OCR nominee undergoes Senate committee examination

Seven months after his nomination as assistant secretary for the office of civil rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education, Gerald Reynolds, a regulatory attorney for the Kansas City Power and Light Co., appeared before a U.S. Senate committee to discuss his candidacy.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on Reynolds' nomination February 26.

Reynolds' nomination is of interest to many in intercollegiate athletics since the OCR is charged with enforcing Title IX (along with many other civil rights laws).

Reynolds said that if confirmed he would uphold and enforce civil rights laws, including Title IX, which he called the "most successful" of those laws. He also said he was an "enthusiastic supporter" of Title IX.

Reynolds took questions on his views on Title IX from Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minnesota, who noted that he believed in Title IX but felt "something should be done." Wellstone further noted that wrestling was popular in his home state of Minnesota.

Reynolds said he was aware that some people think policy guidance on Title IX is enforced in a way that is detrimental to male sports. He said he had not consulted with the department's career staff or with athletics directors on the issue, but he would look into it.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, also questioned Reynolds, as did Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, who is chair of the committee.

In a statement issued the day of the hearing, Kennedy questioned Reynolds' qualifications.

"After reviewing Mr. Reynolds' record, I was struck by his lack of education policy experience and his longstanding hostility to basic civil rights laws, which together raise legitimate questions about Mr. Reynolds' qualifications for the job and his commitment to enforcing basic civil rights protections," Kennedy said. "These concerns are shared by a broad coalition of civil rights, women's, education and disability groups who oppose his nomination."

A committee vote on whether to forward Reynolds' nomination to the full Senate tentatively was scheduled for March 13.

Other organizations join Title IX lawsuit

Both the College Gymnastics Association and the United States Track Coaches Association announced that they have joined the National Wrestling Coaches Association in its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education.

The suit alleges that in 1996 the Department of Education unlawfully altered the way it interpreted Title IX, leading to the "arbitrary elimination of hundreds of athletics programs."

Said Douglas Van Everen, member of the College Gymnastics Association, "The unintended consequences of proportionality, despite the success Title IX has brought to women's athletics, have led athletics departments to cut men's programs to meet a quota. The current interpretation of Title IX is wrong and needs to be changed, quickly."

NCAA Foundation receives $50,000 gift

A recent $50,000 gift to the NCAA Foundation will be used to establish a fund benefiting degree-completion scholarships.

Bob Holland Jr., retired president and chief executive officer of WorkPlace Integrators, and his wife, Barbara Holland, gave the gift, which will be used to assist student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility for institutional financial aid. Holland, a past member of the NCAA Foundation Board of Directors, served on the board for four years.

Since 1988, the NCAA and the NCAA Foundation have committed more than $8 million to helping more than 1,500 student-athletes complete their undergraduate degrees through the NCAA Degree-Completion Program.

"This gift will increase funding and enable more student-athletes to continue work for their undergraduate degrees," said Marion Peavey, executive director of the NCAA Foundation.

Sports-wagering PSA wins national acclaim

The NCAA's sports-wagering public service announcement recently earned a silver medal in the prestigious New York Festival's 2001 international film and video awards.

The 30-second spot, which features messages about the dangers of sports wagering, won the award in the guidance and counseling category of the non-broadcast film and video division of the awards.

The public service announcement, produced by Armen Keteyian and Kathy DaSilva of Lights Out Productions, is part of the NCAA anti-gambling education efforts and is one of several public service announcements aired during NCAA championship events.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number crunching

Looking back

Cinderella emerges about this time every year with the opening rounds of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship, but history shows that in order for the glass slipper to be on the dance floor at the finals, it better be at least a size 8.

That's because no seed lower than an 8 has won the championship. Villanova was the last -- and only -- No. 8 seed to go all the way, as the Wildcats upset Georgetown in 1985. Villanova's unlikely trek through the 1985 bracket included wins over two No. 1 seeds (Georgetown and Michigan), two No. 2 seeds (North Carolina and Memphis) and a
No. 5 seed (Maryland). Oddly, the Wildcats' closest wins were its first, a two-point close shave against
No. 9 seed Dayton, and the 66-64 squeaker in the final over the Hoyas.

No No.16 seed has won a game since the seeds began being determined in 1979. However, four No. 15 seeds have won their opener, including last year when Hampton pulled off a first-round shocker over No. 2 seed Iowa State in Boise, Idaho. Coppin State (1997), Santa Clara (1993) and Richmond (1991) are the other No. 15 Cinderellas.