Students Protest the Closing of the Women’s Study Lounge at Michigan State University

Students at Michigan State University recently held a rally to protest the closing of Women’s Study Lounge. The workplace was closed this summer during renovations to the building in which it was housed.

The Women’s Study Lounge was the subject of civil rights complaint filed by a male faculty member who claimed that the exclusion of men violated federal law. His complaint, filed with the Michigan Office of Civil Rights, was dismissed because the exclusion did not directly affect the faculty member. But the ruling appeared to invite a similar complaint by a male student who did not have access to the facility.

A spokesperson said that the lounge would be operated better as a co-ed space. But later, the spokesperson admitted in an interview with the Washington Post that the change was made so there was no possible violation of Title IX provisions regarding gender discrimination.