FW: Title IX

From: edequity@phoenix.edc.org
Date: Mon May 08 2000 - 16:15:41 EDT

  • Next message: edequity@phoenix.edc.org: "Sommers"

    Hi Amber:

    You still didn't answer my question. And rather than respond to your
    gratuitous and over the top attacks on my organization, I offer the
    following in response:

    Title IX clearly has opened some doors for women, but not at the expense of
    men. Suggesting that there's a zero sum game is just plain inaccurate.

    Today, the number of women participating in college sports is 135,000,
    which
    is 4 times greater than prior to the law's enactment.

    As for men -- according to data from the NCAA and the NAIA, men's overall
    participation in athletics has remained relatively constant since 1981:
    starting at 230,047 in 1981-82 and holding at 226,590 in 1993-94.

    Title IX is not a quota. The law prohibits quotas. The policy
    interpretation of Title IX, which Congress approved, provides for a
    three-part test to determine compliance.

    Under that test, schools can show that theycomply with Title IX with regard
    to sports participation if they can demonstrate any one of the following:

         · substantially proportionate athletic opportunities for male and
    female athletes; or

         · a history and continuing practice of expanding opportunities for
    the under-represented sex; or

         · full and effective accommodation of the interests and abilities
    of
    the under-represented sex.

    According to OCR, from 1994-98, most schools [65%] chose to come into
    compliance with prong three of the test. Just 29% used the proportionality
    prong. And approximately 5% used the second prong.

    The National Women's Law Center remains committed to pursuing gender equity
    in this aspect of education because a lot inequalities persist. Quite
    simply, even with the progress we, as a nation, have made, the playing
    field
    is far from level. For example:

    According the NCAA Gender Equity study from 1998, women have 40% of the
    opportunities to play intercollegiate sports. 41% of athletic scholarships,
    33% of athletic operating budgets and 30% of the dollars spent to recruit
    new athletes.

    At the high school level, female athletes have only 41% of school-sponsored
    opportunities to play sports, according to the National Federation of State
    Hish School Associations' 1999 participation survey.

    Colleges and universities spend far more on men's athletics as they do on
    women. For example, between 1989 and 1997, for every new dollar spent on
    Division I-A women athletes, two new dollars were spent on men. [Daniel
    Fulks, Revenues and Expenses of Division I and II Intercollegiaate
    Athletics
    Programs: Financial Trends and Relationships -- 1997. ]

    The NCAA reports that from 1992 until 1997, men's athletic budges in
    Division I-A have increased by a whopping 139%, compared to 89% for women.

    We will continue to work in this area to ensure that women and girls get
    the
    equal opportunities to which they are entitled under law.

    Verna Williams
    <vwilliams@nwlc.org>



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