Academic Greivance Procedures

The policies and procedures below are published on the Jansen Newman Institute web site (www.jni.edu.au) and are set out in the 2007 Revised Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook and Staff Policies and Procedures Manual.

In the case of student grievances that relate to student progress, assessment, curriculum and awards in a course of studythe following appeal processes apply.

All students of the Jansen Newman Institute can use the following procedures to submit a grievance about an academic matter. The complainant and respondent will not be victimised or discriminated against as a result of a grievance being raised.

Students of the Jansen Newman Institute are entitled to use the grievance procedures set out in this policy, regardless of the location of the campus of the institution at which the grievance has arisen, the student’s place of residence or the mode in which they study.

Students at the Jansen Newman Institute have access to a three(3) stage academic grievance process which is set out below: There is no charge levied by the Institute for handling any complaint in any of the three stages mentioned below.

Stage 1

In the first instance, grievances should be discussed with the person/s and/or marker involved. However, if this is impracticable, students should communicate with one of the staff listed below:

(a) Academic Director

(b) Academic Coordinator.

The grievance will be dealt with within 21 days of receipt.

Stage 2

The second stage of the grievance process is as follows:

If dissatisfied with the response to the grievance or the time taken under stage 1 to resolve the matter, the student may submit the grievance in writing to Chief Executive Officer and/or explicitly seek the involvement of the Academic Executive Committee. The Academic Executive Committee will deal with the complaint within a reasonable time, normally within 21 days of receipt of the complaint.

Stage 3

The third stage of the grievance process is as follows:

If not satisfied with a decision of the Academic Executive Committee in Stage 2, the student may request that the matter be further reviewed by the External Review Committee of the Academic Board appointed by the Jansen Newman Institute for this purpose. The External Review Committee of the Academic Board consists of three members as follows: Judith Townsend, Marcus Mackay and Dr Jac Brown. Grievance will be addressed within 4 to 6 weeks.

Implementation of Recommendations

If the External Review Committee of the Academic Board makes recommendations in relation to a grievance they have reviewed, the Chairperson will forward those recommendations to the Academic Director within 7 days.  The Academic Director will ensure that the recommendations are implemented within the following 7 days.

This policy is communicated to academic staff through the Jansen Newman Institute Faculty Handbook and to support staff through the Jansen Newman Institute Staff Policies and Procedures Handbook. The Academic Director is responsible for the training of academic staff in the application of this policy. The Administration Manager is responsible for the training of support staff in its application.

The complainant and/or respondent have the right to be represented by a third person (such as a family member, friend, counsellor or other professional support person) if they so desire.

At all stages of the process, reasons and a full explanation in writing for decisions and actions taken as part of the procedures will be given if requested by the complainant and/or respondent.

Records of all grievances, applications for review of decisions and outcomes of the grievance process will be kept for a period of 5 years.  These records will be strictly confidential and filed in a separate file (not kept on the student or staff file) and stored in the office of the Registrar for a period of 5 years.  Parties to the complaint will be allowed supervised access to these records.