NC-SARA Student Complaint Process

Under NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) rules, students have the right to lodge a complaint or grievance if that student’s experience in an online program is not what they anticipate. BMCC wants to ensure that all student complaints are addressed fairly and resolved promptly. All student complaints must be filed initially with the following BMCC representative:

Thomas Harbison
Director of Digital Education
199 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
tharbison@bmcc.cuny.edu

If a resolution to that complaint is not found through the BMCC process, an appeal can be addressed to:

The City University of New York
Office of the General Counsel
205 East 42nd St., 11th floor
New York, NY 10017

Further appeal can be addressed to:

Andrea Richards
Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
518.474.1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov

Students have two years from the date of the incident about which the complaint is made to appeal to the SARA State Portal Entity. See more information about NC-SARA and complaint resolution. 

See more information about filing a complaint against a college or university in New York.

Overview of How SARA Impacts Out of State Distance Education Students with Respect to Consumer Protection Complaints

Provisions of the SARA Policy Manual, including those for consumer protection and the resolution of complaints, apply to interstate distance education offered by participating SARA institutions to students in other SARA states. Only those complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities and operations provided by SARA-participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the coverage of SARA. Complaints about a SARA institution’s in-state operations are to be resolved under the state’s normal provisions, not those of SARA (SARA Policy Manual).

Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education

1. Online learning is appropriate to the institution’s mission and purposes.
2. The institution’s plans for developing, sustaining, and, if appropriate, expanding online learning offerings are integrated into its regular planning and evaluation processes.
3. Online learning is incorporated into the institution’s systems of governance and academic oversight.
4. Curricula for the institution’s online learning offerings are coherent, cohesive, and comparable in academic rigor to programs offered in traditional instructional formats.
5. The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its online learning offerings, including the extent to which the online learning goals are achieved, and uses the results of its evaluations to enhance the attainment of the goals.
6. Faculty responsible for delivering the online learning curricula and evaluating the students’ success in achieving the online learning goals are appropriately qualified and effectively supported.
7. The Institution provides effective student and academic services to support students enrolled in online learning offerings.
8. The institution provides sufficient resources to support and, if appropriate, expand its online learning offerings.
9. The Institution assures the integrity of its online offerings.