Distance Education
Le Moyne College (via New York State) has been approved as a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). This is an agreement among 49-member states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico that establishes comparable standards for interstate offering of post-secondary distance education (e.g., online courses or programs). NC-SARA allows institutions to provide online courses and programs outside of their own state borders by seeking and maintaining state approvals via a streamlined process.
When students participate in distance education coursework, it is a Le Moyne College policy that the address submitted on the student’s application/program approval form will be presumed to be the same as the location of the student when completing the online coursework. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the college if their location while completing distance education coursework differs from that listed on the application/program approval form.
Student Complaint Process Relating to Consumer Protection
The following sections provide an overview of the law, Le Moyne College’s Consumer Protection Complaint Resolution Process, and the procedures to appeal Consumer Protection Complaints Unresolved at the College Level.
- Law Overview. Students have a right to file a complaint or grievance relating to consumer protection laws via the NC-SARA Complaint Process. Information about the NC-SARA student complaint process can be found at the following link: https://nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0
As required by the NC-SARA student complaint process, student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of NC-SARA must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution (see Section B below). For complaints not satisfactorily resolved at the institutional level, a student may appeal the institution decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made (See Section C below).
Le Moyne College’s Consumer Protection Complaint Resolution Process is detailed in the following section. Students who have a consumer protection based complaint regarding a distance education course or program must first seek to resolve such a complaint with the Academic Dean in the college or the school where the online course or program in which the student is registered is offered. Le Moyne College will ensure that all concerns and complaints of students are addressed fairly and resolved promptly.
Complaints regarding grades and general student conduct issues are not governed by the distance education consumer protection complaint process. Academic related complaints regarding grades should follow the processes outlined in the “Le Moyne College Catalog” and student conduct concerns should follow the processes outlined in the “Student Handbook”.
As required by the NC-SARA student complaint process, student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of NC-SARA must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution. For complaints not satisfactorily resolved at the institutional level, a student may file an appeal directly through the SARA State Portal Entity (SPE). Details
follow. - Le Moyne College Consumer Protection Complaint Resolution Process. Students who have a consumer protection-based complaint regarding a distance education course or program should first seek to resolve such a complaint with the Academic Dean in the college or the school where the online course or program in which the student is registered is offered, i.e., Carroll
College of Arts and Sciences, Madden College of Business and Economics, or Purcell School of Professional Studies.Le Moyne College School and Colleges with Distance Education Courses or Programs Contact for Consumer Protection Complaints Carroll College of Arts and Sciences Travis Newton, Interim Dean
artssciences@lemoyne.eduMadden College of Business and Economics William Barrett, Interim Dean
business@lemoyne.eduPurcell School of Professional Studies Margaret Wells, Dean
professionalstudies@lemoyne.eduThe complaint should be provided in writing to the Academic Dean listed above and identify the specific consumer protection law perceived to be of concern and accompanied by any relevant supporting documentation or data. The Academic Dean will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within thirty (30) business days. Complaints should be made during the semester of occurrence, but must be made no later than the last day of the following academic semester. The Academic Dean shall discuss the complaint with the student and shall make a recommendation to the student as to a resolution. If the concern is not perceived to be resolved by the Academic Dean’s recommendation, the student may appeal the Academic Dean’s
recommendation to the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs at provost@lemoyne.edu within fifteen (15) business days of being informed of the decision by the Academic Dean. A decision on the student’s appeal will be issued within sixty (60) business days. - Consumer Protection Complaints Unresolved at the College Level. If a complaint by a student who has followed all grievance procedures and protocols defined by Le Moyne College is not resolved satisfactorily by the College, then the student may also appeal the institution decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made at: IHEauthorize@nysed.gov.
Information on filing a complaint can be found on the NYSED website at: https://www.nysed.gov/college-university-evaluation/sara-studentcomplaint-process
SARA State Portal Entity in New York State contact information is as follows:
New York State
Andrea Richards
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
(518) 474-1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov
State SARA Website
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12234
