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Change You Can Believe In: Obama Admin. Strengthens Title IX

Via atrios, the strong Executive in action:

The Obama administration plans to change the so-called Title IX policy which governs gender equality in sports, eliminating what some women's rights supporters claim is a Bush-administration loophole in compliance, according to a senior White House official.

[. . .] Universities initially faced three requirements to prove they were complying with the law: that the proportion of male and female students participating in sports at the university was proportional to the number of male and female students enrolled in the university; that the university was expanding opportunities for women students in athletics; and that the university was meeting the athletic abilities and interests of women students.

In 2005, the administration of former President George W. Bush changed the third requirement, allowing the university to prove it was meeting the athletic interests of women by carrying out surveys of students' interest in sports. [. . .] Under the new policy, universities will no longer be able to claim that a low response to surveys means a low interest in sports, the official said. [. . .] The official told CNN the new rules "restore the system to what it was before" the 2005 change. That rule "made it easier for universities to avoid complying with Title IX," the official said.

Well done, Obama Administration!

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  • Display: Sort:
    Good (5.00 / 0) (#1)
    by lilburro on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 10:28:48 AM EST
    it's things like this that make you appreciate having Democrats in office.  In every little single way possible when they are in office Republicans try to f*ck over women and minorities.  I bet Molly Ivins (much missed!) would write a good column on this one.

    that's what I was thinking too (none / 0) (#2)
    by ruffian on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 11:03:20 AM EST
    There were things happening every day of the Bush administration that need to be overridden, repealed, redone, or whatever it takes. I hope all of the agencies are in that process. I've read a little about the work going on in the EPA as well, and it is encouraging.

    Parent
    Sadly (none / 0) (#3)
    by lilburro on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 11:10:08 AM EST
    there were other, larger ways that Bush destroyed the country that generally had my attention...

    Parent
    The usual focus is on colleges (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by oldpro on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 12:31:52 PM EST
    and universities but the more important issue is whether it affects availability of girls' programs in K-12.

    that's nice and all that, (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by cpinva on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 01:49:25 PM EST
    and definitely warranted. however, it in no way makes up for:

    • the HCR debacle.
    • the failure to assertively act on DADT.
    • the looming financial reform failure.

    all three of which are the consequence of both the administration's and the congressional majority's failure to stand up to the republicans, and their own Blue Dogs.

    when i see the evolution of the democrats into a species possessed of a spine, then i'll get excited.

    Gee (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 01:56:41 PM EST
    He affirms that we shouldn't have ultimate control over our reproductive freedom, but darnit, he's gonna make sure we can still play basketball!  Yah-shure-youbetcha!

    A noble man, that Mr. Barack Obama.  

    But wow, have we ever lowered the bar.

    I agree (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Emma on Tue Apr 20, 2010 at 02:27:41 PM EST
    re:  lowering the bar.

    And, like Ledbetter, this doesn't strengthen Title IX, it simply restores it to a former state.  Which is good, but is not progress.  There are plenty of ways to actually make Title IX stronger, including the high notice requirement before schools are held liable for sexual harassment of students.  That would be progress.

    Progress is the Franken Amendment to the appropriations bill, banning compulsory arbitration of sexual harassment claims against certain employers.

    Parent