If you searched for a Weber State Title IX lawyer after receiving a discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct notice, start by checking which procedure your notice names. This page explains Weber State’s published policy structure and the steps that may follow. It is general information for students and families, not a substitute for your notice or individual legal advice.
Which Policy Applies
Weber State’s substantive policy for discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct, including Title IX matters, is PPM 3-32. It is the policy currently linked by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity policy index and the Safe@Weber overview page.
PPM 3-32 includes its own Appendix A, Hearings and Appeals for Title IX Sexual Harassment Complaints. If your case is being handled as a Title IX Sexual Harassment matter under the policy’s narrower definition, Appendix A governs the hearing and appeal steps specifically, rather than the university’s general disciplinary rules.
Two related policies matter for context but do not replace PPM 3-32’s Title IX procedure:
- PPM 6-22, the Student Code, routes protected-class discrimination and harassment complaints through PPM 3-32. It lists student sanctions and supplies non-Title IX student due process.
- PPM 5-36, Safety, Response, and Reporting Policy, confirms that protected-class sexual misconduct uses PPM 3-32’s rights and processes regardless of a respondent’s status.
PPM 3-32’s posted revision history ends with a July 2023 editorial update, while the Student Code shows a May 2026 amendment. Those dates alone do not establish which version or route governs an individual case. Which version applies to you depends on the date of the alleged incident and the policy named in your written notice. Compare this page with your written notice and ask the Office of Equal Opportunity to confirm the route, policy version, and your deadlines in writing.
Report vs. Formal Complaint
Not every report becomes a formal complaint. Under PPM 3-32, a formal complaint that triggers the grievance process generally should be filed within six months of the most recent alleged act, though the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) may waive that limit for extenuating circumstances. This is a filing rule for the complainant’s side, not a deadline for how a respondent must respond.
The university may also put supportive measures in place for either party even if no formal complaint has been accepted yet.
Early Steps After You Are Notified
If an investigation opens, PPM 3-32 requires that you receive notice before you are interviewed about the alleged misconduct. That notice should identify the complaint and applicable policy, state that you are presumed not responsible, explain your right to an advisor (who may be an attorney), and describe your options for participating and the applicable timeframes.
The policy also gives you the right to postpone an initial interview for a reasonable time to arrange an advisor. Read the notice promptly, preserve it, and ask about any needed postponement in writing.
Investigation, Evidence Review, and Your Written Response
In a Title IX Sexual Harassment investigation, both parties have an equal opportunity to inspect and review evidence that is directly related to the complaint, including evidence that could help or hurt either side.
After the investigator makes the investigation report available, each party has ten calendar days to submit a written response to that report. After that response period closes, the investigator finalizes the report and forwards it, along with the responses, to the appropriate decision maker unless further investigation is needed.
This ten-day period is specifically about responding to the investigation report. It is separate from other deadlines described below, and the policy does not set one single universal deadline that runs from the date of the initial complaint.
Advisor Role and the Hearing
You are entitled to have an advisor at meetings and at any hearing. In investigative meetings, an advisor generally may advise you but not speak on your behalf, and any restriction on advisor participation must apply equally to both parties.
At a live Title IX hearing under Appendix A, advisors may ask questions of the other party and witnesses on your behalf. If you do not have an advisor present at the hearing, the university will provide a questioner at no charge.
Appendix A also sets institutional scheduling targets, not deadlines that apply to you directly:
- The hearing should generally be scheduled no later than 45 calendar days after the hearing chair receives the final investigative report, subject to good cause for delay.
- A pre-hearing conference should generally occur at least ten working days before the hearing, absent good cause.
- After the hearing concludes, the chair has ten calendar days to create the written determination, subject to a good-cause extension. The policy separately requires that it be provided to both parties simultaneously.
The hearing uses a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard.
Supportive Measures and Safety Actions
Separately from any disciplinary outcome, PPM 3-32 allows supportive measures for either party while a matter is pending. These are not findings of responsibility.
If the university considers an interim safety action, including possible removal from campus, PPM 3-32 calls for an individualized safety and risk assessment as deemed appropriate. It also calls for notice and an opportunity to challenge an action taken against an individual. Removal is not automatic just because a complaint has been filed.
Appeals
If you are a student respondent in a Title IX Sexual Harassment case decided under Appendix A, the appeal grounds are limited to an outcome-affecting procedural irregularity, new evidence that meets the policy’s availability test, or an outcome-affecting conflict of interest or bias.
The appeal deadlines have several separate triggers, and they should not be combined into one rule:
- An appeal must be submitted to the University Due Process Officer within ten calendar days after the decision-making body issues its decision.
- After the appeal decision maker receives an appeal, that person has five working days to notify the other party that an appeal was filed.
- After that notice is sent, both parties have five calendar days to submit statements supporting or challenging the appeal.
The written determination itself must be provided to both parties at the same time. The policy text does not say the issue date and delivery date are always identical. Use the dates in your own written determination or notice, and confirm your appeal deadline with the Office of Equal Opportunity. PPM 3-32 does not define working days, so also ask that office how it counts them in your case.
If your matter is instead handled as a non-Title IX case under PPM 3-32 §12.1, the responsible administrator has a ten-working-day institutional period to act on investigation materials, and appeals for that route follow PPM 6-22’s student due process procedures rather than Appendix A’s ten-calendar-day Title IX appeal window. These two appeal paths are not interchangeable. For this route, use the appeal deadline stated in your written decision and confirm it with the Office of Equal Opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to hire a lawyer?
No. PPM 3-32 says an advisor may be an attorney, but an attorney is not required. You may choose a non-attorney advisor. If you have no advisor at a Title IX live hearing, Appendix A requires the university to provide a person to conduct cross-examination for you at no charge.
Can I get an extension on my first interview?
The policy allows a reasonable postponement of an initial interview so you can arrange an advisor. Ask about this in writing as soon as you receive your notice.
What happens if I miss the ten-day report response window?
The policy says the investigator finalizes the report after that period and forwards any written responses received. If a deadline has passed, contact OEO promptly to ask what, if anything, can still be submitted. Do not assume a late response will be accepted.
Is a Title IX dismissal the end of the matter?
Not necessarily. PPM 3-32 says a Title IX dismissal does not bar the university from pursuing the matter under a different university-policy route.
How is my case different if it’s not a Title IX Sexual Harassment case?
Non-Title IX sexual misconduct under university policy follows PPM 3-32’s general provisions and PPM 6-22’s student due process and appeal steps, not Appendix A’s Title IX hearing and appeal procedure.
More guides for Utah schools: Utah Title IX lawyer.
Disclaimer
This page is general educational information about publicly posted Weber State University policies. It is not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Weber State University. Deadlines, policy versions, and procedures change; always verify current requirements against your own written notice and the university’s current published policy.
Sources
- PPM 3-32, Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct
- PPM 6-22, Student Code
- PPM 5-36, Safety, Response, and Reporting Policy
- Office of Equal Opportunity related policies
- Office of Equal Opportunity working-with-us FAQ
- Office of Equal Opportunity homepage
- Safe@Weber discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct overview
