This year's NCAA Title IX Seminar has a new location and a variety of new programs that reflect the ever-changing nature of gender-equity issues.

"This year we will be examining the NCAA Gender-Equity and Diversity Audit, as well as talking about the impact of Title IX on ethnic minority women," said Jane C. Meyer, NCAA director of education outreach. "We'll also be discussing the new athletic trainer certification process and its Title IX implications for campuses. We'll also continue to offer several sessions that have been popular in the past, like Title IX basics and current case law."

The keynote speaker this year will be Mary Mazzio, a filmmaker, attorney and member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic rowing team. Mazzio's recent documentary, "A Hero for Daisy," chronicles the 1976 Title IX-inspired protest by the Yale women's rowing team.

This year's seminar will be held in Indianapolis for the first time, and it is free to NCAA institutional staff members and conference administrators. The reservation deadline is April 5. For more information about the seminar or to make a reservation, call Michelle Kukelhan, NCAA education outreach assistant, at 317/917-6222.

New sessions highlight current issues

While many intercollegiate athletics administrators are aware of the NCAA Gender-Equity and Diversity Audit, fewer are familiar with the project's background and purpose. A general session immediately after the keynote address on the seminar's first day is intended to educate the membership about the audit.

Bette Landman, president of Beaver College and a member of the NCAA Executive Committee's Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues, will explain how the audit came about and what purpose it is intended to serve. Landman also will explain the function of the subcommittee and how it fits into the process.

Members of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee -- groups that have been responsible for issuing recommendations addressing issues raised in the audit -- will give updates on the progress made since the audit was first reported.

Another new general session will focus on the impact of Title IX on ethnic minority women. Session speakers will give a historical perspective on minority women participation, discuss how Title IX has impacted historically black colleges and universities, and explore strategies to increase minority women's participation in all levels of intercollegiate athletics.

Last year's Title IX seminar was the first appearance for a session on equitable athletic training services, and this year's seminar takes that topic one step further with a general session titled "Changing Times and Solutions for Equitable Health Care and Medical Coverage." This session will address a timely topic -- changes in athletic training certification -- and how institutions can comply with Title IX in light of those changes, which may cause a decrease in available student trainers.

Another change this year is the addition of a general session on coaches' compensation. While the topic has been addressed by division in the past, this year's general session looks to introduce all seminar participants to a coaches' compensation model that can be used at any institution, regardless of size or division.

Connee Zotos, athletics director at Drew University, will introduce attendees to a tier-based model for coaches' compensation. This model, based on coaches' duties and athletics administrations' expectations, is intended to provide institutions with an equitable model for compensation. Also planned for this session is a discussion of the legal issues surrounding coaches' compensation and the ramifications of inequitable compensation policies.

Another new session will focus on emerging sports. Topics discussed in this session will include everything from how the NCAA selects emerging sports to how universities can add an emerging sport to increase participation opportunities for women. Budgetary concerns, including the costs associated with establishing a program in an emerging sport, are expected to be discussed as well.

Also new this year is a session offering helpful hints for the completion of the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.

Timeless classics still offered

First-time attendees and those needing a refresher course in Title IX will find many seminar offerings that have been popular in the past. "Title IX Basics," "Title IX Current Case Law" and "How to Respond to an OCR Investigation" still will be offered, as will division question-and-answer sessions with representatives from the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

This year's student-athlete panel will again discuss the student-athlete's role in Title IX compliance, and this general session is intended to offer administrators ideas for educating student-athletes about Title IX and enlisting them in finding solutions on campus.

Promotions and fund-raising will again be addressed, but this year participants will have the opportunity to attend an all-divisions session followed by division-specific round-table discussions. Attendees also will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas and share strategies with each other.