A University at Buffalo Title IX lawyer can help you identify the procedure in your notice, organize evidence, and prepare for meetings and hearings.
Start with a consultation, not assumptions. At the University at Buffalo, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion serves as the Title IX office, and a representative will walk you through supportive measures plus the choice between a criminal report, a Title IX complaint, or both. Nothing disciplinary moves under Title IX until a signed formal complaint exists. If you received a notice of allegations, that notice and the procedure linked in it define your case. Background reading is at how do Title IX hearings work.
Intake: where a UB case begins
Anyone may report sex discrimination to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and confidential offices such as Counseling Services and licensed medical providers can receive information without triggering an investigation except in extreme circumstances. For the Title IX track, a written and signed formal complaint describing the facts is required. Where safety calls for it, the Title IX Coordinator may sign a complaint even when the complainant prefers not to. These entry points are described on the Title IX page.
Supportive measures are open to both sides from the start, with or without a formal complaint, and they are never disciplinary. Examples include counseling, deadline extensions, schedule changes, escort services, no contact orders, housing or work changes, and leaves. In urgent situations the university may remove a student respondent after an individualized safety and risk analysis, with an opportunity to challenge that removal. Request the challenge deadline immediately in writing; the summary page does not clearly specify its day-counting unit. More detail is in the Title IX requirements summary. From day one, preserve texts, photos, location history, and witness names, avoid discussing the case with the other party, and line up an advisor before your first interview.
Investigation: how the record is built
The student respondents procedure controls student cases from the notice of allegations through the determination. Investigators interview the complainant, the respondent, and relevant witnesses, and both sides may submit evidence and suggest witnesses and questions, with the investigator deciding relevance. The university holds the burden of proof and of gathering enough evidence. You may take part fully, partly, or not at all, and staying out does not by itself indicate responsibility. Preparation notes are at after you have been accused.
Two review windows protect respondents. Before the investigation closes, both sides receive the relevant and directly related evidence and have at least ten calendar days to file a written response. The investigator then circulates a report fairly summarizing the relevant evidence at least ten calendar days before any hearing. Medical records stay off limits without your voluntary written consent. The standard is preponderance of the evidence, and you are presumed not responsible until the end of the process. The pace is described as reasonably prompt rather than a fixed day count, with written notice of any extension and the new date.
Hearing and advisor: who asks the questions
No sanction issues without a live hearing. Hearings can place the parties in separate rooms with video connecting them, witnesses may appear virtually, and proceedings follow the published Rules of Decorum, which require neutral tone with no abuse, intimidation, or repetitive questioning. See also title-ix-advisor and title-ix-disciplinary-hearings.
Questioning belongs to advisors. Hearing officers open the hearing and set expectations, then each party’s advisor conducts live cross-examination of the other side and witnesses orally and in real time. Parties never question each other directly. The decision maker rules on relevance before each answer and explains any exclusion. If you arrive without an advisor, the university provides one for cross-examination. An advisor who breaks decorum rules can be warned, removed, and replaced.
Sanctions and appeal
A written determination ordinarily arrives within ten business days after the hearing, with findings, rationale, sanctions, remedies, and appeal instructions. Sanctions scale with the finding, from warning and educational assignments through probation, suspension, or expulsion, with transcript notation for suspension or expulsion in crimes of violence. A forcible rape finding carries expulsion.
Either side may appeal a dismissal or a determination by writing to the Office of Student Conduct within five calendar days on grounds of procedural irregularity, new and previously unavailable evidence, or conflict of interest or bias. A trained appeals panel with no prior role in the case decides, ordinarily within fourteen business days after receiving all materials, and sanctions wait while the appeal runs. Related guides are title-IX appeals and consequences of a Title IX violation.
One boundary deserves attention. Conduct outside the education program or activity, outside the United States, or involving a complainant not pursuing university education can fall outside Title IX yet still proceed under the Student Code of Conduct or other procedures. Your notice should state your track, and if it is unclear, ask in writing.
Speak with a University at Buffalo Title IX lawyer
UB cases turn on early choices about evidence, witnesses, and hearing questions. Contact us to discuss your notice and what comes next.
FAQ
Where do I go if I am accused under Title IX at UB?
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is the Title IX office. Confirm whether a formal complaint exists and get the notice of allegations.
Must there be a signed complaint first?
For the disciplinary track, yes. The complainant signs, or the Title IX Coordinator signs where safety requires. Supportive measures need no complaint.
Can I bring a lawyer?
You may choose any advisor, attorney or not, for every stage. Only advisors cross-examine at the hearing, and UB supplies one if you have none.
What must the university prove?
That a violation more likely than not occurred, weighing inculpatory and exculpatory material together.
What sanctions do student respondents face?
Warning and education through probation, suspension, and expulsion, with transcript notation for suspension or expulsion in crimes of violence.
How do I appeal?
Write to the Office of Student Conduct within five calendar days stating the ground. Expect a panel decision ordinarily within fourteen business days after all materials arrive.
Sources (checked 2026-09-22)
- Title IX Grievance Procedure for Student Respondents: complaint, investigation, hearing, sanctions, appeal
- Title IX hub page: office role, reporting, tracks
- Information About Title IX’s Requirements: notice, evidence, advisors, jurisdiction, measures
- Rules of Decorum: hearing conduct, advisor removal
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 the University at Buffalo. Policies change; confirm the current procedure text before acting.
