Title IX, 30 years later: Speaker to discuss gender equity and sports

CHAPEL HILL -- "Title IX: Looking Back and Moving Forward," will be the focus of a free public lecture and discussion Sept. 30 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Athena Yiamouyiannis (pronounced "YAM-a-YAN-us"), executive director of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, will speak and lead discussion from noon to 1 p.m. in Toy Lounge, on the fourth floor of Dey Hall.

Yiamouyiannis testified before Congress at the request of President Bush last year, when legislators considered steps that some thought would weaken Title IX. Ultimately no action was taken, but women should stay informed, said Diane Kjervik, director of the Carolina Women’s Center, program sponsor.

"Women in this country are concerned about any potential rollback of policies that have helped them achieve equity with the male advantage," Kjervik said. "Yiamouyiannis will explain to us what the arguments were last year on both sides of the debate. She will give us some ideas on how to respond effectively to threats that could be posed to Title IX in the future."

Yiamouyiannis previously was membership services director for the National Association of Collegiate Athletics (NCAA). She oversaw the association’s rules education program and staffed its women’s athletics committee. She co-wrote the association’s "Achieving Gender Equity Manual," helped its national office conduct a gender equity audit and hosted NCAA Title IX seminars and membership programs.

This year, Yiamouyiannis won the Women’s Sports Foundation Award and, from the association she directs now, the Presidential Award for exemplary work with Title IX and gender equity issues.

Last year marked the 30^th anniversary of Title IX, part of the Education Amendments of 1972. Its preamble stated: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

For more information on the Sept. 30 program, call 843-5620.

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Contact: Diane Kjervik. (919) 843-5620, kjervik@email.unc.edu
News Services contact: L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589, laura_toler@unc.edu