The unfortunate reality is that you do because so much is at stake in a college sexual misconduct case and because, unfortunately, you cannot just depend on the school to be looking out for your interest. You need to document and confirm everything. Granted certain conversations and negotiations are better having a different capacity but in most instances, if not even just to confirm conversations or negotiations that take place otherwise, that you have to document and record everything via email or otherwise. You cannot depend on the school to be looking out for an accused party's rights and interest.
That's why an experienced attorney advisor can help you best navigate the process and would also be able to advise as to how to best approach any given situation and a call of sexual misconduct case. The stakes are very high. You can almost equate it to, say, playing a game of chess where every decision has to be calculated. It's very important that you take the necessary precautions so that your rights are protected from the start.