Bush Appoints Title IX
Panel in Latest Attempt to Weaken LawThe
Bush administration announced yesterday the creation of
a 15-member panel to reevaluate Title IX. The
administration claims that the Commission on Opportunity
in Athletics was formed to ensure that Title IX allows
fairness for both sexes, while the Feminist Majority and
other leading women’s groups are calling the commission
the newest attempt to weaken a landmark federal law that
eliminated gender discrimination in education.
Title IX, which was passed in 1972, requires
federally-funded educational institutions to grant male
and female students equal opportunities in academics,
athletics, funding and resources. Critics claim that it
has done so in the athletic realm at the expense of
men’s sports. “This is quite a 30th birthday present for
a law that opened numerous doors for women,” said
Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “This
is law does not sacrifice one gender at the expense of
another. Rather, it ensures that women and girls are
afforded equal opportunities as men and
boys.”
The commission will be co-chaired by
former WNBA star Cynthia Cooper and Ted Leland, director
of athletics at Stanford University. Other members
include Donna De Varona and Julie Foudy – co-founders of
the Women’s Sports Foundation – and Deborah Yow,
director of athletics at the University of Maryland.
TAKE
ACTION Protect Title IX: Oppose Discrimination
Against Women and Girls in Federally Funded
Education
 OR 
Feminist.org: Your daily source for the feminist
perspective on national and global events.
Media Resources: Washington Post 6/28/02; US
Department of Education 6/27/02; National Women’s Law
Center 6/27/02 |
|
|
Also In the News
|
