[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1251-E1252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE RECOGNIZING SARAH LOWE AND SONJA STEPTOE ON THEIR RECENT 
   APPOINTMENT TO THE KNIGHT COMMISSION ON INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 2008

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sarah 
Lowe and Sonja Steptoe, two residents of California's 34th District, on 
their recent appointment to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate 
Athletics.
  The Knight Commission was created by the John S. and James L. Knight 
Foundation in 1989 with the purpose of recommending a reform agenda 
that emphasizes academic values in college sports. The commission, 
which presented recommendations in a series of reports in the early 
1990s and in the subsequent A Call to Action in 2001, continues to 
monitor and report on progress in increasing presidential control, 
academic integrity, financial integrity and independent certification 
of programs in college athletics.
  Many of the commission's recommended reforms have been enacted by the 
NCAA. For example, the NCAA recently announced that 218 teams at 123 
institutions will be sanctioned for failing to meet minimum academic 
benchmarks established as part of the Academic Performance Program. In 
2001, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics advocated that 
teams be ineligible for postseason competition if they failed to 
graduate at least 50 percent of their athletes. Although the current 
benchmarks are lower than those advocated by the Commission, the 
Commission has supported the full implementation of the NCAA's program 
since its adoption in 2004.
  The commission convenes several times a year to highlight important 
issues facing intercollegiate athletics, including academic integrity 
and the rising costs of college athletic programs.
  The Commission is comprised of prominent leaders in higher education 
and journalism as well as former collegiate athletes who have achieved 
excellence throughout their careers. I am proud to announce that Sonja 
Steptoe and Sarah Lowe are two of the Knight Commission's newest 
members.
  Sonja Steptoe serves as client development manager at O'Melveny & 
Myers LLP, an international law firm based in Los Angeles. Prior to 
joining O'Melveny in 2007, Steptoe served as a senior correspondent and 
deputy news director for Time Magazine for 5 years following a 
successful career in sports journalism. Steptoe reported and wrote for 
CNNSI sports network, HBO's RealSports with Bryant Gumbel and Sports 
Illustrated. Her investigation of East Germany's systematic doping of 
Olympic athletes earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports 
Journalism. Steptoe earned degrees in economics and journalism at the 
University of Missouri. She received a law degree from Duke University.
  Sarah Lowe graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the 
University of

[[Page E1252]]

Florida in May 2006. Lowe was a leader on the women's basketball team 
serving as team captain 3 of her 4 years. Following her graduation, she 
studied in Costa Rica as a Fulbright Scholar. In addition to being a 
two-time Rhodes scholar finalist, she received numerous awards for her 
academic and athletics excellence including the Arthur Ashe, Jr. 2006 
Female Sport Scholar of the Year.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Sonja 
and Sarah on their achievements and in commending them for their 
continued commitment to strengthening higher education through their 
work on the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

                          ____________________