male and female coaches do that very well.
“Obviously, our top draw is the academic side of things. The problem we run into is with engineering, only about 20 percent are females. So we’re a little behind the 8-ball. If we said we were only going to go out and recruit all females, boy, we would have a very small pool. It would be very difficult for us to fill our class. So we’re going to have a larger pool of males, no question.”
Despite the approximately 80-20 ratio in enrollment percentages in favor of males, Rose-Hulman offers 10 men’s sports and 10 women’s sports in addition to the co-ed sport of rifle.
Men’s sports are football, basketball, baseball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, swimming, tennis, golf, soccer and cross country. Women’s sports are basketball, volleyball, softball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, swimming, tennis, golf, soccer and cross country.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to fill the rosters out on the women’s side,” Jenkins admitted. “Women’s golf is one that’s kinda bounced between being eligible and not eligible by having enough members. And some of our other women’s sports have struggled with numbers at times. We’ve had basketball teams with six or eight girls sometimes and it’s no fault of the coaches. Sometimes the girls get here and they get pulled in a number of different directions. It’s because we have so few and they’re so talented.”
Rose-Hulman’s only female head coaches are Brenda Goble for volleyball and Amy Helliwell for women’s soccer, although there are several female assistants.
“It’s tough to find female coaches, but we’ve got real good ones here,” Jenkins pointed out. “We don’t have all females coaching our female sports. We have some men coaching those.”
Looking back, Jenkins acknowledged that Rose had the reputation of being “the good ol’ boys network” before the institute went co-ed, but he’s glad that is ancient history.
“It’s much nicer now,” he said. “Back then, sometimes the guys were very narrow-minded. We have more female faculty now. It’s a better, more-rounded opportunity for our males.
“It gives the males opportunities to work with females in group projects and that makes them more marketable when companies come look at them because the job market out there today is tough. You have to be able to work with all sizes, all shapes, and certainly having the chance to work with women in group projects here on campus is very, very helpful for our males.”
Overall, Jenkins believes the male-female balance at Rose-Hulman couldn’t be much better.
“We’ve had an A-plus Title IX rating [based on Equity Athletics Distribution Act reports],” he insisted, “so we feel good that we’ve treated our women athletes very, very well. The facilities are top notch for males and females here and I credit our administration for doing that. I think we’ve addressed the Title IX issue very, very well.”
Sports
Rose-Hulman has witnessed changes Title IX brought
- Sports
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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winners: Terre Haute North students Chanli Mundy and Calvin Blank are the 2013 McMillan Award winners.
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Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners
Posing side-by-side for photos following Terre Haute North High School’s Senior Awards ceremony, seniors Calvin Blank and Chanli Mundy couldn’t look more different.
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North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener
In high school baseball little things mean a lot, and the crack in the door doesn’t have to be open very wide.
Terre Haute North burst through that crack in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South, scoring seven two-out runs — all unearned — and going on to a surprisingly easy 12-2 victory over the host Braves in Class 4A sectional action. -
Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.
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West Vigo baseball advances with 10-0 win behind Stewart's two-hitter
West Vigo got off to a good start in Class 3A high school sectional baseball action Wednesday evening at Dick Ballinger Field.
The Vikings scored four runs in the first inning of the first sectional game and went on to defeat Brown County 10-0 in five innings with Kevin Stewart hurling a two-hitter. -
Terre Haute South tennis claims regional crown
It was a lot tougher than some thought it would be, but the Terre Haute South girls tennis team won the Greencastle regional for the second year in a row Wednesday evening at DePauw University Tennis and Track Center.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans earned her fifth career NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor, according to results released Wednesday by the U.S. Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association.
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Terre Haute's Mascari running 10,000 meters for chance to get to Hayward Field
Indiana State freshman and Terre Haute North graduate John Mascari is among the enormous group of Sycamores competing this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary. The top 48 NCAA track and field competitors in each event on this half of the United States are narrowed down to 12 who will compete at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
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Big group of Wabash Valley boys head to Evansville looking for state berths
The top four finishers in each event from last week’s Terre Haute North, Evansville Central, Jasper and Princeton boys high school track and field sectionals will converge on Evansville Central today for regional competition.
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West Vigo comes up short against 19-9 Brown County softball
West Vigo got off to a good start but Brown County finished better in Class 3A high school softball sectional semifinal action Tuesday night at Edgewood.
The Eagles bested the Vikings 7-5 and will meet South Vermillion, a 12-7 winner over Owen Valley, for the sectional championship on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
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Valley baseball teams have been keeping busy heading into sectionals
When high school baseball sectionals begin around the Wabash Valley today, one complaint that’s not expected to be heard from any coach is that his team has had too much time off.
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Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners
- Local Interest
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans earned her fifth career NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor, according to results released Wednesday by the U.S. Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association.
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Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees. -
Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
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Indiana State baseball series canceled
Heavy rain from Thursday through Saturday has forced Indiana State and Tennessee Martin to cancel their three-game weekend baseball series in northwest Tennessee.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman baseball to play DePauw on Thursday after Tuesday's rain
The Rose-Hulman baseball team has rescheduled its non-conference game with DePauw to Thursday night.
The start time remains 7 p.m. for the single nine-inning game that was originally scheduled for today. Tuesday’s scheduled Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Anderson was moved to Sunday because of rain.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
- High School
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Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners
Posing side-by-side for photos following Terre Haute North High School’s Senior Awards ceremony, seniors Calvin Blank and Chanli Mundy couldn’t look more different.
- North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener
- West Vigo baseball advances with 10-0 win behind Stewart's two-hitter
- Terre Haute South tennis claims regional crown
- Big group of Wabash Valley boys head to Evansville looking for state berths
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- College
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Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.
-
Terre Haute's Mascari running 10,000 meters for chance to get to Hayward Field
Indiana State freshman and Terre Haute North graduate John Mascari is among the enormous group of Sycamores competing this weekend at the NCAA East Preliminary. The top 48 NCAA track and field competitors in each event on this half of the United States are narrowed down to 12 who will compete at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
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Manaea's shoulder causing him latest pain
Indiana State pitcher Sean Manaea has battled through so many aches and pains during the 2013 season that it can be hard to discern the serious pain from the pain he pitches through.
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ISU's Negele answers call in big way in wake of Manaea injury
When Indiana State starting pitcher Sean Manaea slumped on the mound in obvious pain after he took his warm-up pitches, red flags raised for ISU’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament hopes.
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ISU baseball hoping Manaea can get its MVC Tournament moving in right direction
Indiana State’s baseball team has been waiting all season for its stars to align.
But this is the 2013 Sycamores, after all, and after a season in which seemingly little has gone right, it appears its stars will remain crossed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
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Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
- Sports Columns
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TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing. - Shooters compete to fight cancer
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TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
- Pro Sports
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts received high marks for the impact players the team added through the NFL draft.
Of the 10 players selected, five ended up either starting or seeing extensive playing time (quarterback Andrew Luck, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Vick Ballard) during the Colts’ 11-5 season.
While this year’s class may not rival that group in terms of name recognition and flash, it may produce just as many major contributors once the 2013 season gets underway. - Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
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- Indianapolis franchises punter McAfee
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
- Terre Haute Rex
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Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. - Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
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- Rex mix, match their way to win
- Rex turn eye to Prospect playoffs
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
While the Indianapolis Colts put their rookies and a handful of second-year players through workouts this weekend at the team’s Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, a pair of first-year coordinators are getting a chance to do some valuable on-field work as well.
- Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
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- Werner at top of game
- Colts select pass rusher Werner in first round
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
- Auto Racing
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TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing. - Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
- Carpenter wins Indy 500 pole
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- TRACKSIDE: Tough to rise from sprint-car racing, especially in challenging financial times
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TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic





