Why is Georgia Tech, a Public Institution, Discriminating Against Men?

America First Legal, committed to eradicating discrimination in public institutions and corporations, has asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) for discriminating against men in a college program called Rising Stars in EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science).

According to America First Legal, the program began at MIT in 2012, and encourages women to study electrical engineering and computer science. Rising Stars spread to other schools, including Georgia Tech.

Here’s the problem: “Rising Stars was, and remains, closed to all male applicants.”

If a man applies to the program, he will be rejected because he’s a man — a clear case of illegal discrimination. But if he pretends to be a woman, he could get in.

America First Legal said the exclusion of men going on at Georgia Tech violates Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in…any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

As a public institution, Georgia Tech is taking a great risk, especially in a climate that has grown hostile to race- and sex-based discrimination policies that try to hide illegal discrimination under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

America First also sent a letter to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, demanding that that the school cease discriminating against men. From the letter (PDF):

…the University of Georgia system knows that programs like these violate Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause and has disclaimed the use of affirmative action since 2001 when the University of Georgia lost its appeal in Johnson v. Board of Regents…

So why are the regents allowing the Rising Stars program? America First awaits the Board’s answer, but in the past, courts have allowed schools to discriminate against individuals to remedy past discrimination. But America First said that Georgia Tech has no justification to do this.

“No college student should be deprived of an opportunity to succeed or to further their education just because of their sex,” said Gene Hamilton, America First Legal Vice President and General Counsel. “Corrective action must be taken.”

Photo credit: By Mistercontributer – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0