Nine Lives: Title IX Panel To Reevaluate Legislation

	Cynthia Cooper

The Bush administration announced yesterday the creation of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, a 15-member blue-ribbon panel that will "reevaluate" Title IX, according to Strauss & Allen of the WASHINGTON POST. The panel will be headed by former WNBA player and coach Cynthia Cooper and Stanford Univ. AD Ted Leland, and will also include Title IX supporters Donna De Varona and Julie Foudy. Officials said that the creation of the panel "is aimed at ensuring fairness for both sexes." Title IX proponents contend that the panel "is a new attempt to weaken the landmark Title IX law after repeated court challenges over the past 30 years have failed." Education Secretary Roderick Paige: "Some would like to settle this in the courts. But we believe the better approach is to discuss all the questions openly, in a forum where all voices and all viewpoints can be heard." But Title IX proponents called the panel "unnecessary" and said that they "fear that strong supporters of the law who are among the 15 panel members will be given little voice." DC-based National Women's Law Center President Marcia Greenberger said, "If the administration wants to improve Title IX, it should strengthen enforcement of the law and policies already on the books." A White House official maintained that the panel "is not stacked with Title IX opponents," saying, "It's a broad array of independent-thinking people that are committed to the law and want to make it work." The panel will conduct public hearings and take public testimony before issuing recommendations on changes for Title IX (WASHINGTON POST, 6/28). Paige added that the panel will be charged with making recommendations by January 31, 2003. Paige: "We will not automatically adopt what the [panel] comes back with, but we will take it into consideration." Paige "left open the possibility of a change in the regulations," but said he "was not sure" (USA TODAY, 6/28).