[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 52 (Monday, April 28, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3742-S3743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                TITLE IX

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, several months ago I visited White Pine 
County High School located in Ely, NV, one of the rural spots of 
Nevada. I was going to speak to an assembly of high school students. I 
was in a room waiting to give my presentation. In the room were two 
young ladies. They were dressed in letter sweaters from White Pine 
County High School. One of them was named Lauren and the other was 
Casandra.
  While waiting, I struck up a conversation with these two young 
ladies. I asked them what sports they participated in. One of them ran 
track. She told me she had won the summer tournament in sprints. The 
other girl said she participated in softball.
  So we carried on our conversation for a short period of time. As I 
was getting ready to go in, one of the young ladies said, ``Senator I 
don't know what I would do without my sports.''
  Mr. President, these two young ladies' ability to participate in 
athletics is as a result of something that the Federal Government has 
done.
  I started a series of speeches last summer on the Senate floor to 
discuss the good things that happen in Government. We tend to dwell on 
the negative, rather than the positive aspects of Government. I talked 
about how proud I was that we have our National Park System with great 
parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and the other great 
entities that are the envy of the world.
  I talked about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, what a great 
job they have done in Nevada, and how proud I was of the work they had 
done in the State of Nevada during the recent floods. They are, of 
course, in every newspaper and on every news program because of the 
work they are doing with the floods of North Dakota and South Dakota 
right now.
  I talked about the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and about the 
great work they do to make the marketplace safer for us.
  I also talked about the great work that 25,000 men and women engage 
in every summer in fighting forest fires, principally in the Western 
part of the United States. They do very courageous things, such as 
jumping out of helicopters with backpacks weighing almost 100 pounds, 
and rappelling off the back of helicopters.
  These are Government programs. We should acknowledge them. The 
Federal Government has its shortcomings, and I am the first to 
acknowledge that. But let's not dwell on the shortcomings. Let's talk 
about some of the good things that happen.
  That is the reason I am here today; to talk about one of the programs 
that the Federal Government initiated that I think is good. I am here 
to speak about title IX, enacted as part of the Education Act 
Amendments of 1972, which gives women and girls equal rights in 
education and in athletics.
  Just a couple of months ago we celebrated the 11th annual National 
Girls and Women in Sports Day. We had all kinds of star female athletes 
come here to The Mall in Washington to celebrate the accomplishments of 
women in sports and to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of title 
IX.
  I think this Federal statute is an example of good Government. What 
we attempted to do in this legislation is level the playing field for 
all Americans.
  Title IX is an example of Government funding providing just such an 
opportunity in America. We have not reached the goal of equity for men 
and women in high school and college athletics. But we have come a 
tremendous way as indicated, in my opinion, by Lauren and Casandra 
telling me about their enthusiastic participation in rural Nevada 
athletics.
  So as we approach the 25th anniversary of title IX this June we can 
be proud of the accomplishments made under this law while looking ahead 
to the goal of equal treatment for men and women in education and in 
sports.
  In 1972, when this law went into effect, about 1 out of every 30 
girls in high school played sports. Today it is 1 in 3. Now women 
account for 34 percent of athletic participants in high school and 
college sports.
  In 1972, just a small amount of money was spent nationwide on 
athletic scholarships for women--less than $100,000. Today it is 
approaching $200 million. Fifty-five percent of women participate in 
high school sports.
  A recent USA Today analysis of 303 NCAA Division I schools found that 
women comprised 37 percent of all athletes at these schools. There has 
been an increase even since 1992 in girls participating in college 
athletics. It is up over 20 percent.
  It is a great accomplishment to have one of your children graduate 
from college. I have had that opportunity with my children. But it is 
also a great thrill to watch your children participate in athletics at 
the high school level and at the college level. Only one of my children 
has participated in athletics at the college level. But that was a 
great thrill for me to watch my young boy play on three national NCAA 
championship teams on three separate occasions. He played soccer at the 
University of Virginia, where they were national champions. Girls 
should have the same opportunity that my son had to play Division I and 
Division II college athletics.
  Nationwide, 7 million women of all ages play soccer. The number of 
NCAA Division I women's soccer teams has increased from 22 in 1982 to 
over 200 now. That is a significant increase. Thanks to title IX, more 
women are going to college, more women are getting scholarships, and 
more women are playing sports at a competitive level.
  I have always been one that supported college athletics. While some 
criticize competitive athletics in college, I think they are great. 
Athletics allows people who would never have set foot within a 
university campus to get an education. They don't always graduate, even 
though the graduation rates

[[Page S3743]]

are increasing, but it gives them the opportunity to be someplace where 
they ordinarily would not be able to go. That is good. It should also 
allow women the opportunity to go to college because of their athletic 
abilities. Title IX is helping women get athletic scholarships that 
they would not have gotten just a few years ago. This is important and 
good for the country and for education generally.
  What are the benefits of sports for women and for girls? Women and 
girls achieve numerous benefits from participating in athletics. In my 
opinion, with our society becoming increasingly more sedentary, we need 
to increase physical activity and athletics for all of our citizens--
not just for boys but also for girls.
  Getting young ladies involved in sports improves their health and 
well-being, and increases the likelihood they will stick with athletics 
and exercise throughout their lives.
  In addition to the general health benefits of physical activity, a 
study conducted at the Harvard University's Graduate School of Public 
Health showed that young women who participated in college sports were 
significantly--and I stress that--less likely to contract breast cancer 
and other reproductive cancers.
  There are other benefits. Participation in athletics benefits young 
women in the same way that it benefits young men. Participation in 
sports has been found to increase the self-esteem of girls and boys.
  Mr. President, one of my older boys played football in high school. I 
was talking on the telephone to one of my friends who had been a 
college athlete. He and I played ball together in high school. I was 
concerned that a boy from my son's team had just gone to the hospital 
with some football injury. And my friend, who is now a veterinarian, 
told me, ``Harry, athletics builds character. He may have gone to an 
emergency room. He is home now. Stick it out. Athletics builds 
character.'' That it does.

  I believe, for those that I have seen participate in athletics 
generally, it is a character builder. It should be a character builder 
not only for young men but also for young women.
  I believe, as I said, that athletics increases self-esteem of girls 
and boys. High school athletes have higher graduation rates than 
nonathletes. Female athletes also have lower dropout rates than 
nonathletes.
  Studies reveal that girls involved in sports are more likely to 
aspire to be leaders in their communities. Expanding sports 
opportunities for women and girls will help more women in their 
leadership roles and help them to lead successful adult lives. If it is 
true for men, then it should be true for women.
  Further, increased opportunity for women in sports increases exposure 
for women's athletics, and makes it possible for more women to make a 
career of sports.
  Mr. President, the NCAA women's basketball championship this year was 
a sellout. The women's--not men's but women's--college basketball 
championship was a sellout. They played great basketball.
  When I go home I love to watch women's softball. Last year UNLV was 
ranked in the top five of the Nation. It was exciting to watch these 
young women play fast pitch softball. I am sure, if you brought the 
men's baseball players over to play these young women in softball, that 
the men would lose. These young women are good. I like to watch women's 
basketball too. It is just as entertaining as men's. Title IX has 
played an important role in providing opportunities for women to excel 
in athletics.
  It is important to stress, however, that the intent of title IX was 
not to cut men's programs but merely to bring women's programs up to 
the level that they ought to be. This costs money, and many schools 
aren't willing to shell out this money. Subsequently, title IX has 
gotten some negative reaction from schools who have limited funds.
  Mr. President, I think it is important to note that schools are 
trying to comply. For example, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas 
developed a compliance action plan to make changes and work toward 
compliance with title IX. They have submitted a plan that will put 
girls athletics at UNLV on a par with male athletics by the year 2001. 
Their plan is to increase female athletic participation opportunities--
scholarship and nonscholarship--by a minimum of 100 over the next 5 
years. They are going to add women's soccer in 1998 and add another 
women's sport in the year 2001. They are going to provide medical 
support, training and equipment to meet these additional needs; and 
provide new funding, up to $4 million over the next 5 years, to meet 
these gender equity needs.
  UNLV doesn't currently meet any of the tests for title IX compliance, 
but they are working at it to the benefit of Nevada's athletes, and I 
think to education generally.
  Mr. President, compliance with title IX is not unreasonable, nor is 
it impossible. Seven NCAA Division I schools meet the proportionality 
test, where the percentage of female athletes is within five points of 
female undergraduates.
  Among the schools in compliance are Dartmouth, Lehigh, the University 
of Massachusetts, Harvard, and Montana State.
  So it is not all of these eastern schools. It can be done, if people 
try. Obviously, Montana State was interested in complying, and they 
accomplished that.
  Even the most basic efforts that schools make toward compliance with 
title IX have started a nationwide boom in women's sports.
  I talked about basketball. But as more women have entered athletics 
they have not displaced men. Instead the total number of athletes has 
increased. There has been an ongoing struggle. We have had case 
decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, April 21, the Supreme 
Court declined to review a case filed by Brown University where they 
wanted to test the Constitutionality of title IX.
  The Supreme Court would not even consider the case. As a result of 
that, we are going forward with more proportionality. We are going to 
make an even playing field.
  Because of these positive outcomes, title IX must be supported and 
enforced because it is good government. Somewhere out there are future 
female professional athletes and Olympic gold medalists who may never 
jump a hurdle or pick up a ball if their families, coaches, and schools 
do not give them the opportunity and the encouragement to play sports. 
These girls and women who are the champions of the future must be 
supported. Title IX is vital to that effort.
  (Ms. COLLINS assumed the chair.)

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