Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 7:26 AM
Subject: Wrestling needs your help - Right Now

I have been notified that the quota advocates are sending hundreds of e-mails to the Commission complaining about the selection of panelists speaking at the meetings of the Commission. A certain person at the Department of Education needs to hear from the wrestling community in mass numbers in order to counter the e-mails she is receiving from the quota advocates. I can not stress enough how important it is that we let Debbie Price of the Department of Education know about our disgust with the gender quota party line being spewed by the quota advocates led by Donna DeVarona who is a member of the commission. Below is the text of an e-mail I sent earlier to Debbie Price detailing this situation. PLEASE read over it and send a short e-mail to Debbie Price of the Department of Education that reiterates these points. You can make your e-mail short and sweet but it is important that you use your own words. We do not want her to receive the same exact e-mail message from hundreds of people.

Send your message to:

Debbie Price, Executive Director of the Secretary's Commission on
Opportunities in Athletics.

Her e-mail address is:

deborah.price@ed.gov

Thanks for your help and please act. It will only take you a couple of minutes and it is important to our efforts to save college wrestling.

Eric LeSher

De Varona Spouting Company Line of National Women's Law Center

As detailed by Gary Abbott, Donna De Varona complained about the selection of the panelists. "Before the commission could get to the specific seven questions, Donna De Varona pointedly challenged the selection of the panelists at the Colorado Springs and previous hearings. Saying that she was frustrated with the process, De Varona noted that a number of the potential panelists that she and Julie Foudy had suggested were not selected, and she inferred that they had been "weeded out" by commission staff. "
It is interesting to note that the National Women's Law Center issued a "Media Advisory" at the same time. The text of it is below.
"MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: October 22 and 23, 2002 Contact: Camden Richards or
Lela Shepard at 202-588-5180 NWLC Co-President Available for Comment on Title IX Commission Hearing Oct. 22 and 23 Colorado Springs Panel Tilted Toward Title IX Opponents Colorado Springs -- The commission formed by the Bush Administration to review Title IX will hold its third public hearing in Colorado Springs on October 22 and 23. National Women's Law Center (NWLC) Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger is available for comment on the Commission, arguments made by opponents of Title IX, and the barriers still faced by female athletes.
NWLC has serious concerns that panelists invited to present at the Colorado Springs hearing will present extremely unbalanced views, with the majority speaking in opposition to Title IX. By not being given the opportunity to hear balanced testimonies, the Commission is being prevented from fulfilling its mission to examine ways to strengthen enforcement and expand opportunities." Obviously, Ms. De Varona cannot be viewed as an independent viewpoint by the public or for that matter her fellow commissioners. Another interesting point that is flat out wrong in the "Media Advisory" is the stated purpose of the commission. The National Women’s Law Center says the mission is "... to examine ways to strengthen enforcement and expand
opportunities." However as stated on the commission's web site the mission is to - "PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS The purpose of the Commission is to collect information, analyze issues,
and obtain broad public input directed at improving the application of current Federal standards for measuring equal opportunity for men and women and boys and girls to participate in athletics under Title IX.
The Commission will recommend to the Secretary, in a written report, whether those standards should be revised, and if so, how the standards should be revised. The Commission will also recommend other steps that might be taken to improve the effectiveness of Title IX and to maintain and build upon the extraordinary progress that has resulted from its passage 30 years ago." The National Women’s Law Center is trying to spin the purpose of the commission, which comes as no surprise. Despite the spin and the obvious agenda of the quota advocates who are aginst the needed revisions and reforms to the current standards, the truth is getting out and the truly independent commissioners who came with an open mind are hearing it.