In 1967 a committee appointed by the National and Eastern Associations of Physical Education for College Women was formed to study the status of women's intercollegiate competition. In 1970 the executive board appointed the Eastern Commission for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (ECIAW) to establish regional championships and develop and implement a structure for an ongoing governing organization for women's intercollegiate athletics in the eastern region. In 1972 the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) was formed as the regional governing body for intercollegiate athletics. They held meetings, produced publications, and sponsored intercollegiate championships in fifteen sports.
In 1982 the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW's national affiliate) charged that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was engaging in anti-competitive action by offering women's championships. AIAW suspended operations. The EAIAW held its final meeting in 1983. In 1984 a federal appeals court ruled that the NCAA did not violate antitrust laws.
From the guide to the Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Records MS 327., 1970-1984, (Sophia Smith Collection)
