U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
May 20, 2024
OCR Case Number 01-24-2259
Complaint Filed; OCR Closed Case as "Resolved" Due to Program Opened to Those of All Backgrounds
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created, supported and promoted a program for undergraduate students open only to women of color. The program, known as the Creative Regal Women of Knowledge, or “The CRWN” – engaged in invidious discrimination on the basis of race, color and sex. Only undergraduate “women of color” could participate in the program. Applicants who fell outside of those race- and sex-based categories were ineligible for it.
The phrase “women of color” was defined by MIT to include “Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and other minoritized ethnicities,” and the word “women” was defined to include “transgender women, cisgender women, and non-binary women.”
Equal Protection Project is the Complainant in this matter, which is under evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.
UPDATE: After the Complaint was filed, MIT appeared to drop its requirement that program participants be “women of color,” as the Washington Examiner and others reported: “‘While our program is designed to support and celebrate undergraduate women of Color, participation is open to all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin,’ an updated website for the program now states.”
UPDATE #2: On January 16, 2025, EPP received a letter from OCR indicating that it was closing this case as “resolved” due to MIT opening the program to those of all backgrounds:
OCR will close or dismiss an allegation if OCR obtains credible information indicating that the allegation is currently resolved. OCR confirmed that the URL provided in the complaint for the CRWN program states that “participation is open to all students regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and national origin.” Based on this information, OCR has determined that the facts underlying the complaint are no longer present and OCR has no evidence that the law is violated. Accordingly, OCR is dismissing the complaint as of the date of this letter.
[emphasis added]
EPP considers OCR’s closure of this case a “WIN” due to MIT opening this program to those of all backgrounds.