By MARK ALESIA
The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS - Women's sports advocates warned Thursday that a commission reporting next month to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige could weaken the effect of Title IX.

"I think the danger here is that the Bush administration has the authority to make incredibly radical changes in current Title IX policies by administrative decision making alone," said Jocelyn Samuels, vice president and director of educational opportunities at the National Women's Law Center.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funds. It has been praised for fueling the growth and success of American women's sports. Critics say it is a quota system responsible for the dismantling of men's programs, especially wrestling and gymnastics.

The 15-member Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which includes Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw, is scheduled to have its final meeting Jan. 8. It is supposed to file its report Jan. 31.

The issue has inflamed passions on both sides because the stakes could be high. During his campaign, president George W. Bush said he would examine whether Title IX was being enforced appropriately.

Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, said more than 400 college wresting programs have been eliminated since the early 1970s. Many, he said, were because of Title IX. Earlier this year, the NWAC filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education.

Moyer is encouraged by what he has heard so far from the commission.

"If you listened to the commission in Philadelphia, it's obvious that most of them see clearly that there is a very definite flaw in the current interpretation," Moyer said.

Discussions have often centered on the "proportionality" test for Title IX compliance. It dictates that if half of a school's undergraduates are female, then about half of the school's opportunities to play sports should go to women. Women comprise 53 percent of all students at NCAA Division I schools. Because football has so many more players than any women's sport, it throws off the numbers.

The commission is considering alternatives that would be favorable to the men. They include counting only students of "traditional" age in the enrollment figures; eliminating enrollment as a consideration and requiring a minimum of 46 percent of athletic opportunities for women; and interest surveys to determine sports opportunities instead of enrollment figures.

The women's sports advocates who spoke Thursday - as part of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education - believe the commission membership is stacked against them.

They maintain there is no reason to change anything about Title IX.

"People who want to understand this law can do so by sitting down and reading it," said Christine Grant, women's athletic director at the University of Iowa.

Supporters of Title IX say the situation could improve if schools would make smarter financial decisions and contain their spending on coaches' salaries and facilities.

"I think it's important to keep in mind that the Bush administration's reaction to this is part and parcel of its whole civil rights policy agenda," Samuel said.