Student Complaint Policy
Baruch College maintains a commitment to providing students with a professional and equitable learning environment. Should a student experience faculty/staff behavior that they believe to be unfair, unjust, incompetent or inappropriate, students are able to file a formal complaint through the Office of the Dean of Students, located in the Newman Vertical Campus, room 3-175.
The Office of the Dean of Students will assist students in ensuring their complaint is heard by the appropriate office. Complaints may be redirected to a more appropriate office such as Student Disability Services, Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator or the academic Department Chair (etc.) depending upon the nature of the grievance.
In addition, students who wish to file a complaint against the College may do so by contacting the NY State Education Department or its accrediting body, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Students are encouraged to first resolve the complaint directly with the College before contacting the NY State Education Department. For more information about filing a complaint with the captioned department, please contact:
City University of New York
Office of the General Counsel
205 East 42nd Street, 11th floor
New York, NY 10017
Please use the CUNY-wide report form to file a complaint of discrimination or retaliation.
Additional Resources
Students can receive assistance regarding a complaint/grievance from the following offices:
- Office of Dean of Students
- Academic Department Chair
- Public Safety
- Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator
- Ombuds Office
Procedures
Students are encouraged to utilize informal resolution to their issue by working directly with the faculty or staff member and/or their supervisor. Formal complaints are subject to the following procedure:
- Students complete the student complaint online form using the “Student Complaint” button and providing as much detail and documentation possible of the incident in question.
- If a complaint is submitted without a name and/or contact information, the Office of the Dean of Students will not be able to ask additional questions for clarity or provide you with follow up information. As such, anonymous complaints run the risk of remaining unaddressed or only partially addressed. Names are not provided outside of the Office of Dean of Students unless necessary for action to be taken, and/or the complainant has agreed to have their identity shared,
- A member of the Office of the Dean of Students will follow up with the student reporting the grievance to discuss the issue and serve as a resource for determining if the grievance should be directed to another office (Academic Department Chair, Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator, Student Disability Services, etc.).
- When appropriate, the Office of the Dean of Students will serve to connect the student to the recommended office/staff person to address the stated concern.
- The record of the complaint and any actions and/or resolutions will be housed in the Office of the Dean of Students.
Online Programs Complaint Process
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary agreement between U.S. states, territories, and districts to establish standards for postsecondary distance education (online college programs). The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) coordinates SARA. Under NC-SARA rules, students have the right to file a complaint or grievance about an online program the student is enrolled in.
NC-SARA Student Complaint Process
Students in online programs encountering a problem or having a grievance about the course should always attempt to resolve the problem with the faculty member and/or the Department Chair.
If a student complaint cannot be resolved through the Department, the student may contact the Office of the Dean of Students (NVC 3-175):
Baruch College
Office of the Dean of Students
One Bernard Baruch Way
Box B3-175
New York, NY 10010
If the situation remains unresolved after completing Baruch College’s complaint process, students may contact the City University of New York (CUNY):
City University of New York
Office of the General Counsel
205 East 42nd Street, 11th floor
New York, NY 10017
If the complaint remains unresolved after completing the complaint process as outlined above, students may submit a grievance to the New York State Education Department:
Office of College and University Evaluation
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
(518) 474-1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov
Additional information about filing a complaint against a college or university in New York can be found on the New York State Education Department site.
For more information about NC-SARA and complaint resolution, please visit nc-sara.org/student-complaints.