FEMINIST MAJORITY FOUNDATION; Feminists United on Campus; Paige McKinsey; Julia Michels; Kelli Musick; Jordan Williams; Alexis Lehman, Plaintiffs - Appellants, v. Richard HURLEY, Former President of University of Mary Washington; Troy Paino, Current President of University of Mary Washington; University of Mary Washington, Defendants - Appellees. National Women's Law Center et al.; National Education Association, Amici Supporting Appellant, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education ; Cato Institute; National Coalition Against Censorship; Nadine Strossen; Electronic Frontier Foundation, Amici Supporting Appellee., 911 F.3d 674

KING, Circuit Judge: Plaintiffs Feminist Majority Foundation, Feminists United on Campus, and several Feminists United members appeal from the district court's dismissal of their civil action, filed pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as well as 42 U.S.C. § 1983. See Feminist Majority Found. v. Univ. of Mary Wash. , 283 F.Supp.3d 495 (E.D. Va. 2017).

The plaintiffs seek the reinstatement of three claims: a Title IX sex discrimination claim against the University of Mary Washington ("UMW," or the "University"); a Title IX retaliation claim against UMW; and a § 1983 claim against UMW's former president, Dr. Richard Hurley, for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. See Feminist Majority Found. v. Univ. of Mary Wash. , No. 3:17-cv-00344 (E.D. Va. June 9, 2017), ECF No. 13 (the "Complaint"). As explained below, we affirm the dismissal of the § 1983 claim and part of the Title IX retaliation claim.

We vacate, however, the dismissal of the Title IX sex discrimination claim and the balance of the retaliation claim. We therefore remand for further proceedings. I. A. Because the district court dismissed the Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, we accept and recite the alleged facts in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs. See Simply Wireless, Inc. v. T-Mobile US, Inc. , 877 F.3d 522, 524 (4th Cir. 2017). Plaintiff Feminists United is a student organization at UMW and a local affiliate of plaintiff Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, plaintiffs Paige McKinsey, Julia Michels, Kelli Musick, Jordan Williams, and Alexis Lehman were UMW students who served on Feminists United's executive board. 1. In November 2014, UMW's student senate voted to authorize male-only fraternities at the University. During a campus town hall meeting following the senate's authorization, Feminists United members questioned the wisdom of having such fraternities at UMW, in light of "research that showed that Greek life on campus increased the number of [on-campus] sexual assaults." See Complaint ¶ 21.

Plaintiff McKinsey was particularly troubled by the vote of approval, and she believed that UMW had failed to support victims of sexual assault in the past. Soon after the town hall meeting, UMW students debated the Greek life vote on Yik Yak, a now-defunct social media application. Yik Yak allowed its users within a limited geographic range to create and view anonymous messages known as "Yaks." Within the Yik Yak conversational thread available at UMW, several students expressed - in offensive terms - strong criticism of Feminists United and its members for their opposition to on-campus fraternities.

On November 21, 2014, several Feminists United members met with UMW's Title IX coordinator, Dr. Leah Cox, to explain their concerns about the University's past failures in responding to student sexual assault complaints. As the Feminists United members walked home from the meeting, other UMW students drove by and screamed, "Fuck the feminists!" See Complaint ¶ 24. Two days later, on November 23, a UMW student videotaped members of the UMW men's rugby team performing a chant that glorified violence against women, including rape and necrophilia.

Later that month, the student who recorded the rugby team video provided it to the UMW administration and informed plaintiff McKinsey about the video. Members of Feminists United subsequently met with then-President Hurley to discuss the rugby team's offensive chant. They were assured by Hurley that some unspecified "action" was being taken in response thereto. See Complaint ¶ 27. Despite President Hurley's assurances, plaintiff McKinsey perceived that UMW's administration was indifferent to the rugby team's chant and other discriminatory acts suffered by female students on campus.

On January 29, 2015, McKinsey published an opinion piece in UMW's student newspaper explaining "[w]hy UMW is not a feminist friendly campus." See Complaint ¶ 28. McKinsey therein discussed the rugby team's chant and recent harassing and threatening Yaks aimed at Feminists United members. That article, however, was not well-received by some members of the UMW community and "led to an escalation of verbal assaults and cyber-attacks on members of Feminists United." Id. ¶ 29. For example, various comments of a "derogatory, sexist, and threatening" nature were posted to the school newspaper's website. Id. ¶ 85.

On February 20, 2015, members of the UMW men's rugby team approached plaintiff McKinsey in the University's dining hall and confronted her about the newspaper article. That same day, McKinsey informed Dr. Cox - UMW's Title IX coordinator - that McKinsey felt unsafe on the UMW campus after her encounter with the rugby team members, particularly in light of the threats lodged against her and other Feminists United members on Yik Yak and the school newspaper's website. McKinsey requested that the UMW administration take "some sort of action." See Complaint ¶ 32. Dr.

Cox responded to plaintiff McKinsey on February 24, informing McKinsey that Cox did not know what actions UMW would take against the men's rugby team. Cox offered, however, to

schedule a mediated discussion between the rugby team and Feminists United. About that time, a UMW professor - concerned with the threatening nature of recent Yik Yak posts - emailed various Feminists United members to request their participation in what the professor called "listening circles." See Complaint ¶ 34. As proposed, UMW students, including Feminists United members, would meet with UMW faculty and administrators in small groups and explain how the offending Yaks were affecting them.

On March 11, 2015, UMW held an open forum about sexual assault on campus, at which President Hurley downplayed the seriousness of the rugby team's chant. Several days later, plaintiff Michels emailed Hurley and notified him that she planned to release a transcript of the rugby team's chant to UMW's student newspaper because the administration had not yet punished those responsible for it. Michels reiterated that Feminists United members felt unsafe on campus.

In response, Hurley disclosed that some students had been sanctioned for their participation in the repulsive chanting and that those sanctions had been appealed. Hurley added that he took student safety concerns "quite seriously." See Complaint ¶ 39. About a week after the open forum, President Hurley emailed the UMW student body, "generally discussing UMW's efforts to end sexual assault, violence against women, and others forms of discrimination and harassment." See Complaint ¶ 41.

Without referencing the rugby team's chant or any other specific acts, Hurley described certain students' recent behavior as "repugnant and highly offensive." Id. That same day, Hurley met with several Feminists United members, who questioned why Hurley's email to the student body had not mentioned the rugby team's repulsive chant or the sanctions imposed on the students who had participated therein. Hurley responded that he was following his lawyer's advice and that "he would rather rely on the student grapevine to spread the word about what happened with the rugby team and why." Id. ¶ 42.

On March 19, 2015, after several UMW students expressed outrage on Facebook over the rugby team's chant, President Hurley announced that all rugby activities had been suspended indefinitely and that the rugby players would be required to participate in anti-sexual assault and violence training. Immediately after Hurley's announcement, a flurry of harassing and threatening Yaks were directed at members of Feminists United, blaming them for the rugby team's suspension. The Yaks named plaintiffs McKinsey and Musick, along with Feminists United member Grace Mann, and contained threats of physical and sexual violence.

By way of example, the Yaks threatened: • "Gonna tie these feminists to the radiator and [g]rape them in the mouth"; • "Dandy's about to kill a bitch ... or two"; and • "Can we euthanize whoever caused this bullshit?" See Complaint ¶ 46 (alterations in original). Several of the offending Yaks, as alleged in the Complaint, also referred to Feminists United members by such terms as "femicunts, feminazis, cunts, bitches, hoes, and dikes." Id. In addition to naming plaintiff McKinsey, some of the offending Yaks shared her whereabouts so that she could personally be confronted.

After McKinsey agreed to speak at the March 24, 2015 meeting of UMW's Young Democrats Club, an anonymous poster shared McKinsey's

schedule and outlined a plan to accost her at that meeting. Although McKinsey had already notified UMW administrators about her safety concerns and had not received a satisfactory response, the anonymous Yak revealing the plan to confront McKinsey prompted her to contact UMW's campus police and report that she felt unsafe attending the Young Democrats meeting. The campus police believed the threat serious enough to assign an officer to the Feminists United and Young Democrats meetings that evening. On March 25, plaintiff Michels sent an email to President Hurley, Dr. Cox, and UMW's vice president, Douglas Searcy.

The email explained that Feminists United members had documented "nearly 200 examples of students using Yik Yak to post either violent, vitriolic hate or threats against [them]," and that they feared for their safety on the UMW campus. See Complaint ¶ 49. Michels therein requested a meeting between Feminists United and the UMW administration to address the Feminists United members' safety concerns. As a result, Cox, Searcy, and other UMW employees met with Feminists United members the next day. The members then requested that the UMW administration take a number of steps.

Those requests included: (1) contacting Yik Yak to have the Yik Yak application disabled on UMW's campus; (2) barring access to Yik Yak on UMW's wireless network; (3) communicating "more transparent[ly]" with students; (4) announcing to UMW's student body that Feminists United "had no role in ... [UMW's] decision [to suspend rugby activities];" and (5) hosting an "assembly to explain rape culture and discuss harassment, cyber bullying[,] and social media issues." Id. ¶ 50. Rather than grant the requests of Feminists United, Dr.

Cox sent a schoolwide email on March 27, 2015, addressing the University's recent cyber bullying issues. Cox asserted that nothing could be done, that is, the University had "no recourse for such cyber bullying." See Complaint ¶ 51. Instead, she encouraged UMW students to report any threatening online comments to Yik Yak or other platforms where such comments were made. Disappointed with Cox's approach to the ongoing threats, plaintiff Michels responded and urged Cox and UMW administrators to "take the lead against this problem." Id. ¶ 53. On March 30, 2015, following plaintiff Michels's response to Dr.

Cox, another member of Feminists United emailed President Hurley and suggested that UMW's hands-off response to the offending Yaks had contravened the statutory mandate of Title IX. By that time, more than 700 harassing and threatening Yaks had been directed at Feminists United and its members. According to the email to Hurley, Feminists United members had reported the offending posts to Yik Yak for several months, but to no avail. The emailer described feeling so unsafe at UMW that she could not concentrate on her classwork.

A day later, on March 31, Feminists United members held a march on the UMW campus to raise awareness about campus rape. At its conclusion, some UMW students and administrators, including President Hurley, gathered to hear plaintiff McKinsey speak. During her speech, McKinsey discussed the various threatening messages posted on Yik Yak. The following day, McKinsey emailed Hurley and asked whether the University would be taking action on Feminists United's request that students be barred from accessing Yik Yak on UMW's wireless network.

Hurley responded that he had discussed the option of banning Yik Yak with "several experts" and was concerned about violating the First Amendment. See Complaint ¶ 59. Dr. Cox echoed Hurley's First Amendment concerns in a subsequent email to a Feminists United member. She added that if any student felt threatened by an "identified member[ ] of [the] community," the student should contact Cox or the campus police. Id. ¶ 60.

On April 8, 2015, plaintiffs McKinsey and Michels met with President Hurley and other UMW administrators at the first of two listening circles to discuss the voluminous harassing and threatening posts on Yik Yak. Michels stressed that several Feminists United members felt they were in danger on the UMW campus, especially those students who had been named in the Yaks. Once again, UMW administrators failed to take any action in response to the harassment and threats. About a week later, Feminists United members and University administrators, including Dr. Cox, attended the second listening circle.

The Feminists United members again expressed concerns about the offending Yaks and requested that UMW address the hostile campus atmosphere. A UMW professor recommended that the University provide "better training" and engage in "more transparency and communication at all levels." See Complaint ¶ 64. Dr. Cox responded, however, that "such solutions would violate privacy rights," and she otherwise failed to offer any plan to address the harassment and threats suffered by Feminists United members. Id.

On April 17, 2015 - in an event later determined to be unrelated to the offending Yaks - UMW student and Feminists United member Grace Mann was killed by another student who was her roommate. During the immediate aftermath of that terrible event, Feminists United members were unaware that it had no apparent connection to the harassing and threatening Yaks. Mann's demise prompted one Feminists United member to send an email to UMW administrators chastising the University for its failure to respond to the Yik Yak bullying and threats. UMW administrators did not respond to that email. 2.

On May 7, 2015, the plaintiffs filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (the "OCR complaint"), alleging that UMW had contravened Title IX by failing to address the hostile environment at the University resulting from the sexually harassing and threatening online posts. The plaintiffs also held a press conference on UMW's campus to announce the OCR complaint. That same day, UMW issued a statement denying the allegations in the OCR complaint.

After the University's denials, several messages were posted on Yik Yak that again harassed Feminists United members, and also criticized the filing of the OCR complaint. About a month later, on June 8, 2015, President Hurley wrote to the president of the Feminist Majority Foundation addressing the OCR complaint. He promptly distributed copies of his responsive letter to the UMW community and several media outlets. According to the Complaint, Hurley's letter falsely asserted that the OCR complaint drew a connection between Grace Mann's death and the threatening social media posts.

Hurley also inaccurately claimed that neither UMW nor its campus police had received any reports of Yik Yak threats directed at Feminists United members. Additionally, Hurley suggested that the safety concerns of Feminists United members were exaggerated because some of the online threats simply derived from "pop culture." See Complaint ¶ 73. In the wake of President Hurley's June 2015 letter, additional harassing and threatening messages were directed at Feminists United members on Yik Yak. Similar Yaks continued to be posted throughout the summer of 2015.

According to the Complaint, "[t]he [new] posts expressed a sense of validation regarding the earlier posts along with a newfound sense of outrage toward Feminists United for filing their OCR [complaint]." See Complaint ¶ 74. The plaintiffs thereafter amended the OCR complaint to allege retaliatory conduct by UMW. B. In May 2017, the plaintiffs withdrew the OCR complaint and initiated this lawsuit in the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging, inter alia, the three claims now on appeal.

First, the Complaint alleges that UMW contravened Title IX by being deliberately indifferent to student-on-student sex discrimination (the "sex discrimination claim"). In support of the sex discrimination claim, the Complaint specifies that UMW's deliberate indifference served to create and foster a campus atmosphere so hostile that Feminists United members refrained from leaving their homes, attending classes, and participating in campus events.

Second, the Complaint alleges that UMW retaliated against the plaintiffs for advocating against sexual assault and reporting sexual harassment, also in violation of Title IX (the "retaliation claim"). According to the Complaint, UMW retaliated against the plaintiffs in two ways: (1) the University was deliberately indifferent to UMW students harassing and threatening members of Feminists United for engaging in protected conduct; and

(2) President Hurley prepared and released his June 2015 letter, which made false accusations against - and was intended to disparage - members of Feminists United. Third, under § 1983 of Title 42, the Complaint alleges that Hurley infringed on the plaintiffs' equal protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment (the "equal protection claim"). The Complaint alleges that Hurley contravened the plaintiffs' equal protection rights by, inter alia, failing to act against those UMW students who had sexually harassed members of Feminists United.

The defendants promptly moved to dismiss the Complaint under Rule 12(b)(6), asserting that it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. President Hurley also maintained that he is entitled to qualified immunity on the equal protection claim. By its decision of September 19, 2017, the district court granted Hurley qualified immunity and dismissed the Complaint. See Feminist Majority Found. , 283 F.Supp.3d at 502-03. The plaintiffs have timely appealed the district court's judgment of dismissal, and we possess appellate jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. II.

We review de novo a district court's decision to grant a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Rockville Cars, LLC v. City of Rockville, Md. , 891 F.3d 141, 145 (4th Cir. 2018). In conducting such a review, we are obliged to accept the complaint's factual allegations as true and draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiffs. See Singer v. Reali , 883 F.3d 425, 437 (4th Cir. 2018).

A district court can properly grant a Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal only if the complaint fails to "contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) ). We likewise review de novo a district court's qualified immunity ruling. See Adams v. Ferguson , 884 F.3d 219, 226 (4th Cir. 2018). III. As heretofore explained, the plaintiffs appeal the district court's dismissal of three claims.

We will first address and resolve the Title IX sex discrimination and retaliation claims, respectively. We will then consider and decide the § 1983 equal protection claim, which requires an assessment of President Hurley's assertion of qualified immunity. A. 1.

Beginning with the plaintiffs' sex discrimination claim against UMW, we recognize that Title IX provides, in relevant part, that "[n]o person ... 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." See 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). The Supreme Court has concluded that a victim of sex discrimination is entitled to pursue a private cause of action against a federally-funded educational institution for a violation of Title IX. See Cannon v.

Univ. of Chi. , 441 U.S. 677, 709, 99 S.Ct. 1946, 60 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Nearly twenty years ago, in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education , the Court explained that sexual harassment constitutes "discrimination" within the meaning of Title IX. See 526 U.S. 629, 649-50, 119 S.Ct. 1661, 143 L.Ed.2d 839 (1999).

The Court also then recognized that a covered institution can be liable under Title IX for its "deliberate indifference to known acts of [student-on-student sexual] harassment in its programs or activities," if that harassment "is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim's access to an educational opportunity or benefit." Id. at 633, 119 S.Ct. 1661.

An educational institution can only be liable for student-on-student sexual harassment, however, when the institution "exercises substantial control over both the harasser and the context in which the known harassment occurs." Id. at 645, 119 S.Ct. 1661. The Davis Court acknowledged that educational institutions have a great deal of "flexibility" in disciplining students who sexually harass other students. See 526 U.S. at 648, 119 S.Ct. 1661. Therefore, an institution is not normally liable for failing to cede to a harassment victim's specific remedial demands. Id.

Nor is an institution subject to Title IX liability when it "refrain[s] from a form of disciplinary action that would expose it to constitutional or statutory claims." Id. at 649, 119 S.Ct. 1661. That said, when the institution's response - or lack thereof - to known student-on-student sexual harassment is "clearly unreasonable," the institution has contravened Title IX. Id. at 648, 119 S.Ct. 1661 ; see S.B. ex rel. A.L. v. Bd. of Educ. of Harford Cty. , 819 F.3d 69, 77 (4th Cir. 2016).

Consistent with the Supreme Court's Davis decision, we have recognized that, to succeed on a Title IX claim premised on sexual harassment, a plaintiff must satisfy four elements. See Jennings v. Univ. of N.C. , 482 F.3d 686, 695 (4th Cir. 2007) (en banc).

Those elements are: (1) that the educational institution receives federal funds; (2) that the plaintiff "was subjected to harassment based on her sex"; (3) that "the harassment was sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile (or abusive) environment in an educational program or activity"; and (4) that "there is a basis for imputing liability to the institution." Id. 2. The University has not disputed the sufficiency of the Complaint on the first, second, and third elements identified in our Jennings decision. That is, the Complaint sufficiently alleges that:

(1) UMW receives federal funds; (2) many of the harassing and threatening Yaks targeted the plaintiff Feminists United members on the basis of sex; and (3) those Yaks, along with other online posts and in-person interactions, created a hostile and abusive environment. But UMW maintained below - and the district court agreed - that the Title IX sex discrimination claim fails as a matter of law on the fourth element of Jennings ; that is, it lacks a basis for imputing liability to UMW.

The district court explained that the sexual harassment endured by members of Feminists United "took place in a context over which UMW had limited, if any, control." See Feminist Majority Found. , 283 F.Supp.3d at 501. Furthermore, the court concluded that UMW was not deliberately indifferent to such harassment because it "t[ook] some action," including coordinating listening circles and sending a campus police officer to attend two student events. Id.

To the extent the plaintiffs faulted UMW for failing to respond to the harassment in their preferred manner, the court observed that "Title IX does not require [a university] to meet the particular remedial demands of its students." Id. The court also emphasized that one of those demands - "banning Yik Yak from the campus wireless network" - might expose the University to First Amendment liability. Id. 3. On appeal, the plaintiffs maintain that the Complaint sufficiently alleges a Title IX claim for sex discrimination, including the fourth element, i.e., a basis for imputing liability to UMW.

According to the plaintiffs, their allegations reflect that UMW had substantial control over both the context in which the student-on-student harassment occurred and those students who harassed Feminists United members. The plaintiffs also maintain that the Complaint adequately alleges UMW's deliberate indifference to such sexual harassment and specifies several ways the University could have responded without implicating the First Amendment. We must therefore focus on and resolve the crux of the sex discrimination claim: whether the Complaint sufficiently alleges a basis for imputing liability to UMW. a.

The district court determined that UMW had little - if any - control over the context in which the Feminists United members were harassed, because nearly all of that harassment occurred through Yik Yak. We are satisfied, however, that the court's decision in that regard is undermined by the Complaint's factual allegations.

In so ruling, we remain mindful that the Supreme Court's Davis decision limits an educational institution's Title IX liability for student-on-student sexual harassment to those situations where the defendant institution "exercises substantial control over both the harasser and the context in which the known harassment occurs." See 526 U.S. at 645, 119 S.Ct. 1661. We begin the substantial control analysis by identifying the context in which the sexual harassment occurred and UMW's control over that context. The Complaint alleges that much of the harassment occurred through Yik Yak.

Although that harassment was communicated through cyberspace, the Complaint shows that UMW had substantial control over the context of the harassment because it actually transpired on campus. Specifically, due to Yik Yak's location-based feature, the harassing and threatening messages originated on or within the immediate vicinity of the UMW campus. In addition, some of the offending Yaks were posted using the University's wireless network, and the harassers necessarily created those Yaks on campus. Moreover, the harassment concerned events occurring on campus and specifically targeted UMW students.

See Davis , 526 U.S. at 646, 119 S.Ct. 1661 ("Where ... the misconduct occurs during school hours and on school grounds[,] ... the [educational institution] retains substantial control over the context in which the harassment occurs."); Kowalski v. Berkeley Cty. Sch. , 652 F.3d 565, 573 (4th Cir. 2011) (observing "that speech originating outside of the schoolhouse gate but directed at persons in school and received by and acted on by them [may] in fact [constitute] in-school speech").

Furthermore, to the extent the sexual harassment was communicated through UMW's wireless network, the Complaint alleges that the University could have disabled access to Yik Yak campuswide. The Complaint also alleges that the University could have sought to identify those students using UMW's network to harass and threaten Feminists United members. If the University had pinpointed the harassers, it could then have circumscribed their use of UMW's network. Indeed, it is widely known that a university can control activities that occur on its own network.

A university may, for example, bar a student caught downloading music or movies in violation of copyright laws from accessing its network. See 20 U.S.C. § 1094(a)(29)(A) (requiring educational institutions to "develop[ ] plans to effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material" in exchange for federal funds). Beyond the University's technical capacity to control the means by which the harassing and threatening messages were transmitted, the Complaint demonstrates that UMW could have exercised control in other ways that might have corrected the hostile environment.

For instance, UMW administrators could have more clearly communicated to the student body that the University would not tolerate sexually harassing behavior either in person or online. The University also could have conducted mandatory assemblies to explain and discourage cyber bullying and sex discrimination, and it could have provided anti-sexual harassment training to the entire student body and faculty. In these circumstances, we are satisfied that the Complaint sufficiently alleges UMW's substantial control over the context in which the alleged harassment occurred.

The substantial control analysis also requires us to consider the educational institution's control over the harasser, especially its "disciplinary authority." See Davis , 526 U.S. at 647, 119 S.Ct. 1661. Under the Complaint, UMW had the ability to punish those students who posted sexually harassing and threatening messages online. Indeed, the Complaint recounts that UMW had previously disciplined students - members of the men's rugby team - for derogatory off-campus speech.

If UMW could punish students for offensive off-campus speech that was not aimed at any particular students, the University also could have disciplined students for harassing and threatening on-campus speech targeted at Feminists United members. In fact, according to the Complaint, Dr. Cox actually advised Feminists United members to contact her if they felt threatened by an "identified member[ ] of [the] community." See Complaint ¶ 60. Viewed in the proper light, Cox's statement demonstrates UMW's capacity to exercise control over students engaging in threatening online behavior.

To the extent the University contends it was unable to control the harassers because the offending Yaks were anonymous, we readily reject that proposition. The Complaint alleges that the University never sought to identify the students who posted the offending messages on Yik Yak, even though some of those messages were facilitated by (i.e., posted through the use of) UMW's network. Nor did the University ever ask Yik Yak to identify those users who had harassed and threatened UMW students.

The University cannot escape liability based on facially anonymous posts when, according to the Complaint, UMW never sought to discern whether it could identify the harassers. At bottom, in assessing whether UMW - under the Complaint - had sufficient control over the harassers and the context of the harassment, we cannot conclude that UMW could turn a blind eye to the sexual harassment that pervaded and disrupted its campus solely because the offending conduct took place through cyberspace.

See Kowalski , 652 F.3d at 572-74 (rejecting student's First Amendment challenge to high school's disciplinary action taken against student who, off campus, created website to bully classmate). Rather, we are satisfied that the Complaint sufficiently alleges that UMW could exert substantial control over the context in which the harassment occurred and could exercise disciplinary authority over those UMW students who sexually harassed and threatened the Feminists United members. b.

The district court also ruled that the sex discrimination claim fails because the Complaint does not sufficiently allege UMW's deliberate indifference to sexual harassment. We again disagree. Simply put, the Complaint demonstrates that - although UMW was not entirely unresponsive to allegations of harassment - the University did not engage in efforts that were "reasonably calculated to end [the] harassment." See Zeno v. Pine Plains Cent. Sch. Dist. , 702 F.3d 655, 669 (2d Cir. 2012).

Indeed, the Complaint portrays repeated instances of UMW students targeting and harassing Feminists United members with threats and other sex-based hostility. Those harassing activities were reported to the University on multiple occasions over many months. UMW's administrators, however, merely responded with two listening circles, a generic email, and by sending a campus police officer with a threatened student on one evening after particularly aggressive and targeted Yaks.

The University faces serious difficulties in its effort to convince us that the Complaint does not sufficiently allege deliberate indifference. The pertinent facts include the following: • In November 2014, UMW students began harassing Feminists United members through Yik Yak for opposing the creation of fraternities at UMW; • In February 2015, plaintiff McKinsey informed Dr.

Cox that she felt unsafe on the UMW campus because of the harassing and threatening online posts directed at her, as well as her in-person interactions with members of the rugby team; • In March 2015, McKinsey and plaintiff Michels reported ongoing safety concerns to President Hurley on behalf of themselves and other Feminists United members; • After Hurley's March 19, 2015 announcement that the rugby team would be suspended indefinitely, a flurry of harassing and threatening Yaks were aimed at Feminists United members; • The offending Yaks threatened to "euthanize," "kill," and "[g]rape," Feminists United members, named specific members, and reported McKinsey's locations on the UMW campus with the goal that she be confronted.

See Complaint ¶ 46. Those Yaks were sufficiently concerning that the UMW campus police assigned an officer to two student events McKinsey attended; • Additional offending Yaks continued throughout March 2015.

By the end of that month, more than 700 harassing and threatening posts had been directed toward members of Feminists United; • Although Feminists United members notified UMW administrators about those messages and their safety concerns, Cox announced that the University had "no recourse" for such online harassment, see Complaint ¶ 51; • In April 2015, in two listening circles, Feminists United members again reported to UMW administrators that they felt unsafe on campus as a result of the offending Yaks; and • Thereafter, offending Yaks continued to be posted throughout the summer of 2015.

The University, however, never investigated the harassment and threats, and never asked any law enforcement agencies to investigate them. On the allegations of the Complaint, we are satisfied that the plaintiffs sufficiently allege that UMW exhibited deliberate indifference to known instances of sexual harassment. Although the Complaint acknowledges that UMW took limited steps in response to the harassing and threatening Yaks, those actions do not preclude Title IX liability at this stage.

See Davis , 526 U.S. at 649, 119 S.Ct. 1661 (recognizing that court may determine, in appropriate situation, that institution did not act with deliberate indifference as matter of law). UMW's decision to have a campus police officer at two student meetings was a short-term countermeasure - a one-off - that failed to address the more than six-month harassment campaign directed at Feminists United and its members. See Zeno , 702 F.3d at 669.

Moreover, viewed in the proper light, UMW's position is undermined by the fact that its campus environment was such that a police officer's presence was necessary at two student meetings. As for the listening circles, we agree that university administrators listening to students' reports of harassment and threats is an important step in seeking to rectify a sexually hostile environment. But the mere act of listening to students is not a remedy in and of itself. See S.B. ex rel.

A.L. , 819 F.3d at 77 (observing that "half-hearted investigation or remedial action" is insufficient to shield school from Title IX liability). Significantly, after the Feminists United members placed the UMW administration on notice of the hostile environment permeating the campus, the University made no real effort to investigate or end the harassment and threats contained in the Yaks.

See Davis , 526 U.S. at 654, 119 S.Ct. 1661 (recognizing that deliberate indifference can be shown through failure to investigate or failure to attempt to remedy harassment); Jennings , 482 F.3d at 701 (explaining that a "[u]niversity's failure to take any action to remedy the [harassment] would allow a rational jury to find deliberate indifference to ongoing discrimination"); Vance v. Spencer Cty. Pub. Sch. Dist. , 231 F.3d 253, 261 (6th Cir. 2000) (recognizing that educational institution "must respond" to report of sexual harassment); Murrell v. Sch. Dist.

No. 1, Denver, Colo. , 186 F.3d 1238, 1248 (10th Cir. 1999) (observing that failure to investigate complaint of sexual assault constitutes deliberate indifference). Rather than seeking to end the online harassment and threats, Dr. Cox - as UMW's Title IX coordinator - simply advised the Feminists United members that the University was powerless to address the offending conduct. President Hurley likewise declined to take any meaningful action to curtail the online harassment and publicly downplayed the seriousness of the threats aimed at the Feminists United members. See Gebser v. Lago Vista Indep. Sch.

Dist. , 524 U.S. 274, 290, 118 S.Ct. 1989, 141 L.Ed.2d 277 (1998) (recognizing that school is deliberately indifferent where it makes "official decision" not to remedy Title IX violation). Under the Complaint, we are therefore unable to conclude at the pleading stage that UMW's response to the sexual harassment of Feminists United members was not "clearly unreasonable." See Davis , 526 U.S. at 648, 119 S.Ct. 1661. c.

In its deliberate indifference analysis, the district court also agreed with the University that the First Amendment circumscribed UMW's ability to respond to the online harassment and threats suffered by the plaintiffs. On appeal, the University maintains that two actions requested by the plaintiffs implicate the First Amendment, namely that students be punished for their speech, and that students be barred from accessing Yik Yak on UMW's wireless network.

As explained below, First Amendment concerns do not render the University's response to the sexual harassment and threats legally sufficient for two sound reasons: (1) true threats are not protected speech, and (2) the University had several responsive options that did not present First Amendment concerns.

(1) We first address the University's expressed apprehension about punishing students for their speech. Put simply, we are satisfied that its First Amendment concerns about penalizing speech lack a proper basis. The University could have vigorously responded to the threatening Yaks without implicating the First Amendment because "true threats" are not protected speech. See Virginia v. Black , 538 U.S. 343, 359, 123 S.Ct. 1536, 155 L.Ed.2d 535 (2003) (recognizing that "true threats" are not constitutionally protected and describing them as "statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit

an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals"). The Supreme Court and our Court have consistently recognized the principle that threatening speech is not protected by the Constitution. See, e.g. , Watts v. United States , 394 U.S. 705, 707, 89 S.Ct. 1399, 22 L.Ed.2d 664 (1969) (upholding constitutionality of statute making it illegal to threaten president with physical violence); United States v.

Maxton , 940 F.2d 103, 105-06 (4th Cir. 1991) ("Threats to kidnap or injure persons are legislatively proscribable, falling within that group of expressions, such as fighting words, which are not constitutionally protected pure speech." (internal quotation marks omitted) ). Moreover, both federal law and Virginia law criminalize the communication of threats to kill or injure others. See 18 U.S.C. § 875(c) (prohibiting transmission through interstate commerce of threat to injure another); Va.

Code Ann. § 18.2-60(A)(1) (criminalizing electronic communication of threat to kill or injure another if threat recipient is placed "in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury"). Our 2007 decision in United States v. Bly is instructive on the unprotected and criminal nature of threatening speech. See 510 F.3d 453 (4th Cir. 2007). In Bly , the grand jury charged the defendant with contravening 18 U.S.C. § 876(b), which makes it illegal to mail a letter containing a threat of violence in an effort to extort something of value from another.

Bly - a disgruntled former doctoral student at the University of Virginia - mailed a letter to persons affiliated with that great institution, including its President, demanding that the university create a specific engineering program for Bly and remedy perceived improprieties in its doctoral degree process. Bly's letter detailed his purported proficiency with firearms, and he therein threatened to injure specific faculty members. We affirmed Bly's § 876(

b) conviction and sentence, explaining that true threats, such as those in Bly's letter, are not constitutionally protected. In assessing whether Bly's statements constituted true threats, we emphasized that Bly targeted specific individuals and that he "implicitly and explicitly promised violent retribution." Id. at 459. The threats described in the plaintiffs' Complaint are similar to the threats made in Bly : specific targets are identified and violent actions are vowed.

For example, the Complaint alleges that threatening Yaks named Feminists United members and identified plaintiff McKinsey's locations on campus. The Complaint asserts that some of the Yaks threatened to "euthanize," "kill," and "[g]rape" Feminists United members. See Complaint ¶ 46. Although the University contends that the Yaks quoted in the Complaint do not constitute "true threats" because many of them reference "pop culture," we are entirely unpersuaded. A reasonable person would not be assuaged by the fact that a threat of violence included a popular culture reference.

See Maxton , 940 F.2d at 106 (explaining that reasonable person standard applies in considering whether communication is "true threat"). That is particularly true here, where the backdrop of the threatening messages is a campus environment purportedly conducive to sexual assault, and those messages target persons by name and location. In any event, the Complaint also alleges that there were other "potentially criminal" threatening Yaks, see Complaint ¶ 83, and "[g]enerally, what is or is not a true threat is a jury question," see United States v. Roberts , 915 F.2d 889, 891 (4th Cir. 1990).

Moreover, although the student culprits in these proceedings made their threats through an anonymous messaging application, the anonymity of the threats does not excuse UMW's deficient response. We are satisfied that the University was obliged to investigate and seek to identify those students who posted the threats and to report the threats to appropriate law enforcement agencies. See Abbott v. Pastides , 900 F.3d 160, 173 (4th Cir. 2018) (observing that "this court has made clear, universities have obligations not only to protect their students' free expression, but also to protect their students").

Put succinctly, the threats described in the Complaint appear to constitute criminal conduct. Steps should have been promptly taken by the University to solve the "whodunnits," in that the only remaining unknowns with respect to those offenses were the identities of the culprits. If UMW or a law enforcement agency had successfully identified the students who posted threatening messages, the offenders could have been disciplined or prosecuted without infringing on the First Amendment. See Black , 538 U.S. at 359, 123 S.Ct. 1536 ; Bly , 510 F.3d at 458.

It should go without saying that the Feminists United members deserved as much protection from threats as the University of Virginia's faculty in the Bly case.

(2) Furthermore, the Complaint alleges that UMW could have taken other steps in response to the harassment that would not have implicated any First Amendment concerns. For example, the University could have more vigorously denounced the harassing and threatening conduct, clarified that Feminists United members were not responsible for the rugby team's suspension, conducted a mandatory assembly of the student body to discuss and discourage such harassment through social media, or hired an outside expert to assist in developing policies for addressing and preventing harassment.

Additionally, UMW could have offered counseling services for those impacted by the targeted harassment. To be sure, Title IX required none of those specific actions. See Davis , 526 U.S. at 648, 119 S.Ct. 1661. Consideration of an educational institution's remedial options, however, inheres in the deliberate indifference analysis. See S.B. ex rel. A.L. , 819 F.3d at 77. In other words, when an educational institution claims that it has done all it can to address instances of sexual harassment and threats, a reviewing court should consider whether the institution failed to take other obvious and reasonable steps.

The Complaint thus adequately alleges that UMW could have addressed the harassing and threatening Yaks without exposing itself to First Amendment liability. d. At bottom, we are satisfied that the plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged a sex discrimination claim under Title IX, predicated on UMW's deliberate indifference to the specified student-on-student harassment. We will therefore vacate the dismissal of that claim. B. 1.

Turning to the retaliation claim against UMW, the Supreme Court recognized more than ten years ago that "the private right of action implied by Title IX encompasses claims of retaliation." Jackson v. Birmingham Bd. of Educ. , 544 U.S. 167, 171, 125 S.Ct. 1497, 161 L.Ed.2d 361 (2005). In Jackson , the Court explained that when a federally-funded educational institution "retaliates against a person because he complains of sex discrimination, this constitutes intentional discrimination on the basis of sex, in violation of Title IX." Id. at 174, 125 S.Ct. 1497 (internal quotation marks omitted).

The Court, however, has never spelled out the specific elements of such a retaliation claim. Like our sister circuits, we thus apply familiar Title VII retaliation concepts to the requirements of a Title IX retaliation claim. See Preston v. Commonwealth of Va. ex rel. New River Cmty. Coll. , 31 F.3d 203, 207 (4th Cir. 1994) (recognizing that "Title VII, and the judicial

interpretations of it, provide a persuasive body of standards to which we may look in shaping the contours of a private right of action under Title IX"); see also Doe v. Mercy Catholic Med. Ctr. , 850 F.3d 545, 564 (3d Cir. 2017) ; Ollier v. Sweetwater Union High Sch. Dist. , 768 F.3d 843, 867 (9th Cir. 2014) ; Milligan v. Bd. of Tr. of S. Ill. Univ. , 686 F.3d 378, 388 (7th Cir. 2012) ; Papelino v. Albany Coll. of Pharmacy of Union Univ. , 633 F.3d 81, 91 (2d Cir. 2011). At the pleading stage, the plaintiffs are required to sufficiently allege two elements to state a Title IX retaliation claim.

First, they must allege that they engaged in protected activity under Title IX, and second, they must allege that - as a result of their protected activity - they suffered an adverse action attributable to the defendant educational institution. See Coleman v. Md. Court of Appeals , 626 F.3d 187, 191 (4th Cir. 2010) ; see also Vega v. Hempstead Union Free Sch.

Dist. , 801 F.3d 72, 90 (2d Cir. 2015) (recognizing, in the context of Title VII, that "for a retaliation claim to survive ... a motion to dismiss, the plaintiff must plausibly allege that: (1) defendants discriminated - or took an adverse employment action - against him, (2) because he has opposed any unlawful employment practice" (internal quotation marks omitted) ). To be actionable, the retaliatory conduct must be "materially adverse"; that is, it must suffice to "dissuade[ ] a reasonable [person] from making or supporting a charge of discrimination." Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. v.

White , 548 U.S. 53, 68, 126 S.Ct. 2405, 165 L.Ed.2d 345 (2006) (internal quotation marks omitted). We have recognized - in the Title VII context - that "retaliatory harassment" may constitute a materially adverse action. See Von Gunten v. Maryland , 243 F.3d 858, 865 (4th Cir. 2001), abrogated on other grounds by Burlington N. & Santa Fe. Ry. , 548 U.S. at 64, 126 S.Ct. 2405. A clear majority of our sister circuits have similarly held that retaliatory harassment, including coworker harassment, can rise to the level of material adversity. See Hawkins v.

Anheuser-Busch, Inc. , 517 F.3d 321, 345-47 (6th Cir. 2008) (collecting similar decisions of First, Second, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits). But see Hernandez v. Yellow Transp., Inc. , 670 F.3d 644, 657-58 (5th Cir. 2012) (ruling that coworker retaliatory harassment is not adverse employment action in Title VII context). 2. The University has not challenged the proposition that the plaintiffs engaged in protected activities under Title IX. Those protected activities included advocating against and reporting sexual harassment, plus filing the OCR complaint.

The University did, however, maintain that the plaintiffs failed to allege that UMW took any "retaliatory action" against them, and the district court agreed. See Feminist Majority Found. , 283 F.Supp.3d at 502. To the extent the retaliation claim relies on harassing and threatening Yaks directed at members of Feminists United after they engaged in protected activity, the court ruled that such student-on-student retaliatory harassment cannot legally be attributed to UMW. Id. at 502 n.14.

Insofar as the plaintiffs predicated their retaliation claim on President Hurley's June 2015 letter, the court deemed the letter not actionable because it "simply responded to the OCR complaint." Id. at 502. 3. On appeal, the plaintiffs contend that UMW can be liable for student-on-student harassment that is retaliatory in nature. Additionally, the plaintiffs maintain that President Hurley's June 2015 letter itself constitutes a materially adverse retaliatory action. We address those contentions in turn. a.

The district court ruled that the aspect of the retaliation claim predicated on student-on-student retaliatory harassment fails as a matter of law. We are compelled to disagree, in light of the principles enunciated by the Supreme Court in its Davis and Jackson decisions, along with our recognition that retaliatory harassment can be a materially adverse action. Applying those principles, we are satisfied that an educational institution can be liable for acting with deliberate indifference toward known instances of student-on-student retaliatory harassment.

Pursuant to Davis , however, the institution can only be liable for such retaliation if it "exercises substantial control over both the [student engaged in retaliatory harassment] and the context in which the known [retaliatory harassment] occurs."See 526 U.S. at 645, 119 S.Ct. 1661. The Complaint alleges that Feminists United members engaged in protected activity in three ways: (1) by advocating against "sex-based violence at UMW"; (2) by reporting instances of sexual harassment to the University; and (3) by filing the OCR complaint. See Complaint ¶¶ 68, 98.

The Complaint further alleges that, in response to those protected activities, other UMW students harassed and threatened them in a manner that would deter a reasonable person from "making or supporting a charge of [sex] discrimination." See Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. , 548 U.S. at 68, 126 S.Ct. 2405. The Complaint demonstrates that, after plaintiff McKinsey published her newspaper

article speaking out against sex discrimination at the University, her fellow UMW students harassed and threatened her on the newspaper website and on Yik Yak. In addition, members of the UMW men's rugby team confronted McKinsey in a manner that rendered her extremely unsettled. Shortly thereafter, in response to President Hurley's announcement that the men's rugby team would be suspended indefinitely, UMW students ramped up their harassing and threatening Yaks against the Feminists United members.

Some of the Yaks named specific members of Feminists United, and other Yaks revealed plaintiff McKinsey's locations on UMW's campus. As of March 2015, more than 700 harassing and threatening Yaks had been directed at Feminists United members. When the plaintiffs filed their OCR complaint two months later, they were subjected to another barrage of harassing and threatening Yaks. The Complaint specifies that those types of Yaks continued well into the summer of 2015. As the Complaint illustrates, Feminists United members promptly reported the foregoing retaliatory conduct to UMW on several occasions.

The Complaint alleges that UMW had the ability to control both the students who engaged in retaliatory harassment and the context in which that harassment occurred. See supra

Section III.A.3.a. The University took little or no action, however, to address and curtail the retaliatory activities. See supra

Section III.A.3.b. Instead, Dr. Cox actually asserted that the University had "no recourse" for the harassing and threatening behavior of UMW students. See Complaint ¶ 51. Because an educational institution can be liable under Title IX for its deliberate indifference to student-on-student retaliatory harassment, we are satisfied that the Complaint sufficiently alleges a retaliation claim against UMW. As UMW would have it, the retaliation claim merely restates and duplicates the sex discrimination claim.

That contention does not acknowledge, however, the propriety of pleading multiple or alternative claims based on the same facts. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(d)(2). And, in any event, the sex discrimination claim and the retaliation claim are not duplicative. Although both claims rely on student-on-student harassment that occurred after the plaintiffs engaged in protected activities, the sex discrimination claim differs from the retaliation claim because, to prove the latter, the plaintiffs must show a retaliatory motive. See, e.g. , Guessous v. Fairview Prop. Invs., LLC , 828 F.3d 208, 216 (4th Cir. 2016).

The University also argues on appeal that the retaliation claim seeks to hold UMW liable for its students' instantaneous retaliatory conduct, and the University contends that, practically speaking, it could not reasonably be expected to control such conduct. In that regard, we disagree with the University's characterization of the retaliation claim. The Complaint plainly faults UMW for its failure - over several months - to address and seek to eliminate retaliatory harassing conduct.

Furthermore, as explained in our analysis of the sex discrimination claim, the Complaint alleges UMW's control over the context and the harassers during that period of time. In other words, the retaliatory harassment engaged in by UMW students spanned a sufficient period for the University to have taken reasonable steps to address it. In sum, if an educational institution can be liable for student-on-student sexual harassment, see Davis , 526 U.S. at 646-47, 119 S.Ct. 1661, it can also be liable for student-on-student retaliatory harassment, see Doe v. Univ. of Tenn ., 186 F.Supp.3d 788, 811 (M.D. Tenn. 2016).

And that principle applies even though the institution's administrators did not personally participate in the harassment. See Doe , 186 F.Supp.3d at 811. Our conclusion comports with the Supreme Court's "repeated holdings construing ... Title IX broadly," see Jackson , 544 U.S. at 174, 125 S.Ct. 1497, as well as the Court's recognition that, for antidiscrimination laws to function effectively, retaliation victims must enjoy expansive legal protections, see Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. , 548 U.S. at 67, 126 S.Ct. 2405.

We are therefore satisfied that the district court erred in dismissing the retaliation claim, insofar as it is predicated on UMW's deliberate indifference to student-on-student retaliatory harassment. b. Turning to the part of the retaliation claim that is predicated on President Hurley's June 2015 letter, we observe that the letter was never filed in the district court. Consequently, that letter is not part of the record on appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 10(a) (providing that the record on appeal includes, inter alia, "the original papers and exhibits filed in the district court").

Additionally, although either party could have sought to correct or modify the record on appeal to include Hurley's letter, they have not done so. See Fed. R. App. P. 10(e)(2). In these circumstances, we are constrained to consider only the Complaint's description of the letter. With that caveat, we agree with the district court that President Hurley's letter - as described in the Complaint - does not constitute a materially adverse action that, in and of itself, can support the retaliation claim.

Put simply, an educational institution and its administrators are entitled to defend against accusations of discrimination. See Dixon v. Int'l Bhd. of Police Officers , 504 F.3d 73, 84 (1st Cir. 2007) ("[T]he person or entity accused of discrimination must be allowed to defend himself or itself."). Furthermore, an institution and its administrators can explain their denials of discrimination allegations without fear that those denials might create additional liability.

Although we acknowledge that "[t]here is an important difference between defending oneself ... and threatening, intimidating, or otherwise interfering with someone's right to pursue a discrimination claim," the Complaint does not sufficiently allege that Hurley's letter falls within the latter category. See id. ; cf. Suarez Corp. Indus. v.

McGraw , 202 F.3d 676, 687 (4th Cir. 2000) (recognizing, in context of First Amendment retaliation claim, that public official's retaliatory speech is actionable where speech constitutes "threat, coercion, or intimidation intimating that punishment, sanction, or adverse regulatory action will imminently follow"). According to the Complaint, three aspects of President Hurley's letter support a standalone retaliation claim.

First, the Complaint alleges that Hurley falsely asserted that the OCR complaint "drew a 'troubling' connection between [Grace] Mann's death and the Yik Yak threats despite Feminists United's and its counsel's public statements to the contrary." See Complaint ¶ 72. The Complaint acknowledges, however, that at least one member of Feminists United claimed that the Mann incident and the Yik Yak posts were related. Consequently, Hurley's assertion in his letter about Mann's death must be viewed as a permissible response to a student's effort to blame UMW for that terrible event.

Second, the Complaint faults President Hurley's letter for downplaying certain Yik Yak threats by emphasizing their use of "pop culture references." See Complaint ¶ 73. We agree with UMW, however, that this part of Hurley's letter sought to contextualize those Yaks and, in so doing, served as an assessment of actual danger on the UMW campus. School administrators are entitled to communicate freely with students and faculty regarding the existence and severity of potential safety risks on the school's campus without fear of creating future liability.

Third, the Complaint accuses President Hurley's letter of erroneously asserting that neither UMW nor its campus police had received reports of Yik Yak threats against Feminists United members. Hurley's assertion, however, amounts to little more than a denial of the allegations of discrimination made in the OCR complaint. That is, Hurley again sought to characterize the seriousness of the Yaks and explained his belief that no actual threats against particular students were reported to the University.

Even if Hurley's characterization of the Yaks was misguided, he was entitled to defend against the allegations of sex discrimination without running afoul of Title IX anti-retaliation principles. See Dixon , 504 F.3d at 84 (explaining that entity is permitted to defend itself against accusations of discrimination). In sum, as with any denial of a discrimination claim, President Hurley's response to the OCR complaint might have cast doubt on the veracity of that complaint and those who filed it.

The fact that a response to a discrimination complaint calls into question the credibility of the complainants, however, does not make the response a materially adverse retaliatory action. A person who charges an institution and its administrators with discrimination - particularly in a highly publicized way - should reasonably expect that the institution and its administrators may deny the claim in a publicized response.

We are therefore satisfied that, to the extent the Complaint alleges retaliation based solely on President Hurley's letter of June 2015, the claim fails because the letter alone does not constitute a materially adverse retaliatory action. See S.B. ex rel. A.L. , 819 F.3d at 78 n.7 (determining that certain alleged retaliatory actions were not materially adverse as matter of law). c. In these circumstances, we will vacate the dismissal of the retaliation claim insofar as it is premised on UMW's deliberate indifference to student-on-student retaliatory harassment.

We will affirm, however, the dismissal of the aspect of the retaliation claim that relies exclusively on President Hurley's June 2015 letter. We do not decide the probative value of Hurley's letter to the deliberate indifference part of the retaliation claim. We leave that issue for the remand proceedings. C. Finally, we turn to the equal protection claim pursued against President Hurley in his individual capacity under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, for his own deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment suffered by the plaintiff Feminists United members.

In dismissing the equal protection claim, the district court rejected the premise of the plaintiffs' sexual harassment theory, i.e., that deliberate indifference to student-on-student harassment contravenes the Equal Protection Clause. The court further ruled that - because "UMW did not act with deliberate indifference in response to the plaintiffs' complaints" - the sexual harassment theory fails on the merits alongside the Title IX sex discrimination claim. See Feminist Majority Found. , 283 F.Supp.3d at 502 n.15.

Alternatively, the court ruled that Hurley is entitled to qualified immunity against the equal protection claim on the ground that "the constitutional right that Hurley allegedly violated was not clearly established." Id. at 502. On appeal, the plaintiffs challenge the district court's award of qualified immunity to President Hurley and its related dismissal of the equal protection claim, contending that Hurley's deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment violated a clearly established constitutional right.

We begin our discussion of the equal protection claim by describing the qualified immunity standard. We then address whether that claim exists and whether the plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged it against Hurley. Lastly, we consider whether the constitutional right that Hurley allegedly contravened was clearly established at the time of his challenged conduct. 1.

We have explained that "[q]ualified immunity shields government officials performing discretionary functions" from personal liability for damages under § 1983, "insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known." Ridpath v. Bd. of Governors Marshall Univ. , 447 F.3d 292, 306 (4th Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks omitted).

Government officials "are entitled to qualified immunity under § 1983 unless (1) they violated a federal statutory or constitutional right, and (2) the unlawfulness of their conduct was clearly established at the time." District of Columbia v. Wesby , --- U.S. ----, 138 S.Ct. 577, 589, 199 L.Ed.2d 453 (2018) (internal quotation marks omitted). We retain discretion to address the separate qualified immunity inquiries in the order of our choosing. See Tolan v. Cotton , 572 U.S. 650, 134 S.Ct. 1861, 1866, 188 L.Ed.2d 895 (2014) ; see also Pearson v.

Callahan , 555 U.S. 223, 241, 129 S.Ct. 808, 172 L.Ed.2d 565 (2009) (relying, in part, on constitutional avoidance doctrine in concluding that court has discretion to first address clearly established prong (citing Ashwander v. Tenn. Valley Auth. , 297 U.S. 288, 347, 56 S.Ct. 466, 80 L.Ed. 688 (1936) (Brandeis, J., concurring) ) ). We acknowledge, however, that "it is often the better approach to determine first whether the plaintiff has alleged a deprivation of a constitutional right at all." E.W. ex rel. T.W. v. Dolgos , 884 F.3d 172, 178 (4th Cir. 2018) (internal quotation marks omitted).

Indeed, the Supreme Court has explained "that following the two-step sequence - defining constitutional rights and only then conferring immunity - is sometimes beneficial to clarify the legal standards governing public officials." Camreta v. Greene , 563 U.S. 692, 707, 131 S.Ct. 2020, 179 L.Ed.2d 1118 (2011). Thus, we first assess and decide whether there can be a constitutional claim for deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment and whether the plaintiffs have sufficiently pleaded such a claim. 2. a.

(1) The plaintiffs primarily rely on two decisions - one from the Supreme Court and one from our Court - in contending that President Hurley contravened their equal protection rights. First, the plaintiffs point to Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee , 555 U.S. 246, 129 S.Ct. 788, 172 L.Ed.2d 582 (2009). In Fitzgerald , the plaintiffs alleged both a Title IX sex discrimination claim and a § 1983 equal protection claim based on student-on-student sexual harassment.

The First Circuit had dismissed the Fitzgerald plaintiffs' equal protection claim on the premise that "Title IX [i]s the sole means of vindicating the constitutional right to be free from [sex] discrimination perpetrated by educational institutions." Id. at 251, 129 S.Ct. 788. The Supreme Court reversed the court of appeals and determined that a victim of sex discrimination by a government official at an educational institution can pursue a § 1983 equal protection claim.

The Court reasoned that the reach of Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause differ, observing that Title IX allows for lawsuits against only educational institutions and programs, but " § 1983 equal protection claims may be brought against individuals as well as municipalities and certain other state entities." Fitzgerald , 555 U.S. at 257, 129 S.Ct. 788. The Fitzgerald Court also recognized that "the standards for establishing liability" under Title IX and § 1983 are similar but not "wholly congruent." Id.

The Court elaborated that a "Title IX plaintiff can establish ... liability by showing that a single school administrator with authority to take corrective action responded to harassment with deliberate indifference"; in contrast, "[a] plaintiff stating a similar claim via § 1983 for violation of the Equal Protection Clause by a school district or other municipal entity must show that the harassment was the result of municipal custom, policy, or practice." Id. at 257-58, 129 S.Ct. 788.

In light of those distinctions, the Court held "that § 1983 suits based on the Equal Protection Clause remain available to plaintiffs alleging unconstitutional [sex] discrimination in schools." Id. at 258, 129 S.Ct. 788. The Fitzgerald Court did not address, however, whether a victim of student-on-student sexual harassment can pursue an equal protection claim against a school administrator based on his deliberate indifference to such harassment. See 555 U.S. at 259-60, 129 S.Ct. 788.

The Court had no occasion to decide that question because the Fitzgerald plaintiffs disclaimed any deliberate indifference theory of their equal protection claim in the Supreme Court. They instead argued the claim based on the sexually discriminatory manner in which school administrators investigated and responded to complaints of harassment. Because the inferior courts had not addressed the merits of the equal protection claim, the Supreme Court remanded. The second decision on which the plaintiffs rely for their equal protection claim is our 2007 en banc Jennings decision.

There, prior to the Supreme Court's Fitzgerald decision, we recognized that the Equal Protection Clause secures a university student's "right to be free from sexual harassment in an educational setting." Jennings , 482 F.3d at 701. Under Jennings , that right encompassed an equal protection claim against a university administrator predicated on a theory of supervisory liability.

The plaintiff in Jennings produced evidence that the university administrator had the "authority to take action against" a school coach who sexually harassed some of his players, but the administrator failed to do so and thereby allowed the harassment to continue. See 482 F.3d at 701. In vacating the

summary judgment award to the administrator, we explained that - on the plaintiff's evidence - a jury could find that the administrator "had actual knowledge of [the coach's] misconduct; that [the administrator's] response was so inadequate as to show deliberate indifference to or tacit authorization of [that misconduct]; and that there exists an affirmative causal link between [the administrator's] inaction and [the plaintiff's] constitutional injury." Id. at 701-02 (internal quotation marks omitted). We therefore ruled that the district court had erroneously awarded

summary judgment on the equal protection claim.

(2) Although the plaintiffs do not rely on any decisions from other circuits, we are aware that several of our sister courts of appeals have ruled - consistent with Jennings - "that sexual harassment in an educational setting can violate the [Equal Protection Clause], and that an administrator's ratification of that conduct could also violate [that] Clause." See T.E. v. Grindle , 599 F.3d 583, 588 (7th Cir. 2010) ; see also, e.g. , Stiles ex rel. D.S. v. Grainger Cty., Tenn. , 819 F.3d 834, 851-52 (6th Cir. 2016).

Because the issue was not presented therein, our Jennings decision did not decide whether a victim of student-on-student sexual harassment may pursue a constitutional claim against a school administrator who is deliberately indifferent to such harassment. But five other courts of appeals have concluded that a school official can be liable under the Equal Protection Clause for his deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment. See Stiles ex rel. D.S. , 819 F.3d at 851-52 (6th Cir.) ; Hill v. Cundiff , 797 F.3d 948, 978-79 (11th Cir. 2015) ; Flores v. Morgan Hill Unified Sch.

Dist. , 324 F.3d 1130, 1135-38 (9th Cir. 2003) ; Murrell , 186 F.3d at 1250 (10th Cir.) ; Nabozny v. Podlesny , 92 F.3d 446, 454 (7th Cir 1996).

(3) Our review of the foregoing authorities leads us to conclude that a victim of student-on-student sexual harassment can pursue an equal protection claim predicated on a school administrator's deliberate indifference to such harassment. This ruling is consistent with and compelled by the Supreme Court's Fitzgerald decision and the principles we enunciated in Jennings .

As our distinguished departed colleague Judge Michael carefully explained in Jennings , the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment secures a student's "right to be free from sexual harassment in an educational setting." See 482 F.3d at 701. Pursuant to Jennings , that Clause not only guards against sexual harassment perpetrated by a school administrator against students, it also protects students from a school administrator's deliberate indifference that allows such harassment to occur and persist.

See id. at 701-02 (sustaining causal link that supports liability arising from, inter alia, administrator's deliberate indifference). Although the equal protection claim in Jennings was premised on supervisory liability, there are compelling parallels between that claim and an equal protection claim premised on a school administrator's deliberate indifference to known student-on-student sexual harassment. In each circumstance, the school administrator has the power and opportunity to both address and rectify the sexual harassment.

And, in each situation, the administrator's failure to exercise that power can result in the harassment victim suffering further injury. Lastly, each scenario directly impacts a student's right to be free from sexual harassment in an educational setting. We are not alone in appreciating those parallels. When confronting a school administrator's deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment, our sister circuits have relied on the principle that a government official can be liable for a subordinate's sexually harassing behavior. See Hill , 797 F.3d at 978 ; Murrell , 186 F.3d at 1251.

We are persuaded by the logic of those and other decisions that recognize an equal protection claim predicated on a school administrator's deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment. See Stiles ex rel. D.S. , 819 F.3d at 851-52 ; Hill , 797 F.3d at 978-79 ; Flores , 324 F.3d at 1135-38 ; Murrell , 186 F.3d at 1250 ; Nabozny , 92 F.3d at 454. b. To state an equal protection claim for deliberate indifference to known student-on-student sexual harassment, a plaintiff must first allege that she "was subjected to discriminatory peer harassment." Stiles ex rel. D.S. , 819 F.3d at 852.

Secondly, the plaintiff must allege that the school administrator "responded to the discriminatory peer harassment with deliberate indifference, i.e. in a manner clearly unreasonable in light of known circumstances." Id. ; see also Flores , 324 F.3d at 1135 (same). In other words, the plaintiff must allege that the school administrator knew about harassment of the plaintiff "and acquiesced in that conduct by refusing to reasonably respond to it." Murrell , 186 F.3d at 1250 ; see also Hill , 797 F.3d at 978 (same).

Third, the plaintiff must allege that the school administrator's deliberate indifference was motivated by a discriminatory intent. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 676-77, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (explaining that, to allege equal protection claim based on supervisory liability, plaintiff must plausibly demonstrate supervisor's discriminatory purpose); Grindle , 599 F.3d at 588 ("Because there is no theory of respondeat superior for constitutional torts, a plaintiff must plead that each ... defendant has violated the Constitution.

In the equal protection context, this means showing that the supervisor ... intended to discriminate on the basis of a protected class." (citation and internal quotation marks omitted) ). Applying the foregoing legal principles to this situation, we are satisfied that - largely for the reasons set forth in our discussion of the Title IX sex discrimination claim - the plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged an equal protection claim against President Hurley. See Hill , 797 F.3d at 979 (referring to Title IX analysis in discussing equal protection claim); Williams ex rel. Hart v. Paint Valley Local Sch.

Dist. , 400 F.3d 360, 369 (6th Cir. 2005) (recognizing "substantial[ ]" similarity between standards for deliberate indifference claims under Title IX and § 1983 ). In sum, the Complaint alleges that UMW students harassed and threatened the plaintiffs based on their sex. The Complaint further alleges that Hurley responded to that harassment with deliberate indifference, in that he had the authority to address and curtail the harassment but failed to do so over a period of months. See Jennings , 482 F.3d at 701-02 (explaining that district court erred in awarding

summary judgment to university administrator who ignored students' complaints of subordinate's sexually harassing behavior, thereby allowing subordinate to engage in further sexual harassment of students); see also, e.g. , Flores , 324 F.3d at 1135-36 (concluding that plaintiffs sufficiently alleged equal protection claim against individual school employees who failed to locate or discipline student harassers).

Additionally, with respect to President Hurley's discriminatory intent, the Complaint alleges that he "ratified the 'right' of angry students to target female classmates with hateful, sexist, threatening harassment, free from any disciplinary consequences." See Complaint ¶ 93. Indeed, according to the Complaint, Hurley sought to downplay the harassment and threats, and he made no effort to stop them. Those allegations are sufficient to state the intent element of the equal protection claim.

See Grindle , 599 F.3d at 589 (concluding that jury could infer intent to discriminate from principal's failure to attempt to stop harassment and by her downplaying harassment). With the constitutional violation sufficiently alleged, we must turn to the other qualified immunity prong. That is, we analyze and decide whether the right to be free from a university administrator's deliberate indifference toward known student-on-student sexual harassment was clearly established at the time of President Hurley's conduct. 3. a.

In assessing a claim of qualified immunity - which President Hurley has interposed here - the Supreme Court has explained that "[a] clearly established right is one that is sufficiently clear that every reasonable official would have understood that what he is doing violates that right." Mullenix v. Luna , --- U.S. ----, 136 S.Ct. 305, 308, 193 L.Ed.2d 255 (2015) (internal quotation marks omitted).

To be clearly established, a legal principle "must be settled law, which means it is dictated by controlling authority or a robust consensus of cases of persuasive authority." Wesby , 138 S.Ct. at 589-90 (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Additionally, a clearly established legal principle is one that "clearly prohibit[s] the [official's] conduct in the particular circumstances before him." Wesby , 138 S.Ct. at 590 (internal quotation marks omitted). Nevertheless, a court need not have "previously found the specific conduct at issue to have violated an individual's rights." E.W. ex rel.

T.W. , 884 F.3d at 185. Indeed, a right may be clearly established if a previously identified general constitutional rule obviously applies to the disputed conduct. Id. Even under novel factual circumstances, a government official " 'can still be on notice that [his] conduct violates established law ...' so long as the law provided 'fair warning' that [his] conduct was unconstitutional." See Booker v. S.C. Dep't of Corr. , 855 F.3d 533, 538 (4th Cir. 2017) (quoting Hope v. Pelzer , 536 U.S. 730, 741, 122 S.Ct. 2508, 153 L.Ed.2d 666 (2002) ).

When performing the clearly established assessment, we first analyze "cases of controlling authority in this jurisdiction - that is, decisions of the Supreme Court, this court of appeals, and the highest court of the state in which the case arose." Booker , 855 F.3d at 538 (internal quotation marks omitted). If there is no controlling authority, "we may look to a consensus of cases of persuasive authority from other jurisdictions , if such exists." Id. at 538-39 (internal quotation marks omitted). b.

Although we recognize today that an equal protection claim can be predicated on a university administrator's deliberate indifference to student-on-student sexual harassment, we are also satisfied that President Hurley did not have fair warning that his conduct in this case gave rise to such a claim. We reach this conclusion because neither controlling authority nor a robust consensus of persuasive authority clearly established the pertinent right at the time of the wrongful conduct alleged in the Complaint.

(1) We first observe tha

[…]