The Current Online

Bush panel recommends minor changes

by SHARLA CRUMPLEY

The Bush administration’s long-standing committee on Title IX met on Jan. 29 and 30, 2003 to discuss and vote on various changes to Title IX. In sharp contrast to the fears of woman’s sports advocates who feared these meetings would likely weaken Title IX, after two days of sometimes controversial meetings, the panel failed to pass any distinctive or major recommendations. The commissioners approved several less controversial recommendations. One such was an agreement that the education department must do a better job explaining Title IX’s complex guidelines to colleges and high schools. Another item discussed and agreed upon was that the education department starts implementing sanctions against schools not complying with Title IX
On June 23, 1972, Title IX was put into motion by U.S. Congress and signed by President Richard M. Nixon on July 1, 1972. Under the U.S. Department of Education, this civil rights law states that schools’ athletic departments are required to meet at least one of these requirements:
* Offer sports opportunities for men and women students in numbers “substantially proportionate” to their respective enrollments; or
* The school must show an ongoing history of broadening opportunities for women; or
* A school must show that it is “fully and effectively” meeting the interests and abilities of women.
This was the first across-the-board federal law to disallow sex discrimination against students and employees in institutions receiving federal funds.
Before Title IX, women often were not treated equally with men. For instance, female students were not allowed to take certain courses, such as auto mechanics or criminal justice. Many colleges and universities required women to have higher test scores and better grades than male applicants to gain admission. Also, the number of athletic scholarships for told how to spend their athletics money–only that they do it in a nondiscriminatory way.
Longview Community College is doing its best to be in compliance with Title IX, according to Janet Cline, dean of students. For eight years, Longview had been trying to get its cross-country program off the ground. It has struggled to find women athletes willing to run for a small school without much recognition. However, the college wants to keep the program to make sure there are enough female athletic programs.

“The enthusiasm isn’t there,” Cline said.
This year the cross-country program is being put on hold to create a “concentrated effort” in developing an interest among girls, not only in the metro area, but even expanding to outside areas. Longview’s women’s sports budwomen were very few and sometimes non-existent.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, since the passing of Title IX, the number of female high school graduates enrolled in college has increased 63%. Female participation in high school sports increased from 294,000 young women in 1971 to 2.8 million in 2002. Eighty percent of female managers of Fortune 500 companies have sports backgrounds. High school girls who participate in team sports are less likely to drop out of school, smoke, drink, or become pregnant.
According to CBS News, the commissioners also urged schools to stop overspending on sports such as football and men’s basketball. Such budgets are cited as limiting opportunities in minor sports for both men and women. Under Title IX, however, schools cannot be get will pay for advertisement, contacts, recruitment, and coaches toward better all-around program in track and bring Longview into compliance with Title IX.