Preparing for a WVU Title IX Interview: Statements, Text Messages, and Evidence
Your student may know the incident well and still be unprepared for an investigative interview. Questions may concern timing, messages, alcohol, prior interactions, or what happened afterward.
A careful response starts with understanding the allegation and reviewing available records. Preparation should improve accuracy. It should never involve rehearsing a false account or coordinating testimony.
Review the Allegation Before the Interview
Obtain the complete notice. Ask about the interview’s purpose, participants, recording practices, and the applicable role of counsel or an advisor.
If criminal exposure is possible, discuss it before providing a detailed statement. A university interview should not be assumed to carry the confidentiality of a consultation with your lawyer.
Preserve Complete Conversations
A cropped screenshot may omit the context needed to understand a message. Preserve complete conversations where possible, including dates, times, attachments, and surrounding exchanges.
Other useful records may include photographs, rideshare receipts, location information, and existing videos. Do not edit originals or access another person’s account without permission. Ask counsel how to preserve and provide sensitive material appropriately.
Identify What Witnesses Actually Know
Give counsel witness names and contact information. Explain whether each person personally observed the incident, saw the student afterward, or only heard an account later.
Do not ask witnesses to agree on wording or circulate proposed statements in a group chat. An independent recollection can matter even when it does not support every part of your student’s account.
Answer Carefully and Honestly
Listen to the question and request clarification when necessary. Distinguish what you remember from what you later learned. Do not turn an estimate into an exact time or guess to fill a memory gap.
If a document refreshes or changes your recollection, explain that accurately. Counsel can help prepare your student to discuss difficult facts without minimizing them or making unsupported concessions.
Review Investigative Materials for Specific Problems
During an authorized review, identify missing communications, inaccurate dates or quotations, misattributed statements, important witnesses not addressed, and conclusions inconsistent with underlying records.
Identify the specific item, requested correction, and why it matters. Follow all restrictions governing access and distribution of case materials.
Get Advice Before the Deadline
Call Frank Walker Law at (304) 413-0179 for a free consultation about a WVU investigation. Provide the interview notice, response deadline, and materials available for review.
More guidance: WVU Title IX Defense Attorney in Morgantown: Guidance for Students and Parents