Advocates for women in athletics dodged a knock-out punch last week, though some say women's athletics are still endangered by a national commission reviewing Title IX and pledge to continue the fight for the statute outside the ring.
Thursday, the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics signed off on a set of recommendations that would give universities and colleges more flexibility in allocating funding for men's and women's programs, but did not suggest broad changes to the law.
Former WNBA star Cynthia Cooper and Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland co-chaired the 15-member panel.
The commission's recommendations, made last week, are less severe than originally anticipated, but reactions are mixed from women's organizations both at the University and around the nation.
"I was really glad to hear" major changes were avoided, said Katy Bauer, vice president of the University's National Organization for Women chapter.
NOW Co-vice President Lindsey Heddleston concurred with Bauer. "I think honestly nothing has changed," she said.
Title IX, which says universities which receive federal funding cannot discriminate on the basis of sex, was passed in 1972 and since dramatically has increased female participation in both high school and collegiate athletics. Since its passage, the number of female collegiate athletes has increased from 31,852 in 1972 to 150,916 athletes 31 years later.
One of the proposals endorsed by the commission would allow universities to use surveys to gauge student interest in athletics. The survey results could then be use to determine a school's Title IX compliance.
Schools currently are obligated to strive to open more opportunities for the "underrepresented sex," meet the "needs and interests" of their students or fund athletic programs in the same male to female ratio as their enrollment.
Other, lesser recommendations deal with which athletes count toward Title IX compliance standards. These recommendations will encourage more male walk-ons, supporters of the change said.
But some Title IX supporters say they feel the commission overstepped its bounds, and if its recommendations are adopted, women's athletic programs will suffer.
"It's an attempt to turn back the clock and overturn the gains women have made," Richmond NOW President Betsey Powell said."This is part of a larger movement to curtail women's rights like reproductive rights and affirmative action for women."
In a press release, the Washington-based National Women's Law Center called upon President Bush and Education Secretary Roderick Paige to reject the proposals, saying they will cause "radical and sweeping changes" to Title IX.
"While some have characterized the Title IX changes as minor and moderate, their true impact would be to devastate women's and girls' opportunities to participate in athletics and receive scholarships," NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger said in the press release. "The Commission's proposals tell schools they can comply with Title IX while falling far short of equal opportunity."
The NWLC contends witnesses brought before the commission were biased and disagreed with the panel's membership. Ten of the 15 members were affiliated with Division IA athletic programs, which could have the most to lose if the law is not changed, according to the NWLC press release.
The panel's findings are not final and Paige will decide if and how recommendations will be enforced after the commission submits its final report Feb. 28.
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