Hispanic-Only Conference and Housing at USC and Loyola Marymount Challenged by Equal Protection Project

Hispanic-Only Conference and Housing at USC and Loyola Marymount Challenged by Equal Protection Project

The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) has challenged over 275 institutions regarding over 800 programs that discriminate in the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Most of our challenges have been filed against higher education and K-12 institutions, but we have also challenged several medical schools.

Our most recent filing, on June 29, 2026, was at the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR), but with a twist — we challenged a Hispanic-only program that organized conferences at the University of Southern California (USC) and Loyola Marymount, both in California. But we also requested an immediate referral to the Department of Justice under the new Interagency Agreement between OCR the Department of Justice.

From the Civil Rights Complaint:

We bring this civil rights complaint against the University of Southern California (“USC”) and Loyola Marymount University (“LMU”), both private institutions, for their sponsorship and facilitation of the Youth Leadership Institute (“YLI”) program for Hispanic students which discriminates based on national origin in violation of Title VI and Title II. We request that this case – or at least the Title II violation – be referred to the Department of Justice for investigation, pursuant to statutory authority and the June 2026 Interagency Agreement between the Department of Education and DOJ.2

YLI is run by an outside non-profit but USC and LMU materially support and participate in YLI. The universities host program events, provide on-campus housing and other facilities, promote the program, furnish speakers and university personnel, make classroom and meeting space available, and provide other institutional resources that facilitate the program’s operation. Accordingly, USC and LMU are legally liable for the discrimination that takes place on their campuses with their support through YLI.

We then documented the roles of USC and Loyola Marymount in the programs, with links and screenshots (omitted here).

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

USC is hosting one of the two in-person components of YLI. This event runs at the USC campus from July 15, 2026, through July 19, 2026.8 USC hosts YLI on its campus annually,9 including also in 2024 and 2025.10 …

USC’s involvement extends beyond merely providing a venue. USC has hosted the YLI on multiple occasions and continues to serve as an in-person host site, including for the 2026 program.12 …

USC’s Provost Office has described the university as an “educational partner” of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and, in an official university publication, highlighted the program’s objective of increasing the number of Hispanic high school students who attend college.13 As an in-person host site, USC provides campus facilities, housing accommodations, speakers, and other institutional resources that support the operation of the YLI.14

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

LMU is hosting15 one of the two in-person components of the YLI, from June 24, 2026, through June 28, 2026.16 As with the USC program, the LMU YLI program is a college-access and leadership-development program for Latino students that provides participants with educational, leadership, and career-development opportunities.

LMU describes itself as a sponsor and host of the program. In announcing the partnership, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (“HSF”) stated: “HSF has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with LMU, which has generously hosted HSF programs that equip students and parents with essential knowledge on preparing, planning, and paying for college. We are proud and grateful for this collaboration.”17

LMU likewise highlighted its role in the program. Ashley Okimoto, LMU’s Early Outreach Director, stated: “It is an incredible opportunity to work alongside HSF to provide impactful programming like the Youth Leadership Institute.”18 LMU hosts the event annually.19

YLI participants receive direct access to LMU facilities, personnel, and programming. According to LMU, participants stay in LMU residence halls during the program and attend campus tours, networking dinners, and panel discussions featuring representatives from LMU’s undergraduate admission, graduate admission, financial aid, and career and professional development offices.20 These activities provide participants with information regarding college admissions, financial aid, academic opportunities, and career preparation while receiving lodging on LMU’s campus for the duration of the in-person program.

LMU’s involvement with HSF extends beyond the YLI. Since 2014, LMU has hosted multiple HSF-sponsored college and career readiness programs, including College Camp and Career Connections events. In 2021, HSF recognized LMU as its Educational Partner of the Year.21

We then explained why the universities’ participation in YLI violated Title VI, but also Title II, necessitating a referral to DOJ.

YLI participants are provided with overnight lodging in university residence halls during the in-person components hosted by USC and LMU.26 Participants stay in campus residence halls while attending the multi-day institute. Because participation in the YLI is expressly limited to students who identify as being of Hispanic heritage, access to those lodging accommodations is likewise conditioned on national origin.

Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that “[a]ll persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation” without discrimination on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin. 42 U.S.C. § 2000a(a). Title II specifically includes “any inn, hotel, motel, or other establishment which provides lodging to transient guests.” Id. § 2000a(b)(1). Here, LMU and USC are providing temporary overnight lodging in university residence halls to participants in a short-term program. Access to those lodging accommodations is expressly restricted to students who satisfy the program’s Hispanic-heritage requirement. Accordingly, the universities’ provision of transient lodging on a discriminatory basis violates Title II independently of their violations of Title VI.

Although OCR does not enforce Title II, the Attorney General is authorized to bring civil actions to enforce that statute. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000a-5. OCR therefore should refer this entire case – or at least the Title II violations — to the United States Department of Justice for any appropriate investigation and enforcement action pursuant to statutory authority and the June 2026 Interagency Agreement.

The California (and NY) Post covered the story:

Two private California universities are facing a civil rights complaint for allegedly sponsoring and facilitating a program that limits participation to students who only identify as Hispanic.

The Equal Protection Project (EPP) is demanding the US Department of Education to investigate whether USC and Loyola Marymount University (LMU) violated federal civil rights laws by participating in the Youth Leadership Institute — a college-access and leadership-development program for Latino students, according to the complaint obtained by The Post.

“That program discriminates on its face and unequivocally on the basis of national origin,” William Jacobson, president and founder of EPP said.

“The universities get involved and potentially become responsible because they support it, they host it on their campuses, they provide all sorts of other facilities for it.”

The complaint alleges the universities are violating Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin by offering to host, provide speakers, and on-campus housing for YLI events because it excludes students who are not of Hispanic-heritage.

Jacobson points out that even though the universities are private, they still receive some federal funding and are subject to federal civil rights law.

“If this had simply been an outside nonprofit unrelated to the universities, runs a program off the university campus, they wouldn’t be responsible,” Jacobson said. “Because the universities have voluntarily taken on the burden of promoting the programs, supporting the programs, hosting the programs, providing lodging for participants in the programs they now fully adopted this as their program.”

LMU, which describes itself as a sponsor and host of the program, recently held an in-person event for YLI from June 24 to June 28 while USC is scheduled to host its own YLI overnight component in July, according to the complaint.

YLI is a program of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which administers and operates the program. It has been praised by both universities for boosting admission for Latino students, and described as “educational partners” by USC.

The complaint further argues both universities are in violation of Title II by restricting on-campus lodging to only Hispanic students as it relates to the program.

“We think this is pretty egregious. It’s open discrimination, they don’t try to hide it,” Jacobson told the Post. “The program says it’s only open to students who identify as Hispanic, only those students can participate in these events on campus and by definition, if those are the only students who can participate, those are the only ones who can receive the benefit of temporary housing.”

Jacobson is calling on the DOE to investigate the alleged Title IV violations, while the Title II complaint would fall under the DOJ due to a new intra-agency partnership between the two federal agencies that changed how federal civil rights complaints are handled.

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.

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