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.
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).