Guidelines, Policies, and Procedures

Here you will find links to Canisius University policies governing faculty, staff, and student conduct, and procedures for complaints or grievances.  Access to volumes of the Canisius University Policy Manual is limited to current students, faculty, and staff of the University.

Non-Academic Policies & Procedures 

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The Canisius University Student Handbook includes policies relevant to and governing the student body, both on campus and online.

More information on policies concerning student life at Canisius can be found in Volume IV: Student Life Policies of the Canisius University Policy Manual.

Volume IV: Student Life Policies of the Canisius University Policy Manual contains guidelines for student grievances unrelated to specifically academic matters. This process ensures that students have the opportunity to raise grievances which have remained unresolved after previous attempts to do so, and that these concerns will be dealt with in a just and fair manner.

The Bias Reporting Form provides students a quick way to report bias or bias-related misconduct at Canisius University.

Additional Specific Policies

Canisius University Statement on Professional Licensure Requirements Outside New York State.

Policies and Procedures Governing Academics

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The Canisius Catalog contains the Code of Academic Integrity. This includes a student code of conduct, and procedures related to violation of the code.

Academic Policies

Basic Academic Policies concerning students can be found in the Canisius Catalog. These include grades policies, and grade grievance and academic misconduct procedures. Complaints concerning academics generally follow the same procedure as a grade grievance. More information may be found in Volume V: Academic Policies of the Canisius University Policy Manual.

Students with questions regarding academic policies or those seeking advice on handling situations related to grade grievances, violations of the code of academic integrity, or other matters pertaining specifically to academics may wish to speak to someone outside the normal decision and appeal processes. Students are welcome to contact an advisor in the Griff Center for Academic Engagement or the associate vice president for academic affairs for an explanation of academic policies or general assistance in these matters.

Canisius University Complaint Process

Students should seek resolution of complaints with all appropriate Canisius University officers, including their professor, academic program director, Dean, or Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. 

If a student has exhausted all these options, the student may address their concern to the appropriate office within the New York State Department of Education, or U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

Students in the United States, Residing Outside New York State

NC-SARA Logo and LinkCanisius University participates in the NC-SARA consortium for distance education and among other benefits, this provides students in the United States (states and territories), but outside of New York State, with an effective complaint process. As with New York State students:

  1. Students should seek resolution of complaints with all appropriate Canisius University officers, including their professor, academic program director, Dean, or Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs. 
  2. If a student has exhausted all these options, the student may address their concern to the appropriate office within the New York State Department of Education, or U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

Visit NC-SARA's Student Complaints Guide for a complete description of the process.

Under terms of the NC-SARA agreement, our "state portal entity" - New York State Department of Education - will investigate dishonest or fraudulent activity by any institution (school or university) participating in NC-SARA.  This includes the possibility of an institution providing potentially misleading or false information.  Student complaints must be filed first through the appropriate Canisius University channels listed above.  However, if a student feels that their complaint or concern was not fairly addressed at Canisius, they may contact New York State Department of Education via the link above, or via the following official.

Andrea Richards

Supervisor of Higher Education Programs
518.474.1551
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov

New York State Education Department
89 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12234