Fordham University ‘Girl Boss’ program for women in business faces civil rights complaint

The Equal Protection Project (EPP) has filed a civil rights complaint against Fordham University in New York, arguing that its “Girl Boss” programs violate federal protections against sex-based discrimination. 

The complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the Bronx-based university on Sept. 26. It asserts that two women-in-business programs for undergraduate and graduate students violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by restricting membership based on sex.

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“Girl Boss (Undergraduate Women in Business Club) seeks to empower enterprising Fordham women of all majors by providing an inspiring space for them to envision how they can become future leaders,” the undergraduate description on the university’s website says.

“We aim to empower the next generation of female leaders to connect, evolve, and thrive,” it continues.

The program has partnered with many prominent institutions, including Sony, Marvel, Viacom, MTV, Chanel, and The New York Times. 

Since the EPP filed the complaint, the university has updated its website. Without changing the original descriptions, the website now stipulates that membership is not restricted by “national origin, race, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, or physical handicap.” An archived version of the website provided by the EPP does not include that qualification.

Additionally, a separate website for the Girl Boss undergraduate program has now been taken down.

Since publication, no changes have been made to the graduate program website. The program’s mission is “to nurture and empower female-identifying students to become successful leaders by cultivating a positive, supportive, and well-informed community.” 

William A. Jacobson, founder of the Equal Protection Project, criticized Fordham for failing to uphold its own nondiscrimination standards in emailed comments to Campus Reform.

“The equal protection requirement of federal law is reflected in Fordham’s own nondiscrimination policies, which prohibit discrimination based on sex,” Jacobson wrote to Campus Reform. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask that Fordham live up to its own rules.”

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This is the second civil rights complaint the Equal Protection Project has filed against Fordham. In August 2024, the conservative organization filed an official complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, arguing that scholarship programs, such as the “Diversity Fund” and the “Latino Social Work Coalition Scholarship Program,” violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The group has lodged other complaints against the University of Richmond in Virginia, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

Campus Reform contacted Fordham University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.