The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a Letter of Impending Enforcement Action to San Jose State University on Mar. 24 for not complying with Title IX regulations. The department said the university has refused to address violations related to policies that allow males to compete in women’s sports and access female-only facilities.
This development is significant because Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding. The department said the university’s current practices deny women equal educational opportunities and benefits.
According to the Office for Civil Rights, its investigation found that since 2022, San Jose State University recruited and allowed a male athlete to participate on women’s volleyball teams without informing female team members of the athlete's sex. This led female athletes to share locker rooms and hotel rooms with the male student, raising privacy and safety concerns. The department also reported incidents where opposing teams forfeited matches rather than compete against a team with a male player, citing an unfair physical advantage.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said, “We have provided SJSU with multiple opportunities to resolve its Title IX violations with common sense actions: separating male and female athletes based on their biological sex, keeping men out of women’s locker rooms and bathrooms, restoring rightfully-earned titles and accolades to female athletes, and apologizing to the women forced to forfeit competitions to protect themselves. Yet, SJSU remains obstinate, choosing a radical ideology over safety, dignity, and fairness for its own students.” Richey added: “With today’s action, the Department is putting the university on notice: comply with the law or risk losing its federal funding.”
The letter gives San Jose State University ten days to come into compliance or face enforcement actions such as referral to the U.S. Department of Justice or possible termination of federal funding.
The Office for Civil Rights also concluded that San Jose State failed both in promptly investigating complaints from female athletes about these issues and by taking steps that discouraged participation in Title IX processes. Additionally, after one player joined a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association regarding these matters, she reported being targeted during competition but found her own conduct under investigation instead.
