Two universities that have dropped men's sports in recent years to comply with a federal gender-equity law are bringing them back. Bucknell University's wrestling team will resume competition as a varsity sport after being demoted to the club level in 2001, and Tulane University is reviving its men's outdoor track and field team after dropping it in 2002.

Both universities announced their plans last week. Bucknell received a $5.6-million gift from William Graham of Philadelphia, a former Bison team captain, to restore wrestling and finance the expansion of the women's novice rowing team. Tulane needed to add a 16th sport to comply with National Collegiate Athletic Association rules that go into effect this fall.

Compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was the reason both institutions gave for dropping the men's sports. The law's regulations require colleges receiving federal funds to provide equitable opportunities for female athletes, and one way of complying is to have the percentage of athletes who are women very close to the percentage of undergraduates who are women.

Many colleges have chosen to balance their numbers by dropping men's teams instead of adding women's teams or pursuing other options for compliance.

At Tulane, a larger proportion of athletes than of students are female, and the Green Wave is already expanding its women's swim team, so the university can add some male athletes without putting the gender makeup out of balance.

"Dropping the program two years ago was one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as an athletic director, and I'm happy that we will bring back the proud tradition of Tulane men's track next year," said the university's athletics director, Rick Dickson, in a written statement.

Like many colleges with strong engineering and science programs, Bucknell has an unusually low percentage of female students -- only 49 percent in 2002-3, according to a forthcoming Chronicle study -- and can remain in compliance with its Title IX goals only by adding the same number of male wrestlers as female rowers.