The College Fix

Complaint filed by conservative Young America’s Foundation to the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights

A civil rights complaint has been filed against Gettysburg College for its apparent policy to seek to enroll “20% domestic students of color” as an alleged violation of federal anti-discrimination laws and the Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action in admissions.

The complaint was filed April 3 with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights by Young America’s Foundation, which has a conservative student club on campus.

“Racial quotas are the most basic and obvious deviation from a colorblind admissions process one could imagine,” the complaint states, citing the Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which found a university cannot employ a quota system “with a specific number of seats reserved for individuals from a preferred ethnic group.”

To show proof of the policy, the complaint cites a March 31 presentation to the student government during which Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Luke Frigon shared admission goals for the upcoming fall semester. The goals included admitting “20% domestic students of color,” according to a photo of the presentation, which included a slideshow.

Frigon did not respond to The College Fix’s request for comment.

Young America’s Foundation had previously submitted a complaint in mid-March to the civil rights office detailing Gettysburg’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs that may run afoul of anti-discrimination laws. The complaint on racial admission quotas was an addendum.

Spencer Brown, a spokesman for YAF, told The College Fix there is no specific timeline for how long it will take the Department of Education to review the complaint, but the Trump administration appears to be prioritizing probes into schools that may be violating federal law.

According to YAF’s quotas complaint, the admissions policy “appears to be a continuation of a long-held policy, as Gettysburg publicly boasts its ‘Enrollment of…students of color’ on its website.”

The website states: “In Fall 2024, among full-time, degree-seeking undergraduates at the College, 14 percent were international students; 21 percent were domestic students of color; 62 percent were domestic white students; 3 percent were domestic students whose ethnicity and race were unknown.”

Brown said schools violating the Students for Fair Admissions decision will cause them to lose “in the court of public opinion.”

The other 21-page complaint submitted on March 17 by YAF argues its student members “face significant discrimination on campus, where extremist administrators and faculty use so-called and often self-appointed authority to block conservative speech.”

Programs and policies cited in the complaint also detail a parade of the college DEI department’s extensive programming. It alleges the college is in violation of Title VI, Title IX, anti-DEI executive orders issued by the Trump administration, and the Education Department’s “Dear Colleague” letter warning colleges their DEI programs could be a violation of federal law and they risk losing funding.

“The campus groups targeted include the College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, multiple identity and culture-based student clubs, a student residential space, multiple College policies and statements, an academic department as well as many identity and diversity-related events that have been held on campus by various organizations,” the Gettysburgian student newspaper reported.

Brown told The Fix that YAF filed the complaints after many of its conservative students faced bullying and pressure on campus.

“When our students are under attack, YAF’s got their back. YAF members at Gettysburg College let us know what was going on, and we stepped in to shed light on the school’s actions and pursue action to remedy them,” he said.

But College President Bob Iuliano denies there are any problems and pledged to keep supporting DEI, stating in a memo to the campus community: “the College conducts its operations with a deep respect for its legal and ethical responsibilities. We do not agree that the College is violating civil rights laws and, of course, will discuss that with OCR, should it pursue an investigation.”

And as The College Fix reported in February, “Gettysburg College continues to go full steam ahead with DEI initiatives in response to a ‘racial incident’ that is likely a hoax – and which the school and alleged victim’s family have acknowledged the complexity of the situation.”

MORE: Probable hoax spurs Gettysburg College to do more DEI

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: A picture of a slideshow from Gettysburg College / Courtesy of Young America’s Foundation

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