Westchester Community College, State University of New York

Student Complaints, Concerns, & Incident Reports

SUNY Westchester Community College values the health, safety, and well-being of its members, seeks to uphold the integrity of our academic pursuits, upholds the rights of others, and ensures community members are living up to their responsibilities.  All concerns, complaints, and reports are treated with sensitivity and seriousness.

SUNY WCC encourages all community members to work together to understand and address concerns without having to resort to formal grievance or complaint procedures. However, when that is not possible, SUNY WCC will resolve complaints in a fair, equitable and timely manner in accordance with the College’s policies and procedures.

When following the processes below and completing reports/forms, please be as detailed as possible and complete as many of the requested fields as you know.

Each report will be seen by officials at Westchester Community College. In all reports, you may choose to withhold your identity and report anonymously; however, doing so may limit the college’s ability to respond.

These reports are reviewed during normal business hours and should not be used if you need emergency assistance. If you need IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE FOR AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, please call the 24/7 Campus Security Emergency Line (914) 606-6911 or dial 911.

Name of Report	Who Completes It	What It’s Used For	Associated College Policies, Documents or Resources
Academic Complaint Policy	Students	Complaints regarding course management that cannot be resolved informally between the student and the faculty member.	Academic Complaint Policy
Academic Dishonesty Report	Faculty	This form documents the outcome of the process detailed in the Academic Honesty Policy.	Academic Honesty Policy
Appealing a Final Grade	Students	When a student believes that the final grade awarded was unfairly determined, the student has a right to pursue a formal appeal of the grade.	Appealing a Final Grade
Americans with Disability Act & Section 504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Complaints Complaint Form	Students	A student who wishes to file a grievance about a faculty member, a staff member, or another student regarding alleged discrimination based on disability.	Accessibility Services Guidelines & Procedures
Bias or Hate Related Incident Report	Students, Employees, & Community Members	This form is used to report a student or employee for a bias or hate related incident.	Bias or Hate Crime Incident Response Policy
Classroom Misconduct Report	Faculty & School Deans	This form is used to report student behavior that causes significant disruption to a class such that it substantially interferes with the normal operations of the class.  This form should only be submitted after Steps 1 and 2 are completed in the Classroom Conduct Policy.	Classroom Conduct Policy
Sex-Based Discrimination or Sex-Based Harassment Incident Report	Students, Employees & Community Members	This form is used to report acts of discrimination based on sex, sexual violence or sexual misconduct, which can include, but is not limited to: domestic violence, dating violence, sexual harassment, stalking or sexual assault.	Grievance Procedure for Complaints of Sex Discrimination Other Than Sex-Based Harassment AND Grievance Procedure for Sex-Based Harassment Complaints for Students
Student Conduct Incident Report	Students, Employees, & Community Members	This form is used to report a student(s) who has engaged in behavior that violates the Student Code of Conduct.	Student Code of Conduct
Student of Concern Report (CARE Team Referral)	Students, Employees, & Community Members	This form is used to report observable behaviors exhibited by a student that may indicate a potential threat of harm to self or others.	The CARE Team
Workplace Violence, Harassment and Discrimination	Employees	This form is used by an employee to file a complaint regarding alleged workplace violence, harassment, or discrimination (bullying, etc.)	Workplace Violence Prevention Program Policy & Procedures

STUDENT COMPLAINTS
The complaint form should only be used when a satisfactory resolution has not been achieved by the procedures as referenced above.

Name of Report	Who Completes It	What It’s Used For
Student Complaint Form	Students	Students who wish to make general complaints or concerns about, but not limited to, the following : Admissions procedures/policies, Bursar/Student Accounts, Financial Aid, Information Technology, Facilities, Security, Student Affairs, Institutional procedures/policies, website and/or other institutional services, personnel, and unresolved complaints for all areas.

EXTERNAL COMPLAINTS
Once all other avenues provided by the College have been exhausted, unresolved complaints may be filed directly with the appropriate agency.

Outside Agency/Entity	Who Completes It	What It’s Used For
The State University of New York (SUNY) – Office of Student Life	Students	Complaints that have previously been reviewed through the institution complaint process and resulted in an unsatisfactory resolution. Complaints that were filed with through the institution’s complaint process and no resolution was received within a reasonable time frame.
New York State Education Department Complaint Procedures	Students	Complaints to the New York State Education Department.
US Department of Education	Students	Complaints to the US Department of Education.
FERPA Complaints OR U.S. Department of Education Family Policy Compliance Office 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-8502	Students	Complaints regarding violations of student privacy.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education: Middle States Commission on Higher Education 1007 North Orange Street 4th Floor, MB #166 Wilmington, DE 19801Phone: (267) 284-5000 E-mail: info@msche.org Web: www.msche.org	Students	Once all other avenues provided by the College and the State agency or SARA have been exhausted, unresolved complaints may be filed with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the College’s regional accrediting agency.