Feb. 22, 2024 Truly Equal filed a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), alleging that the school’s promotion of the Delight group violated Title IX, as it excludes men from its membership. The school’s website promoted:
BEFORE
“Delight chapters are recognized organizations, student-led, and rooted in Scripture-based curriculum and resources. We are passionate about empowering college women to lead, disciple, and transform the culture of their campus.We aim to provide a space on college campuses for women to vulnerably share how Christ has been at work in their lives. We believe that vulnerability leads to breakthrough, and breakthrough leads to transformation! The Fashion Institute of Technology will be the second campus in New York to house a delight chapter.”
Jan, 10, 2025, the OCR wrote to Truly Equal that the agency had dismissed the case, as FIT amended the parameters of Delight to welcome all students, as you can see on their website:
AFTER
Delight chapters are recognized organizations, student-led, and rooted in Scripture-based curriculum and resources. We are passionate about empowering college students to lead, disciple, and transform the culture of their campus. We aim to provide a space on college campuses for students to vulnerably share how Christ has been at work in their lives. We believe that vulnerability leads to breakthrough, and breakthrough leads to transformation! The Fashion Institute of Technology will be the second campus in New York to house a delight chapter.
OCR enforces Title IX which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity operated by a recipient of federal financial assistance from the department. As a recipient of federal financial assistance from the Department of Education, FIT is subject to Title IX regulations.
The regulation implementing Title IX stipulates that no person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any academic, extracurricular, research, occupational training, or other education program or activity.
Title IX regulations also prohibit a school from providing assistance to any outside organization that discriminates on the basis of sex in providing any aid, benefit, or service to students or employees.
The regulation also states that such a school shall not provide different amounts or types of financial assistance, limit eligibility for such assistance, apply different criteria, or otherwise discriminate, on the basis of sex, or through solicitation, listing, approval, provision of facilities or other services. Nor shall it assist any foundation, trust, agency, organization, or person that provides assistance to any such recipient’s students in a manner which discriminates, on the basis of sex, or apply any rule or assist in the application of any rule concerning eligibility for such assistance that treats people of one sex differently from persons of the other sex with regard to marital or parental status.