WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent a letter to Mark Emmert, President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), requesting an update on the organization’s Title IX enforcement, including funding information, data collection methods, U.S. universities’ compliance evaluations, and enforcement procedures. The letter comes in advance of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which will occur on July 23, 2022.

“In 1972, the doors of opportunity were pushed wide open for women with the passage of Title IX. The result has been particularly pronounced in collegiate athletics, where national heroes like Pat Summit and Lusia Harris were able to carve a path for future generations of women. As we approach the 50^th anniversary of this legislation, it is vital that federally-funded educational institutions, including the universities represented by the NCAA, continue to uphold the values of non-discrimination and take steps to protect future opportunities for female athletes,” Wicker said. 

Read the letter here or below.

Dear Dr. Emmert:

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) continuously oversees the implementation of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, or Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), in universities across the United States.  For the last 50 years, the primary purpose of Title IX has been to combat sex-based discrimination at colleges and universities.  Since Title IX’s inception, female collegiate athletes have remained a focal point of the conversations surrounding the implementation and oversight of Title IX.  The promotion of opportunities for female collegiate athletics is essential to compliance with Title IX.

Female athletes consistently report that Title IX has positively impacted opportunities separate and apart from competitive athletics.  Continued oversight of Title IX’s implementation is essential to the promotion of current and future opportunities for female athletes.

Therefore, I ask that you provide responses to the following questions:

1. What data does the NCAA rely upon to support compliance with Title IX? 

2. How is that data collected and at what frequency?

3. Is that data audited by the NCAA for accuracy?  If so, please explain those audit methods and procedures.

4. What percentage of U.S. universities currently meet at least one of the three prongs of Title IX?

5. How much annual funding does the NCAA allocate to Title IX initiatives?  Please differentiate the percentage of that funding between existing athletic programs compared to new women’s sports.
6. What penalties does the NCAA impose on non-compliant institutions?

       7. When does the NCAA expect all participant institutions to comply with at least one

           Title IX prong? 

8. What steps has the NCAA taken to bolster compliance within non-compliant institutions and to expand access and opportunities for women’s sports in compliant institutions?

9. What administrative oversight measures does the NCAA use to oversee Title IX compliance?

10. Are universities evaluated annually for compliance to Title IX?  If yes, what is NCAA’s review schedule? 

Please provide your written responses as soon as possible…Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.