Title 9 stays as is

Thank all of you who took the time to communicate with your congress persons and who shared with family and friends the information and concerns we all had about the possible changes that may occur.****************************

STATEMENT BY MYLES BRAND ON TITLE IX
INDIANAPOLIS---I am very pleased by the letter issued today, July 11, 2003,by Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Gerald Reynolds concerning Title IX. Mr. Reynolds makes clear that Title IX will continue to provide opportunities in intercollegiate athletics for young women as well as young men. Mr. Reynolds also makes clear that the implementation of Title IX will
not be changed. This letter provides an excellent platform for the future implementation of Title IX. It acknowledges past concerns and sets firm and fair directions for the future. This clarification letter emphasizes, rightly, that an institution of higher education can satisfy Title IX using any of the three prongs: substantial proportionality; a continuing history of program expansion for the underprivileged sex; or fully accommodating the interests of the underrepresented sex. Each of these three prongs is individually sufficient for compliance.

This clarification also emphasizes that cutting men's sports to meet the first prong is a disfavored practice.This is a victory for men's sports, especially Olympic and nonrevenue sports, as well as for women's sports. Further, there will be consistent enforcement by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) across regions, and OCR will enhance its education and assistance to institutions in helping them to comply with Title IX.

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AAUW Pleased to Celebrate Another 31 Years of Title IX
Washington, DC - A year after the creation of the Commission on  Opportunity in Athletics, the Department of Education issued a "Dear Colleague" letter to all schools effectively restating current policies on Title IX. Passed by Congress in 1972, Title IX is the landmark civil rights law banning sex discrimination in all aspects of education. 

The three-page letter reaffirmed the three-prong test and the weight and validity of each prong in complying with the law. The letter also acknowledges that, "nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction of teams in order to demonstrate compliance with Title IX." The Department of Education will not be placing anything the Federal Register, therefore there will be no changes to current regulations or policy guidance.

"We are pleased the Department of Education has listened to the American
people and maintained this critical civil rights law," said Lisa Maatz, AAUW
Director of Public Policy and Government Relations. "We could only be happier if we never had to go through this whole process in the first place."

Title IX is an overwhelmingly popular law. A recent USA Today poll found
that seven in ten Americans believe the law should be strengthened or left as it is. Despite popular support and the undeniable success of the law, in 2002 the Department of Education established the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics to review enforcement of Title IX; the Commission released its recommendations earlier this year. 

"AAUW would like to thank our members, our friends in the House and Senate-both Republicans and Democrats, and the American public for speaking out in favor of this law and fighting tirelessly over the past year to protect Title IX," said AAUW Executive Director, Jacqueline E. Woods. "We knew that Congress, the Courts, and the public supported Title IX. It is wonderful to know this Administration supports the law as well." 

"We stand ready to work with the Department of Education on their education campaign and on greater enforcement of Title IX, so that we can celebrate another 31 years of advancements for women and girls on and off the playing field," added Maatz. 

The American Association of University Women, with its nationwide network of over 100,000 bipartisan members and more than 1,300 chapters, has long been a strong and vocal advocate for the equal opportunity and treatment of women and girls in education and on the athletic field. 

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Title IX Win for Girls and Women!

The Women's Sports Foundation is delighted to announce the Department of Education's reaffirmation of current Title IX athletics policies today. The action comes after a year-long review of Title IX, the law that bars sexual discrimination in education. After an extensive process, the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics found very broad support throughout the country
for the goals and spirit of Title IX.

Thank you for writing to congress and for your letters to the editor.Without the expression of the public's will this could have never happened.

Below please find a statement from the Women's Sports Foundation President Dawn Riley. Attached, find the Board of Education's letter reaffirming the three-part test.

"The Women's Sports Foundation is pleased with the content of the Title IX
letter issued on July 11, 2003, by the Office for Civil Rights, which reaffirms
the validity of the three- part test for the determination of equal opportunity in athletic participation. Boys and girls both benefit when the law of the land embraces gender equity. We believe that the Department of Education has responded to many letters from the majority of Americans who want their sons and daughters to benefit equally from sports participation. The Foundation continues to urge schools and colleges not to cut teams or eliminate athletic opportunities when faced with budget challenges. Instead, they should seek ways to reduce the cost of scholastic and collegiate sports so that the greatest number of male and female athletes can benefit from participation. We are particularly appreciative of the extraordinary efforts of Donna de Varona and Julie Foudy- both past presidents of the Women's Sports Foundation- who issued a Minority Report as members of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. Their courage in communicating the ethical principles and facts that should have guided the Commission's work resulted in a media and public debate supporting a position of maintaining a strong Title IX. We look forward to the Office for Civil Rights' commitment to more aggressive enforcement of the law and better education of schools and colleges regarding their Title IX obligation. It is time to turn our energies towards ensuring equal opportunities to girls and women in sports."