Contacts for Resolving Complaints

If in doubt about where to start, contact the Dean of Students at 978-556-3818 or jarey@necc.mass.edu.

Student Code of Conduct
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Student Code Of Conduct	Office of Community Standards, CARE Report Maxie Holman Stocks, Director of Community Standards 978-556-3746 mstocks@necc.mass.edu	Faculty/Staff v. Student, Student v. Student	Violation of Student Code of Conduct.
Student Grievance
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Student Grievance Procedure	Jason Arey, Dean of Students 978-556-3818 jarey@necc.mass.edu Heather Mores, Director of Compliance 978-556-3659 hmores@necc.mass.edu	Student v. Faculty/Staff	Alleged abridgement of student rights in the classroom or academic environment.
Grade Appeals
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint Violation
Student Grievance Procedure	Grade Appeals Officer Thomas Greene, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs 978-556-3336 tgreene@necc.mass.edu	Student v. Faculty	Grade dispute.
Affirmative Action Grievance Procedure
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Affirmative Action, Non-Discrimination & Accessibility	Liz Trelegan, Affirmative Action Officer 978-556-3928 etrelegan@necc.mass.edu	Student, Staff or Faculty v. Student, Staff or Faculty	Discrimination or harassment-based complaint (race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Affirmative Action, Non-Discrimination & Accessibility	Liz Trelegan, Affirmative Action Officer 978-556-3928 etrelegan@necc.mass.edu	Anyone who accesses the College v. any employee or student at NECC Anyone who accesses the College v. NECC	Allegation of disability discrimination.
Administrative Complaints
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Dissatisfaction with an office service or decision.	Jason Arey, Dean of Students 978-556-3818 jarey@necc.mass.edu	Prospective Student, Parent or Current Student v. Faculty, Staff or Office	Dissatisfaction with an office service or decision
Allegations of Sexual Assault or Harassment
Procedure	Initial Contact	Who v. Who	Type of Complaint/Violation
Know Your Title IX: Sex Discrimination, Harassment & Assault	Liz Trelegan, Affirmative Action Officer 978-556-3928 etrelegan@necc.mass.edu Public Safety: 978-556-3333 or X3333 from any campus phone Local Authorities: 911	Student v. Student or Employee Employee v. Student or Employee	Allegations of Sexual Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Harassment

Complaints

NECC is required to provide current and prospective online learning students with contact information for filing complaints. Students who desire to resolve a grievance should follow the College’s Student Grievance Procedure as outlined in the NECC Student Code of Conduct and Grievance Procedures.

For Massachusetts Residents and Online Students in Non-SARA Member States and Territories

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures made available by Northern Essex Community College (NECC) initiated here through the NECC Student Complaint Form, if your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a consumer complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education by using the consumer complaint form. The DHE consumer complaint form should be used by students who are located in:

Massachusetts
Non-SARA Member States or Territories (e.g., California, Guam, etc.)

For Online Students Located in SARA Member States and Territories

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures made available by Northern Essex Community College and your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a complaint with the DHE by using the SARA complaint form. The DHE SARA complaint form should be used by students who are located in SARA member states and territories. This includes all students who are located in SARA member states and territories for the purposes of completing out-of-state learning placements, such as internships, practicums, clinical experiences, etc. in SARA member states and territories outside Massachusetts.

Additional information from the DHE’s SARA complaint website is below:

The SARA complaint process is as follows:

Students must first attempt to resolve their complaint using internal administrative procedures offered by the SARA institution.
After all administrative remedies have been exhausted with the MA-SARA institution, the student may submit a SARA Complaint via the URL below.
The Department shall send a copy of the complaint to the institution that is the subject of the complaint;
Within 30 days of the date that the Department sends a copy of the complaint to the institution, the institution must provide a written response to the student and the Department.

More information about DHE’s complaint processes can be found here (PDF).

The SARA portal agency in the student’s state of residence will be notified of any complaint filed with the Massachusetts portal agency. The student’s home state may assist the Massachusetts portal agency as needed. The complaint resolution by the Massachusetts portal agency is final and cannot be appealed to another state or federal agency or to NC-SARA.