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Students are expected to observe College policies and local, state, and federal laws, including breach-of-peace offenses. Violation of College policies or local, state, or federal laws is subject to College conduct action, and offending students may be sanctioned to leave the College by the dean of graduate and professional studies. Students are expected to comply with requests of College officials, including campus public-safety officers. Failure to comply with requests results in conduct action.

Grievance Procedures

If a graduate student wishes to make a complaint against a faculty member, staff member, or administrator, the student should meet with the dean of graduate and professional studies. The student may also choose to first bring a complaint to their program director.

When the student seeks a formal resolution, they should formulate their complaint in writing either on their own or in collaboration with their program director and/or the dean of graduate and professional studies. The complaint may be referred to the Title IX officer, the director of human resources, and/or the provost. If the complaint is not an issue of Title IX and/or bias, the provost, the dean of graduate and professional studies, and/or the program director and/or their representatives will meet to discuss next steps. The likely first step is a conversation with the faculty member, staff member, or administrator in question. Depending on the outcome of that conversation:

  1. The provost and dean of the faculty might dismiss the complaint, in which case both the student and the faculty member, staff member, or administrator will be informed of the decision.
  2. The provost and dean of the faculty might uphold the complaint, in which case:
    1. They might decide that the conversation with the faculty member in question is sufficient sanction, in which case both student and faculty member are informed that the matter now rests.
    2. They might take further steps, as appropriate. In order to best accommodate the student who filed the complaint, the provost consults with the dean of graduate and professional studies and the student’s program director, as relevant.
  3. A copy of the original written complaint is held in the Office of the Provost.

When the student seeks an informal resolution, a written complaint is not required. The dean of graduate and professional studies consults with the student’s program director, the Title IX officer, the director of human resources, and/or the provost. The dean of graduate and professional studies then discusses possible options with the student. These options might include mediating a meeting with the student or students together with the faculty member in question and/or contacting the faculty member for a conversation. The student’s program director may be engaged in this conversation, as deemed relevant by the student and the dean of graduate and professional studies. If the student doesn’t participate in this intervention, the student is informed that it has taken place.

If a student wishes to make a complaint against the dean of graduate and professional studies, the student should begin the resolution process with the provost.

If a student is not satisfied with either an informal or formal resolution of a complaint, the student may appeal to the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies, absent the dean of graduate and professional studies and any other committee member who has already participated in resolving the complaint. The student should submit a complaint to the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies by writing to the director of administration in graduate and professional studies. The student receives a written communication detailing the resolution of the committee. The committee’s decision is final.

SARA Complaint Processes: Students Engaged in Distance Education

The New York State Education Department has approved Sarah Lawrence College’s participation in SARA, the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement setting protocols and standards for the delivery of distance education programs to students located in other SARA-member states. The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) provides detailed information about student consumer protections under SARA on its website.

As a SARA-participating institution, Sarah Lawrence is committed to the principle that every student deserves a positive educational experience. Sometimes a student’s pedagogical experience may not be what they anticipate and the student may have a concern or a complaint about the content or delivery of educational offerings. Students with such complaints or concerns should contact the dean of graduate and professional studies directly at 914.395.2373 or kferguson@sarahlawrence.edu. In keeping with federal law (34 CFR 602.16(a)(1)(ix) and 34 CFR 668.43(b)) and the standards set forth by the College’s accreditor, a complaint made to Sarah Lawrence College should take the form of a formal, signed request specifying the nature and timeframe of the alleged infraction, identifying the person(s) and/or office(s) involved in the complaint and (iii) identifying a proposed form of redress.

If the matter is not resolved to a student’s satisfaction, the student may appeal to the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies. The committee will review the matter and render a decision. The committee’s decision is final.

If a graduate student wishes to make a complaint against the dean of graduate and professional studies, the student may request a hearing with the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies in writing to the director of administration. The director of administration can be contacted at 914.395.2373 or jmccann@sarahlawrence.edu. The committee reviews the matter and renders a decision. The committee’s decision is final.

If a resolution to such matters cannot be found through Sarah Lawrence’s procedures, a student may appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident. Before contacting NYSED (New York State Department of Education), please consult the guidance provided by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. Information about NYSED’s complaint procedure is available at NYSED.gov. Information about the specific SARA complaints process is available on nc-sara.org.

Please note: under SARA protocols, students must bring complaints first to Sarah Lawrence College. SARA’s policies on consumer protection do not extend to assigning of course grades, student conduct, the violation of community standards, or faculty assessments of student academic performance. Students with complaints regarding such matters should follow the guidance set forth in the Student Handbook . It is the duty of every student to become familiar with the contents of the Student Handbook. Additional consumer/student-right-to-know guidance is available in the section immediately above this information (Student Right-to-Know/Consumer Information).

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