If you are a student looking for a Massachusetts Title IX lawyer, this page lists the school guides on this site for Massachusetts universities: Bridgewater State, Salem State, and the UMass campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell. Each university runs its own process under its own policy, and the written notice you receive controls your case.
How Massachusetts universities handle Title IX cases
Bridgewater State and Salem State share one document for covered sexual harassment: the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy used across the Massachusetts state universities. Its cover lists nine campuses, including both schools. The policy carries an August 14, 2020 effective date, a September 23, 2021 revision, and a January 9, 2025 reinstatement date. A February 19, 2025 notice says this policy governs where it conflicts with the Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, and Title IX Plan effective August 1, 2024.
The four UMass guides each follow their own campus procedure, and the campuses differ. UMass Amherst returned in January 2025 to its 2020 Title IX Policy and Grievance Procedures and handles other sex-based matters under a separate policy. UMass Boston and UMass Lowell each apply their Title IX grievance procedure only to complaints that meet the federal Title IX definition and send other matters to other campus procedures. UMass Dartmouth’s Title IX Grievance Procedure cites both the federal Title IX regulations and Massachusetts law, M.G.L. c. 6 sections 168D and 168E. The Dartmouth guide uses Dartmouth pages only and warns not to assume another UMass campus’s procedure applies.
Appeal windows are where the differences show most. Across these six schools, the filing window runs from five calendar days to ten business days, and the starting event differs too. The list below gives each window as the school’s document states it.
Massachusetts university guides
- Bridgewater State University: covers the shared Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy and its mix of calendar-day and business-day deadlines. The policy gives either side ten calendar days to appeal a determination or dismissal, on three grounds.
- Salem State University: covers the same shared policy and how it relates to the August 2024 plan. The policy gives ten calendar days from receiving a determination or dismissal to appeal.
- UMass Amherst: covers the restored 2020 Title IX Policy and Grievance Procedures and the separate track for other matters. The procedures call for a signed appeal letter within ten business days of receiving the dismissal or determination letter.
- UMass Boston: covers the campus Title IX Grievance Procedure run by the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. The procedure gives ten calendar days from receiving the decision to appeal, extendable for good cause.
- UMass Dartmouth: covers the Dartmouth Title IX Grievance Procedure and its three-officer hearing panel. The procedure gives five calendar days from the decision to file a written, signed appeal.
- UMass Lowell: covers the Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedure and which campus office handles a case. The procedure gives ten calendar days from the determination to file a signed, written appeal.
Common questions
Do all Massachusetts public universities follow the same policy?
No. Bridgewater State and Salem State share the state universities’ Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy, but each UMass campus in these guides follows its own procedure.
Is the appeal deadline the same everywhere?
No. UMass Dartmouth’s procedure allows five calendar days, UMass Amherst’s allows ten business days, and the others in these guides allow ten calendar days. Some count from the decision and some from when you receive it, so use the deadline in your own letter.
What should I check first in my notice?
Check which policy or procedure it names, whether your case is on the Title IX track or another campus track, and the date the decision or notice was issued or received.
Talk to a Massachusetts Title IX lawyer
If you have received a notice and want to talk it through with a lawyer, you can reach us through our contact page.
Disclaimer
This page is general information only and is not legal advice. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bridgewater State University, Salem State University, the University of Massachusetts, or any other university named here. Reading this page or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. University policies and procedures change. The notice you receive and the policy version it names control your case, so check your notice.
