Advocacy Features

BAWSI Co-Hosts "Title IX Today, Title IX Tomorrow"

On April 28, 2007, BAWSI and the Stanford Center on Ethics co-hosted the "Title IX Today, Title IX Tomorrow" conference at Stanford University. This one-day conference featured leading policy makers, administrators, scholars, and public officials with the ability to influence the effective implementation of Title IX in the years to come. It included discussions of how to assess gender equity in college athletics, how to increase opportunities for women students and coaches without diminishing them for men, and how to promote change in athletic contexts beyond the intercollegiate setting.

Following the day-long conference, the Aurora Forum presented "Title IX at 35: A Conversation with Billie Jean King" at Stanford's Maples Pavilion. This sports legend and social pioneer entertained and informed the crowd for two hours while answering questions from moderator LaDoris Cordell, Title IX Compliance Officer and Special Counselor to the President at Stanford.

BAWSI in Sacramento

On February 1, 2006, several BAWSI members commemorated the twentieth anniversary of "Girls and Women in Sports Day" with a visit to the state capitol in Sacramento. They spoke at a press conference on the importance of athletics for women and the numerous ways participating in sports enhances their lives. Included in the press conference were BAWSI CEO Marlene Bjornsrud, St. Mary's College soccer coaches Kelly Lindsey and Monica Gerado, and Sharon Clark Kelleher, wheelchair tennis player and member of BAWSI's Athlete-Advisory Council.

"In 2006, it is still apparent that the full aspirations of women in sports are yet to be realized and the full benefits of sports in society cannot be achieved without women," said Marlene Bjornsrud, CEO of BAWSI. "We are serious about building a grassroots effort around women's sports and committed to partnerships with those in leadership, like Assemblywoman Lieber and CAHPERD, who believe in the true value of women's sports."

"The benefits for girls who play sports include increased confidence, higher high school graduation rates, and lower rates of depression, teen pregnancy, and heart disease, to name a few," said Assemblywoman Lieber. "I am pleased to work with BAWSI to make sure we continue to increase opportunities for girls and women in sports."