FAIR Files OCR Complaint Against Colorado State University for Racial & Gender Discrimination
Newsletter
Dear Friends of FAIR,
We are proud to announce that on September 30th, FAIR filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Colorado State University (CSU) for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The complaint centers on discriminatory teaching practices that deliberately targeted white and male students.
FAIR’s complaint focuses on concerning teaching practices documented in a now-withdrawn academic article titled “Exposing and Disarming Whitelash to Advance Anti-Racism: A Collaborative Autoethnography on Interracial Co-teaching.” Published in July 2025 by Dr. Quinn Hafen and Ms. Marie Villescas in the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, the article detailed their experiences co-teaching undergraduate social work courses at CSU during Spring and Fall 2023.
The authors explicitly described how they deliberately induced emotional discomfort, shame, and guilt specifically in white and male students through what they termed a “pedagogy of discomfort.” According to their own documentation, they intentionally refused to alleviate student distress and interpreted any resistance as “whitelash” against their teaching methods, creating a hostile educational environment.
The study provides substantial evidence of discriminatory practices that created a hostile learning environment for students based on their race and sex:
“We reflected that students in ‘both classes started to pushback when they’re first starting to feel the shame,’” the instructors wrote. They admitted to deliberately setting “firm boundaries” against “white emotional comfort,” while openly stating, “we want the tension, we want the discomfort among people who hold privilege.”
White male students were specifically targeted and their concerns dismissed, as evidenced when one instructor described a student as being “at the center of the whiteness and the maleness.” The instructor noted how “white dudes in the class were attributing oppression and all kinds of nastiness to me,” then laughed as if to indicate amusement at students’ distress rather than addressing their concerns.
Student evaluations reflected the harmful impact of these practices, with one student stating: “I don’t feel safe in this classroom. The judgement and rejection come from the teachers’ reactions rather than students. This makes me shut down.” Yet rather than addressing these concerns, the instructors dismissed them, with one claiming the classroom “is actually not a safe environment for hate.”
While the study was withdrawn in August 2025 following public scrutiny, Ms. Villescas continues teaching at Colorado State University. Consequently, there is reason to believe these discriminatory practices may be ongoing.
FAIR’s complaint argues that these practices violate both Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally assisted programs, and Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs receiving federal assistance. As a public institution receiving federal funding, CSU is bound by these laws.
The Supreme Court established in Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of Ed. that a hostile learning environment violates federal law when it is “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” that it deprives students of educational opportunities. The 10th Circuit Court, which covers Colorado, has applied this standard to Title VI claims in cases like Bryant v. Independent School District No. 1-38.
FAIR’s complaint requests that the Department of Education:
Direct CSU to revise its pedagogical policies to eliminate race and sex-based discriminatory practices
Require CSU to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action against faculty continuing such practices
Mandate implementation of oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance with civil rights laws
Require responsible CSU personnel to undergo mandatory training on Title VI and Title IX requirements
Creating emotional distress in students based solely on their immutable characteristics fundamentally violates civil rights protections. All students deserve equal educational opportunities in an environment free from discrimination based on race or sex. When instructors proudly document their deliberate targeting of specific racial and gender groups, and an institution fails to address such concerning practices, regulatory intervention becomes necessary.
FAIR will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as this complaint progresses through the OCR process.
With gratitude,
Monica Harris
Executive Director
Event Rescheduling Notice
We’re moving FAIR’s October 8th Educators Alliance launch event to November. We sincerely apologize for initially scheduling this meeting on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. We’re grateful to members who brought this oversight to our attention, and we’ll share the new date soon.
MA Insurance Committee Hearing: Supporting Equitable Healthcare for Detransitioners
When: Tuesday, October 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM
What: Public hearing on H.1172 - An Act ensuring equitable healthcare coverage
The Joint Committee on Financial Services will be holding a public hearing on H.1172, a bill requiring health insurers that cover gender transition services to also cover medical care for detransitioners. This is a crucial opportunity for FAIR’s community to support healthcare equity and ensure that all individuals receive the medical care they need.
Many detransitioners face significant barriers accessing necessary medical care. This straightforward bill would ensure that if an insurance plan covers gender transition services, it must also cover detransition-related care. This common-sense approach addresses an important gap in current healthcare coverage.
Attend the Hearing: Join in person at the State House or watch the livestream to show your support.
Testify: Share your perspective with legislators by registering to testify either in person or virtually. Register here by Monday, October 7th at 5:00 PM.
Contact Your Representatives: Even if you cannot attend, reach out to your state representative and senator to express your support for H.1172.
Your voice can make a difference!
View full hearing details on the Massachusetts Legislature website.
FAIR News Podcast
For audio versions of our FAIR News and FAIR Weekly Roundup newsletters, subscribe and listen to FAIR News Weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or via RSS feed.
Join the FAIR Community
Join us, and become a member of FAIR.
Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.
Sign-up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.
Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.
Awesome.
How many colleges are there in the US - that’s how many lawsuits are going to need to be filed, pretty much. These toxic attitudes have had 60 years to spread throughout academia. Removing them will not happen overnight.
And after the first round of lawsuits, there will undoubtedly be more needing to be filed, since some of these academics are seriously hard-core and will give the finger to any attempts to protect students from their discrimination and harassment, and some of the deans are more than happy to run interference for them.
FAIR is terrific, but we need 100 times the number of lawyers that they have available to work on this issue.
Somebody please write a grant proposal to an anti-woke billionaire and get this process turbocharged!
So glad you are taking on this court case. As someone who taught for 7 years and as someone who has shame issues herself, it appalls me that any teacher would deliberately induce shame in a student (or anybody). Especially in the context of research and when the students do not have a say in participating in them. Talk about being in a privileged position!