field at (the varsity) level of competition have prepared me in numerous, invaluable ways for life outside the ivory tower."
             This forum addresses topics such as: What should be the test of compliance with Title IX? If a university "fully" accommodates the "interests and abilities" of female athletes, is that enough? In this era of budget cuts, how can athletic directors balance the needs of both male and female athletes?
             Our guests are Brown University officials who fought against the idea of strict parity in male and female sports and Donna de Varona, winner of two Olympic gold medals at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Currently, Ms. de Varona is a commentator on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." She has served five terms on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and was a consultant to the US Senate, precipitating the passage of the 1978 Amateur Sports Act and Title IX. She is alsoa co-founder with Billie Jean King of the Women's Sports Foundation.
             Representing the other side, is Mark Nickel, spokesman for Brown University. Brown University is currently trying to comply with the court ruling by making cut-backs and reformulating the athletic budget, but still disagrees with the premise of the court decision.
             In the time since Congress enacted Title IX in 1972, 3 women's sports programs developed from small, underfunded and nearly invisible afterthoughts into large and vital components of athletics programs at high schools and colleges. The participation rates of women in varsity athletics more than doubled, 4 and at many institutions the number of varsity sports offered for women approached, reached or even exceeded the number offered for men. 5
             Last year, when colleges and universities finally began to credit themselves for their hard work and investment in achieving a higher level of participation by women despite an increasingly difficult economic environment, 6 everything changed. Three federal courts of appeals' ...