CSUN Title IX Lawyer: California State University, Northridge Defense

If you are a CSUN student, or the parent of one, and the campus Title IX or civil rights office has just contacted you about a complaint, this page is for you. It is written for students accused of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, dating or domestic violence, stalking, or other discrimination, harassment or retaliation (called respondents). It covers what is specific to CSUN for anyone looking for a CSUN Title IX lawyer or simply trying to understand the campus process. The systemwide CSU process is explained on the CSU Title IX lawyer page. The CSUN facts here come from official CSUN web pages read on October 3, 2026, and those pages can change.

The CSUN Offices That Handle These Complaints

Office of Equity and Compliance (OEC)

The campus office is the Office of Equity and Compliance, called OEC (one CSUN page abbreviates it E&C). One catalog passage refers to a Title IX Office. OEC’s website lists it at Campus Store Complex, Room 220. The CSUN catalog still lists an older location in Valera Hall, so use the OEC website’s location.

The Assistant Vice President of the office is the campus Title IX Coordinator/DHR Administrator. OEC says it reviews matters concerning discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on a protected status. It says it is neutral: “We do not represent or advocate on behalf of any party.” The sources do not describe OEC as a confidential office. They describe confidential resources as separate from OEC and not required to report to it.

Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development (OSCED)

OSCED sits in the Division of Student Affairs (Valera Hall). It runs the CSU Student Conduct Process, which is the process for general student conduct cases. OSCED’s page lists the Office of Equity and Compliance among the sources of reports it receives. The sources do not say exactly when an OEC matter is sent to OSCED. They do say that a student found responsible under the Nondiscrimination Policy is disciplined under the student conduct procedures.

How a Matter Starts at CSUN

Reporting routes

CSUN pages say any person may report, whether or not that person experienced the conduct. A report can go to OEC online, in person, by phone, by email or by mail. It can also go to the campus police department (Department of Police Services), which shares the information with OEC so that OEC can contact the reporting party. Campus Care Advocates take confidential reports from people who experienced the conduct. Employees classified as responsible employees must report what they know or should know to OEC.

What OEC says happens next

OEC’s process page says its Program Case Manager and Intake Specialist Team first reaches out to the impacted party to schedule an intake interview. OEC then decides whether a formal complaint will be accepted for investigation. If it opens an investigation, OEC holds an initial intake interview with the respondent. An investigator is assigned and meets with the complainant, the respondent and any witnesses, and collects evidence.

After the investigation, the parties receive a report to review, then a Final Investigation Report. Depending on the conduct, a hearing may follow. If no hearing is required, OEC notifies the parties of the results. CSUN’s pages use two names for the first report. The process page calls it a Preliminary Investigation Report and the Reporting Options page calls it a Summary of Evidence.

What a respondent is told

The sources say little about the timing of notice to a respondent. A passage on OEC’s Title IX page says the respondent is notified of the allegations after OEC understands the nature and scope of the complaint. The same passage says “Respondents are provided with enough information about the allegations to allow them a fair opportunity to respond” and that the level of detail varies. Your own notice, not a general web page, tells you what you are charged with and what your dates are.

OEC’s Title IX page also says a support person may come to meetings with the Investigator. OEC asks to be told in advance. The CSUN catalog adds that during an investigation the university may put interim measures in place. It lists immediate interim suspension, a required move from university housing, schedule changes and no-contact limits as examples.

CSUN Documents and Where Older Wording Remains

• OEC posts flowcharts of its complaint and resolution processes, including an Acceptance of Responsibility flowchart.
• OEC’s Title IX page links annual reports from 2014-2015 through 2021-2022. Its home page mentions a 2023-2024 Report Dashboard.
• OEC pages refer to the Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy but show no effective dates for it. The catalog refers to the Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy-Student Respondent Procedure (or any successor procedure) and to the Student Conduct Procedures.
• OEC’s Title IX page still uses the term Interim Measures. It says Complainants may appeal depending on how a formal complaint was filed. The current CSU Addendum B rules on who may appeal control, and they are different (see the summary below).
• The catalog lists OEC in Valera Hall, Room 285, which differs from the OEC website.

The CSUN catalog links PolicyStat 8453518 for the CSU student conduct procedures, an older number that now redirects to the current CSU Student Conduct Process (checked October 3, 2026). If a campus page, or a document you receive, cites an older CSU policy name or link, the notice you received and the current CSU documents control.

Rules That Belong to Which Kind of CSUN Case

General student conduct cases (OSCED)

These points come from OSCED’s Student Conduct Process page. They are for general conduct cases.

• For a less serious matter, OSCED may issue a written admonishment with a reflection essay. If the essay is not done by the assigned date, a hold goes on enrollment.
• More serious matters go to a conduct conference. Missing a conference has consequences: “a disciplinary hold will be placed on your enrollment activity”, and the university may schedule a formal hearing without you. The conference is not recorded.
• A student may ask in writing, five days in advance, to bring an advisor of their choosing or to have the university provide one. The page says “The advisor is limited in their role and may support you but not speak on your behalf.”
• If the student disputes the evidence, a hearing officer presides and recommends an outcome to the vice president of Student Affairs. The officer reports within 10 working days after the hearing, and the vice president sends the final notice.
• OSCED’s page does not say whether the advisor may be an attorney. It lists legal resources among the supports a student may seek.

Nondiscrimination Policy cases (OEC)

The OSCED conference and hearing steps above are not the OEC investigation steps. For complaints under the Nondiscrimination Policy, the CSU Procedures allow one Advisor of your choice, who may be an attorney. That Advisor may observe and consult but may not answer questions about the investigation for you. In a Track 2 hearing, a Hearing Officer asks all questions. In a Track 1 hearing, each party must have a hearing advisor, and the campus provides one if a party has none. Sanctions in these cases come from the CSU Student Conduct Process. Whether OSCED’s five-day written request applies to your case is not stated in the sources, so check your notice.

Support for Respondents at CSUN

OEC’s home page has a Respondent Resources section for people named as a respondent. It says “All listed resources are confidential.” The home page text does not name them, so open that section to see the current list. The page also points to the Intake and Case Management Team for questions about the process.

OSCED’s page suggests that students seek support from parents or guardians, family, friends, a counselor, a faculty member or legal resources. It names University Counseling Services for emotional well-being but does not say whether that service is confidential. It also says to read every notice and attend required meetings. It adds that students can contact OSCED by email for guidance.

Campus Care Advocates (Klotz Student Health Center) are a confidential resource for people who experienced the conduct, meaning the complainant side. They are not listed as a respondent service. The Victim Rights and Options materials on OEC’s site are also for complainants.

The CSU Process in Brief

The Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy applies to alleged misconduct on or after August 1, 2024, and the Student Respondent Procedures apply to complaints filed on or after March 4, 2025, so your notice and its dates control which version governs you. The opening notice is a Notice of Investigation, except in Track 1, where it is a notice of allegations that must reach you at least 5 Working Days before an interview. Track 1 covers conduct that meets the Policy’s Title IX definition of Sexual Harassment, occurred in the United States and occurred in a university education program or activity, and it uses a live hearing. Track 2 covers sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation and stalking when Track 1 does not apply, and it also requires a live hearing. Track 3 covers other discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints, has no hearing, and ends with the investigator’s final determination in a Notice of Investigation Outcome. The parties get 10 Working Days to review the evidence with the preliminary investigation report (at least 10 in Track 1), and the standard of proof is preponderance of the evidence. An appeal goes to the Civil Rights Appeals Unit at the CSU Chancellor’s Office within 10 Working Days after the Notice of Investigation Outcome or Final Decision (Track 1: after the date of the decision letter), and Working Days means Monday through Friday, not counting official holidays and campus closures. Either party may appeal in sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking complaints, but only the non-prevailing party may appeal in discrimination, harassment, prohibited consensual relationship or retaliation complaints. For the full process, see our CSU Title IX lawyer page.

Related pages: California Title IX defense attorney, Los Angeles Title IX lawyer and Title IX investigation guide.

Official CSUN Title IX Resources

• CSUN Office of Equity and Compliance
• CSUN Reporting, Complaint, and Resolution Processes
• CSUN Student Conduct Process (OSCED)
• CSUN Catalog: Nondiscrimination Policy and Complaint Procedures
• Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy (with Track 1 attachment)
• Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy: Student Respondent Procedures (with Addenda A and B)

Last verified: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions About CSUN Title IX Cases

Which CSUN office will contact me?

For a Title IX or discrimination complaint it is usually the Office of Equity and Compliance. If the matter is a general student conduct case, the letter may come from the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development. Read the sender and the policy named in your notice, because that tells you which process you are in.

Is the Office of Equity and Compliance confidential?

The sources do not describe it as confidential. OEC describes itself as neutral and says it does not represent or advocate for any party. Its home page says the resources listed for respondents are confidential, so ask which of those resources fits your situation if you want support that stays private.

Can a lawyer be my advisor at CSUN?

In Nondiscrimination Policy cases, the CSU Procedures allow one Advisor of your choice, who may be an attorney. The Advisor may observe and consult but may not answer questions about the investigation for you. OSCED’s general conduct page says you may ask for an advisor of your choosing but does not say whether that may be an attorney.

Is there free advisor or respondent support at CSUN?

OSCED’s page says you may ask in writing for the university to provide an advisor in a general conduct case. In a Track 1 hearing the campus provides a hearing advisor if you have none. The sources do not name a free advisor program for OEC investigations, so look at OEC’s Respondent Resources section and ask the intake team.

What if I miss a meeting, or a hold is placed on me?

OSCED’s page says missing a conduct conference leads to a disciplinary hold on enrollment and a possible hearing without you. It also says a hold follows if an admonishment essay is not completed. The CSUN sources do not say what withdrawing from the university would do, so ask the office that sent your notice before you decide anything.

How long do I have to appeal?

Under the CSU appeal rules, you have 10 Working Days after the Notice of Investigation Outcome or Final Decision (Track 1: after the date of the decision letter). The appeal goes to the Civil Rights Appeals Unit at the CSU Chancellor’s Office. Whether you can appeal depends on the type of complaint, so check the notice you receive with the outcome.