Washington, D.C. —  On February 13, 2025, Concerned Women for America (CWA) filed its fifth civil rights complaint against an NCAA member institution – this one against Division III Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).  The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to hold RIT accountable for violating the rights of female athletes under Title IX.  Through this complaint CWA is also asking OCR to enforce Title IX law and not allow NCAA policy define the federal law.  

CEO and President Penny Nance had this to say:

“Rochester Institute of Technology continues to violate Title IX anti-discrimination rules for male and female teams by rostering a trans-identifying male on its women’s track team.  RIT makes the excuse it is following the NCAA’s Transgender Participation Policy (TPP) but that policy is not federal law and, in fact, does not comply with Title IX. The NCAA does not have the authority to re-define the meaning of sex under federal law for participation on male and female teams.

“Though RIT publicly claims it is following NCAA policy, its duty under the law is to follow Title IX.  Educational institutions cannot hide behind the NCAA for its willful violations of women’s civil rights.  Neither the NCAA’s previous policy nor its revised policy announced on February 6, 2025, fully protects women’s sports for women only as required under Title IX regulations which differentiate male and female teams on the basis of sex.

“President Trump has reaffirmed the legal requirement for protecting sex-based eligibility for women’s sports under Title IX in his Executive Order ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’  CWA applauds President Trump for his commitment to protecting the full rights of female athletes to equal opportunities and benefits on the basis of sex. 

“Women’s sports are for women only.  Tragically, that is still not the current policy at RIT nor the NCAA.” 

Background:  CWA’s other civil rights complaints have been filed against NCAA member institutions Franklin Pierce University, University of Montana, University of Pennsylvania, and San Jose State University.

On March 8, 2024, Concerned Women for America was joined by women’s organizations in Virginia Beach, Virginia, to protest male Sadie Schreiner’s participation in the NCAA Division III Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships https://concernedwomen.org/women-stand-along-virginia-attorney-general-demanding-an-end-to-ncaa-discriminatory-policy/.