SFSU Title IX Lawyer: San Francisco State University Defense

This page is for San Francisco State University (SFSU) students, and their parents, who have been contacted by the campus Title IX or civil rights office about a report of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, dating or domestic violence, stalking, or other discrimination, harassment or retaliation. If you are looking for an SFSU Title IX lawyer, this page covers what is specific to this campus. The process that applies across all CSU campuses is explained on the CSU Title IX lawyer page, and a short summary is below. This page is based on SFSU web pages captured on October 4, 2026, and campus pages can change.

The Offices at SFSU That Handle These Matters

Office for Civil Rights and Title IX

The campus office is the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX (the campus support page abbreviates it OCRTIX). Its About Us page places it on the second floor of the Student Services Building. A Dean of Students page gives a different suite, so use the location in your notice.

The Policy and Procedures page says the office receives reports and complaints of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and related retaliation. It also says the office provides for the prompt resolution of prohibited conduct that may violate the Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy. The About Us page says the Title IX Coordinator administers that Policy. It gives the Coordinator’s title as Associate Vice President in one place and as Assistant Vice President for Title IX and DHR in another. The office also lists an intake manager, a director of resolutions, investigators, and a case and hearing coordinator.

On its stance, the home page says the office provides support, does prevention and education, and fosters accountability “through neutral resolutions”.

Office of Student Conduct

The Office of Student Conduct (OSC) is in the Student Services Building, on the fourth floor, according to its FAQ. It takes referrals of alleged violations of University policies or campus rules by students.

The Title IX office’s Policy and Procedures page explains how the two offices relate. Its procedures are used only for conduct that may violate the Nondiscrimination Policy, and student misconduct outside that Policy “is addressed by the Office of Student Conduct”. The sources reviewed do not describe how the two offices coordinate when one set of facts involves both.

How a Matter Starts at SFSU

Reports to the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX can be made through the Make a Report link on its website. They can also be made in person, by email, by mail or by phone. The home page says any person may report, whether or not that person is the one who experienced the conduct, and at any time, including non-business hours.

The Reporting page says “Reports can be made anonymously”, and adds that the office will have limited capability to take further action on anonymous reports. Employees who are Responsible Employees must give their names and all available information, including the names of the parties, and should not report anonymously.

The Reporting page calls a report the first step toward connecting the affected people to support and resources. The Policy and Procedures page lists the procedures the office follows, organized by track. The office also posts a Title IX Investigation and Hearing Process Map, labeled Interim Policy and undated, for cases where a student accused of sexual misconduct faces suspension or expulsion and witness credibility is central. It shows the Title IX Coordinator sending notice to the Respondent and scheduling a meeting, supportive measures for the parties, an investigation, a live hearing, and an appeal under limited circumstances. Because the map is undated, check it against your own notice. The Reporting page also says there is no duty to report to law enforcement. It says the University’s procedures are administrative and separate and distinct from criminal and civil legal systems.

For other student misconduct, OSC takes referrals through online forms for non-academic and academic misconduct. Its Resolution Process page says that when OSC receives a report of a possible infraction, it notifies the student of the alleged misconduct and schedules a meeting with the Student Conduct Administrator.

SFSU Documents and Older Names Still Online

• Policy and Procedures page (Title IX office): links the current Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy (Policy 17647883), the Student Respondent Procedures (17650729) and the Track 1 attachment. The page shows no effective dates for them.
• Reporting page (Title IX office): still links PolicyStat 16328404, an older Policy link that now redirects to the current Policy.
• OSC Procedures page: names the CSU Student Conduct Process (formerly Executive Order 1098), effective June 05, 2025, superseding Executive Order 1098 (June 23, 2015). It still lists Executive Orders 1096 and 1097 as relevant.
• OSC FAQ, Resolution Process, and Advisors and Attorneys pages: still describe the process under Executive Order 1098. For example, they refer to a Notice of Hearing under EO 1098 Article III.C, and the FAQ describes a first meeting with the Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Student Conduct.

These OSC pages use the older document name. Your own notice and the current CSU documents control over any older campus page.

SFSU Rules and Procedures by Type of Case

Title IX and other Nondiscrimination Policy cases

The OSC Advisors and Attorneys page states its attorney rule for student conduct proceedings “excluding cases involving the CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy”. In Nondiscrimination Policy cases, the CSU documents let the respondent choose one Advisor, who may be an attorney. The Advisor may observe and consult but may not answer questions about the subject matter of the investigation for the party. In a Track 1 hearing, each party must have a hearing advisor who asks that party’s questions, and the campus provides one if a party has none. In Track 2, the Hearing Officer asks all questions. Appeals follow the CSU process described below.

General student conduct cases (Office of Student Conduct)

The OSC pages state these rules for student conduct cases outside the Nondiscrimination Policy:

• Attorneys: each campus president decides by campus directive whether attorneys may be present. Whatever the directive says, attorneys may attend hearings where criminal charges are pending from the same facts or where expulsion is a possible sanction. The page words the second condition two ways, as a possible sanction and as the recommended sanction. Without a directive, attorneys are excluded except in those two situations. Anyone who wants an attorney at the hearing must notify the Student Conduct Administrator in writing at least five Working Days before. The sources reviewed do not include an SFSU presidential directive, so this page does not say what SFSU’s directive provides.
• Advisors: the student is told of the right to an Advisor with the initial notice. The student may choose one or ask the University to provide one, and must tell the Student Conduct Administrator no later than five days to get a University-appointed advisor. An Advisor may not speak on the student’s behalf.
• Hearing: a Hearing Officer appointed by the President or designee conducts a closed hearing. The student’s attendance is not mandatory. The student and the Student Conduct Administrator may offer evidence and question witnesses, and the Hearing Officer may also question witnesses. The Hearing Officer submits a written report within ten working days, and the President’s or designee’s decision is “final and may not be appealed”.
• Meetings: students are expected to attend scheduled OSC meetings, and dates set for Formal Hearings are described as firm.

Do not apply the OSC hearing and no-appeal rules to a Nondiscrimination Policy case. Those cases have the CSU appeal described below.

Transcript notations

The OSC Possible Sanctions page says suspension of one academic year or more, withdrawals in lieu of suspension, and withdrawals with pending misconduct investigations or disciplinary proceedings are entered on the transcript permanently. It says the same for expulsion. The OSC suspension FAQ says a suspension of under one year is noted during the suspension and removed at its end, and the disciplinary record is kept for seven years. For one year or more, that FAQ says the notation may be permanent, which is worded more loosely than the sanctions page. Under the CSU documents, sanctions in Nondiscrimination Policy cases come from the Student Conduct Process, so check your decision letter for the sanction and the notation that apply to you.

Support for Respondents at SFSU

The campus Implementation Plan (updated June 2025 and posted on the office’s site; it calls the office the Office of Equity Programs and Compliance) says the office offers Respondents supportive measures and shares information about campus resources, and that the Assistant Vice President for Title IX and DHR asks to meet with every Respondent in every investigation to discuss the process and available supportive measures. The plan also says the office will identify an employee to serve in a Respondent Advisor role; the sources reviewed do not show whether that role is in place. The resources the campus pages describe are these:

• Supportive Measures: offered to the Complainant or the Respondent, as appropriate and when reasonably available. They are not punitive and carry no fee, and the Title IX Coordinator coordinates them. They stay confidential to the greatest extent possible.
• Counseling and Psychological Resources (CAPS): a confidential on-campus counseling resource, with crisis counseling, brief individual counseling, consultations, groups and workshops. The source does not describe the limits of that confidentiality.
• The SAFE Place: free and confidential support for survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking and sexual harassment, from any part of the SFSU community. It is a survivor (complainant-side) resource.
• University Ombuds: its page describes consultations for SF State employees, and it is not confidential for these matters. The Ombuds must report discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct and related matters to the Title IX Coordinator. The office does not act as an advocate for individuals.
• Outside organizations on the Support and Resources page (for example CROC): the sources do not say these serve respondents, so they are not listed here as respondent resources.

The CSU process in brief

The Interim CSU Nondiscrimination Policy applies to alleged misconduct that occurs on or after August 1, 2024, and the Student Respondent Procedures apply to complaints filed on or after March 4, 2025, so the dates in your notice control which version governs your case. A complaint against a student opens with a Notice of Investigation, while Track 1 uses a notice of allegations that must reach the respondent at least 5 Working Days before an interview. Track 1 covers conduct meeting the Policy’s Title IX definition of Sexual Harassment that occurred in the United States in a university education program or activity, and it has 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 a live hearing is required. Track 3 covers other discrimination, harassment and retaliation complaints, with no hearing, and the investigator makes the 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 Working Days under 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 the Final Decision (under Track 1, after the date of the decision letter). 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, Title IX investigation guide and Title IX advisor guide.

Official SFSU Title IX Resources

• SFSU Office for Civil Rights and Title IX
• SFSU Office for Civil Rights and Title IX: Policy and Procedures
• SFSU Code of Student Conduct (Office of Student Conduct)
• SFSU Office of Student Conduct: Advisors and Attorneys
• 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 SFSU Title IX Cases

Which office will contact me?

If the reported conduct may violate the Nondiscrimination Policy, the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX handles it. Other alleged student misconduct goes to the Office of Student Conduct, whose FAQ says it sends a letter with an appointment. Read the letter or notice you receive for the office that sent it and the documents it names.

Is the Title IX office confidential?

The sources do not describe the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX as a confidential resource. It receives reports and complaints, and it coordinates Supportive Measures, which stay confidential to the greatest extent possible. The confidential resource the sources identify for counseling is CAPS, and the University Ombuds is not confidential for these matters.

Can a lawyer be my advisor at SFSU?

It depends on the kind of case. In Title IX and other Nondiscrimination Policy cases, the CSU documents let you choose one Advisor, who may be an attorney. In general student conduct cases, the OSC page says the campus president decides by directive whether attorneys may attend. It also says attorneys may attend hearings where criminal charges are pending from the same facts or where expulsion is a possible sanction, and written notice is due at least five Working Days before the hearing.

Is there free advisor or respondent support at SFSU?

The campus Implementation Plan (June 2025) says the office offers Respondents supportive measures and information about campus resources, and that it will identify an employee for a Respondent Advisor role; the sources do not show whether that role is in place. In the OSC process, a student may ask the University to provide an advisor, by telling the Student Conduct Administrator no later than five days. Under Track 1, the CSU documents say the campus provides a hearing advisor if a party has none. Supportive Measures are offered to complainants or respondents without fee.

Will a suspension go on my transcript?

The OSC pages say a suspension of under one year is noted during the suspension and removed at its end, with the record kept seven years. They say a suspension of one academic year or more, and expulsion, are entered permanently. The suspension FAQ is worded more loosely than the sanctions page, so rely on your decision letter and the current Student Conduct Process.

How long do I have to appeal?

In a Nondiscrimination Policy case, an appeal to the Civil Rights Appeals Unit is due within 10 Working Days after the Notice of Investigation Outcome or Final Decision. Under Track 1, it is due within 10 Working Days after the date of the decision letter. Who may appeal depends on the type of complaint, as described above. The OSC page that calls a decision “final and may not be appealed” describes the OSC conduct process, not Nondiscrimination Policy cases.