Dear Denver Office for Civil Rights:

The University of New Mexico (University) is a public university that receives federal
financial assistance and is therefore required to enforce Title IX laws that prohibit sex
discrimination, including sex discrimination against both females and males. Because
the Denver OCR’s jurisdiction area covers universities in the state of New Mexico, I am
requesting that your office investigate the University for illegal sex discrimination in
violation of Title IX.

Specifically, the University sponsors, promotes, organizes, operates and offers the
following single-sex, female-only award program that illegally discriminates based on
sex:

The University’s annual “Women In STEM Awards” as the name of the awards indicates
are single-sex, female-only awards that illegally exclude men based on their sex. A
November 14, 2019 University press release contains multiple sex-specific female
references confirming that this award illegally excludes males:

The call is open for women faculty in The University of New Mexico’s Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields to apply for a variety of grants
as part of the 2020 Women In STEM awards. The awards are supported by an
anonymous gift made in 2015 to UNM to support research by and professorships
for women faculty in STEM. The income from the investment on this gift will
be used to help UNM women tenure-track and tenured assistant and
associate STEM professors to establish new lines of research and to develop
research collaborations. UNM Provost James Holloway applauded the awards,
which foster the ongoing success of women scientists. "Our very accomplished
women faculty have contributed greatly to the success of UNM and our
students, and these awards will help ensure this continued impact," Holloway
said.

Unlike past years, research assistant and associate faculty are eligible to apply.
Other eligible applicants include tenure-track and tenured women faculty
members at UNM who hold the rank of assistant or associate professor…. The
call is being released earlier than in past years to encourage more women to
apply. Proposals are due April 6. Decisions will be announced by June 5, 2020.
Since 2016, 31 women in a variety of STEM fields across UNM have been named
as recipients of the award.

This document at a University website provides additional confirmation that this is a

single-sex, female-only award that illegally excludes male faculty. According to the
eligibility requirement, this is award is only for “Tenure-track, tenured and research
women faculty members at UNM who hold the rank of Assistant or Associate
Professor.” Further, this University website confirms that 100% of the past recipients of
this female-only award have indeed been female faculty at the University.
In violation of Title IX, the University’s annual “Women In STEM Awards” illegally
discriminate against male faculty based on their sex, they illegally exclude and deny
male faculty from the benefits of these awards based on their sex. Further, the
University does not offer equivalent male-only “Men in STEM Awards.”

Please investigate the University for violating Title IX’s prohibition of sex decimation.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this complaint,

Professor Mark J. Perry (email correspondence preferred)