Consumer Protection: Student Complaint Resolution
SUNY New Paltz 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 on their SARA Student Complaints page. Consumer protection complaints resulting from distance education courses, activities, and operations may be submitted to Kathryn Bohan (bohank@newpaltz.edu), Director of the Office of Instructional Technology, EIT Accessibility Officer, 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 at Student Concerns. 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 on their SARA-Student Complaint Process webpage.
Please note: This process is only for consumer protection issues (for examples, see section 4 of the SARA Policy Manual) and does not include complaints related to grades or student conduct violations, both of which are to be addressed via non-SARA processes:
- For complaints related to grades, consult the Undergraduate Catalog or Graduate Catalog.
- For complaints related to student conduct violations, consult the Student Handbook.
- To report behaviors and experiences believed to be based on bias or which may be harassment or discrimination based on characteristics protected under the law, refer to Bias Response Reporting and Support.
Additionally, this process is only for distance-education students located in another SARA-participating state (as of January 1, 2026, this includes all states except California), whereas other distance education students, including those located in New York State, should follow non-SARA processes; see Online Learning: FAQ & Support.
