Informal measures are available to resolve a wide array of questions, complaints, or concerns raised by NYU Law students or against NYU Law students, with the exception of those pertaining to sexual misconduct which must be handled as detailed in Part III.A.1. This includes issues raised:
- by a student against any member of the Law School community, including other students, faculty, staff members, administrators, employees, as well as campus recruiters, alumni, contractors, or vendors
- against an NYU law student by any person, whether a member of the Law School community or not
The goal of an informal approach is to attempt to reach a resolution that is acceptable to all parties. It provides a means to address concerns without formal investigation, discipline, castigation, or even blame. Informal measures prioritize educational and conciliatory approaches over adversarial confrontation and contestation of facts. Informal measures also have greater flexibility to maintain the parties’ anonymity or privacy, as described in Section III above. A participant in informal measures may terminate it at any time and, if the complaint involves an alleged rule violation, elect to proceed formally.
A. Initiating informal measures.
A student may initiate the informal process by email, phone call, or an in-person meeting as follows.
Any issue may be raised with Dean of Students or any member of the Office of Student Affairs or Office of Graduate Affairs. If a concern falls into one of following categories, a student might also elect to contact the office or representatives listed below:
- Bias, discrimination, inclusion and belonging
(a) The Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.
(b) Any faculty, staff, or administrative member of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee directly, or by emailing diversity@mercury.law.nyu.edu. The IDC is composed of the Dean of Students, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, the Director of the Lawyering program, three clinical and podium faculty members that are appointed for annual terms, and three student representatives (who are appointed by the SBA). Specific members of the current committee can be identified by requesting the name and contact information of committee members from any member of the committee, or by emailing diversity@mercury.law.nyu.edu or DeansOffice@mercury.law.nyu.edu. - Academic integrity
(a) The Academic Services Office
(b) The Vice Dean of Curriculum - General student conduct
(a) The Office of Student Affairs or the Office of Graduate Affairs, as pertinent - Institutional practices
(a) Pertinent offices (see Section II)
B. What happens next
Informal measures allow an institutional response tailored to the nature of the concern or complaint and the needs of the persons involved. They aim to provide a space to hear concerns and address them as collaboratively and beneficially, for all parties, as possible. Some issues or concerns may even be addressed without any investigation into the factual basis, such as when a student seeks a referral to supportive campus services or a well-advised change in a campus policy or practice.
The informal approach may thus include:
- dialogue with affected persons (either jointly or separately)
- referrals to campus services
- administrative accommodations (such as adjusting class schedules, changing sections, housing assignments, waiving a fee, etc.)
- voluntary mediation
- verbal cautions or warnings
- voluntary apology or acts of service
- collaborative agreement on behavioral or institutional changes
- voluntary educational, mentoring or coaching sessions
- added institutional programming or services
- other non-disciplinary interventions
C. Privacy.
In the course of using informal measures to address issues, concerns, or complaints, advice or input may be sought from relevant parties, including the: Law School Dean, Dean of Students, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee, Vice Dean for Intellectual Life, Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registration, and Vice Dean for Curriculum.
Informal measures will generally seek to respect and preserve the privacy and confidentiality of the parties involved, although disclosures may be made as appropriate under the circumstances.