Charlotte was kind enough to post the details about tomorrow’s IWF event: Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women – a discussion with author Christine Whelan. The event will be stellar. I hope you’ll be able to join us. Again, the details on the event can be found here.
For those of you looking for a lunch-break adventure tomorrow (and who doesn’t love a lunch-break adventure!?) come on out to our rally/press conference for Title IX reform. I’ve been blogging a lot about the massive Title IX cuts at James Madison University. You can get caught up on the story here if you aren’t familiar with it. The athletes from the cut teams will be coming to DC tomorrow, along with athletes, coaches, and parents from several other schools. So, come on out to the Department of Education at 11 AM for the event. Here’s our press release with all the info:
Rally and Press Conference to Demand Title IX Reform at Department of Education
Independent Women’s Forum in conjunction with the College Sports Council is hosting a rally/press conference outside of the Department of Education to call for Title IX reform. James Madison University recently announced the single largest Title IX cuts in history. Please join us at the rally alongside athletes, coaches, and parents from across the country whose teams have been cut to fulfill Title IX’s gender quotas.
Students have been granted a meeting with the Department of Education officials immediately following the rally at which they will be delivering a letter detailing specific reforms, with several hundred signatories. Because of Title IX’s onerous proportionality requirements, schools across the country are forced to eliminate teams or artificially cap rosters. That enforcement prong, with all its ongoing harms, should be scrapped, the students will ask. In addition, they will request that DoEd strengthen its guidelines on surveying students to measure interest in athletics – by surveying both men and women, and providing schools a solid legal position for compliance through measuring interest.
WHO: Student-athletes, led by 10 teams from James Madison University, along with parents, coaches, and advocacy groups.
WHAT: Rally at the front entrance of the Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. S.W. Washington, D.C. Press conference to follow immediately.
WHEN: Thursday, November 2 at 11 a.m.
WHY: Students will denounce the ongoing harm caused by the proportionality prong of Title IX and demand immediate reforms to save their sports. During the rally the men’s and women’s JMU track and field teams will run side by side around the Department of Education in protest.
CONTACT: Tim Craley, College Sports Council (202) 494-8824; Jim McCarthy, College Sports Council (202) 333-8810 or Kate Pomeroy, Independent Women’s Forum (202) 631-6704
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Also, if you’re interested in Title IX, you may want to check out today’s live chat over at the Chronicle of Higher Education. It starts at 1 PM and questions can be submitted in advance here.