[Federal Register: October 3, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 192)]
[Notices]
[Page 62042-62043]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03oc02-43]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics;
Meeting
AGENCY: Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in
Athletics; Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
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SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a
forthcoming public meeting of the Secretary of Education's Commission
on Opportunity in Athletics (the Commission). The Commission invites
comments from the public regarding the application of current Federal
standards for ensuring equal opportunity for men and women and boys and
girls to participate in athletics under Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 (``Title IX''). The meeting will take place in
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Individuals who will need accommodations for a disability in order
to attend the meetings should notify the Commission office no later
than October 15, 2002. We will attempt to meet requests after this
date, but cannot guarantee availability of the requested accommodation.
The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act.
DATES: October 22-23, 2002.
Location: The Cheyenne Mountain Resort, 3225 Broadmoor Valley,
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906.
Times: October 22: 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2 p.m.-5 p.m., October 23: 9
a.m.-1 p.m.
Meeting Format: This meeting will be held according to the
following schedule:
1. Date: October 22, 2002, Time: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m.-5
p.m.
2. Date: October 23, 2002, Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Attendees: If you would like to attend any or all of the above
listed meetings, we ask that you register with the Commission office by
email or fax to the address listed under ADDRESSES. Please provide us
with your name and contact information.
Participants: The meeting scheduled for October 22, 2002 will begin
with presentations from panels of invited speakers. After the
presentations by invited speakers, there will be time reserved for
comments from the public.
The meeting scheduled for October 23, 2002 will consist of review
and discussion by the Commissioners of the information from the
previous public meetings in preparation for the Commission's
forthcoming report to the Secretary of Education. The public is invited
to observe this meeting; however there will not be opportunity for
public comment.
If you are interested in participating in the public comment period
to present comments on the Federal standards for ensuring equal
opportunity for men and women to participate in athletics under Title
IX at this meeting, you are requested to reserve time on the agenda of
the meeting by contacting the Commission office by email or fax.
[[Page 62043]]
We request that you submit a request to the Commission office by
email or fax. Please include your name, the organization you represent,
if appropriate, and a brief description of the issue you would like to
present. Participants will be allowed approximately 3 to 5 minutes to
present their comments, depending on the number of individuals who
reserve time on the agenda. At the meeting, participants are also
encouraged to submit two written copies of their comments. Persons
interested in making comments are encouraged to address the issues and
questions discussed under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Given the expected number of individuals interested in providing
comments at the meetings, reservations for presenting comments should
be made as soon as possible. Persons who are unable to obtain
reservations to speak during the meetings are encouraged to submit
written comments. Written comments will be accepted at each meeting
site or may be mailed to the Commission at the address listed under
ADDRESSES.
In addition to making reservations, individuals attending the
public meetings, for security purposes, must be prepared to show photo
identification in order to enter the meeting location.
Request for Written Comments: In addition to soliciting input
during the public meetings, we invite the public to submit written
comments relevant to the Commission.
DATES: We would like to receive your written comments on Title IX by
November 29, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Submit all comments to the Commission using one of the
following methods:
1. Internet. We encourage you to send your comments through the
Internet to the following address: OpportunityinAthletics@ed.gov.
2. Mail. You may submit your comments to The Secretary of
Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., ROB-3 Room 3060, Washington, DC 20202. Due to delays in
mail delivery caused by heightened security, please allow adequate time
for the mail to be received.
3. Facsimile. You may submit comments by facsimile at (202) 260-
4560.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: See the Commission address under the
ADDRESSES section of this notice. View the Commission's Web site at:
http://www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/athletics. The Commission
office number is 202-708-7417.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The nation is commemorating the 30th
anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the landmark legislation
prohibiting recipients of Federal funds from discriminating on the
basis of sex. Since this legislation was enacted, there has been a
dramatic increase in the number of women participating in athletics at
the high school and college levels. The Secretary of Education has
determined that this anniversary provides an appropriate time to review
the application of Title IX to educational institutions' efforts to
provide equal opportunity in athletics to women and men. In order to do
so, the Secretary established the Commission on Opportunity in
Athletics. The Commission will produce a report no later than January
31, 2002, outlining its findings relative to the opportunities for men
and women in athletics in order to improve the effectiveness of Title
IX.
Comments are encouraged on the following priority areas:
1. Are Title IX standards for assessing equal opportunity in
athletics working to promote opportunities for male and female
athletes?
2. Is there adequate Title IX guidance that enables colleges and
school districts to know what is expected of them and to plan for an
athletic program that effectively meets the needs and interests of
their students?
3. Is further guidance or are other steps needed at the junior and
senior high school levels where the availability or absence of
opportunities will critically affect the prospective interests and
abilities of student athletes when they reach college age?
4. How should activities such as cheerleading or bowling factor
into the analysis of equitable opportunities?
5. How do revenue producing and large-roster teams affect the
provision of equal athletic opportunities? The Department has heard
from some parties that whereas some men athletes will ``walk-on'' to
intercollegiate teams--without athletic financial aid and without
having been recruited--women rarely do this. Is this accurate and, if
so, what are its implications for Title IX analysis?
6. In what ways do opportunities in other sports venues, such as
the Olympics, professional leagues, and community recreation programs,
interact with the obligations of colleges and school districts to
provide equal athletic opportunity? What are the implications for Title
IX?
7. Apart from Title IX enforcement, are there other efforts to
promote athletic opportunities for male and female students that the
Department might support, such as public-private partnerships to
support the efforts of schools and colleges in this area?
Electronic Access to This Document
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http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
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the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of
the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: September 27, 2002.
Rod Paige,
Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. 02-25097 Filed 10-2-02; 8:45 am]
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