Male Students Accused of Title IX Violations

Whether politically correct or not, the reality of your world as a male student or man accused of a Title IX violation is that “Me Too” and “Believe Women” is alive and well on college and university campuses. To be gentle, in an anything but easy environment, for male students accused of sexual assault, dating violence, or other Title IX violations, the experience can be isolating, confusing, and legally treacherous. Simply stated, to your school, you’re the bad guy out of the gate. Whether the alleged misconduct involves purported sexual contact without affirmative consent or a pattern of harassing behavior, the consequences extend far beyond campus life. Academic suspension, expulsion, and even criminal referral are on the line. Setting aside the “frat boy” scenario that colleges love to attack, or even just the regular guy accused of some terrible act, when these accusations involve student-athletes, scholarship status, NCAA eligibility, and future careers can unravel overnight.

At Saland Law, we recognize the serious implications these allegations carry. Headed by criminal defense attorney and former Manhattan prosecutor Jeremy Saland, our firm offers experienced, strategic, and assertive representation to students of all walks, including fraternity members, athletes and everyday students, as well as faculty, who find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Title IX investigations. While based in New York City, the virtual nature of Title IX investigations and hearings gives us a national reach. We assist clients across the country as they navigate Title IX hearings and parallel proceedings, ensuring their rights are protected at every turn.

Understanding the structure and impact of Title IX and the nuanced defenses available to respondents is the first step toward preserving a student’s future. That is where we come as both your sword and shield.

How Male Students Are Affected by Title IX Allegations

When a male student is accused of violating Title IX, the effects are immediate and destabilizing just as the presumption of guilt, not innocence, lingers over their head. The student is often notified of the complaint by email, triggering an investigative process that is time-sensitive and legally complex. While institutions vary in how they conduct investigations and hearings, common features include interviews, evidence collection, witness testimony, and written submissions. In some cases, interim measures such as no-contact orders, removal from dormitories, or even temporary suspensions are imposed before the process concludes. This is as frightening as it is potentially grave.

Although Title IX is intended to be gender-neutral, male students often report feeling that they are presumed guilty. This perception is not without basis. In recent years, dozens of federal courts have reviewed claims by male students asserting due process violations and gender bias in campus adjudications. Allegations include lack of access to evidence, inability to cross-examine accusers, biased investigators, and procedural irregularities that would be unacceptable in a court of law. To that end, Jeremy Saland has seen these violations and successfully challenged them firsthand.

For a male student accused of sexual assault or nonconsensual sexual contact, the stakes could not be higher. Even when the conduct falls short of criminal behavior, a finding of responsibility can appear on academic transcripts, bar future admissions, and derail graduate school or career opportunities. Where criminal investigations proceed alongside Title IX hearings, students risk self-incrimination if they are not properly advised.

Affirmative Consent and Sexual Contact Allegations

Colleges and universities now apply an “affirmative consent” standard to evaluate whether sexual activity between students was consensual. Under this framework, silence or lack of resistance does not constitute consent. Consent must be affirmative, voluntary, and ongoing throughout the sexual encounter. Again, politically correct or not, as important and fair this standard may be, it’s also exploitative and misrepresented by accusers who conflate regret or jealousy with actual victimization.

This standard creates challenges for accused male students, particularly in cases where alcohol, miscommunication, or ambiguity was involved. A moment that one party recalls as mutually consensual may later be interpreted differently by another. These scenarios often unfold in social environments where expectations, judgment, and memory are clouded. Similarly, embarrassment and shame may fuel a fictitious reality where a consensual sexual interaction somehow becomes a non-consensual interaction.

Dating Violence and Title IX

In addition to sexual assault and misconduct, Title IX proceedings frequently address allegations of dating violence. These cases often arise from deteriorating relationships where one party claims emotional manipulation, verbal abuse, or physical intimidation.

A former girlfriend may accuse a student of threatening behavior after a breakup. Text messages taken out of context, social media posts, or heated arguments can become the basis of a Title IX complaint. Even when no physical violence is alleged, institutions are quick to investigate any claim that suggests a power imbalance or hostile environment rooted in gender or romantic involvement. And when the male student is physically larger than the female? All bets are off. Colleges and universities seem to equate the size of the student to the size of their guilt. Throw in any fraternity or Greek-life context, the male student just got a whole lot bigger and a whole lot worse to the Title IX coordinator, investigator and adjudicator.

For male students, these cases are particularly sensitive because emotional expression and conflict resolution are often misinterpreted in the context of gender roles. A passionate attempt to reconcile or defend oneself can be misconstrued as coercive or aggressive, leading to disciplinary consequences that are wholly disproportionate to the alleged conduct.

Unique Risks for Male Student-Athletes

Student-athletes face distinct vulnerabilities in Title IX investigations. Because of their high visibility, scholarship status, and participation in university athletics, accusations against athletes often attract immediate media attention and administrative scrutiny. Universities may feel pressure to act swiftly and decisively to protect their reputation, especially in the wake of national headlines involving mishandled campus sexual assault cases.

For a male athlete, the fallout from a Title IX allegation can include removal from the team, cancellation of scholarships, ineligibility under NCAA rules, and permanent damage to recruitment or professional prospects. In many cases, athletics departments impose internal sanctions even before the Title IX investigation concludes. Even before there is a finding, whether responsible or not responsible, suspensions and no-contact orders issued from the outset of a Title IX investigation can preclude or prevent student-athletes from practicing with their team, working out on campus, and engaging in their particular sport. What this means to a student-athlete is significant. Simply, all of this can put scholarships and the ability to remain in school at risk.

Male athletes must therefore contend not only with the procedural demands of the Title IX process but also with the broader implications for their athletic and academic careers. At Saland Law, we understand how to navigate these pressures and work to preserve our clients’ futures in both domains.

How the Title IX Process Works for Respondents

Once a complaint is filed, a college or university typically appoints a Title IX Coordinator or an investigative team to assess the allegation. The process generally includes:

• Notification of allegations
  
• Interview with the complainant
  
• Interview with the respondent (accused)
  
• Collection of physical or electronic evidence
  
• Identification of witnesses
  
• Drafting of an investigative report
  
• Live or virtual hearing with questioning
  
• Final determination and potential appeal

While institutions are required by law to conduct these proceedings fairly, male students frequently encounter biased or inconsistent procedures. In many cases, the complainant receives or appears to receive greater support and access to advocacy resources than the respondent. Without experienced representation, a male student can be quickly outmatched and ill-prepared to defend his side of the story. This is not merely a statement, but an opinion born from real-life practical experiences as a Title IX advisor across many colleges and universities.

Jeremy Saland and the legal team at Saland Law provide hands-on advocacy throughout the Title IX process. We help clients prepare their statements, identify relevant evidence, demand fair procedures, challenge inconsistencies in the complainant’s account, and exercise all rights available under university policy and federal guidance.

Faculty and Staff Accused of Title IX Violations

While much of the public’s attention is focused on students, faculty and university staff members also face significant risk when accused of Title IX violations. A professor accused of sexual harassment or misconduct toward a student or subordinate can, and often will, face internal investigations, administrative leave, reputational harm, and possible termination. In some cases, a Title IX complaint can lead to professional licensing consequences or criminal referral. In other words, as bad as things are, they can get far worse.

For male faculty and staff, the power dynamic inherent in academic or administrative roles is often used to frame allegations, even when the conduct in question may have been consensual or misinterpreted. Unlike students, faculty members must also navigate union contracts, tenure policies, and human resources procedures that complicate their defense.

At Saland Law, we understand the academic ecosystem and the pressure institutions face to appear responsive to allegations. We assist faculty and staff at every stage of the Title IX process, helping them preserve their careers, reputations, and professional standing.

Legal Protections and Defenses

Male students and staff accused of Title IX violations have important legal rights. While Title IX proceedings are not criminal in nature, they are often born from criminal “type” accusations and the consequences are real and long-lasting even if an accused never finds himself in a court of law. Students have the right to notice of the allegations, access to the evidence, and an opportunity to respond. In many cases, they are also entitled to a live hearing with the opportunity to question the other party, either directly or through an advisor.

Due process concerns have prompted numerous legal challenges to the way colleges handle Title IX investigations. Unfortunately, no matter how many challenges and no matter the school, none of these actions have deterred colleges and universities from failing to provide even a modicum of due process rights to men and boys. Nonetheless, courts have recognized that universities must conduct fair and unbiased proceedings and cannot discriminate based on gender. A finding of gender bias may entitle a respondent to sue the school for damages or to overturn a disciplinary decision.

In some cases, criminal investigations proceed alongside Title IX complaints. Here, students must be extremely cautious, as statements made during the school’s process can be used in court. Coordinated legal representation is essential to avoid self-incrimination while protecting academic interests.

Why Choose Saland Law

At Saland Law, our advisor-advisee approach is strategic, personalized, and rooted in real courtroom and Title IX investigatory and hearing experience. Founding attorney-advisor Jeremy Saland brings years of prosecutorial and defense insight to every Title IX case we handle. He has successfully represented male students and staff members at renowned institutions in New York State  and schools across the country.

We do more than guide clients through hearings. We prepare them. We scrutinize the evidence, expose contradictions, and challenge assumptions. We are not wilting flowers. Whether negotiating informal resolutions or preparing for full adjudications, our goal is to preserve your academic standing, your future opportunities, and your dignity throughout the process.

Nationwide Representation

Although we are based in New York City, our Title IX defense advisory services extend nationwide. Fortunately, colleges and universities across the country are subject to the same federal Title IX requirements even if their internal procedures may vary slightly. For that matter, because the overwhelming majority of these proceedings are conducted at arms length, aka, virtually, whether our office is down the street or across the nation, it is of no consequence. No matter the college or university, we are well-versed in adapting our advocacy to each institution’s framework while remaining grounded in federal legal standards.

From Ivy League campuses to small liberal arts colleges, from Division I athletic programs to regional community colleges, from fraternity members to students engaged in no clubs at all, collectively, we have successfully defended male students, athletes, and staff at all levels of higher education.

Your Future Deserves a Vigorous Defense

A Title IX accusation can shatter your academic career, your future plans, and your sense of identity. For male students and university employees, the stakes are enormous. But being accused is not the same as being guilty or responsible. With an experienced advisor who has the knowledge and real life background as both a prosecutor and criminal lawyer, legal counsel, it is possible to fight back, present your side, and avoid unjust outcomes that leaves others with a lifetime of indelible regret

Saland Law stands ready to help. If you or your son is facing a Title IX allegation, do not wait for the process to overtake you. From the moment you are notified of a complaint, the decisions you make can shape the rest of your life. Let us help you make the right ones.

Contact Saland Law today to discuss your case and begin building a powerful  – and right – defense for you.