> Subject: Yahoo! News Story - Commission Set to Ease Title IX Rules
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Commission Set to Ease Title IX Rules
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's Title IX commission appears set
to recommend that the 30-year-old gender equity law in sports be made
less rigid, a commission member said Monday.

 The commissioner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
"directions they are moving toward" include a less restrictive
interpretation of the law's proportionality test. It also is expected
to call for new surveys to gauge sports interest among student bodies.

 "The majority seem to be in favor of some form of change," the
commissioner said.

 The Department of Education (news - web sites)'s 15-member Commission
on Opportunity in Athletics will debate and vote on recommendations
during public meetings Wednesday and Thursday. It must submit its final
report to Education Secretary Rod Paige by Jan. 31.

 The debate promises to be a lively one.

 Some members, including U.S. national soccer team player Julie Foudy,
are expected to argue for little change among the current standards.
Others, notably Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow, are likely to
urge substantial change that would make it easier for schools to
comply.

 A draft copy of the report, obtained Monday by The Associated Press,
lists 24 recommendations culled from five public hearings across the
country over the last five months.

 The most controversial proposal was made by Yow. It would allow
schools to have a 50-50 split of male and female athletes, regardless
of the makeup of the student body.

 Critics note that the proposal includes a leeway of 5 to 7 percentage
points, which means schools could be in compliance with the gender
requirements with as little as 43 percent female representation.

 This would mark a substantial change from the current standard which
says the male-female athlete ratio must be "substantially
proportionate" to the male-female enrollment ratio.

 Title IX has had a dramatic impact in the American sports culture over
three decades, exponentially increasing female participation in sports
in high schools and colleges.

 Yet critics say the law has forced schools to cut men's sports in
recent years. So many wrestling teams have been dismantled that the
National Wrestling Coaches Association has filed a lawsuit seeking a
ban on the proportionality standard.

 Paige formed the commission last year in response to the lawsuit,
which is pending in U.S. District Court in Washington.

 Title IX advocates argue that men's teams are often cut because of
overspending on high-profile sports such as football and men's
basketball.

 One of Foudy's recommendations would have President Bush (news - web
sites) and Paige use their offices as "bully pulpits" to encourage
schools to stop the so-called "arms race" of spiraling spending on
football and basketball facilities and coaches.


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