Four students sue UT, claiming bias in fraternity-related discipline

Four students at the University of Texas contend in a lawsuit that they were unjustly disciplined by the university after participating in fraternity-directed activities.

The 34-page lawsuit, filed this week in federal court, doesn’t say exactly what conduct prompted school officials to place the unnamed male undergraduates on disciplinary probation and require them to participate in an academic integrity tutorial. But the tutorial requirement suggests that they were accused of some sort of academic misconduct.

The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, claims that fraternity members are sanctioned far more often than sorority members in violation of Title IX, the federal law banning discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions receiving federal funding.

“The university treats all students and student organizations equally under its rules and policies,” spokesman J.B. Bird said in a statement. The university has yet to file a response in court to the lawsuit’s allegations.

Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190411/four-students-sue-ut-claiming-bias-in-fraternity-related-discipline