Student Complaint Information And Procedures – Distance (Online) Education

Students Residing Outside New York State and Taking Distance Education Courses

St. Lawrence University is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), which has established comparable national standards for interstate postsecondary distance education.

SARA requires the University to provide all students taking courses under SARA's provisions with information on the University’s and SARA's complaint resolution policies and procedures. SARA applies solely to distance education activity conducted across state lines. It does not apply to distance education activities inside New York State. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses offered to students who are physically located in other SARA states fall under the terms of SARA. Complaints from in-state students are to be resolved under the College's provisions, not those of SARA. Complaints against St. Lawrence University, resulting from distance education courses or activities offered to students in other SARA states, must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution.

St. Lawrence University is committed to ensure that all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly. Student complaints should be filed with Deborah Richards, University Registrar, and St. Lawrence University’s SARA Principal Contact at drichards@stlawu.edu.  The complaint:

• must be formal and in writing
• must identify the student making the complaint (not anonymous),
• must state the nature of the grievance and the evidence upon which it is based, and
• must not be a grievance for which a defined policy or process is provided.

The final decision for appeals made in all student academic matters resides with the Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, who serves as the Chief Academic Officer of the University. If no resolution is found, the student may then file the complaint under the NC-SARA process.

Complaints Not Covered by This Process

• Grade disputes, academic grievances, and other matters related to a faculty member’s assigned duties. The grievance process for these disputes is found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/advising-toolkit/course-related-policies-and-procedures/grade-dispute-academic-conflict-resolution

• Issues related to discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment – for more information see https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/title-ix/discrimination-and-harassment-misconduct-policy

• Appeals process as a way to resolve disciplinary sanctions regarding non-compliance with student conduct regulations. The Student Code of Responsibility outlines the appeal procedures for disciplinary sanctions, as found in Section 7: Conflict Resolution and Disciplinary Procedures, within the St. Lawrence University Student Handbook.

• Appeals process as a way to resolve contested parking summonses. The College’s Traffic and Parking Regulations are found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/safety-and-security/motor-vehicle-and-parking-policy

• Issues relating to tuition refund appeals. The College’s tuition refund policy is found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/student-financial-services/refund-policy

• Requests to have student education records amended. The College’s Student Records Policy is found at: https://www.stlawu.edu/offices/registrars-office/ferpa-students-academic-records

•  Other established complaint/grievance processes may be found in the Student Handbook: https://www.stlawu.edu/documents/student-handbook

Further details about the SARA student complaint process may be found here:
https://nc-sara.org/student-complaints

The NYSED complaint procedures may be found here:
http://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/filing-complaint-about-college-or-university