Image Credit: University of Tennessee / YouTube
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A notable decrease in Title IX complaints at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) has been reported by the state’s Comptroller for fiscal year 2025.
Complaints at UT have been trending downward over the last couple of years. In 2023, the university reported 24 complaints, down to 15 in 2024, and this year, just 3 complaints.
Two other universities also saw decreased complaints: East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and the University of Memphis (UM).
ETSU’s decrease comes after four years of ever increasing complaints since 2021. In 2025, ETSU had 16 complaints, down from 24 last year.
UM’s numbers had already dropped dramatically last year by almost half and decreased again from 65 to 41.
Four other Tennessee universities saw the opposite this year with an increase in complaints.
Tennessee State University (TSU) saw increases for the second year in a row and Austin Peay (APSU) is now in its third year of burgeoning complaints.
TSU saw 24 complaints in 2025 compared to 17 last year while APSU’s number almost doubled since 2024, going from 36 last year to 68 in 2025.
Tennessee Tech had held steady for two years in a row with just 4 complaints in both 2023 and 2024. In 2025, that number rose marginally to 6.
Meanwhile Middle Tennessee State University had exactly zero complaints last year but in 2025 jumped up to 15 complaints.
Tennessee law requires that state agencies that are subject to the requirements of Title IX develop an implementation plan which is due annually to the Department of Audit by October 1st. The Department of Audit must then publish a cumulative report of its findings and recommendations at least in a yearly basis.
Title IX states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Intended to prohibit discrimination based on gender in any educational program or activity receiving federal funds, the law also includes protection against sexual harassment, with some exceptions.
An executive order issued by former President Joe Biden on March 8th, 2021, paved the way for the Department of Education to amend Title IX to include gay and gender confused people.
Finalized in April, 2024, the expansion of Title IX made changes in the definition of sex discrimination and sex-based harassment. These changes would have made educators responsible for policing student speech and behavior beyond school campuses and onto the internet where students interact in an ever expanding world of social media.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with Republican state attorneys general from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia and a Christian educators association sued to block the rule changes that included new definitions for sex discrimination and harassment.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
