Kansas State University “Women in Business” Program Challenged by Equal Protection Project
While most of our cases have involved race, color, and national origin discrimination, we will challenge all forms of unlawful discrimination, including sex discrimination.
The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) is a project of the Legal Insurrection Foundation devoted to fighting unlawful discrimination in all forms. While most of our cases have involved race, color, and national origin discrimination, we will challenge all forms of unlawful discrimination, including sex discrimination.
Since its launch, EPP has challenged over 500 discriminatory programs and scholarships at more than 110 colleges and universities. This is done to ensure that every student has the opportunity to compete on equal terms.
Our most recent filing on September 3, 2025, was a Civil Rights Complaint against Kansas State University (“KSU”):
We bring this civil rights complaint against KSU, a public university, for sex-based discrimination in its “Women in Business” program and related scholarships, in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
KSU’s Women in Business program is marketed as an organization “made up of collegiate women” supporting the personal and professional development of young women, particularly in business fields. The program, its events, and its scholarships all signal that they are reserved for women.
We then go on to list the activities at issue and why we believe they violate the Civil Rights Act:
The Women in Business program is currently offered to KSU students and prospective students, according to the KSU website, and violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) and its implementing regulations by discriminating against students and prospective students based on their sex.
Here are the programs and scholarships at issue in the Complaint:
1. Kansas State Women in Business Program
Link: https://cba.k-state.edu/academics/departments/center-for-principled-business/women-in-business/
Archived Link: https://archive.ph/wip/bHGAQDescription: “The Kansas State Women in Business program is “… an organization made up of collegiate women who share a common mission of supporting and advocating for the personal and professional development of young women, particularly in business fields.”
2. Women in Business Summit 2025
Link: https://cba.k-state.edu/academics/departments/center-for-principled-business/women-in-business/wib-conference-2025/
Archived Link: https://archive.ph/wip/bHGAQDescription: “The College of Business Women in Business Initiative will host its fifth annual Women in Business Summit on Monday, November 10 at the K-State Student Union and the College of Business.”
3. Women in Finance Day
Link: https://cba.k-state.edu/academics/departments/center-for-principled-business/women-in-business/women-in-finance/
Archived Link: https://archive.ph/wip/dR7UBDescription: “The College of Business Women in Business Initiative will host a High School Women in Finance Day on Tuesday, February 4 at the K-State College of Business. This event is designed to empower young women to envision their future in finance and provide a glimpse into the vibrant opportunities at Kansas State University.”
We further explain why “signaling” preference for one sex is unlawful:
KSU also “signals” sex-based preferences. As the Second Circuit recognized in Ragin v. New York Times Co., 923 F.2d 995, 999–1000 (2d Cir. 1991), even subtle messaging can convey discriminatory preferences: “Ordinary readers may reasonably infer a racial message from advertisements that are more subtle than the hypothetical swastika or burning cross, and we read the word ‘preference’ to describe any ad that would discourage an ordinary reader of a particular race from answering it.” This signaling is actionable because the law looks to how an ordinary reader or applicant would perceive the program. See United States v. Hunter, 459 F.2d 205, 215–16 (4th Cir. 1972) (advertisements judged by effect on the ordinary reader, regardless of intent). When the Kansas State highlights sex as defining goal of a program, an ordinary reader reasonably assumes that these traits govern eligibility. That deterrent effect is itself discrimination.
The complaint was covered by WIBW News which reported:
The Equal Protection Project (EPP) claims K-State has engaged in sex-based discrimination in programs and scholarships. In their complaint filed Sept. 3, the EPP demands a federal investigation into K-State’s alleged discriminatory programs…
“…That sex-based discriminatory programming and scholarships exist at a major public institution is shocking,” said William A. Jacobson, founder of the EPP. “It is time for higher education everywhere to focus on the inherent worth and dignity of every student rather than categorizing students based on sex. Creating educational opportunities based on sex violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, as well as state law and KSU’s own nondiscrimination policies.. We are asking KSU to live up to the law and its own rules…”
“…We do not want these educational opportunities and scholarships terminated, we want the discriminatory promotion and focus removed,” Jacobson said. “We want students to have access to opportunities to advance their business education and careers, and access to the funding, but every student should have fair and equal opportunity without regard to sex. “KSU should know better than to run programs that treat students differently based on sex. Where were the administrators and staff whose jobs supposedly are devoted to preventing discrimination? Why was there no intervention to uphold the legally required equal access to education?”
KSU responded:
“Kansas State University has not received a complaint from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights related to this program. If we do, the university will respond appropriately.”
The Equal Protection Project is calling on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to open an investigation.
Reminder: we are a small organization going up against powerful and wealthy government and private institutions devoted to DEI discrimination. Donations are greatly needed and appreciated.
Robert Fox is an attorney at the Equal Protection Project, and focuses, among things, on filing civil rights complainst against DEI discrimination.
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Comments
several stories ( kept low key except the wht blond girl) about females “disposing” of the newborn child AND NO charges being filed..or 1 year probation in one of the cases
a female who admitted in the hospital that she murdered her newborn had all evidence thrown out by the court
reasoning??
the judge said she wasnt read her miranda rights
the state said…she wasnt under arrest at the time she made the confession so no one had to have their right read to them
judge didnt care about that truth
Years ago I did a course with a class that was female majority. The majority of scholarships advertised in said class were also female only. Of the few that weren’t, none were inclusive of ordinary guys.
Discrimination is fine so long as it’s the approved kind of discrimination.
The mission of the Equal Protection Project will never end. These sorts of discriminatory scholarships and sex based/race based exclusionary programs proliferate like weeds and as with a garden they must be located and pulled out on an ongoing basis or they will return to take over the garden.
Poets’ physics has disparate impact. (Science requirement for humanities majors.)