If you are a student or parent looking for a Tennessee Title IX lawyer, this page links the school guides on this site for four Tennessee universities. Each guide explains one university’s published process for a student who has been named as a respondent.
Each university runs its own process under its own policy. The written notice you receive, and the policy version it names, control your case.
How Tennessee universities handle Title IX cases
Each school on this page has its own rule or policy and its own procedures. The school guides on this site do not rely on any single Tennessee rule that sets the process for all four.
The schools organize their documents differently. Middle Tennessee State University has two separate policies, one for Title IX sexual harassment and one for other sex-based matters. The University of Memphis uses one interim policy that covers both Title IX sexual harassment and a broader university category of sexual/gender-based misconduct, and says it uses the same procedures for both.
The standard of proof also differs. East Tennessee State University’s Title IX Rule applies a clear and convincing evidence standard to all formal complaints. MTSU’s Policy 29, the University of Memphis policy and UT Knoxville’s Appendix C use a preponderance of the evidence standard.
At ETSU, Memphis and UT Knoxville, the school documents say that dismissing a matter as Title IX sexual harassment does not by itself end every other university process for the same conduct. Check which route your notice names, and ask the school in writing if it does not say.
Tennessee university guides
- East Tennessee State University: Covers the ETSU Title IX Rule, Chapter 0240-06-01, Title IX Compliance, in the Rules of East Tennessee State University, and ETSU’s Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct policy. The policy says sex-based conduct that falls outside the Rule may be addressed under the policy. ETSU’s Rule, its policy and its student conduct policy each set their own appeal route and period. See the school page for appeal timing.
- Middle Tennessee State University: Covers Policy 29, Title IX Compliance, and Policy 27, Misconduct, Discrimination, and Harassment Based on Sex. Policy 540, Student Conduct, sends sexual misconduct matters to Policies 27 and 29 instead of its ordinary disciplinary process. When the school page was researched in September 2026, MTSU’s pending policies index listed proposed revisions to Policies 27 and 29, which are proposals and not the current policies. See the school page for appeal timing.
- University of Memphis: Covers GE2039, Sexual Harassment & Sexual/Gender-Based Misconduct Policy (INTERIM), which is still labeled interim and prints no effective date. GE2039 itself states no deadline for filing an appeal, while the office handouts do. See the school page for appeal timing.
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Covers the August 7, 2026 Policy on Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Dating and Domestic Violence, and Stalking and its Appendix C for student respondents, with separate Title IX and Non-Title IX routes. Appendix C gives five business days from transmittal of a Title IX Hearing Officer’s decision to file a notice of appeal. Non-Title IX appeals follow a separate Student Code section.
Common questions
Do all Tennessee universities on this page follow the same policy?
No. Each of the four universities has its own rule or policy, its own procedures and its own offices. Even the number of documents differs: MTSU splits Title IX and other sex-based matters into two policies, while Memphis covers both in one.
Is the appeal deadline the same at every school?
No. UT Knoxville’s Appendix C uses five business days from transmittal of a Title IX Hearing Officer’s decision. At ETSU, different documents set different appeal periods. At Memphis, the policy and the office handouts do not say the same thing. Read the school page and the deadline stated in your own outcome letter or dismissal notice. We do not calculate personal deadlines on this page.
Does the date of the incident matter?
It can. ETSU’s policy says a report about conduct from before the policy’s effective date is evaluated under the ETSU policy in effect at that time, while the procedures follow the current policy. UT Knoxville’s policy says that for conduct before August 7, 2026, the definitions come from the policy in effect when the conduct allegedly happened. Ask the school in writing which version applies to your dates.
What should I check first in my notice?
Check which rule or policy and which route the notice names, the date of the alleged conduct, and every date printed on the notice. If the notice leaves any of these unclear, ask the university’s Title IX office in writing.
Talk to a Tennessee Title IX lawyer
If you have received a notice from a Tennessee university and want to talk it through, you can contact us. Bring the notice and any attachments to the conversation.
Disclaimer
This page is general information only and is not legal advice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any university named on this page. 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.
