Eleventh grade Al Determine the main idea of a passage 7
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The main idea of the passage is in order to secure fair access to showers, the Yale women's
crew team called attention to Title IX in an unusual way. How does the detail in bold develop
the main idea?
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In 1976, the highly successful women's crew team at Yale University-an all-
men's school until 1969-faced a distressing situation: the boathouse still had no
women's showers. After every practice session, the men enjoyed hot showers while the
women went home cold and wet after a morning of vigorous rowing. The women
approached school officials about this untenable situation, but nothing changed. Finally,
they opted for dramatic action to focus attention on the different treatment of Yale's male
and female rowing crews. They arranged a meeting with a school administrator and
invited a writer and photographer from the school paper to attend. At the meeting, the
team captain read an eloquent, pointed statement explaining the conditions the team had
to endure without access to showers. Meanwhile, the women displayed the words "Title
IX" written on their bodies, referring to a federal law banning gender discrimination in
educational activities. When an article about the meeting appeared in the New York
Times, the team not only got their showers but also succeeded in raising public
awareness about Title IX.