UPDATE: Federal District Judge Denies Harvard's Motion to Dismiss
August 9, 2019 The Federal district judge has denied Harvard‘s motion to dismiss and the judge’s language reaffirms the Title IX claims. Stand Up to Harvard statement: “Today’s decision rightly recognizes that the lawsuit states four viable legal claims that Harvard‘s Sanctions Policy discriminates on the basis of sex,” said R. Stanton Jones of Arnold & Porter, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the federal case. “The court acknowledged what is undeniably true: Harvard‘s Policy is discriminatory twice-over. As the court said, the Policy ‘discriminates both on the basis of the sex of the students in the social organization and the sex of the student who associates with that organization.’ DOWNLOAD: PDF of Ruling
At the end of 2018, several national fraternities and sororities sued Harvard University on over a 2016 rule that discourages students from joining single-gender social clubs, marking the first legal challenge to the school's policy.
Starting with the 2017 freshman class, Harvard students who are members of single-gender clubs are barred from leading campus groups or becoming captains of sports teams. The school also refuses to endorse the students for prestigious fellowships, including the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships.
Harvard officials crafted the rule to curb secretive all-male groups known as "final clubs," whose members include some former U.S. presidents but have faced mounting criticism from the university. But the rule also applies to a variety of other groups, including fraternities, sororities and even single-gender musical groups.
The Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee--which Alpha Xi Delta supports, has a number of legislative priorities with HR3128, Freedom of Association-The Collegiate Freedom of Association Act at the top of the list. HR3128 is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on June 5, 2019 by Ruben Gallego of Arizona. It was co-sponsored by a bi-partisan list of 24 legislators, including Bill Flores and Kevin Brady of Texas. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
To learn more about the The Collegiate Freedom of Association Act, follow #HR3128 on Twitter.
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