Department of Athletics officials and coaches of Harvard women's teams yesterday acknowledged the need to treat men's and women's sports with more "equity," according to coaches present at a meeting of the two groups.

Director of Athletics William J. Cleary '56, Senior Associate Directors Patricia W. Henry and Francis J. Toland and Director of Intramural Athletics and Recreation John E. Wentzell attended the meeting, which women's coaches had requested several weeks ago.

"What we as coaches feel is that some very difficult decisions need to be made," said women's soccer coach Timothy W. Wheaton. "The feeling I left the room with is that we're moving toward a common goal."

Much of the discussion focused on the question of the University's compliance with Title IX, a 1972 law which requires "equal athletic opportunity for members of both sexes."

But that law does not clearly define what constitutes equity in the treatment of women's athletics. The coaches and administrators debated possible definitions yesterday at the meeting.

"The department has not defined what equity is--neither has the University," said women's lacrosse coach Carole A. Kleinfelder, the strongest critic of the department's treatment of its women's teams. "Pat Henry read us a definition of what equity is. I'm not sure that's what it is, but that's what they've come up with."

The previously scheduled, 90-minute meeting came on the same day. The Crimson published details of a confidential, 86-page department report on women's athletics. That report appears to define equity in financial terms, as the department seeks to fund women's teams in proportion to the level of female participation in competitive sports.

The report, presented last fall to the Faculty's standing committee on athletics, said the department spent more than twice as much money on men's sports as it did on women's.

"I didn't realize it was that big a gap," Kleinfelder said. "That's huge."

The document detailed discrepancies between men's and women's programs--from alumni donations to practice time at Bright Hockey Center.

Coaches at the meeting asked for copies of the report, and Cleary said he would release the report if he got approval from the faculty committee, coaches said.

"We asked for that, and we should have all those numbers," Kleinfelder said.

Dr. David S. Rosenthal, the director of University Health Services and a member of the committee, said he would support the report's release to coaches only with the consent of McKay Professor of Computer Science Harry R. Lewis, the committee's chair.

Lewis has not returned repeated phone calls to his home and office during the last two days. Cleary, Henry and Toland did not return repeated telephone calls last night, and Wentzell refused to comment. An official in the University's personnel office, who also attended the meeting, could not be reached for comment.

But coaches in attendance called the meeting a positive first step in what they hope will be an ongoing dialogue on the status of women's sports.

Kleinfelder said she hoped the meeting would translate into more equitable funding and treatment of women's programs.

"I don't want to hurt men's programs," Kleinfelder said. "But I don't want women to stay where they are."

Kleinfelder also said she hoped the Faculty would give more money to the department which could then be used for women's athletics.

While Wheaton, the women's soccer coach, said the inequities revealed by the report did not surprise him, he said he was pleased by the meeting and the department's handling of the matter.

"We definitely will meet again," Wheaton said. "The most important thing for me is that the lines of communication are open."

Women's crew coach Elizabeth H. O'l eary, who also attended the meeting, said she believed the athletic department needs to meet the basic needs of teams of all sexes and sizes.

"We're a close-knit group of people that care a lot about each other," O'Leary said of the department. "We need to find a way to finance the needs of all the teams."

Coaches and administrators also discussed The Crimson's alleged tendency to give more coverage to men's sports than to women's. O'Leary said. The Crimson should not criticize department policy on women's teams when it fails to cover them adequately.

Several women's coaches did not attend the meeting, including the softball and ice hockey coaches--whose teams are classified as Level II sports. Those teams receive less financial support than their male counterparts, so they can only afford part-time coaches.

"I have a full-time job, so I was not able to be at the meeting," said softball coach Barry Haskell. "I don't know what the figures are so it is hard for me to judge."

But Haskell said he is "pleased with the way they've managed the department."

Elie G. Kaunfer contributed to this report.