State Authorization and Complaint Process

State Authorizations

St. John’s University is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. All University academic programs are registered with the New York State Education Department.

St. John’s University is approved by The State of New York to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. As a participant in NC-SARA, St. John’s University is authorized to offer its online degree programs to residents of all other states that participate in NC-SARA. For additional information on NC-SARA and the list of states that participate, please visit their website at https://nc-sara.org/

Non-SARA States:

California: The California Bureau of private Postsecondary Education does not require out of state non-profit accredited institutions like St. John’s to register with them. Therefore, Bureau approval for the University to offer distance education in California is not required.

St. John’s University Complaint Process

In accordance with federal regulation and accreditation standards, St. John’s University provides the following policies and procedures for resolving student complaints.

The University’s Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures (“Policy”) is enacted pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Final Rule titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance” and published in the Federal Register on May 19, 2020 (collectively, “Title IX”); New York Education Law Article 129-B (“N.Y. 129-B”); Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the New York State Human Rights Law; the New York City Administrative Code; and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

This Policy applies to Sexual Misconduct that allegedly occurs on or after August 14, 2020. Sexual Misconduct that allegedly occurs on or before August 13, 2020 shall be governed by the prior version of this Policy, which

A Complainant may file a Formal Complaint alleging Sexual Misconduct against a Respondent and requesting that the University investigate the allegation of Sexual Misconduct. Such a complaint may be filed with the Title IX Coordinator in person, by mail, or by e-mail to:

Danielle Haynes
Director of Equal Opportunity, Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
St. John’s University
Office of Human Resources, University Center Suite C
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
Phone: 718-990-2660
[email protected] or [email protected].

A Formal Complaint may also be submitted to the Title IX Coordinator via the online Sexual Misconduct reporting form available here.

St. John’s University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex (including sexual harassment and sexual violence), sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, age, status in the uniformed services of the United States (including veteran status), marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence, citizenship status, genetic predisposition or carrier status in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Amendments Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VI or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies.

The following person has been designated to handle student inquiries regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Amendments Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and related statutes and regulations:

Dorothy Schmitt
Associate Director of the Counseling Center
St. John’s University
Counseling Center, Marillac Hall Room 130
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
Phone: 718-990-1482
[email protected]

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and to serve as the Title IX coordinator for purposes of overall campus compliance:

The following person has been designated deputy Title IX coordinator for the Office of Student Life:

Jackie Lochrie
Associate Dean for Student Services
St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
Phone: 718-990-6568
[email protected]

The following person has been designated deputy Title IX coordinator for Athletics:

Kathleen F. Meehan
Associate Vice President for Athletics
St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Queens, NY 11439
Phone: 718-990-6173
[email protected]

Inquiries concerning the application of anti-discrimination laws may be referred to the Title IX coordinators or to the Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education. For further information on notice of nondiscrimination, visit t his page for the address and phone number of the U.S. Department of Education office that serves your area, or call 1-800-421-3481.

The Office of Equal Opportunity & Compliance (EOC) serves as the University’s central office for handling complaints of bias, discrimination, discrimination-related harassment, and sexual harassment. All such complaints, whether they are against St. John’s students or employees, are processed through EOC.

Anyone can make a complaint of bias, discrimination, discrimination-related harassment or sexual harassment by filling out the online bias reporting form available at www.stjohns.edu/reportbias or by contacting:

More information about the bias reporting process is available on our website.

Procedure
The Academic Fairness Procedure is the procedure to be used by students to resolve certain types of complaints of an academic nature.

Resolution
Formalized academic fairness procedures are established in each school or college of the University. Before a student can utilize the formalized academic fairness procedure, the student must first have attempted to resolve the complaint informally with the faculty member involved and then, if necessary, in schools or colleges with departments or divisions, with the chair of the department or division, and then, if necessary, with the Dean. The sole purpose of the academic fairness procedure is to redress student academic grievances relative to academic matters. The academic fairness procedure shall seek both: To assure an objective, impartial hearing of alleged student academic grievances and a timely response thereto; To assure that the good name and reputation of the faculty member are not unjustly or frivolously impugned. In any hearing of alleged grievances, the burden of proof shall be on the student lodging the complaint. The academic fairness procedure shall provide an appropriate academic remedy of any injustice judged to have been done to the student lodging the complaint.

For further details, students should contact their respective college office.

Complaint Process for New York Institutions and Programs

New York complaint guidelines requires that all types of complaints concerning colleges and universities in New York State try to be resolved first and directly with the administration of the college or university involved. If a resolution to a complaint is not satisfactory a further appeal can be addressed to New York State Education Department, Office of College and University Evaluation Complaints.

The Office of College and University Evaluation will not review a complaint until all grievance procedures at the institution have been followed and all appeal options explored and exhausted and documentation provided that all such procedures have been exhausted.

Complaint Process for Out-of-State Students regarding Distance Education programs

All students are required to start the complaint process through the relevant University’s complaint process outlined above. Complaints related to academic matters must follow the process outlined in the Academic Regulations and Program Requirements section. Send complaints related to any other matters to [email protected].

If attempts to resolve a complaint and subsequent appeal are not satisfactory a student residing in a SARA state, outside New York, may appeal the complaint to SARA state portal entity in New York.

Only complaints that result from distance education courses provided by SARA participating institutions to students in other SARA states come under the coverage of SARA. Students have 2 years from the date of the incident about which the complaint is made to appeal to the SARA State Portal Entity.

Additional information about NC-SARA complaint procedures can be found at https://www.nc-sara.org/student-complaints.

SARA State Portal Entity:

Andrea Richards, Supervisor of Higher Education Programs, 581-474-1551, [email protected]

New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York, 12234.

Accreditation

St. John’s University is accredited by the Middles States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

1007 North Orange Street 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801

Telephone: (267) 284–5011 E-mail: [email protected] Spanish: españ[email protected]

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

In the event that a student has followed and exhausted all avenue of appeals at both the institutional level and state level and the issue remains unresolved students may file a complaint with the University’s accreditor MSCHE.

MSCHE complaint procedures address non-compliance with Commission’s standards for accreditation, requirements of affiliation, policies or procedures or an institution’s own policies or procedures.