Use this checklist when you receive a campus notice. The order changes if there is an immediate safety problem, an arrest, a court order, or an earlier deadline. It is a preparation aid, not a statement to submit. A completed worksheet is not privileged merely because you keep it private.
Identify What Arrived
Preserve the notice, attachments, envelope, and original email. Record when and how each arrived.
Identify each separate proceeding: campus, employment, criminal, protective order, civil suit, licensing, or another process. Do not combine their deadlines.
Save the policy versions you can lawfully obtain. Record which version the notice identifies; ask about the version applicable to the conduct and to the procedure.
Record deadlines, meetings, service dates, time zones, and the source of each date. Confirm how the period is calculated. Keep a copy of any extension or scheduling order.
Next deadline: ____________________ Source document: ____________________
Person responsible for confirming it: ____________________ Confirmation received: ____________________
Obtain the Right Help
Contact counsel appropriate to the proceedings. Police contact or possible criminal exposure calls for criminal-defense advice; a civil summons requires a lawyer engaged to handle the court case.
Confirm representation, scope, fees, and who coordinates overlapping proceedings. Appendix C organizes the first consultation.
If counsel is unavailable, seek bar referrals, legal aid, student legal services, union assistance, or a limited consultation. Check conflicts and coverage. Ask a permitted campus advisor for procedural help without assuming privilege.
For campus logistics, request the governing policy, clarification, or reasonable time in a short factual message. State only what is true. A pending request does not extend a deadline. Do not use a campus scheduling request as a substitute for a required court filing.
Preserve without Expanding Access
Preserve relevant records already lawfully held, including unfavorable information. Do not delete, unsend, rewrite, reset, or ask another person to remove material.
Inventory relevant devices, accounts, paper records, and third-party records using Appendix B. Record imminent expiration or loss of access.
Use only authorized preservation methods. Do not copy student, patient, research, or other restricted material into a private account merely because it may be relevant. Seek a lawful preservation and access route.
Keep existing recollection notes. Seek advice before a detailed narrative when possible. If you choose to make a note before advice is available, date it, identify uncertainty, distinguish memory from inference, and preserve separately dated corrections. No label guarantees protection.
Manage Contact and Disclosure
Read every no-contact directive and court order. Record its scope and obtain prompt clarification through the appropriate channel. Do not test a restriction by contacting the protected person.
Do not approach the complainant personally or send friends to intervene. Preserve incoming communications and seek advice about responding.
List possible witnesses and what each may know. Use a lawful, advised outreach plan. Do not compare accounts to produce a common version, suggest an answer, or pressure participation.
Identify actual reporting obligations and dates. Necessary operational requests, required disclosures, emotional support, and substantive case accounts are different kinds of communication.
Avoid posting about the dispute. Preserve existing material. Do not assume anonymous posting prevents recognition or later attribution.
Keep Daily Life Workable
Arrange food, rest, transport, essential care, and safe support. Choose a support person appropriate to your circumstances; family involvement is not mandatory for every adult reader.
Attend work or classes only as permitted by restrictions and health needs. Seek an authorized adjustment when necessary.
Keep a short list of the next actions, the person responsible, and the next review date. If immediate danger arises, seek emergency assistance.