A former college student is suing her school over claims she was n't allowed to audition for the dance team because of her weight . Phylise Davis-Bowens , who attended Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach , Florida , for their 'transformative leadership ' program at the age of 37 , launched a lawsuit after she alleged she was not allowed to try out for the 14 Karat Gold dancers . Mrs Davis-Bowens , a substitute public school teacher in Miami who married last Valentine 's Day , told Daily Mail Online on Monday that she was discriminated against because of her weight and missed out on part of the academic experience . Phylise Davis-Bowens , 42 , who attended Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach , Florida , is suing her former college because she was not allowed to try out for the 14 Karat Gold dancers in 2009 . The 14 Karat Gold dancers are regular performers at sporting events related to the Florida university . The student , who had been dancing since the age of 16 , had wanted to join the dance troupe to use her performance work as part of her thesis in 2009 . Band director Donovan Wells told her she could try out for the team if she lost 20lb , she said . Mrs Davis-Bowens went on to lose 16lb in one month in order to try out but was still denied an audition for the dance troupe . After around a year , she had lost a total of 60lb . She told Daily Mail Online : ' I wanted to join because of my talent but the coach said I did n't have the body type . But to me , I have two arms and two legs which is what I needed . ' The weight discrimination is of particular importance to Mrs Davis-Bowens because she lost her sister at the age of 37 to a gastric bypass because she was obese and felt under pressure to quickly lose weight . The 42-year-old said she also has ongoing health issues from losing weight quickly . According to their Facebook page , the 14 Karat Gold dancers are made up of college students who perform alongside the Marching Wildcats during college sporting events . In a statement to Daily Mail Online on Monday , a university spokeswoman said : 'Bethune-Cookman University was made aware today that a complaint was filed . 'We are currently investigating this matter . B-CU is an equal opportunity institution and encourage all students to be actively involved in our campus extracurricular offerings . ' Ms Davis-Bowens ' lawyer , David Glasser , told Daily Mail Online on Monday that his client had brought the lawsuit to make a point about discrimination and was seeking unspecified damages in district court which can award more than $ 15,000 . The 42-year-old graduated from the college in 2011 and went on to teach in the Miami-Dade public school district . She also claimed that the school did not allow her to attend the graduation ceremony and sent her diploma in the mail . The 42-year-old woman ( left ) said she lost 16lb in a month to try out for the dance troupe but was still denied an audition . She went on to lose 60lb in a year . Mrs Davis-Bowens was seeking unspecified damages after being barred from college dance troupe auditions in 2009 at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach .
Phylise Davis-Bowens , 42 , who attended Bethune-Cookman University in Florida , Daytona Beach has launched a lawsuit . She claims that she lost 16lb to try out for the dance troupe and was still not allowed by the band director after joining the college in 2009 . She is seeking unspecified damages from the college .