What's up with title IX?

Thirty-one years ago this month on June 27, 1972, Title IX changed the nature of public education in the United States by requiring that educational programs funded by the federal government serve women as well as men.

That outrageous notion had the dramatic effect of forcing universities to end the quota system that limited the number of women in professional schools such as medicine and law, and in other areas including athletics. In the past 10 years athletics directors learned that is it not OK to give their female athletes the leftover resources, after their male athletes have stuffed themselves.

Today's drastic budget cuts in education are particularly hard on athletics departments. Leaders are forced to reflect on the nature of their programs and whether they're in the entertainment or the education business. Gender further complicates a tricky equation.

NCAA Title IX seminar

In spring the NCAA held its 12th annual seminar to help member schools understand the nuances of Title IX and their responsibilities in complying with it.

In response to a 2002 lawsuit by members of the National Association of Wrestling Coaches and others, the Department of Education appointed a Commission on Opportunities in Athletics, which held four national forums to gather public opinion on Title IX. (In June, a federal court dismissed their lawsuit challenging rules governing Title IX. See Newswatch for details.)

Although the commission's February report made 23 recommendations, a minority report authored by Julie Foudy and Donna de Varona severely criticized many of them. As a result, Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced he planned to proceed on only those 15 recommendations that were unanimously supported by all 15 commissioners.