Reference Materials

The Hearing Office develops and works with other University partners to provide expanded reference materials for participants and advisors in the hearing process. The following documents provide additional information, explanation, and examples of the hearing process to help parties prepare for hearings.

Parties can access and review these resource documents if they wish to, however doing so is entirely optional.
These guides should not be considered legal advice. While these documents are updated periodically by the Hearing Office, directions and decisions by the Hearing Office or other decision-makers as well as changes in changes in policy, law, and practice supersede the guides.
If you are involved in a hearing, you will be provided the materials relevant to your involvement.
If a case involves both SGP 209 and SGP 210, the SGP 210 materials will likely be used.
For parties or advisors in Executive Order 70 matters (which involve employees), there are differences in the EO 70 hearing process that are not addressed in these materials, but much of the fundamentals of the process, such as how witnesses testify or how a party can propose evidence, are very similar.
For more information on the policies referenced on this page, please consult Rules and Policies.

Update as of September 10, 2021: Please note that some of these materials, including the EDFR CLE video, were created prior to a federal court ruling that found part of the 2020 federal Title IX regulations (EDFR) to be arbitrary and capricious. Part VII of WAC 478-121 has been revised to account for that court ruling. Accordingly, UW will no longer follow the part of WAC 478-121-675(1) regarding statements if a party does not testify. This means that, for allegations based on the EDFR, a UW hearing officer may now consider statements a party or witness made outside of the hearing—such as to an investigator or in a text message—so long as those statements are considered relevant, admissible evidence even if/when that party or witness does not testify.

What to Expect From the Hearing Process
These documents provide a more detailed look into the hearing process from start to finish. There are three versions of the hearing process outline:
SGP 209 Hearing Process Outline [PDF]
SGP 210 Hearing Process Outline [PDF]
EDFR Hearing Process Outline [PDF]

Hearing Process
This graphic explains the sequence of steps for the hearing, including witness testimony. There are three versions of the process chart:
SGP 209 Process Chart [PDF]
SGP 210 Process Chart [PDF]
EDFR Process Chart [PDF]

Objections to Questions Asked of Witnesses [PDF]
This handout explains what objections are, describes some common reasons for them, and tells participants how to raise objections.

Respondent Guide to Hearing Preparation [PDF]
This guide is developed for student respondents in student conduct matters involving academic misconduct, behavioral misconduct, and/or sexual misconduct. It is recommended that student respondents work with a Respondent Resource provided by the University.

Complainant Guide to Hearing Preparation [PDF]
This guide is an additional resource for student complainants participating in the UW student conduct hearing process. Many student complainants work with a Confidential Advocate (who might also be referred to as a University Resource or Support Advisor) in the process. Student complainants may consult a Confidential Advocate at any time.

Title IX Attorney Guide [PDF]
The Hearing Office has developed a resource guide for attorneys representing students in the UW student conduct hearing process. This guide applies to Title IX (sexual misconduct) matters as well as academic and behavioral matters. The guide shares information about the hearing process and it addresses frequent issues and questions. Much of the information will also be shared and discussed during the hearing process.

EDFR CLE video: “University of Washington student conduct hearings & new federal Title IX regulations”
In November 2020 the University provided a training to describe the changes to the University’s student conduct hearings when allegations of misconduct include new federal Title IX regulations (also referred to as EDFR regulations).