UMinn Opens Female-Only Scholarship to Men After Title IX Complaint

The University of Minnesota has opened up an all-female scholarship to men after a Title IX complaint was filed.

After Mark Perry, an American Enterprise Institute Scholar and University of Michigan-Flint professor, filed a Title IX complaint against UMinn for its female-only scholarships, the university decided to reverse course.

[W]ould you please investiage [sic] whether the University of Minnesota is engaging in ongoing, systematic and illegal sex/gender-based discrimination, in violation of Title IX standards … [M]en and men-identified students … are clearly being denied equal access and equal opportunity to those scholarships and awards, as required by Title IX and University of Minnesota policies to ensure compliance with Title IX.

At the time of the complaint, one of the three offending scholarships was only available to women older than 28 who were looking to complete a degree that had already been started. Another scholarship was only available to women who needed extra financial support to complete their education. The third scholarship was only available for women had “demonstrated outstanding volunteer service concerning women’s issues on campus or in the broader community.

As a result of his complaint, two of the three scholarships will now be open to all students, regardless of gender. One of the scholarships also removed preferences for minority students. The third scholarship is now reviewing its “eligibility criteria,” but it seems like there is a chance it will open itself to students of all genders.

The Carol E. Macpherson Memorial Scholarship was established to assist women who, like Carol, are seekers. It memorializes Carol’s undying concern for fairness, for providing opportunities for women to find new paths, for the value of a thinking mind to ask difficult questions, and for respecting the nurturing roles women continue to play even as they take on various new responsibilities in their families and communities.

The specific issue with these scholarships is that they are granted directly by the university, and must, therefore, follow Title IX guidelines.