/Institutions/Coker-University/json/2025-2026/Student-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/Coker-University/json/2025-2026/Student-Handbook.json

XXII Pre-Hearing Meetings

The Decision-maker will offer to convene pre-hearing meeting(s) with the Parties and their Advisors to familiarize them with the hearing process and invite them to submit the questions or topics they wish to ask or discuss at the hearing. This allows the Decision-maker to consider their relevance ahead of time to avoid any improper evidentiary introduction in the hearing or to provide recommendations for more appropriate phrasing.

 

However, this advance review opportunity does not preclude the Advisors from asking a question for the first time at the hearing or from asking for a reconsideration on a Decision-maker’s pre-hearing decision based on any new information or testimony offered at the hearing. The Decision-maker will consider arguments that evidence identified as relevant in the Final Investigation Report is, in fact, not relevant. Similarly, evidence identified by the Investigator(s) as directly related but not relevant may be argued to be relevant. The Decision-maker will document and share their rationale for any evidence or question exclusion or inclusion, if any, at a pre-hearing meeting with each party.

 

The Decision-maker will work with the Parties to finalize a witness list for the hearing, and the Senior Director of Student Experience and Title IX Coordinator will notify any witnesses of the hearing’s logistics. The Decision-maker, only with the agreement of all Parties, may decide in advance of the hearing that certain witnesses do not need to be present if their testimony can be adequately summarized by the Investigator(s) in the Final Investigation Report or during the hearing, and their presence is not essential to assess their credibility.

 

Pre-hearing meeting(s) will not be recorded. The pre-hearing meetings will typically be conducted as separate meetings with each party/Advisor, and can be done remotely, or as a written communication exchange. The Decision-maker will work with the Parties to establish the format and timing of the meetings and will circulate a summary of any rulings made to ensure all Parties and Advisors are aware.