March 11, 2003    Rich Bender  Executive Director  USA Wrestling  6155 Lehman Drive  Colorado Springs, CO 80918    Dear Mr. Bender:    Thank you for your letter of February 27, 2003 to Secretary Rod Paige regarding the Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. As you know, the Secretary shares your support for Title IX and wants to ensure that the great progress that has been made in ensuring that athletics are "open to all" continues.    I appreciate your positive comments about the work of the Commission and assure you that the Secretary agrees that the Commission's final report represents a valuable contribution to the effort to ensure fairness on America's campuses and playing fields.    In regards to your concern with the Secretary's decision to accept only the consensus recommendations, I would encourage you to note the very important recommendations approved by consensus, including recommendation 21 which asks the Department to ensure that the proportionality test is not the only focus of enforcement, so schools do not feel pressured to meet it at any cost. This recommendation would also give more emphasis to the interests and abilities test for compliance.    The report is also important for its findings which show that there is a lot of confusion about Title IX standards and a common belief that "strict proportionality" is the only safe way to show compliance with the law. In fact, the Commissioners agreed that this has led to the loss of teams and opportunities for men.    In implementing these consensus recommendations, the Secretary will work hard to ensure that the gains made by Title IX will be enhanced without causing unfairness to any athletes. We appreciate your support in this endeavor.      Sincerely,    Deborah A. Price  Executive Director, Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics