(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education says the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing males in female sports and spaces.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) “notified UPenn President J. Larry Jameson that the University’s policies and practices violated Title IX by denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities,” according to a news release.
“OCR issued a proposed Resolution Agreement to UPenn to resolve the Title IX violations detailed in the noncompliance finding,” the release said.
“UPenn has 10 days to voluntarily resolve these violations or risk a referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforcement proceedings,” the release said.
Neither UPenn director of media relations Ron Ozio nor the Office of the President have responded to The Center Square’s request for comment.
Department of Education spokeswoman Julie Hartman told The Center Square that “under the Biden administration, Title IX was weaponized to deny women equal opportunity under the law.”
“Schools allowed male competitors to strip female athletes of their rightful accolades, threaten women’s safety, and, in some cases, subject them to the indignity of dressing and undressing in front of males in female-only intimate facilities,” Hartman said.
“Recipients of federal funding have a responsibility to follow Title IX, and the Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow these entities to trample upon females’ civil rights any longer,” Hartman said.
The actions UPenn must take as proposed in the department’s Resolution Agreement are threefold.
One, UPenn must “issue a statement to the University community stating that the University will comply with Title IX in all of its athletic programs.”
Two, UPenn shall “restore to all female athletes all individual athletic records, titles, honors, awards or similar recognition for Division I swimming competitions misappropriated by male athletes competing in female categories.”
And three, UPenn must “send a letter to each female athlete whose individual recognition is restored expressing an apology on behalf of the University for allowing her educational experience in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination.”
In 2022, University of Kentucky female swimmer Riley Gaines was beaten by a male swimmer competing on UPenn’s female team in the NCAA Championships, The Center Square previously reported.
Gaines has since become an advocate for women’s sports, “undeterred by invitations to speak to groups or on college campuses and being met by protestors and even physical confrontations,” as The Center Square reported.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a news release that “little girls who look up to Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan can find hope in today’s action – the Trump Administration will not allow male athletes to invade female private spaces or compete in female categories.”
“UPenn has a choice to make: do the right thing for its female students and come into full compliance with Title IX immediately or continue to advance an extremist political project that violates federal antidiscrimination law and puts UPenn’s federal funding at risk,” Trainor said.
In a New York Times-Ipsos poll released earlier this year, 79% of those surveyed answered that men “should not” compete in women’s sports, The Center Square previously reported.
The poll surveyed nearly an equal number of Republicans and Democrats aged 18 and older.
