Current Events
"Thirty-one years after Title IX became law, some question whether the legislation has worked too well and promoted women at the expense of men."
Under the law, a school can demonstrate Title IX compliance in one of three ways: by making the percentage of female athletes the same as the percentage of female students, by showing an ongoing history of increasing oppurtunities for women, or by showing that it is accommodating the interests and abilities of women.
Few words are more likel to get the Bush Administration's attention than "quota". So last June, U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige appointed a 15- member Commission on Opportunity in Athletics to consider changes to Title IX. The move dismayed the law's defenders, who believe that the White House is intent on rolling back years of gains.
This information was found at: www.time.com
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Title IX Policies Threatened
by Chris Wing
American Association of University Women-WI
Public Policy Coordinator
The Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to examine Title IX as it applies to athletic programs, has issued its final report, which includes recommendations for significant changes to Title IX policies. Two commissioners, Donna de Varona and Julie Foudy, submitted a strongly worded Minority Report that U.S. Dept. of Education Secretary Paige refuses to accept.
The Minority Report takes issue with the entire tone and thrust of the
Commission's process, which defined the problem to be addressed as alleged
losses to men's teams rather than continuing discrimination against women.
If Title IX regulations are weakened, women and girls could lose hundreds
of thousands of participation opportunities and millions of dollars in
athletic scholarships.
The Minority Report specifically objects to two particularly harmful recommendations
that the Secretary persists in calling unanimous. One allows the Secretary
to set a "reasonable variance" from the current Title IX standards
for equality. Because this language is open-ended, it is impossible to
put a limit on the losses the Secretary could impose on programs for women
and girls if he adopts this recommendation. Another allows the Secretary
to determine "additional ways of demonstrating equity," but
does not provide any guidelines. This recommendation is particularly troublesome,
as the Secretary could interpret this as permission to make any changes
to Title IX implementation that he chooses. Despite the fact that Title
IX's purpose is far from accomplished, these recommendations would allow
schools to be found in compliance while falling far short of equal opportunity.
On March 11, Representatives Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Nancy Johnson
(R-CT) introduced the bipartisan House Resolution (House Resolution 137)
that supports the current Title IX enforcement mechanisms and urges President
Bush to not make any changes to Title IX. The resolution highlights the
problematic recommendations included in the Commission's final report
and states that Congress will take legislative action if changes are made
to Title IX.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is currently leading
coalition efforts on behalf of Title IX. "AAUW believes that no changes
to the standards as applied to athletics are warranted or necessary…
What is necessary to ensure equal opportunity is vigorous federal enforcement
of Title IX and its implementing policies at every level of education,
not revisions to the standards that have moved our nation toward that
equality. The responsibility of the federal government is to ensure equal
opportunity, not to ensure that particular sports teams are added, discontinued,
or maintained. A ‘pull-back’ on the nation’s commitment
to civil rights should not be precipitated by institutional financial
decisions to emphasize selected sports programs or in any other way determine
the appropriate size and expense of athletics programs." (From http://www.aauw.org)
Take Action: Contact Senators Kohl and Feingold and your Congressional
Representative, asking them to support House Resolution 137. Contact President
Bush and Secretary Paige and let them know that you oppose the proposed
changes to Title IX policies. You may send email messages directly from
the aauw.org website. Click on "Protect Title IX" under Action
Advisor.
This article was found at: www.wiwomensnetwork.org
