Current Title IX is out of bounds

Though the debate continues, there does not appear to be any real problem with Title IX; rather, there is a problem with the current interpretation of Title IX. As it is currently upheld, this law directly contradicts its original intention: to prevent sex discrimination in college sports. To solve this problem, the commission of the Department of Education which has been charged with assessing Title IX should realize what most of us have known for some time: quotas don't seem to work.

Title IX would be effective, if not for the 1979 interpretation that the resources allocated for male and female sports be proportionate to the male and female student enrollment. It remains unclear why this was considered an appropriate manner of assessing whether or not a school was practicing gender discrimination. After all, there exist no other programs that operate under this proportionality system.

Should Tufts eliminate its women's studies department because the ratio of male to female participants in the program does not match the gender ratio of the student body? Tufts is proud of its high enrollment of female engineers, but the proportion of male to female students in the School of Engineering does not match up to the ratio of male-female undergraduates. Does this constitute sex discrimination? Should these programs therefore be eliminated? Certainly not. These programs are viewed as vital to the school and beneficial to the student body as a whole, not just to one gender. Why should sports be any different from academics?

The Daily would never endorse a policy that promotes discrimination, be it racial, religious, or sex; therefore, the Daily cannot support the current incarnation of Title IX. The intent of the law should be preserved, without question. Discrimination of any kind should be combated by any means necessary. But in the case of Title IX, the emphasis on proportionality creates unwarranted restrictions for male athletes, and even promotes tension between male and female athletes on some campuses.

Title IX should continue to exist, and should be what it was designed to be in 1972: a law to prevent sex discrimination in the arena of college athletics. This original form served the US well, by encouraging the participation and promotion of female athletics. But the idea that a school's commitment to the policy can be judged using simple proportions directly contradicts the aim of the original policy. The Department of Education should vote to uphold its initial law, but should eliminate the current use of a quota system, and allow for schools to use their own judgment and exercise flexibility.