Complaints may be filed by currently enrolled students or by formerly enrolled students. Complaints should be filed as soon as possible in order to ensure prompt handling and resolution. Except for complaints of sex discrimination or sexual harassment, formerly enrolled students should initiate a complaint within 45 days of the end of the semester in which they were most recently enrolled. Complaints involving sex discrimination and sexual harassment and how to make a report is referenced in the Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment policy in the Student Handbook (https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu).
Complaints against Faculty or Staff: Complaints regarding Faculty and Staff are covered by the respective handbooks and Code of Ethical Conduct. Students should contact the faculty member’s supervisor (usually the department chair) or staff member’s supervisor to address the matter. If the complaint is received by another office/department, it will be forwarded to the appropriate supervisor to address. If the complaint alleges discrimination and/or harassment, follow the procedures in the Discrimination or Harassment Complaints section.
Discrimination or Harassment Complaints: Any student who believes they have been discriminated against or harassed based upon their sex, race, age, color, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law may initiate a complaint by reporting the matter to the appropriate authorities, including but not limited to Vice Presidents, Associate and Assistant Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors and other university administrators.
Complaints of sex discrimination or sexual harassment by a student, employee or vendor/supplier should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator and/or via an online report at www.hpu.edu/titleix. For specifics, reference the Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment policy in the Student Handbook (https://studenthandbook.hpu.edu).
HPU will keep confidential the identity of complainants, respondents, and witnesses, except as may be permitted by FERPA, or as required by law, or as necessary to carry out a Title IX proceeding. In the process of handling complaints, certain information may be distributed to appropriate administrators, respondents and/or witnesses in order to conduct fact finding, institute remedial actions or to informally resolve the complaint. Records of formal complaints will be kept for a minimum of five years.
All Other Student Complaints: For complaints involving grades or academic integrity, please reference the Academic Integrity Policy or Academic Grade Appeal Procedures for Students in the Student Handbook. For other academic complaints students should initiate the complaint through the appropriate academic department chair or academic program supervisor.
Complaints of a non-academic nature may be initiated by any student of Hawai‘i Pacific University to the appropriate authorities, including but not limited to Vice Presidents, Associate and Assistant Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors and other university administrators. Student complaint procedures regarding prohibited behavior are covered by the Code of Student Conduct.
Students may also file a complaint with the Dean of Students. Complaints must be in writing, which can be sent directly to the Dean of Students at mmckee@hpu.edu or dropped off to the Dean of Students Office at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Ste. 1314, dated, signed by the complainant, and addressed to the Dean of Students who, upon receipt, will forward the complaint to the appropriate HPU authority. A response by the appropriate authority will be sent in writing to the complainant within 30 days from the date the written complaint is received by the Dean of Students. Depending on the nature of the complaint, interviews, statements, informal or formal hearings may be required. The complainant has the right to redirect the complaint to the Dean of Students for further action if he or she is not satisfied with the initial response from the appropriate HPU authority. In addition, an anonymous complaint may be recorded at www.hpu.ethicspoint.com.
Every effort will be made to resolve the complaint in a confidential manner and as expeditiously as possible; however, complete confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed. In the process of handling complaints, certain information may be distributed to appropriate administrators, respondents and/or witnesses in order to conduct fact finding, institute remedial actions or to informally resolve the complaint. Records of formal complaints will be kept for a minimum of five years.
File a Complaint to a Regulatory Agency
After exhausting all administrative remedies available at HPU and a complaint or problem is not satisfactorily resolved, students can contact the University accreditor, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission or one of the following agencies in Hawaii.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
1001 Marina Village Parkway Suite 402
Alameda, CA 94501
Phone: 510-748-9001
Fax: 510-748-9797
Hawaii Postsecondary Education Authorization Program (HPEAP)
P.O. Box 541
Honolulu, HI 96809
Phone: 808-586-7327
hpeap@dcca.hawaii.gov
The Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program (HPEAP) [http://cca.hawaii.gov/hpeap/] was created in 2013 by Act 180 to provide regulatory oversight of certain post-secondary educational institutions that have a physical presence in the state. The Act was then codified as Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 305J.
Students participating in online programs may contact the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) entity in Hawaii.
Bobbi Lum-Mew, Program Administrator
Hawaii Postsecondary Education Authorization Program
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 541
Honolulu, HI 96809
Phone: 808-586-7327
Online students residing outside Hawai‘i may contact the entity that handles complaints in their state. You may also visit https://nc-sara.org/ for all U.S. State contacts.
Note: This list includes contact information for agencies that handle complaints in each state, but is not meant to be a definitive list of those agencies that regulate the University nor a statement as to those states in which the University is authorized to operate. Many states, through the relevant agencies or Attorneys’ General Offices will accept complaints regardless of whether an institution is authorized to operate in that state. Also, the University does not maintain these state websites and information may change without the University’s knowledge.