[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 61 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   COMMENDING UCONN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AND BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from Illinois [Mrs. Collins] is 
recognized during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. COLLINS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, tonight many of us will watch 
the championship final of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The 
matchup of last year's champion Arkansas Razorbacks and the return of 
the team with the most NCAA titles, the UCLA Bruins, will be an 
exciting conclusion to an excellent tournament.
  However, nothing can be more exciting than yesterday's NCAA women's 
basketball championship game during which we saw the undefeated 
Connecticut Huskies come from behind in the final few minutes to defeat 
the Tennessee Volunteers. Led by honors student and player of the year, 
Rebecca Lobo, the Huskies became just the second women's basketball 
team to finish a season undefeated. Texas accomplished that feat in 
1986. The Huskies did it before a sellout crowd of over 18,000 in 
Minnesota for 2 consecutive days, and television ratings were up 15 
percent over last year.
  The triumph of the Huskies came on the same weekend that there was 
another triumph for women's sports, when the young women of Brown 
University continued their streak of courtroom victories against the 
university for the school's refusal to recognize its responsibilities 
under title IX to provide equal opportunity to men and women in school, 
both in the classroom and on the field.
  I had the privilege of hearing the testimony of these women at a 
hearing before my subcommittee in the last Congress. They had been 
lured to the university with the promise of an opportunity to compete 
in gymnastics only to find out that their sport and women's volleyball 
were being eliminated to save $77,000 a year.
  They sued, and Brown vigorously defended. According to one published 
report, Brown paid $100,000 to expert witnesses at the trial, so 
apparently the issue was not saving $77,000. Despite the fact that the 
students have won at every stage of the process, Brown will continue to 
appeal.
  Title IX issues are likely to resurface in this Congress. Although 
the law has been hampered through lack of enforcement in the eighties, 
it still remains one of the success stories of recent years. Since its 
enactment in 1972, women have found increasing opportunities in 
education, including college sports.
  Despite its success, there is still a drumbeat of opposition in the 
college sports community, and it unfortunately comes primarily from 
college football coaches, who try to flame the fires that increased 
opportunities for women will lessen opportunities for men in college 
football and other sports.
  Nothing could be further from the truth.
  Since the enactment of title IX, it is true that participation by 
women has increased dramatically. Yet at the same time, the numbers of 
men participating in college sports also increased. Title IX has shown 
that increased opportunities for women do not come at the expense of 
men. Both sexes have fared well.
  Football coaches will also argue that increasing opportunities will 
harm football, and that football should not be considered in evaluating 
compliance with title IX. This is utter nonsense.
  It is time to put the truth on the table. With the exception of a 
handful of very successful Division 1-A football teams, most football 
programs are the schools' leading money losers. That should not be a 
surprise, when many schools travel with a team that is considerably 
larger than the Chicago Bears or other pro teams. Some schools even 
house their players in hotels before home games.
  Title IX is not about taking away opportunities for men to compete in 
sports. It is about sharing resources fairly.
  At the same hearing during which I heard from those Brown students, I 
also heard from a women who was a plaintiff in a title IX case 
involving women's hockey. Their budget, which was being eliminated, was 
equal to the budget for the men's hockey teams's sticks.
  Many schools are making the transition to the increasing interest of 
women in sports, but some are not.
  As the House begins to look at progress under title IX, there may be 
a silver lining in a new crop of freshman Members, who came here this 
year. I have found that an understanding of title IX and college sports 
is very much generational. Parents with daughters who have grown up in 
the past 20 years have watched these young ladies express interest in 
sports far greater numbers than in the past. They have encouraged their 
daughters to play sports, such as soccer, basketball, gymnastics, 
track, and swimming.
  They want these young women to have the same opportunities as their 
sons. I am hopeful that these young Members of Congress will view this 
issue in a personal way, not an ideological way.
  I once again commend the Connecticut Huskies on their well-deserved 
championship in an undefeated season, and I commend the Brown students 
for continuing their battle for all women student athletes.


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