Stillwell Hall, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
Stillwell Hall, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC Warren LeMay/wiki commons

CULLOWHEE, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced Thursday a Title IX investigation into Western Carolina University, citing allegations of noncompliance with federal anti-discrimination laws. The probe centers on claims that WCU failed to ensure sex-separated intimate spaces and retaliated against female students raising concerns.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. The investigation follows reports that WCU allowed a male student to share a dormitory room with a female and opened a Title IX investigation against a female student who asked a male to leave a women's locker room.

"WCU's reported contempt for federal anti-discrimination laws and indifference to, and retaliation against, girls who have spoken up about males invading their intimate spaces is simply unacceptable," said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor. "After fighting for years to secure Title IX protections, women must again fight hostile institutions to ensure their right to equal protection and opportunity in sports, living spaces, and intimate facilities is respected. The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will continue to deploy every lawful means to eradicate this wholly unnecessary and egregious violation of women and girls' civil rights."

Payton McNabb, a former WCU student and Independent Women's Forum Ambassador, spoke out about the university's policies. "Western Carolina University has perpetrated a policy that is not in full compliance with Title IX. The violation has impacted not only me but many other female students at the university that deserve our rights to single-sex spaces," McNabb said. "In addition to my experience discovering a male in the women's restroom on campus, men who self-identify as transgender are entering other women's intimate spaces like restrooms, dorm rooms and locker rooms. Female college students will not sit idly by as men take over our spaces. I'm thankful to have an administration that will stand up for us."

McNabb, who suffered brain damage in 2017 after a male opponent spiked a volleyball in her face during a high school match, faced a WCU Title IX investigation in 2024. She had recorded herself politely asking a male to leave a women's bathroom. The university dropped the investigation but maintained its policies, prompting federal scrutiny.

Another female student reportedly left a WCU dormitory after being assigned a male roommate who identified as female. Emails from WCU administrators, cited in credible reports, indicate the university refused to adjust policies following President Trump's executive order, asserting it would continue analyzing sex discrimination based on gender identity rather than biological sex, as required by Title IX.

The investigation highlights tensions over Title IX compliance and women's rights in education. WCU's stance has drawn criticism for prioritizing gender identity over federal anti-discrimination laws protecting sex-separated spaces. The Department of Education's action signals a broader effort to enforce Title IX and address female student retaliation.

WCU officials have not publicly responded to the investigation. The outcome could influence how universities nationwide handle Title IX compliance and sex-separated facilities.