Civil rights complaint filed against University of Tulsa over gender and racial preferences

A professor from West Virginia has filed a civil rights complaint against the University of Tulsa, claiming the school is violating federal law by offering gender- and race-based programs and scholarships.

What the Complaint Alleges

The complaint, filed by Professor Adam Kissel, outlines several programs at the University of Tulsa (TU) that he claims violate anti-discrimination laws. The targeted programs include:

1. A math enrichment program designed only for middle school girls
2. Admissions goals specific for females
3. Scholarships with racial preferences
4. The existence of a Chinese Student Association

Kissel believes these offerings give preferential treatment and exclude other groups based on race or gender, which he says violates federal civil rights law.

READ THE FULL COMPLAINT BELOW:

What Could Happen Next

“If they do, they might choose early mediation, where I just talk with the University and they say you know what we'll take those off the website, and open the girls program to boys, and the women's programs to boys, and if I saw that's great—we're done,” Kissel said. “If TU says no, the Department can continue to investigate and the problems can get pretty large at that point.”

Kissel filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

University of Tulsa Responds

The University of Tulsa released a brief statement saying it will review the complaint but offered no further comment.

About the Plaintiff

Kissel is no stranger to filing complaints like this one. He said he has submitted more than 200 similar cases to the federal government and claims universities “almost always end up making the changes” he seeks.

Watch more from our interview with Kissel below: