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Elly Douglass ‘04 Jordan was not born yet when Title IX came into law on June 23, 1972, but is grateful every day the legislation did.

A fulfilling journey from childhood to adulthood would not have been possible without the federal civil rights law which prohibits sex-based discrimination by any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX also gave girls and women the equal opportunity to compete in sports across the country.

At Hope College, Jordan ran on the cross country and track and field teams before graduating with a degree in social sciences. 

Now, Jordan is a supervising attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and leads a team in providing trauma-informed legal services to refugee and immigrant kids who have experienced persecution and human trafficking.

Jordan talked about Title IX, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, as a guest on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast.

“Title IX is such a simple piece of legislation really that embodies the principle that we shall not have discrimination on the basis of sex in education,” Jordan said. “Since I’m 40, it predates me. So many of the women that we stand on the backs of were the people that really pioneered for us. I was rarely the first woman to do a lot of things. I know there have been a lot of women that have gone before me.”

Read More from Hope College’s Title IX at 50 Series

Opportunities Created

Upon graduation from Hope College with a degree in social sciences, Jordan moved to El Salvador with her husband to work as a missionary with the SHARE Foundation. Upon realizing she was in a position of privilege and could use that to do more to serve, she attended law school, where she excelled. 

After graduating from law school, Jordan worked as a law clerk for the US Court of Appeals, then joined Warner Norcross and Judd, LLP. Jordan left Warner to work as the Supervising Attorney at the Michigan State University College of Law Immigration Clinic.

Jordan then served as the Lead Attorney for the Survivor Law Project at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence before working at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

In April, Jordan was presented with the “Hope for Humanity” Award which is presented to Hope College alumni athletes who have demonstrated Christian commitment and service to others in their careers after Hope. 

“(Title IX) has impacted me quite a bit. I think it would be easy for me to take for granted a lot of the promise that Title IX has fulfilled thus far. Far be it for me to become lazy, to rest on my laurels and not continue to encourage that Title IX continues to fulfill its full promise.”

Orange and Blue Podcast Transcript

Editor’s Note: On June 23, 1972, a federal civil rights law was passed that prohibited sex-based discrimination by any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX also gave girls and women the equal opportunity to compete in sports across the country. To commemorate the anniversary, Hope College Athletics shares memories and perspectives from Hope College student-athletes, coaches, and alumnae.

In our 11th and final installment, we hear from Nancy Kamstra ’82, a faculty member of the Hope College Department of Kinesiology who as a student was a member of the college’s inaugural swimming and diving teams. Kamstra also ran on the Hope’s cross country team. After graduating from Hope, Kamstra taught in Zeeland Public Schools for 28 years before returning to Hope in 2010 to develop a health minor that involved creating new courses to meet state standards to certify students to teach health in grades 6–12. Kamstra holds a master’s degree in Education from Grand Valley State University and a bachelor’s degree in physical education and special education from Hope.

Check out our Title IX profile series

What are some of your favorite memories from being a student-athlete at Hope and being a founding member of the swimming and diving program?

The fall of my freshman year I came to Hope and the Dow Center was a brand new building with a brand new natatorium!  We also had this young swim coach from California. He was supposed to be really good and he was and still is today! I was kind of nervous, but super excited. We didn’t have many girls on our team, but we were so honored to be the first swim team at Hope! Since Coach (John) Patnott coached both teams, we had workouts with the guys team too. I do remember them being so hard! The relationships, the hard work, the memories and life lessons are all powerful takeaways from my time as a student-athlete at Hope.

How did you discover you wanted to have a career in education, particularly health education?

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in middle school. I knew this was God’s plan for my life. I loved the idea of physical education and health because this is an area that is so important! Being active and healthy is so important for all ages. I knew that I could help my students make better choices and that was powerful. Coming to Hope to teach students how to teach health and physical education has been such an amazing opportunity and journey. As a former longtime public school educator, to have the opportunity to teach the next generation of teachers and leaders is simply an honor.

What does Title IX mean to you today?

Title IX has provided so many opportunities for female student athletes!  It is so inspirational to see the growth of women’s sports at Hope College and the accomplishments of our female student-athletes.  When I look back at where our first women’s swimming and diving team started in the fall of 1978 until now, it is so exciting. Women in athletics deserve the same opportunities!

What is your hope for female student-athletes for the next 50 years?

My hope for female student-athletes at Hope in the next 50 years is that they will have the memories and experiences that I had as they move into life after competitive sport. I treasure the friends and relationships I made in the swimming pool and running cross country. The life lessons that athletics taught me have made me a better wife, mother, friend, teacher and person.  My coach taught me how to work hard and that anything is possible. For Hope student-athletes for the next 50 years, I hope that they continue to have the transformational experiences and success that Hope College Athletics is known for throughout the country. 

Editor’s Note: On June 23, 1972, a federal civil rights law was passed that prohibited sex-based discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX also gave girls and women the equal opportunity to compete in sports across the country. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s passing this summer, Hope College Athletics shares the memories and perspectives from Hope College student-athletes, coaches, and alumnae around the 9th of each month during the school year.

In the ninth installment of our Title IX celebration, women’s tennis senior Saydee Johns talks the opportunity to pursue her academic interests, including a business major, as well as her athletic interests. Johns and her teammates will compete in the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championships this week after winning the MIAA Tournament for a league-record 10th consecutive season on Saturday with a 5-0 victory against Kalamazoo College at home on the VandePoel-Heeringa Stadium Courts.

What’s next for you after concluding your tennis career at Hope College?

Saydee Johns: After graduation, I have a couple classes to finish up so I will be back next fall to take those. Also, I will be working for a company as an intern on the days I am not taking classes. Most important though, I will be cheering on the team from the sidelines. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being a student-athlete and being able to continue your tennis career in college?

Saydee Johns: What I have enjoyed the most about being a student athlete is the people I’ve met, specifically at Hope. The athletic community is full of driven and caring people, and each of them have pushed me to work harder on and off court to take home championships for Hope. Some of these athletes have become my best friends that I will be able to journey through life with after we walk across the stage in May. Truly blessed by these three years and wouldn’t take it back for anything. I encourage the underclassmen to fully live in the moment and enjoy the ride, it goes way too quick.

How has being a Hope student-athlete helped shape you as an adult?

Saydee Johns: Looking back at these past four years, tennis was something that was always changing. Whether it was because of injury, lineup changes or COVID, I have learned to adapt and adjust to the circumstances in front of me and work hard no matter what. Also it has taught me to show grace, and to give myself grace as well. 

Editor’s Note: On June 23, 1972, a federal civil rights law was passed that prohibited sex-based discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX also gave girls and women the equal opportunity to compete in sports across the country. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s passing this summer, Hope College Athletics shares the memories and perspectives from Hope College student-athletes, coaches, and alumnae around the 9th of each month during the school year.

In the eighth installment of our Title IX celebration, softball senior Avery Slancik talks the opportunity to pursue her academic interests, including a neuroscience major, as well as her athletic interests.

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Avery Slancik likes to mix her pitches on the softball diamond as well as what she studies in the classroom.

Thanks to the neuroscience program at Hope College, the senior pitcher has found a perfect major.

Slancik is majoring in neuroscience, the scientific study of the nervous system, the most complex organ system in the body. The 2021 All-MIAA First Team honoree also is minoring in both biology and psychology.

“I wanted to study neuroscience. It’s like a mix of everything, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and psychology — everything into one, which I think makes it amazing,” Slancik said. “Everything stems from the brain.”

Hope’s neuroscience program is made up of a variety of associated departments that work well with the study of neuroscience, creating a melting pot for interested students.

After graduating, Slancik plans to enroll into Physician Assistant school.

This spring, the Scotts, Michigan, native pitches the first game in doubleheaders for the Flying Dutch this season. The right-hander and three-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll has a career record of 16-6, including four victories this season. 

With Slancik’s help, Hope is off to an 11-5 start to the season, including a 2-0 mark in MIAA play. The Flying Dutch were MIAA co-champions last season.

Transformational Opportunity

Slancik is grateful for the ability to pursue her academic and athletic interests in college. 

Accommodations made by head coach Mary Vandehoef and Hope professors are greatly appreciated, Slancik said.

“If I was at any other school, I wouldn’t be able to study neuroscience,” Slancik saad. “Coach still expects me to play amazing and perform amazing in the classroom. The opportunity is pretty awesome. She will let us miss softball in order to go to the classes that we need.”

Meeting student-athletes’ needs in the classroom is a priority, VandeHoef said.

“Academics absolutely come first,” she said. “We had players registering for classes during the games on Tuesday. We have players who miss practice, sometimes whole days of practice, with their academics, needing to take a certain class or needing to take it at a particular time. With certain majors, there are things that are unavoidable. We make it work.”

Seeing student-athletes like Slancik being transformed makes all the effort rewarding, VandeHoef said.

“Avery does everything she does with everything she has,” VandeHoef said. “She excels in the classroom. She is a committed student who puts a lot of work into preparing for what’s next for her. On the field, she competes and gives this team everything she has every time she is in that circle. Our team rallies around that competitiveness.

“To see her balance both and do them at a really high level, that’s great to see.”

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Editor’s Note: On June 23, 1972, a federal civil rights law was passed that prohibited sex-based discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funding. Title IX also gave girls and women the equal opportunity to compete in sports across the country. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX’s passing this summer, Hope College Athletics shares the memories and perspectives from Hope College student-athletes, coaches, and alumnae around the 9th of each month during the school year.

In the seventh installment of our Title IX celebration, Grace Pettinger ’21, talks on the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast about her experiences as a volleyball student-athlete and the research she did as a history major. Before graduating, Pettinger published an article about the early days of women’s sports at Hope College for The Joint Archives of Holland.

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A Hope College Women’s Athletic Association jacket from the 1950s was left on the doorsteps of the Holland Museum. The anonymous donation served up an fulfilling research opportunity for Grace Pettinger ’21.

The Hope College student-athlete studied an era before Title IX became law in 1992 and opened academic and athletics opportunities women like her enjoy today. She published an article titled “The Women’s Athletic Association: The Foundation of Women’s Sports at Hope College” in the Spring 2021 edition of The Joint Archives Quarterly.

The Joint Archives of Holland is a department of Van Wylen Library and promotes the educational mission of Hope College and its partner institutions by actively collecting, caring for, interpreting and making available the unique historical resources in its care.

Pettinger worked for The Joint Archives while pursuing her studies at Hope and playing volleyball for the nationally-ranked Flying Dutch.

‘I want them to be remembered too’

In the latest edition of the Hope Athletics Orange and Blue Podcast, Pettinger discussed with sports information director Alan Babbitt about her experiences as a student-athlete, the opportunities Title IX gave her, and what she learned from her research into the Women’s Athletic Association at Hope.

“As a history major and someone who’s kind of obsessed with telling these stories, I always think about how I really want in the future someone to care enough to go through my jackets and my scrapbooks or someone to care enough to find my story,” Pettinger said. “I am so thankful for the people and women around me that empower me to do to work on women’s stories from the past.

“I want them to be remembered too and for them to be sought after in the future.”

Pettinger completed her studies at Hope in December. She plans to attend a graduate school to be determined to work on her M.A. in history and an M.S. in library sciences. She wants to become an archives librarian in a college or university setting.

Last fall, Pettinger helped Hope claim an outright MIAA championship in volleyball. She played in the back row as a defensive specialist. The Flying Dutch advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Division III Championships.

Written transcript of the interview