Contents

  1. Informal Procedures
  2. Formal Procedures
  3. The Student Grievance Committee
    1. Composition
    2. Procedures
  4. The Decision
  5. Filing a Grievance with New York State

The student should take the following steps to resolve a perceived grievance with a faculty or staff member:

Informal Procedures

Step A. Within 14 days in which a perceived grievance has been identified, the student should report to the appropriate cluster chairperson, where information regarding procedures will be given.

Step B. The student should meet first with the faculty or staff member to attempt to resolve the perceived grievance.

Step C. If the student is unable to meet with the faculty or staff member or has not been able to resolve the grievance satisfactorily, the perceived grievance may be discussed in a meeting with the faculty or staff member’s immediate supervisor.

Step D. If, after the meeting with the faculty/staff member and/or the immediate supervisor, the problem has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the student should report to the Dean of Student Development. This must be done within 30 days of the initial contact with the cluster chairperson.

Formal Procedures

Step A. The Office of the Dean of Student Development will provide counsel to the student regarding the grounds for the grievance.

Step B. The Dean of Student Development will attempt to resolve the problem through informal meetings and mediation with the student, faculty or staff member, and immediate supervisor and/or appropriate administrative officer.

Step C. If the grievance is not resolved through the steps outlined in Step B, the Dean of Student Development shall present the student’s documented written grievance promptly to the faculty or staff member and/or immediate supervisor. A written response shall be communicated to the Dean of Student Development by the faculty or staff member.

Step D. The Dean of Student Development will advise the student of the faculty or staff member’s response. If the grievance is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student, the Dean of Student Development will determine whether there is an appropriate basis for an appeal which would entail convening the Student Grievance Committee. The decision of that office on whether to grant an appeal is final.

The Student Grievance Committee

The Dean of Student Development will convene this Committee in consultation with the Vice President of Student Services. The Dean of Student Development will designate a Chairperson of this Committee.

Composition

An ad hoc committee consisting of:

  • One student (from the same academic department as the aggrieved student)
  • One student (from a different academic department)
  • One full-time faculty or staff member (from the same department where the grievance occurred)
  • One full-time faculty or staff member (from a different academic department)
  • One representative from the appropriate administrative office

Procedures

The Student Grievance Committee shall have the responsibility of rendering a decision on the grievance. To this end, written and oral statements may be initiated or solicited from the principals in the grievance and/or from other observers who can provide pertinent information. In addition, each principal in the grievance may have an advocate at the hearing. This advocate may not be a member of the legal profession.

When all the information pertinent to the case has been presented to the Committee, the Committee will convene without the principals in attendance to discuss the case and render a decision. The recommendation of the Committee will be presented in writing to the Dean and to the appropriate divisional Vice President.

The Decision

Step A. The Dean and the appropriate divisional Vice President shall review the recommendations of the Student Grievance Committee and, if found to be complete, reasonable, and just, the results shall be binding on both principals.

Step B. If there is some cause to question the recommendation proceedings of the Student Grievance Committee, the divisional Vice President may send his/her statements of concern in writing back to the Committee for deliberation and resolution. The Committee shall promptly resubmit its findings in writing to the divisional Vice President who shall make a final decision which shall be binding upon both principals.

Step C. The final decision and supportive rationale will be communicated in writing by the Vice President to the principals and to the chairperson of the Student Grievance Committee. This constitutes the final step in the resolution of the grievance within the institution.

Filing a Grievance with New York State

If you have completed all the grievance steps noted above and feel a complaint was not properly acted upon, you may make a grievance with New York State’s Office of College and University Evaluation. This Office reviews and handles complaints that concern educational programs or practices of degree-granting institutions. This Office will not review a complaint until all grievance procedures at the institution have been followed and all avenues of appeal exhausted and documentation provided to that effect. For more information, see the NYS website, specifically the section with information for filing a complaint against a State University of New York (SUNY) campus.