San Jose State University Under Investigation for Title IX Violations

San Jose State University (SJSU) is facing allegations of violating Title IX by permitting male students to participate in women’s facilities and join the women’s volleyball team, as reported by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on Wednesday.

In 2022, SJSU reportedly allowed biologically male students to compete on the women’s indoor and beach volleyball teams, according to a press release.

The OCR claimed that university staff instructed coaches not to disclose the biological sex of female team members. Allegedly, female athletes were sharing hotel rooms and locker rooms with male students without awareness of their biological status.

Moreover, media reports highlighted a concerning incident where a male player spiked the volleyball with such force that it knocked down an opponent, raising questions about safety.

In fact, during one season, seven teams opted to forfeit matches rather than have their female athletes compete against male students.

The OCR also accused SJSU of retaliating against female athletes who voiced opposition to including men on women’s teams.

Coach Tommy Tuberville expressed gratitude to officials for their investigation into SJSU’s handling of female athletes’ rights.

“What’s more troubling is that when female athletes raised concerns, SJSU ignored claims of sex discrimination. In a notable case, one female athlete faced a Title IX charge for ‘misgendering’ a male athlete on the women’s team. This is simply not acceptable,” said Kimberly Ritchie, Assistant Secretary of the Civil Rights Department.

Brooke Slusser, a former co-captain at SJSU, alleged in a lawsuit that a meeting occurred involving a male athlete and opposing players aimed at restraining her.

The Mountain West Conference looked into the allegations but found insufficient evidence for any disciplinary actions.

According to the OCR, SJSU didn’t adequately investigate the matter and later charged a female athlete with Title IX violations for discussing the incident online.

The OCR’s findings indicate that SJSU must voluntarily resolve these alleged Title IX violations by fulfilling certain obligations.

The Department of Education has instructed the university to make a public statement that clarifies its biological definitions of “male” and “female,” emphasizing that gender identity does not change.

Additionally, SJSU is required to establish clear distinctions in athletic and personal facilities based on biological sex, restore competitive achievements to female athletes that were earned prior, and issue letters of apology to individual female athletes.

The university also needs to extend apologies to all female players from the indoor volleyball teams of 2022-2024 and the beach volleyball team from 2023, as well as to players from opposing teams who withdrew during the period when male students were involved.

SJSU has stated it is currently reviewing the findings and proposed agreements from the Department of Education, reaffirming its commitment to providing a respectful and inclusive environment for all students in accordance with relevant laws.