This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by California State University, San Bernardino, its Office of Civil Rights & Title IX (OCRTIX), or the CSU system. It is general educational content, not legal advice, and it does not describe any actual case or outcome.
If you are a CSUSB student searching for a CSUSB Title IX lawyer after receiving a written notice about a sexual-misconduct or sex-discrimination complaint, the information below can help you understand the general shape of the process. It cannot substitute for reading your own notice or for confirming the applicable rules with OCRTIX or with your own attorney.
Start With the Written Notice, Not With Assumptions
CSUSB’s own Respondent Resource Guide tells students that the written notice is what identifies the applicable track, the specific allegations, the policy provisions at issue, and the procedure that governs the matter. A Notice of Allegations points to what the guide calls Track 1, the federally mandated hearing path. A Notice of Investigation points to Track 2 or Track 3, which the guide distinguishes as a hearing path and a non-hearing path.
This matters because CSUSB and the CSU system currently maintain more than one version of the governing policy and procedure online, and the applicability dates referenced across campus and system pages do not fully align. The CSU policy index references conduct occurring on or after August 1, 2024, while the CSUSB discrimination, harassment, and retaliation complaint page references conduct on or after March 4, 2025. The guide itself and other campus pages link to more than one PolicyStat document ID.
Because of this, no general web page, including this one, can safely tell you which specific policy text or deadline language applies to your matter. Which version applies depends on the date of the alleged incident and the date the complaint was filed, and your written notice should name the policy and procedure that apply to you. Read the actual written notice and ask OCRTIX to confirm the operative policy version and track. Treat dates or clocks mentioned in general campus materials as background until that is confirmed.
Report Versus Formal Complaint
The current CSUSB nondiscrimination policy FAQ draws a distinction between an initial report and a formal complaint. A report is information that reaches the university about possible misconduct. A formal complaint requests an investigation and determination under the Nondiscrimination Policy; the notice and operative procedure determine which route applies. The FAQ also notes that supportive measures may be available to either party, regardless of which side of that line a matter is on.
If you are unsure whether you are responding to a report, an inquiry, or a formal complaint with an assigned track, that is a fair and important question to ask OCRTIX directly, and it is one your advisor or attorney can help you frame.
What the Notice Is Not
The August 2026 guide is direct on this point: receiving a notice is not a finding of responsibility. It also outlines several things a respondent may do at this stage, described as general options rather than guarantees for any individual case:
- Preserve relevant records, messages, and other evidence
- Choose an advisor to accompany and assist you through the process
- Request supportive measures
- Raise disability or other accommodation needs
- Ask to review the evidence gathered and any preliminary investigative report
The guide states that using a lawyer as an advisor is not required. Many students still choose to involve one, particularly once the allegations, evidence, or possible sanctions are serious.
Early Steps Worth Taking Promptly
Based on the guide’s own framing, a few practical steps are worth doing early, without waiting:
- Read the entire notice. Identify the alleged conduct, the incident date, the named policy provisions, and which track (1, 2, or 3) the notice indicates.
- Follow any no-contact directive exactly as written. Do not contact the reporting party, directly or through others, even to "clear things up."
- Preserve anything relevant. Texts, emails, class records, key-card logs, and social media content can matter later and are easier to lose than to find again.
- Ask OCRTIX about supportive measures. These can include changes to housing, class schedules, or contact restrictions while the matter is pending.
- Choose an advisor early. Whether that advisor is an attorney, a campus-provided advisor, or someone else, having that person in place before your first substantive meeting is generally better than adding them later.
- Ask for clarification on the process if anything in the notice is unclear. This is a legitimate and expected question, not an admission of anything.
None of this should be read as legal advice about what to do in your specific matter. It reflects general options described in CSUSB’s own guide.
Investigation and Evidence Review
The guide indicates that a respondent may review the evidence gathered during the investigation and, at some point in the process, a preliminary investigative report. Exactly when and how that review happens depends on which track applies and on the operative procedure text for your notice, which is part of what remains unresolved across the campus and system pages cited above. Compare your notice with the operative procedure and ask OCRTIX to confirm the timing and format of that review in writing.
Advisor and Hearing Process
The guide distinguishes Track 1 as the federally mandated hearing path, Track 2 as a different hearing path that generally applies to student respondents outside Track 1, and Track 3 as a non-hearing path for other covered matters. The current system student procedure says that, outside Track 1, a hearing is required for complaints involving sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking, and is not required for other discrimination, harassment, or retaliation complaints. Which one applies depends on how the Title IX Coordinator classifies the allegations under the current system procedure, not on anything a respondent chooses. Confirm the track named in your notice.
Whichever track applies, you may bring an advisor. That advisor’s role, and whether they may speak during any hearing, is defined by the applicable procedure and by the notice itself.
Supportive Measures
Supportive measures are non-punitive accommodations that may be available while a matter is pending, to either the reporting party or the respondent. Examples described in campus materials include adjustments to contact, housing, or academic scheduling. Availability depends on individual circumstances and is decided by the campus, not guaranteed by this page.
Appeals
The current system procedure includes appeal provisions, described in materials as Addendum B, along with separate rules for Track 1 hearings and appeals. These are separate mechanisms with filing windows measured in Working Days, but the trigger event for each window differs from track to track, and which version of the procedure applies to your matter remains part of an unresolved discrepancy across current CSUSB and CSU policy sources. Because of that, this page will not state a specific number of days for any appeal deadline. If you receive an outcome letter, read it promptly and ask OCRTIX to confirm the applicable appeal window, trigger and policy version in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every CSUSB student respondent get a hearing?
Do not assume the answer from a general guide. The guide describes Track 1 and Track 2 as hearing paths, with Track 2 generally applying to student respondents outside Track 1. Track 3 is a non-hearing path for other covered matters. The current system student procedure requires a hearing outside Track 1 only for complaints involving sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking. Your notice and the applicable procedure identify your track.
Do I need a lawyer to respond to a Title IX notice at CSUSB?
The campus guide states that a lawyer is not required. Some students still retain one, especially where the allegations are serious or the process is unfamiliar.
What is the difference between a report and a formal complaint?
A report is information reaching the university about possible misconduct. A formal complaint requests an investigation and determination under the Nondiscrimination Policy. The current campus FAQ addresses the distinction, and your notice identifies the route assigned to you.
Can I get supportive measures even if I’m the respondent?
Campus materials indicate supportive measures may be available to either party. Availability and scope depend on individual circumstances and campus decision-making.
Is the notice itself a finding that I did something wrong?
No. The campus guide states directly that the notice is not a finding of responsibility.
How do I know which appeal deadline applies to my case?
Appeal windows start from different trigger events depending on the track, and current CSUSB/CSU sources do not fully agree on the applicable version. Read your outcome letter and obtain written confirmation of the controlling rule and deadline from OCRTIX.
Disclaimer
This page is general educational information about publicly available CSUSB and CSU materials. It is not legal advice, it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by California State University, San Bernardino or the CSU system. Policy versions, links, and applicability dates referenced in official campus and system sources currently conflict in ways that are not resolved here. Always confirm the operative policy, procedure, and deadlines that apply to your specific written notice directly with OCRTIX or with your own attorney.
Sources
- CSUSB Office of Civil Rights & Title IX
- CSUSB Respondent Resource Guide, August 2026 (PDF)
- CSUSB Complaint Process
- CSUSB Nondiscrimination Policy FAQ
- CSUSB Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Complaint Page
- CSUSB Reporting Options
- CSU Policy Index (Systemwide)
- CSU Nondiscrimination Policy, PolicyStat ID 17647883
- CSU Student Respondent Procedure, PolicyStat ID 17650729
- CSUSB Academic Regulations
