Thanks, Christina Lanier Hobbs!

Her letter to the editor should be required reading for every lawmaker in the U.S.  Read it here.

End proportionality test for Title IX

I was a beneficiary of Title IX, having played varsity tennis in high school.

It was a wonderful experience for me, and I am so glad that my daughter will be able to have the same opportunities that I enjoyed as she grows up.

I am, however, concerned about future opportunities for my son.

While it is admirable to support giving girls and women equal access to athletics in high school and in college, at times the implementation of Title IX has been disturbing.

While not conceived as a quota system, that is exactly how it has been used.

Colleges around the country for fear of lawsuits have cut many men's athletic teams so that the percentage of males to female athletes mirrors that of the student population. This is referred to as the "proportionality test".

With women now outpacing men in going to college, this has been problematic.

Men's wrestling and gymnastics programs have been among the most targeted programs for elimination.

It is one thing to add women's teams and in doing so create more opportunities for their female students to participate in athletics. It is quite another thing to simply eliminate men's programs in order to achieve parity.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights under President George W. Bush suggested guidelines that would help to eliminate this phenomenon.

One proposal was to offer participation surveys to gauge the level of interest in sports among the student body. It would have allowed schools to demonstrate they were fulfilling the needs of their students without having to rely on the "proportionality test."

This idea was immediately attacked by feminist groups as an effort to destroy Title IX and as harmful to women.

On the 40th anniversary of Title IX, it is time to reflect on the progress that has been made in terms of opportunities for girls and women but also look for ways to protect men's programs so that our sons aren't denied athletic opportunities by an unfair quota system that doesn't take into account student interests.

Christina Lanier Hobbs, St. Augustine