A Stony Brook Title IX lawyer can help you identify the procedure in your notice, organize evidence, and prepare for meetings and hearings.
If you are a Stony Brook student who received a Title IX notice, read the notice before anything else. It identifies which track your case follows. Conduct that fits the federal definition of covered sexual harassment goes through the Title IX Grievance Policy and Procedure, while other sexual misconduct is handled under the Code of Student Responsibility. The Office of Equity and Access runs the Title IX side with Student Conduct and Community Standards on student cases. Confirm your track in writing before answering questions on the record. General background is at Title IX investigation.
Intake: what happens after a report
Reports can be filed through the university reporting portal, by email, by phone, or in person, and anyone may report. A preliminary review decides whether the matter stays with the equity office, and complainants are typically interviewed about options that include filing a formal complaint, taking no further action, or contacting police, as outlined on the investigation processes page.
Supportive measures such as counseling referrals, schedule adjustments, housing changes, or no contact orders are available to both sides with or without a formal complaint and are not disciplinary. Where safety requires it, the university can remove a respondent on an emergency basis after an individualized safety and risk analysis, with notice and a prompt chance to challenge. From the start, save messages, photos, location records, and witness names, avoid contact with the other party about the case, and bring an advisor to every meeting.
Investigation: how the facts are gathered
Once a formal complaint is filed, the process is expected to conclude within ninety calendar days, with written notice of any extension. The university carries the burden of proof and of gathering evidence. You may present witnesses and evidence, and you may sit out parts of the process without that choice alone signaling responsibility. Related reading is at Title IX defense strategies.
Before the investigation closes, both sides receive the evidence directly related to the allegations, shared under a signed agreement not to pass it outside the process, and have ten calendar days to submit a written response for the investigator to consider. The investigator then circulates a report fairly summarizing the relevant evidence at least ten calendar days before the hearing. The standard is preponderance of the evidence, and you are presumed not responsible until a determination says otherwise. Each side may request a one time delay of up to five days for good cause.
Hearing and advisor: who asks the questions
No sanction issues under this policy without a live hearing, held in person or virtually with all participants able to see and hear each other. A single Hearing Officer presides over the audio recorded proceeding, questions the parties and witnesses, then opens live cross-examination conducted by advisors. If you have no advisor, the university provides one at no charge for that limited purpose. More on the format is at Title IX disciplinary hearings and Title IX advisor.
Only your advisor may question the other side, never you directly, so prepare written question lists in advance. The Hearing Officer screens each question for relevance before it is answered, and the current policy states that a party who waives cross-examination does not thereby keep the Hearing Officer from considering that party’s statements.
A case can also resolve through informal resolution if all sides give informed written consent and the Title IX Coordinator approves, concluding within ninety calendar days of the formal complaint filing. That path is never open for employee on student allegations or certain state law covered cases with a student complainant, per the informal resolution page.
Sanctions and appeal
Sanctions under the Code range from warnings and probation through residence hall and university suspension or expulsion, with suspension and expulsion carrying an academic record notation. The written determination ordinarily issues within ten business days after the hearing, with findings, sanction rationale, and complainant remedies. Cases outside this policy can still proceed under the Code or the discrimination complaint procedure.
Either side may appeal a finding or a dismissal in writing within seven calendar days on grounds of procedural irregularity affecting the outcome, new and previously unavailable evidence, conflict of interest or bias, or disproportionate sanctions. An appeal pauses sanctions while pending, and a panel with no prior role in the case decides on the written record. See also Title IX appeals.
Speak with a Stony Brook Title IX lawyer
A Stony Brook Title IX case moves on fixed clocks, and early preparation counts. Contact us to discuss your notice, your track, and what comes next.
FAQ
Who runs a Title IX case against a Stony Brook student?
The Office of Equity and Access, coordinating with Student Conduct and Community Standards.
Does every sexual misconduct report use the Title IX grievance process?
No. Only covered sexual harassment within the education program or activity and the United States stays on that track.
Can I bring a lawyer?
You may bring any advisor, attorney or not, to meetings and hearings. At the hearing your advisor handles cross-examination, and the university supplies one at no charge if you have none.
What does the school have to prove?
That a violation more likely than not occurred, weighing inculpatory and exculpatory evidence together.
How long does the case take?
Ninety calendar days from the formal complaint filing is the expected pace, with written notice of extensions.
How do I appeal?
File a written appeal within seven calendar days stating which ground applies. Sanctions pause while it is pending.
Sources (checked 2026-09-22)
- Title IX Grievance Policy and Procedure: scope, complaint, investigation, hearing, appeal
- Information on the Investigation Processes: intake and investigation steps
- Informal Resolution: consent, approval, limits
- Code of Student Responsibility: sanctions, notation, interim measures
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 Stony Brook University. Policies change; confirm the current policy text before acting.
