Olympic Greats John Naber, Peter Vidmar, Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson join with Actor Billy Baldwin Calling for 'Common Sense' reform of Title

Earlier today, the College Sports Council issued the following press release:

Washington, D.C., August 4, 2008 – Over 25 U.S. Olympians and over 35 NCAA Champions have endorsed a College Sports Council petition calling on the U.S. Congress to enact common sense reform of the federal regulations governing Title IX compliance.

As of today, U.S. Olympic champions John Naber (4x Gold, Swimming, 1976), Peter Vidmar (Gold, Gymnastics, 1984), Dan Gable (Gold, Freestyle Wrestling, 1972) and Cael Sanderson (Gold, Freestyle Wrestling, 2004) as well as actor Billy Baldwin, who wrestled in college at SUNY Binghamton, have signed the petition.

“I support the CSC’s efforts to reform Title IX, so that the law can continue to protect women from discrimination, but without harming men. If we don’t reform the current regulations that govern Title IX, we will continue to see more athletic programs eliminated, and that would be a tragic loss,” said Olympic swimming legend John Naber.

On June 23, 2008, the CSC launched a national petition drive on the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX calling on men and women to work together to effect “straightforward and common-sense” reform to the law’s enforcement mechanism in college athletics.

The text of the petition reads:

WHEREAS … Men’s collegiate athletic teams are being eliminated and rosters are being capped at an alarming rate in order to comply with the “proportionality” enforcement prong ...

WHEREAS … Women collegiate athletes are being robbed of their training partners, teammates and biggest supporters when men’s teams are eliminated ...

WHEREAS … Straightforward and common-sense fixes to the enforcement mechanism are already available – such as a simple survey that would allow any student, male or female, to express interest and be given opportunity ...

WHEREAS ... The law's current method of enforcement is discriminating against male athletes and artificially limiting opportunities to participate ...

WHEREAS ... The current tenor of the debate over the future of Title IX sets up a zero sum contest pitting men against women that hurts the collective cause of all college athletes ...

BE IT RESOLVED ... That men and women across the country come together to discuss and implement a set of common sense reforms to Title IX enforcement that maximizes the opportunities of all college athletes regardless of gender.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED ...

The petition can be signed online at: http://www.petitiononline.com/csc2008/petition.html. Over 4,700 others have already signed it.

The College Sports Council is a national coalition of coaches, parents, athletes, and alumni devoted to the preservation and promotion of the student athlete experience.

Additional Background and Sources: http://www.collegesportscouncil.org.

ASU Swimming Saved?

Details from Texas Swimming.

Title IX is Killing Men's Soccer

Whenever folks talk about Women's Soccer in this country, it's inevitable that the incredible growth of the sport is attributed to the passage of Title IX. But what is that achievement going to be worth if in the process it means the destruction of Men's Soccer? Click here for more bad news from Utah.

The Cost of Title IX at Michigan State

Michigan State just celebrated the 8th straight year where it was in compliance with Title IX. So what's the cost nobody wants to talk about? How about the elimination of Men's Fencing, Lacrosse and Gymnastics? Better yet, the track and field team boasts 51 females, but only 39 men.

Guess they won't be happy until all the men are gone, eh?

Title IX is Killing Men's Soccer

Whenever folks talk about Women's Soccer in this country, it's inevitable that the incredible growth of the sport is attributed to the passage of Title IX. But what is that achievement going to be worth if in the process it means the destruction of Men's Soccer?

Allison Kasic on Title IX's Faults

Our friend Allison Kasic of the Independent Women's Forum has a piece in the Christian Science Monitor today on the downside of Title IX:

The scope of Title IX has expanded dramatically through a combination of court cases and government policy interpretations (mostly through the US Department of Education).

A 1979 interpretation established a three-prong test to show Title IX compliance. Schools could provide proportional representation in their programs based on enrollment, show a history of expanding programs for the underrepresented sex, or demonstrate that their programs meet the interest and abilities of the underrepresented sex.

Proportionality, however, is the only prong that provides a quantitative measure for schools to prove compliance. For example, if 51 percent of the student body is female, a school is considered to be in safe harbor if 51 percent of its athletes are female.

The other prongs are viewed more as temporary measures. They are also more subjective and leave schools vulnerable to lawsuits. It is no surprise then, that schools overwhelmingly see proportionality as the way to prove compliance.

The result: An enforcement regime that's turned into a zero-sum game with male athletes losing ground.

So what can you do? How about taking a look at the petition that Allison signed earlier this week?

Over 500 Americans Sign CSC Petition on Title IX

Thanks to everyone who has signed the College Sports Council petition calling on the U.S. Congress to reform Title IX. As of this afternoon, our petition has collected over 500 signatures and is still going strong. One of the signatories of the petition is Lennie Zalesky, head wrestling coach at UC Davis. Here's what he had to say about the petition:

This is a much needed legislation. I am having to cut approximately 10 wrestlers every year who want to participate and I as a coach want them on the team. I had to tell numerous California state qualifiers this year that I have no place for them to try out because we are over our cap by 10 currently with the new recruting class. Historicaly, some of the best wrestlers on the team have been state qualifers. They have logged in numerous hours and are only looking for a place to continue to compete. With the eliminating of over hundreds of programs here on the west coast over the past 20 years, there is no place for these dedicated athletes to go. I wonder how many of these missed opportunities to develop men may lead to a void in future leadership positons in coaching, teaching and positions of leadership around the country.

We're still collecting signatures. Click here to sign the petition, and don't hesitate to let your family and friends know what we're up to.

CSC Issues National Appeal for “Common-Sense Reform” of Title IX

The College Sports Council and the Independent Women’s Forum today issued a national appeal on the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX calling on men and women to work together to effect “straightforward and common-sense” reform to the law’s enforcement mechanism in college athletics.

The text of the petition, with lead signatories Jessica Gavora of the College Sports Council and Allison Kasic of the Independent Women’s Forum, is as follows:

WHEREAS ... Today, June 23, 2008 marks the 36th anniversary of the passage of Title IX ...

WHEREAS … Men’s collegiate athletic teams are being eliminated and rosters are being capped at an alarming rate in order to comply with the “proportionality” enforcement prong ...

WHEREAS … Women collegiate athletes are being robbed of their training partners, teammates and biggest supporters when men’s teams are eliminated ...

WHEREAS … Straightforward and common-sense fixes to the enforcement mechanism are already available – such as a simple survey that would allow any student, male or female, to express interest and be given opportunity ...

WHEREAS ... The law's current method of enforcement is discriminating against male athletes and artificially limiting opportunities to participate ...

WHEREAS ... The current tenor of the debate over the future of Title IX sets up a zero sum contest pitting men against women that hurts the collective cause of all college athletes ...

BE IT RESOLVED ... That men and women across the country come together to discuss and implement a set of common sense reforms to Title IX enforcement that maximizes the opportunities of all college athletes regardless of gender.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED ...

Jessica Gavora, Vice President for Policy, College Sports Council
Allison Kasic, Director of the R. Gaull Silberman Center for Collegiate Studies at the Independent Women's Forum

To sign the petition, click here.

Allison Kasic and Carrie Lukas on Title IX

Our friends Allison Kasic and Carrie Lukas discussed Title IX issues on the latest IWF podcast. Click here to listen.

What About Mothers of Boys?

Over at Glamocracy, Rebecca Roberts has some thoughts on Father's Day:

On Mothers' Day, I wrote that I believe the responsibility of raising boys to respect women is as important as raising girls to respect themselves. This Fathers' Day, I've been thinking about fathers and daughters, and the responsibility fathers have to raise unapologetically ambitious, fearless girls.

Having a daughter has turned many a man into a feminist overnight. Sexism that seemed mild or irrelevant when practiced on a sister or wife is suddenly completely unacceptable for his little girl. Ask a man with a soccer-loving daughter how he feels about Title IX. Ask the father of a junior Marie Curie if he supports outreach programs to encourage more women in science.

In the main, there seems hardly anything to quibble with here, but Roberts, like a lot of feminists, left me with the feeling as if there was something to fix when it comes to the men of the world.

In other words, both Mother's Day and Father's Day, Roberts seems to say, have to be turned into teachable moments for men who don't do enough to respect women or encourage their daughters. Forgive me for a moment if that might seem more than a little bit sexist.


And as for her contention that having a little girl has turned plenty of fathers into supporters of Title IX, I'd like to introduce her to at least one mother who has come to the opposite conclusion about the law when it eliminated a chance for her son to compete. Pictured above are Linda Martin and her son Tom, then a student and a swimmer at James Madison University as they participated at a rally in front of the Department of Education back in November 2006. Thanks to Title IX and the proportionality standard that so many colleges and universities use to enforce it, a total of 10 athletic teams -- 7 male and 3 female -- were eliminated at JMU at the end of the 2006-07 academic year. Safe to say, Mrs. Martin feels a little differently about Title IX and its application to collegiate sports.

So, instead of using Father's Day to fix what's wrong with American Dads and the way they raise their daughters, I'd like to suggest that we take a moment to think a little harder about what's best for all of our children, regardless of their gender.