The Office for Civil Rights under the U.S. Department of Education is investigating Bellevue College for allegedly discriminating against students on the basis of sex in its scholarship offerings. The investigation could result in the college opening its women-only scholarships to male students or offering male-designated scholarships commensurate with its ones for female students. The Office for Civil Rights opened the investigation on June 3, 2020, as shown in their database of open investigations.
Inside Higher Ed has written about universities around the United States eliminating women-only scholarships or making them available to men in response to Title IX complaints.
Bellevue College, located six miles east of Seattle, has over 29,000 students. A majority of students are female – 58% according to a 2020 ‘Facts at a Glance’ flyer. Women are a majority of students on most college campuses around the country.
Three formal letters make up an outline to this story:
- May 10, 2019 – SAVE sends ‘demand letter’ to Bellevue College
- December 10, 2019 – SAVE submits formal Title IX complaint to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
- June 3, 2020 – OCR sends letter announcing investigation of Bellevue College
‘Demand letter’ points out Bellevue College’s potential Title IX violations
Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is a due process advocacy organization based in Maryland. SAVE sent a letter on May 10, 2019 as part of their Title IX Equity Project to Jerry Webber, the president of Bellevue College at the time. The letter documented “numerous potential violations to Title IX”. It said:
“By limiting eligibility or applying different criteria for receipt of financial assistance, BC is treating its students differently on the basis of sex, and potentially depriving its students of financial assistance opportunities that are mandated by Title IX.”
– Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), in their letter to Bellevue College president Jerry Webber
SAVE requested Bellevue College provide documentation that their female-specific scholarships do not have an “overall discriminatory effect.” If BC could not provide that, they should instead provide a plan to either eliminate existing sex-specific scholarships or establish additional sex-specific scholarships to achieve an overall effect of nondiscrimination. If Bellevue College failed to address their request within 90 days, SAVE would file a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.
SAVE submits formal Title IX complaint
On December 10, 2019, SAVE president Edward Bartlett submitted a formal Title IX complaint against Bellevue College to the Seattle branch of the Office for Civil Rights. Bartlett stated Bellevue College had not provided SAVE the information they requested.
The complaint listed seven scholarships promoted by Bellevue College that were designated for female students. (The college offered zero scholarships designated for male students.) The scholarships were categorized as internal scholarships and external scholarships.
Internal scholarships
- Christel Lundeen Scholarship
- Habib STEM Scholarship
- Lee Kraft Scholarship for Hispanic Women
External scholarship
- Washington Women in Need (WWIN)
- Women’s Independence Scholarship Program (WISP)
- ABC Human Wildlife Control and Prevention, Inc. Academic Scholarship
- Toptal Scholarships for Female Developers
SAVE’s letter concluded by requesting a civil rights investigation and “the imposition of appropriate measures, to be memorialized into a formal Resolution Agreement.”
Office for Civil Rights opens Title IX investigation
On June 3, 2020, SAVE received a letter from OCR’s Seattle branch notifying them OCR had opened an investigation into Bellevue College’s possible Title IX violations. The letter from Sarah Dunne, Chief Attorney, explained that OCR has the authority to enforce Title IX, a law which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal dollars. Because Bellevue College receives federal dollars, they must comply with Title IX.
Dunne’s letter said the allegations could be resolved by way of a voluntary agreement offered by Bellevue College, or by way of an OCR investigation which – if it finds Title IX noncompliance – would result in BC committing to take specific steps to comply with the law.
SAVE president Edward Bartlett said he has received no communication from Bellevue College or the Office for Civil Rights regarding the investigation since the June 3, 2020 letter.
