NCWGE NATIONAL COALITION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN EDUCATION

For immediate release: February 5, 2003

Contact: Ashley Carr-AAUW at 202-785-7745 or Margot Friedman-NWLC at (202) 588-5180

NCWGE ANNOUNCES NATIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO “SAVE TITLE IX” & GIRLS’ SPORTS

Bush Administration May Reverse Three Decades of Progress for Women and Girls in Sports

(Washington, D.C.) The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education today announced a nationwide public education campaign to “Save Title IX” -- the 1972 federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in all aspects of education but is best known for creating opportunities for women and girls in athletics. Existing Title IX athletics policies are under attack by the Bush Administration’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. Former Senator Birch Bayh and Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter launched the Save Title IX campaign during 2003 National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Capitol Hill.

“The Save Title IX campaign will educate policymakers and the public about the important opportunities that Title IX has created for women and girls in education and athletics. We must keep this landmark civil rights law intact and must resist any changes to Title IX policies that would undermine equity for girls and women,” said Jacqueline Woods, Executive Director of the American Association of University Women and Chair of NCWGE.

“American women and girls – and their fathers and brothers – are mobilizing to tell President Bush to leave Title IX alone. Equal opportunities for women and girls to play sports must be protected and expanded,” said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center and Vice-Chair of NCWGE.

The key elements of the Save Title IX campaign include:

n www.SaveTitleIX.com where citizens can communicate directly with President Bush and Congress about the need to preserve this critically important civil rights law;

n Grassroots mobilization by over 100 diverse organizations to make the public aware of the current effort to dismantle equal opportunity in sports; and

n Personal visits and communications to the President and every member of Congress by athletes, celebrities, citizens and education leaders.

Last week, the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics approved a range of radical and sweeping proposals to change Title IX that would dramatically reduce the sports participation opportunities and scholarships to which women and girls are entitled under existing law. The Commission will submit a final report to the Department of Education on Feb. 28. The Administration may accept all or part of the recommendations or may identify additional ways of weakening Title IX that were not even discussed by the Commissioners. For details regarding the Commission’s proposals, see http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/TPsOnCommissionResults_1-31-03.pdf

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