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The parents of former San Jose State University volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser made their first public statement since the U.S. Department of Education (ED) determined the school violated Title IX while Slusser was enrolled. Slusser emerged as the central figure opposing the university during a 2024 scandal involving trans athlete Blaire Fleming.
Slusser filed a lawsuit against representatives of SJSU and the Mountain West Conference after she allegedly was made to share a bedroom and changing spaces with Fleming without being told of Fleming’s biological sex. Among the ED’s findings, it also concluded that the trans athlete conspired with an opposing player to have an SJSU teammate, presumably Slusser, spiked in the face during a match.
Slusser’s parents, Paul and Kim Slusser, provided a joint statement to Digital addressing the ED’s recent crackdown on the university.
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Former SJSU volleyball star Brooke Slusser and her parents Paul and Kim Slusser at a game on Sept. 8, which Kim claims is “the last fond memory we have of her playing.” (Courtesy of Kim Slusser)
“We’re thrilled that the Trump administration, Secretary McMahon, and the Department of Education are taking action on the issue of men in women’s sports—something the last administration did not do! San Jose State University completely failed its female athletes, and it’s about time they’re held accountable,” the statement read.
“We’re watching closely to see how they respond, and our next step is to fight for justice in court. San Jose State and the Mountain West Conference betrayed the volleyball team, and they will have to answer for it.”
The parents had to watch their daughter endure an eating disorder and an academic setback as a result of the trauma that was induced by the scandal.
“I went from around 160 to 128 [pounds] in that one semester. It definitely isn’t healthy for someone of my size to be that weight, and I ended up losing my menstrual cycle for nine months. So it was definitely severe,” the 5-11 Slusser previously told Digital.
After the 2024 season and fall semester ended, Slusser’s parents saw the physical impact the situation took on her, and demanded she come home to Texas.
“As soon as the season was over, she came home for Christmas, and we were like, ‘You’re not going back,'” Paul Slusser previously told Digital, adding that he told his daughter, “‘You can go get your stuff next summer when your lease is up, and stay here.'”
‘HORRIBLE’ MOMENTS EXPOSED FOR UNR VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WHEN THEY WERE ROPED INTO THE SJSU TITLE IX SCANDAL
Once winter break was over, and what was supposed to be her final semester began, Brooke attempted to complete her courses online.
Her parents said she began online classes, but dropped them shortly later. As a Division I scholarship athlete, dropping the classes resulted in her losing the scholarship, and her family had to pay for the full semester’s worth of tuition out of pocket, and her housing.
“We had to pay, basically her mortgage and her apartment for the rest of the semester. So it was a pretty large financial burden on us when that happened,” Paul Slusser said.
The ED gave SJSU an ultimatum to comply with a series of agreements or risk “imminent enforcement action.” The deadline is Feb. 11, 2026.
The necessary terms include:
- Issue a public statement to the SJSU community that SJSU will adopt biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ and acknowledge that the sex of a human – male or female – is unchangeable;
- Specify that SJSU will follow Title IX by separating sports and intimate facilities based on biological sex;
- State that SJSU will not delegate its obligation to comply with Title IX to any external association or entity and will not contract with any entity that discriminates on the basis of sex;
- Restore to individual female athletes all individual athletic records and titles misappropriated by male athletes competing in women’s categories, and issue a personalized letter of apology on behalf of SJSU to each female athlete for allowing her participation in athletics to be marred by sex discrimination; and
- Send a personalized apology to every woman who played in SJSU’s women’s indoor volleyball (2022–2024), 2023 beach volleyball, and to any woman on a team that forfeited rather than compete against SJSU while a male student was on the roster—expressing sincere regret for placing female athletes in that position.
SJSU responded to the ultimatum in a statement.
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“San Jose State, a member of the California State University system, received notification from the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights regarding its investigation into athletics participation on our past women’s volleyball teams. The Department informed the University of the outcome of its investigation and its findings. The University is in the process of reviewing the Department’s findings and proposed resolution agreement,” an SJSU statement said.
“We remain committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive educational environment for all students while complying with applicable laws and regulations.”
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