Copyright 2001 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.  
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
March 31, 2001, Saturday, FIVE STAR LIFT EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL, Pg. 3

LENGTH: 566 words

HEADLINE: DEFENDING TITLE IX

BODY:

 
MARCH MADNESS

MORE than 45,000 people requested tickets to tomorrow's NCAA women's basketball championship at Savvis Center. Born into a society that no longer devalues their talents, the players are fortunate indeed. In 1973 -- the year after Title IX was passed -- a mere 3,000 fans straggled into Queens College to watch the final game of a bare-bones, 16-team national championship.

Title IX is best known for giving females the opportunity to include the lessons of athletics in education. But by amending the Education Act to prohibit sex discrimination, Title IX did much more. It changed how America views gender, declaring by law that women are the intellectual equals of men.

The Bush administration wants to reinterpret Title IX, a dangerous undertaking. There is far too much to lose in turning back the clock. Many of the mothers of today's female stars never had opportunities to compete on teams at any level. The tragedy stretches beyond baskets never shot, to scholarships never offered, books never read, degrees never earned.

How many female Bill Bradleys and Byron Whites never ran for president or served on the Supreme Court, boosted by the leadership, competitive skills and work ethic learned in team sports? How many Harvey Gantts and J.C. Wattses never became mayor of a large city or an influential member of Congress, using an athletic scholarship as a bridge from humble circumstances?

The gains of Title IX are vast, undisputed and far outweigh the costs -- the regrettable loss of a relatively small number of men's teams at schools that were unable or unwilling to balance sports programs in the creative manner most colleges have. Overall participation by men in college sports has increased every year since 1996 and still accounts for 65 percent of team rosters. But the Bush administration is considering reinterpreting the landmark statute so that it would not adversely affect men's teams. Yet that reinterpretation risks widening the lingering disparity between women's and men's opportunities in college.

Ridding schools of gender discrimination is daunting, and no method or regulation will do a perfect job. Flaws must be weighed against Title IX's greater mission, opening not just the world of sport, but also medicine, law and science. It has helped curb dropout rates and wiped out archaic school rules barring teenagers and women who are pregnant, married or mothers. One such case: In 1966 a Georgetown University student was essentially kicked out of nursing school for getting married. That student? Luci Baines Johnson.

Changes in Title IX enforcement would most likely come from the new assistant secretary for civil rights within the Department of Education. That person will be nominated by Mr. Bush and normally does not testify in Congressional hearings. But those who wish to protect Title IX should join the NCAA in pushing for a confirmation hearing for that candidate.

A spokesman for Sen. Jim M. Jeffords, R-Vt., chairman of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, said he would consider a hearing if the public expressed interest. The Bush administration has not demonstrated a light touch in scaling back other protections, from arsenic levels in water, to carbon dioxide emissions to ergonomic injuries in the workplace. The 45,000 folks who wanted tickets should give Mr. Jeffords a ring.

LOAD-DATE: March 31, 2001