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Due Process/Grievance Procedures

Academic Grievances

A graduate student with a complaint relating to academic work may appeal for review according to the following procedure:

  1. The student must first consult with the Faculty member involved. Most cases should be resolved at this level.
  2. A student who chooses to appeal the matter further may bring it to the Provost. The complaint should be in writing when the student meets with the Office of the Provost.
  3. If the matter is not resolved by this administrator, the student may appeal in writing to an ad hoc Grievance Committee, which shall consist of the Provost, two Faculty members (not to include the Faculty member involved in the complaint), the President of the Graduate Student Council and an additional student representative from the Graduate Student Council chosen by the Council President. The committee shall by a majority vote (by secret ballot) arrive at a recommendation to be presented in writing to the student and the Faculty member involved. Any decision made by the Grievance Committee will be binding on both parties.

The time limit for filing an Academic Grievance is 12 months from the term in which the incident occurred.

Non-Academic Grievances

The following procedure may be followed in a case where a student with a grievance relating to a non-academic aspect of student life appeals for a review.

  1. The student must first consult with one of their Graduate Student Council officers. Most cases should be resolved at this level.
  2. If the matter remains unresolved, the student may bring his/her appeal to the Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Life.
  3. If further appeal is still necessary, the student may appeal in writing to the Ad Hoc Student Grievance Committee, which will meet for the purpose of hearing the grievance. Members of the Committee include: the Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Life, the Graduate Student Council President, a Graduate Student Council member, and two students at large. After hearing testimony from all parties involved, the Committee shall arrive at a recommendation by majority vote. The recommendation will be presented in writing to the student, all the parties involved, the President’s Cabinet, and to the HJI President, who makes the final decision.

SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) Procedure

Students engaged in Distance Learning at HJI have the right to lodge complaints or grievances about their distance learning experience. SARA consumer protection provisions require the New York State, HJI’s home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonest or fraudulent activity by the state’s SARA-participating institutions, including the provision of false or misleading information.

Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities and operations provided by HJI to students living in other SARA states than New York come under the coverage of SARA.

The complaint process is as follows:

  1. Students must first attempt to resolve their complaint using the procedures as outlined above.
  1. To appeal the outcome of the institutional process for handling complaints regarding Distance Education issues (except for complaints about grades or student conduct violations) students may submit a SARA Complaint to the SARA StatePortal Entity within two years of the incident. (https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/complaints)

SARA State Portal Entity
New York State Education Department,
Office of College and University Evaluation,
89 Washington Ave, Room 960 EBA, Albany, NY 12234,
Phone: (518) 474-1551

  1. More information about the SARA complaint procedure can be found at (https://nc-sara.org/student-complaints)