Student complaint Policies, procedures & resources
Maritime College must provide students and prospective students with appropriate contact information for filing complaints with accreditors, the State University of New York, the New York State Education Department, and the United States Department of Education.
SUNY Maritime College makes every effort to resolve student complaints as internal matters utilizing its established policies and procedures. SUNY Maritime College expects all students to make efforts in full faith to resolve their concerns utilizing the processes and procedures outlined in these referenced documents. Some of the links and procedures to filing complaints in these specific areas are outlined below:
Academic Grade Appeal: The Code of Conduct outlines the grade appeal process under the Academic Policies and Information heading.
Distance Education: SUNY Maritime 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 to the Provost’s office (provost@sunymaritime.edu) for investigation and resolution. 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, 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.
Academic Integrity Violations: The Code of Conduct outlines the procedure for students to file an academic integrity complaint or violation.
Non-Academic Complaints: Students may file non-academic complaints with the respective department head or Dean of Student Affairs. Students may also file complaints online using the Advocate system here. These complaints are distributed to the appropriate department for response. While on Summer Sea Term, students may speak to the designated person ashore or any faculty or staff member on board or contact the Dean of Student Affairs via the on-board email system. Students on Cadet Shipping may contact the Cadet Shipping Coordinator or University Police.
Complaints pertaining to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Information pertaining to accommodation and accessibility services can be found on the Accessibility Services webpage. Specific instructions regarding grievances pertaining to ADA can be found in the Accessibility Services manual at the bottom of the webpage.
Harassment or Discrimination: The following webpage outlines the discrimination complaint procedures for both students and employees of the college.
Affirmative Action: Section I, Article III of the Student Handbook outlines the College’s Affirmative Action Policy. The designated office for Affirmative Action complaints is the Office of Human Resources in McMurray Hall. They can be reached at 718-409-7303.
Title IX: Title IX complaint procedures, sexual violence reporting, policies and response are all outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, Article XXVII.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): The Registrar’s office is responsible for the dissemination of policies and complaints pertaining to FERPA. Policies on complaints can be found here.
Criminal Activity: Complaints regarding matters of a criminal nature should contact the University Police Department (UPD) at 718-409-7311.
Each respective department is responsible for receiving and logging complaints in relevant areas and assessing for trends, new issues, or other matters of concern. Unit heads are expected to present a summary of these complaints to their respective unit heads, administrative vice president, and/or president of the institution. Changes to policy, procedure, or institutional function will be reviewed and administered by the relevant body.
If a resolution cannot be reached following the aforementioned procedures, students may pursue the following avenues.
State University of New York
SUNY System Administration
State University Plaza
353 Broadway
Albany, NY 12246
Phone: (518) 320-1100
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Telephone: (267) 284-5000
E-mail: info@msche.org Spanish: espanolinfo@msche.org
General link: www.msche.org
New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234
General information: (518) 474-3852
US Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
(800) 872-5327
Answers.ed.gov