Student Rights and Procedural Considerations

The following procedures are designed to determine, without bias, what is best for the Complainant, the Responding Student and the NLU community.

  1. The Responding Student is entitled to an appeal if the matter cannot be resolved through Administrative Action. Appeals will be determined within 5 business days from the date of the charge notification.
  2. All parties will be informed of the time, date and location of their investigative interview at least 4 business days prior to their meeting date. Students are permitted to re-schedule their meeting to a closer date if they prefer. If students are unable to attend their meeting, they must inform the Office of Student Engagement at least 2 business days prior to the date of the meeting.
  3. If a party does not attend their scheduled meeting, the administrative action process may continue without the input of the party in question. The Office of Student Engagement may attempt to reschedule the interview, but this is not required. It is important to note that failing to comply with a summons by the Office of Student Engagement constitutes a violation of the Standards of Student Conduct.
  4. All parties may be accompanied by an advocate of their choice, but the Office of Student Engagement should be informed of the identity of the advocate at least 1 business day in advance of the meeting. While permissible, it is important to note that the role of the advocate will be limited to support for the party in question.
  5. All proceedings are closed to the public. All persons involved in a proceeding shall agree to hold information related to the student conduct case confidential.
  6. It is within the discretion of the hearing administrator to determine whether witnesses may be present at the hearing when they are not testifying.
  7. The decision made during the formal resolution process shall be made only on the basis of statements and other evidence relevant to the case. The standard of review used to reach a decision is preponderance of evidence, or “more likely than not.”
  8. The responding student is entitled to a written notice of the results of the Student Conduct Process sent via NLU email no later than 5 business days after the meeting date.