GRIEVANCE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

It is the policy of Cayuga Community College to protect the rights and freedoms of students and other members of the campus community. The College has created internal policies and procedures to address student and consumer complaints and grievances. Policies exist for academic, consumer, discrimination, and sexual harassment complaints.

ACADEMIC GRIEVANCE

If a student has an academic complaint, or believes that he or she has been harmed by an inequitable or inappropriate implementation of the academic regulations and procedures of the College, the academic grievance procedure shall be followed. Students are encouraged to discuss academic concerns with their instructor first. If not satisfied with the outcome of these discussions, the student may then appeal the decision to the instructor’s division chair or immediate supervisor. Although the policy does allow for informal as well as formal complaint procedures, students should be aware that there are time limits designated in the policy, and they should seek assistance in resolving an academic conflict as quickly as possible. The academic grievance policy and submission form are available in the Academic Programs office on the Auburn campus and in the campus administration office on the Fulton campus.

• Academic Grievance Policies
• Academic Grievance Form

CONSUMER COMPLAINT

The College has adopted an internal grievance procedure for the equitable resolution of complaints that do not relate to any other internal grievance procedure. The Consumer Complaint Procedure does not include complaints that are academic (Academic Grievance Procedure), or related to any form of discrimination as defined in the Discrimination Grievance Procedure, or related to sexual harassment, as defined in the Sexual Harassment Policy, or any other complaint for which the College has established a more specific complaint or grievance process. The Consumer Complaint Procedure and submission form are available in the Office of Human Resources and in the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement on the Auburn campus, and in the campus administration office on the Fulton campus.

• Consumer Complaint Procedure
• Consumer Complaint Form

OUT-OF-STATE CONSUMER COMPLAINTS

Cayuga Community College is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and follows the complaint resolution policies and procedures outlined within the SARA Policy Manual and summarized here. Consumer protection complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations may be submitted following the procedures laid out in Cayuga’s Consumer Complaint Procedures. If a student is dissatisfied with the campus-based resolution, a concern may be submitted to System Administration of the State University of New York as outlined here. And, if still not satisfied, a complaint may be submitted, within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made, to the New York State Education Department as outlined here. Please note that this does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be fully addressed via campus processes, not through the NC-SARA complaint resolution procedures.

DISCRIMINATION GRIEVANCE

The College has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt, equitable, and confidential resolution of complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Complaints emerging from the Auburn campus, Fulton campus, or any other operation of the College should be addressed either to the affirmative action officer for employees (Director of Human Resources) or to the affirmative action officer for students (Dean of Students and Chief Diversity Officer). The discrimination grievance policy and submission form are available in the Office of Human Resources and in the Academic and Student Affairs Office on the Auburn campus, and in the administration office on the Fulton campus.

• Discrimination Grievance Policy
• Discrimination Complaint Form

SEXUAL HARASSMENT GRIEVANCE

The College is committed to maintaining a work and educational environment free from sexual harassment and has adopted an internal grievance procedure for the reporting and resolution of sexual harassment complaints. Complaints emerging from the Auburn and Fulton campuses or any other operation of the College should be addressed either to the affirmative action officer for employees (Director of Human Resources) or to the affirmative action officer for students (Director of Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement). The sexual harassment policy and submission form are available in the Office of Human Resources and the Centers for Student Engagement and Academic Advisement on the Auburn campus, and in the campus administration office on the Fulton campus.

• Sexual Harassment Policy
• Sexual Harassment Complaint Form

SUNY TRANSFER CREDIT APPEAL PROCESS

When you transfer into any SUNY school, you will receive a transcript evaluation as close to the time of admission as possible, but no later than the payment of your enrollment deposit. The transcript evaluation will show how your prior courses will be accepted in transfer and apply toward your major. If you do not agree with your SUNY college’s decision on the granting or placement of credit that you earned at a prior SUNY institution, you have the right to submit an appeal to your campus transfer representative. To file an appeal, please visit https://forms.office.com/r/rr447bg1LR.

If you still do not agree with your campus’ decision, or you have not received a response within 15 business days, you may appeal to the SUNY System Provost. You can submit the appeal by filling out Student Appeal Form and sending it along with requested material via email to TransferCredit@sysadm.suny.edu, or send via certified mail to:

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
SUNY System Administration
One University Plaza
Albany, NY 12246

The SUNY Provost will respond to your appeal within five business days from receipt of the completed appeal application. If the decision finds merit to change the course to meet a major requirement, the receiving institution will be notified to take appropriate action. If you have questions about this process, please contact Thomas Hanford.

ADDITIONAL ACTION

SUNY students can appeal the outcome of a complaint at an individual campus to the SUNY central administration at SUNY’s Student Concerns page. If after pursuing this, the student would like to take additional action, they should contact New York State’s Office of College and University Evaluation (OCUE).

OTHER COMPLAINTS

• Filing a complaint about a college or university with the New York State Education Department (NYSED)
• Filing a complaint regarding an ACEN-accredited program
• Filing a complaint regarding MSCHE member institutions