Copyright 2002 Gannett Company, Inc.  
USA TODAY
June 28, 2002, Friday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 9C

LENGTH: 358 words

HEADLINE: Commission takes new look at Title IX

BYLINE: Erik Brady

DATELINE: WASHINGTON

BODY:
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration opened the door to a possible reassessment of Title IX Thursday when it announced a commission that will look at the workings of the civil rights law.


"The law and its policies must not be changed, and there is no reason to reopen them," said Marcia Greenberger, co-president of the National Women's Law Center. "If the administration wants to improve Title IX, it should strengthen enforcement of the law and policies already on the books."


U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige said at a Senate education committee hearing that members of the commission "are on the front lines, facing the difficult issues in athletics every day."


Members of the Commission of Athletic Opportunity:


* Co-chair Cynthia Cooper, ex-WNBA player who resigned this week as coach of the Phoenix Mercury.


* Co-chair Ted Leland, athletic director at Stanford.


* Percy Bates, education professor at Michigan.


* Bob Bowlsby, men's athletic director at Iowa.


* Gene DeFillipo, athletic director at Boston College.


* Donna de Varona, U.S. Olympic Committee member and two-time gold medalist.


* Julie Foudy, president of the Women's Sports Foundation and U.S. women's soccer team captain.


* Tom Griffith, general counsel at Brigham Young.


* Cary Groth, athletic director at Northern Illinois.


* Lisa Graham Keegan, CEO of the Education Leadership Council and formerly Arizona's superintendent of public instruction.


* Muffet McGraw, women's basketball coach at Notre Dame.


* Rita Simon, professor at American University's School of Public Affairs.


* Mike Slive, commissioner of Conference USA.


* Graham Spanier, president of Penn State.


* Deborah Yow, athletic director at Maryland.


The commission "holds great promise," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., but she asked for caution in reconsidering Title IX regulations. "We don't want to do anything that turns the clock back on women and girls," she said. "We shouldn't use the word 'reform' as a code word for ravaging Title IX," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.


LOAD-DATE: June 28, 2002