Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan mocks university for donation request amid federal funding pause

Former University of Pennsylvania women's swimmer and conservative influencer Paula Scanlan is never in a giving mood when it comes to her alma mater, but she was in a joking mood when the university coincidentally came asking for a donation on the same day the Trump administration paused $175 million in its federal funding. 

Scanlan, who was one of the female UPenn swimmers forced to share a pool and locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2021-22 season, told Fox News Digital she often gets requests from the university call center for donations. 

By chance, she just so happened to get one on Wednesday, hours after the funding pause was announced. 

"They always call me, and they call all alums… obviously, I'm not interested in donating any money. I don't think I would ever even consider that until I am given an apology about being forced to undress in front of a man in the locker room three times a week.

"But, ironically, yesterday evening was one of the times they chose to call me to ask for a donation… they're always calling me asking, always asking for money and [Wednesday] was one of the times they chose to do that, which I thought was really funny considering the announcement." 

Scanlan added that the last time she received a request from UPenn for a donation was in February via email. 

"This is not a new thing, but I'm sure they're pressing for cash and that's definitely something they're trying to do." 

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However, Scanlan wants more than just an apology in order for her alma mater to ever have a chance at earning her donation. 

"University of Pennsylvania has 150 plus unique things that you can major in, I think that we are looking at mass departments that are completely useless degrees. Students are taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to major in useless things like gender studies and I think that we need to see them get rid of that," Scanlan said. 

"This is not unique to the University of Pennsylvania and that's something I would want to see before I'd ever consider donating, not just to my university, but any university across this country." 

Scanlan has been one of the most outspoken critics of UPenn for its decision to roster Thomas on the women's team dating back to the trans athlete's women's debut season in 2021-22. 

Scanlan, a sexual assault survivor, offered anonymous insights to news reports about the emotional impact that Thomas' presence on the team had on her and other teammates. Then in July 2023, Scanlan openly testified alongside Riley Gaines to members of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. 

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Now, three years after the college swimming season that changed her life, she is seeing the institution that put her through that experience pay a hefty financial penalty. 

Still, it is not as big of a price as she would like to see it pay. 

"I think that it's obviously a good thing, it's a good message to send," Scanlan said. "But it's only going to make a small difference and I think what they're probably going to do with the funding cut is probably fire a couple administrators, it's not going to make overhead change to these departments, to the types of professors they're hiring, to the ideology they're teaching. 

"I hope that we continue to see people crack down on these kind of campuses and I hope to see reform, but again, this is only a small first step."

The news of the funding pause has prompted more celebratory responses from some of Scanlan's former teammates, but they share her belief that further steps must be taken. Former UPenn swimmer Grace Estabrook told Fox News Digital she wants to see all of Thomas' and other trans athletes' records and accolades in the women's category be revoked. 

"I am grateful that the administration is recognizing federal violations and taking action, but we still need these institutions to be held fully accountable. This means clear policy changes, the prior records, awards, and recognitions to go back to the women who deserve them, and the institutions who facilitated sexual harassment and our suffering to be fully aware of the wrongs that they have done and the pain they have caused," Estabrook said. 

Estabrook is part of a lawsuit alongside her and Scanlan's other former UPenn teammates, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, seeking to have Thomas' records scrubbed. 

Kaczorowski and Holmquist provided a joint statement to Fox News Digital via the Independent Council for Women's Sports praising the Trump administration for the funding pause as well. 

"We are so glad that Universities are beginning to see that there is a cost to openly harming female students on their campuses and we hope the pressure only increases. Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women," the statement read. 

"They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes. Every woman on a college campus and under NCAA regulations should be assured of Title IX protections. Institutions that disregard the well-being of women have to understand they don’t get to rewrite or ignore federal protections that women rely on."

Fox News Digital has reached out to UPenn for comment. 

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