A Brooklyn College Title IX lawyer can help you tell a Title IX matter apart from an ordinary conduct referral, then defend each stage with organized evidence and timely responses.
Brooklyn College runs Title IX compliance through its Office of Diversity and Equity in Boylan Hall, while general student behavior concerns sit with the Office of Judicial Affairs, also known as Student Conduct. That split matters: alleged Title IX or sexual misconduct violations are investigated by the college Title IX coordinator, not through the ordinary conduct track. If you received a notice of allegations, it should identify your track, and that notice plus the linked policy control your case. General hearing background is at how do Title IX hearings work.
Intake: Title IX coordinator versus Judicial Affairs
Anyone at Brooklyn College can bring a student behavior concern to the Office of Judicial Affairs through a Student Behavior Form, and that office handles alleged violations of the Henderson Rules and other college policies under CUNY Bylaws Article XV. Sexual misconduct reports route to the Title IX coordinator under the system-wide CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, and the college publishes its own Student Bill of Rights page restating the rights of students who experience sexual violence.
For the Title IX disciplinary track, the college needs a Title IX Formal Complaint. Without one the matter may be closed administratively until a complaint arrives. Once filed, both known parties receive written notice with the policy, the specific allegations, the presumption of non-responsibility, advisor rights, and the statement that the college bears the burden of proof. Notice must arrive at least five policy days before any initial interview unless you consent to less. Investigation basics are at title-ix-investigation.
A note on which rules apply. The posted CUNY procedures follow the 2020 federal Title IX framework, effective August 14, 2020. References found elsewhere to a 2024 federal rewrite are outdated because those rules were vacated, and a 2020-era rule barring reliance on statements never tested by cross-examination was revoked after a 2021 federal court ruling.
Day counts in this guide mean policy days. A policy day is a calendar day other than a Saturday, Sunday, or a federal or state holiday.
Investigation: the two ten-policy-day windows
The Title IX Coordinator investigates promptly, thoroughly, and impartially, interviews witnesses likely to hold relevant information and keeps the burden of proof on the college. You may submit evidence, propose fact and expert witnesses, and present inculpatory and exculpatory material. Treatment records stay out without your voluntary written consent. Preparation guidance is at after you have been accused.
Respondents get two written review periods. Before the report is finalized, both sides receive the directly related evidence and have ten policy days to answer in writing, which the coordinator must consider. The report then goes to both sides at least ten policy days before any hearing, with another ten-policy-day response period shared with the decision makers and the other party. The college aims to finish within 120 policy days of the formal complaint and must give written notice of delays with reasons. Brooklyn students seeking support can consult the campus survivor resources publication and the counseling and health services it lists, and both sides may request supportive measures such as schedule changes, housing adjustments, escorts, or counseling referrals at any point.
Hearing and advisor: how questioning works
Every Title IX Sexual Harassment matter that completes investigation proceeds to a live hearing before a three-member Adjudication Committee drawn from a CUNY-wide panel, with members barred from sitting on cases from their own campus. Hearings are closed, may run in person or virtually with simultaneous sight and sound, and should conclude within sixty policy days after the investigation. The hearing notice, sent to your address of record and CUNY email, gives the date, time, location, itemized allegations, and possible penalties at least seven policy days ahead. Each side may take one adjournment without giving a reason, with further requests decided by the chair at least five policy days before the hearing. Hearing mechanics are covered at title-ix-disciplinary-hearings.
Questioning belongs to advisors. You may bring any advisor, attorney or not, with five policy days notice of counsel name and contact details for attorney appearances. Only advisors cross-examine, and the college must supply an advisor for that role if you arrive without one. The chair decides relevance before each answer and explains any exclusion. The preponderance standard applies, and you may remain silent without an adverse assumption. Advisor strategy is at title-ix-advisor.
Sanctions and appeal
A responsibility finding moves the same hearing into a penalty phase, where the parties and the college may offer character evidence, prior CUNY disciplinary records, and impact statements. Student sanctions range from a warning up to suspension or expulsion from CUNY, and a suspension of one term or more, or an expulsion, bars the respondent from every other CUNY unit while it runs. Transcript notation can attach to suspension or expulsion findings, with removal available on request after defined periods, so pin down the exact notation language before the hearing closes.
The written determination goes to both parties simultaneously within fifteen policy days after the hearing, or twenty policy days in multi-party cases. Either side may appeal responsibility or penalty for procedural irregularity, new and previously unavailable evidence, conflict or bias, or disproportionate penalty. The Notice of Appeal is due to the University Title IX Director within fifteen policy days after the determination arrives, the full written appeal within fifteen policy days after receiving the hearing recording, with fifteen policy days for the other side to respond and fifteen more for the Appeal Committee to decide. Appeal planning is covered at title-ix-appeals.
Respondent checklist for Brooklyn College students
- Sort your notice on day one into the Title IX track or the Judicial Affairs track and confirm it in writing.
- Save the formal complaint, the notice of allegations, and every scheduling email in one file.
- Preserve messages, photos, location history, and receipts, and name witnesses with what each one observed.
- Avoid contact with the other party and follow any No Contact Order to the letter.
- Select an advisor before the first interview and give five policy days notice if counsel will appear.
- Answer both ten-policy-day evidence windows in writing with citations to the record.
Speak with a Brooklyn College Title IX lawyer
Brooklyn College cases turn on getting into the right track early, meeting the two evidence windows, and preparing advisor-led questioning for a closed hearing. Contact us to discuss your notice and what comes next.
FAQ
Who investigates a Title IX report at Brooklyn College?
The campus Title IX coordinator in the Office of Diversity and Equity. General behavior concerns go to Judicial Affairs, also called Student Conduct.
Must there be a formal complaint?
For Title IX discipline, yes. Without one the matter may rest until a formal complaint is submitted.
Can I bring a lawyer?
Any advisor of choice may attend every stage, and only advisors cross-examine at the hearing. Give five policy days notice before appearing with an attorney, and the college provides an advisor for cross-examination if you have none.
What standard applies?
Preponderance of the evidence, with the burden of proof and evidence gathering on the college and a presumption of non-responsibility until the end.
What sanctions are possible?
From a warning through suspension or expulsion from CUNY, with possible transcript notation and a university-wide attendance bar during longer suspensions or expulsions.
How do appeals work?
Notice of Appeal to the University Title IX Director within fifteen policy days after the determination, then the full appeal within fifteen policy days after receiving the recording.
Sources (checked 2026-09-22)
- CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct: formal complaint, investigation, hearing, sanctions, appeal
- CUNY Combating Sexual Misconduct Title IX hub: campus contacts, policy links, resources
- Brooklyn College Office of Diversity and Equity: Title IX coordinator role, policy and training links
- Brooklyn College Student Bill of Rights: student rights in sexual violence matters
- Brooklyn College student conduct overview: Judicial Affairs role, behavior form, Title IX routing, Article XV
- Brooklyn College survivor resources publication: counseling, support, and reporting resources
Disclaimer
This page is general information only, not legal advice, and reading it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Brooklyn College or the City University of New York. Policies change; confirm the current procedure text before acting.
