HR83

WHEREAS, as the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees, Title IX was passed by the United States Congress on June 23, 1972, and signed by President Richard M. Nixon on July 1, 1972; and

WHEREAS, Title IX states that, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance..."; and

WHEREAS, before Title IX:

(1) Separate entrances for males and females were the norm in many schools and universities;

(2) Many medical and law schools strictly limited the number of women admitted;

(3) Women were required to have higher test scores and better grades than males to gain admission to colleges and universities; and

(4) Athletic scholarships for women were very rare; after winning two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics, swimmer Donna de Varona could not obtain a college swimming scholarship;

and

WHEREAS, Patsy Takemoto Mink experienced these inequities in education while attending the University of Hawaii, graduating with degrees in zoology and chemistry in 1948, but after her graduation from the University, none of the numerous medical schools to which she applied accepted women as students; and

WHEREAS, inspired by her own experiences as the first minority woman member of the United States Congress, Patsy Takemoto Mink co-authored Title IX in 1972, now known as the "Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act," which is credited with greatly expanding athletic and educational programs for women in the nation’s colleges; and

WHEREAS, after the enactment of Title IX:

(1) Female high school graduation rates increased from 43 percent in 1973 to 63 percent in 1994;

(2) By 1994, 38 percent of medical degrees were awarded to women, a great improvement from the nine percent awarded in 1972;

(3) Today, more than 100,000 women participate in intercollegiate athletics, a four-fold increase from 1971; and

(4) Eighty percent of female managers of Fortune 500 companies have a sports background;

now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that this body honors the legacy of Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink's contributions to women's college athletics and education throughout this country; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Coordinator of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation for Low-Income Women and Children.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Equity in Athletics and Education; Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	83
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII