Campus Safety and Security
The Office of Campus Safety and Security will provide, upon request, all campus crime statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education. The Campus Safety (Clery Act) Report may be found on the Mercy College website. This information is also available, in a hard copy format, from the Mercy College Office of Campus Safety and Security. To receive a copy, contact the Director of Security, at 914-674-7225.
Students may sign up to receive emergency campus alerts through the NY Alert website (https://users.nyalert.gov). For more information about preparing for or responding to a campus emergency, down load the “In Case of Crisis” Application in the Apple or Google Play app stores.
Students wishing to report an emergency should call 914-674-9999 or 911; for general security assistance in a non-emergency situation call 914-674-7225.
Graduate Academic Support
Graduate Academic Support is designed to assist graduate students to persist in their studies and succeed in their coursework with the goal of graduation and increased employment opportunities. Writing and research specialists assist graduate students through one-on-one assistance, workshops, and online. Dedicated study and learning spaces are provided at the Bronx (4th floor) and Dobbs Ferry (library) campuses. Please schedule an appointment in advance for tutoring in writing and research. Preregistration for workshops is encouraged.
Workshops are provided for a variety of credentialing exams in the health and education professions. Content Peer Tutoring positions are available for graduate students to provide peer tutoring, particularly in the professional preparation programs in Health and Natural Sciences.
Career and Professional Development
Career and Professional Development at Mercy College teaches career readiness, with the goal of each student developing lifelong career management skills. We provide tools, training and exposure to valuable opportunities that empower students to take ownership of their career success.
Services available to Mercy College students include, but are not limited to:
- Resumé & cover letter building – Work with a Career Counselor to develop a professional and competitive resumé and cover letter that stand apart from the crowd.
- Job and Internship search – Develop a strategy to efficiently and effectively identify and pursue the career opportunities of your choice. We’re here to help you!
- Interview skills – Conduct live mock interviews, or practice at home with a virtual mock interview tool to increase skill and confidence in communicating your unique value to employers .
- Career Fairs – Network with employers and find internships, full-time and part-time jobs at Recruit Westchester and on-campus career and internship fairs.
Career Maverick
Mercy College’s Career Maverick system is our online tool and app that contains career resources that will be of value to you throughout your college career and beyond. Registration is free and available exclusively to members of the Mercy College community at https://mercy-csm.symplicity.com. Through Career Maverick you will gain access to exclusive full-time and part-time job and internship opportunities specifically targeting members of the Mercy College community. You will also be able to access the NACElink Network, the largest career network of career services and recruiting professionals in the world. In addition, valuable career resources such as resume formats, cover letter formats, helpful verbs for writing resume bullets, sample bullets, etc. are also available in Career Maverick.
All career resources offered by Mercy College Career and Professional Development are free of charge to students and alumni. To schedule an appointment to meet with a counselor at the campus of your choice call 914-674-7203 or email: CPD@mercy.edu
Student Counseling Center
The Student Counseling Center offers psychological evaluation and brief treatment typically lasting from one to six sessions with a licensed psychologist or social worker. Students in need of more intensive treatment are referred to local hospitals and clinics for long-term psychotherapy and/or medication, if necessary.
Students utilize the Counseling Center for help with mental health issues including increased anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and crisis intervention as well as concerns about their academic progress, daily living, adjustment to college and relationships with others. Counseling can be an opportunity to talk about issues that are of concern to students with an objective person who can help them develop skills and view situations in ways that may enable them to be more effective in managing life’s challenges down the road. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call our main number 914-888-5150 or email: counselingcenter@mercy.edu
** This service is for Mercy College students ONLY.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Mercy College is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the College community (including but not limited to contractors, vendors or visitors) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely based upon a protected characteristic, or retaliated against for making a complaint regarding such adverse treatment.
The College is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations when appropriate to individuals with disabilities, individuals observing religious practices, and employees who have pregnancy or childbirth-related medical conditions. Retaliation for reporting or opposing discrimination, cooperating with an investigation of a discrimination complaint, or requesting an accommodation is also prohibited.
The College’s policy addressing discrimination and harassment is set forth more fully in the Mercy College Policy on Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination. The College’s policy addressing sexual harassment, gender-based harassment and sexual violence is set forth more fully in the Mercy College Policies and Procedures Relating to Sexual Misconduct, both of which can be found in the Student Handbook.
Inquiries regarding the application of all laws, regulations and policies prohibiting discrimination may be directed to Ana Gonzalez, Esq., Title IX Coordinator and Equity Compliance Specialist, agonzalez@mercy.edu, 914-674-7679.
Rights Afforded Under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA” or the “Act”) affords eligible students certain rights
with respect to their education records. An eligible student under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or
who attends a postsecondary institution at any age. Persons who unsuccessfully applied for admission to the College
or who are offered admission but never attended the College are not covered by the Act.
Eligible students are afforded the following rights:
- Inspection. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit a written request to the Registrar that identifies the record the student wishes to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
- Amendment. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write to the Vice President for Enrollment Services, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
- Appeal of College’s amendment decision. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Hearing requests must be made in writing, to the VP of Enrollment Services within thirty (30) days of being informed of the decision to decline the request for amendment. Within a reasonable period of time after receiving such request, the VP of Enrollment Services will inform the student of the date, place and time of the hearing. The hearing will take place before the designee of the Vice President of Enrollment Services, a designee of the Vice President for Student Affairs and a designee of the Provost. The student may present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or represented at the hearing by one or more persons of the student’s choice, including an attorney, at the student’s sole expense. While the FERPA amendment procedure may be used to challenge facts that are inaccurately recorded, it may not be used to challenge a grade, an opinion, or a substantive decision made by a school about an eligible student.
The Committee must issue a written decision that contains a summary of the evidence and a statement of the basis for the decision. The decision of the Committee is final and must be based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing. If the decision is in the student’s favor, the education records will be amended in accordance with the Committee’s decision. If the decision is unfavorable to the student, the student may prepare a statement commenting on the contested information in the education record or stating why the student disagrees with the decision not to amend the record, or both. The College must maintain any such statement in the student’s file along with the contested part of the record for as long as the College maintains that record and the College must disclose the statement whenever it discloses the portion of the record to which the statement relates.
- Consent for disclosure. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information (PII), as defined below, from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent as set forth in section III below.
- Complaint. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202
Detailed information concerning each of the points cited above can be found on the College webpage, in the Mercy College Student Handbook, or can be obtained by inquiring with the Office of Registrar.
Residential Life
There are two residence halls on the Dobbs Ferry campus. Founders Hall serves over 300 students in a variety of room configurations including singles, doubles triples and quads. Hudson Hall, which opened in January, 2016, is home to 350 students residing in 4 and 6 person suites. Hudson Hall also has a state of the art fitness Center, a Starbucks Café, a community lounge, quiet study lounge and meeting rooms that are open to all members of the Mercy College community. With the addition of Hudson Hall, the residential life program at Mercy has a robust on-campus population in addition to using area hotels that compliment a student’s residential experience while attending Mercy College. The Residential Life Program is designed to provide students with living facilities and activities that enhance and extend their formal classroom education. The program is structured to promote students’ social, cultural, personal and intellectual development. Living in College housing offers a structured environment in which students can live independently and develop a greater sense of personal identity within a community setting.
Applications for residing on campus are for the full academic year, although there are limited openings for spring applicants. All applications either continuing or new include a $100 application fee. For further information, please contact the Residential Life Office at 914-674-7277 or email us at residentiallife@mercy.edu
Students With Disabilities
The Office of ACCESSibility provides Accommodations, Collaboration, Consultation, and Educational Support Services for students with disabilities. The office works to collaborate with and empower students who have disabilities to enable equal access to an education and college life. ACCESS provides opportunities and resources that will facilitate the development of self-advocacy, self-efficacy, and adaptive skills in students to overcome barriers a disability may present. To learn more contact, accessibility@mercy.edu.
Students whose disabilities may require some type of accommodation, must self-identify and complete an “Application for Accommodations.” ACCESS may require documentation of the disability. Documentation will assist ACCESS in understanding how the disability impacts the student in an academic setting and the current impact of the disability as it relates to the accommodations requested. Reviewing documentation is a collaborative process and accommodation request is handled on a case-to-case basis.
A follow-up meeting with ACCESS may be required. Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Office of ACCESSibility, Main Hall, Room 109, (914) 674-7523. Students are encouraged to register with ACCESS as soon as possible after admission to the college to ensure timely provision of services. Students should also visit ACCESS at the beginning of each semester to obtain up-to-date documentation of a disability is required for services.
For more information about the process for obtaining accommodations, or if a student feels that their accommodations are not being provided adequately or fully, or the student disagrees with an accommodation that was not approved, she/he should refer to the Policy and Procedures for Implementing Reasonable Accommodations for Students in the Mercy College Student Handbook.
Policy on Alcohol and Illegal Drugs
The abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs can have a significant adverse effect upon the Mercy College community, compromising interpersonal relationships and undermining the educational mission of the College. In response to these concerns, and pursuant to the Drug-Free Schools of Communities Act Amendments of 1989, the College has developed a comprehensive program to prevent the use of illegal drugs and the abuse of alcohol. The College reviews its program biennially to determine its effectiveness, to implement any necessary changes, and to ensure that the required disciplinary sanctions are consistently enforced. Refer to the Student Handbook for detailed information concerning:
- Mercy College’s policies on substance abuse and alcoholic beverages.
- College sanctions for violation of these policies.
- Criminal sanctions for the illegal possession or distribution of drugs and alcohol.
- Mercy College’s Drug/Alcohol Use Amnesty Policy.
- Health risks of drugs and alcohol.
- Places where one can receive help concerning the abuse of alcohol and drugs.
Textbooks
Textbooks are available for student purchase at the campus bookstores located at the Dobbs Ferry and Bronx campuses, as well as online at www.mercy-dobbs.bkstr.com for Dobbs Ferry, Manhattan, Yorktown, and online students; or www.mercy-bronx.bkstr.com for Bronx students.
Textbook pricing information for required and recommended materials for each class is available on the bookstore website.
Honor Societies
Business
Students in the Business graduate programs have the opportunity to become members of the Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business. The mission of Delta Mu Delta is to recognize students for their outstanding academic achievement in business. The Society has over 160 active chapters and offers members numerous benefits, including networking, leadership, and scholarship opportunities to help build their résumés. Membership in Delta Mu Delta is an indication to prospective employers that members have distinguished themselves scholastically.
Counseling
Students in the graduate programs in Counseling and in School Counseling have the opportunity to become members of Pi Gamma Mu, the National Honor Society founded in 1924 for the purpose of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining scholarship in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of Counseling one of their major interests and who meet the appropriate qualifications.
Education
Students in the graduate programs in Education have the opportunity to qualify for membership in Phi Delta Kappa, the professional society for educators, administrators, and graduate students. Its goals are to promote research, service, and leadership in education. Phi Delta Kappa International is a worldwide organization with over 100,000 members.
Nursing
Students in the graduate programs in Nursing have the opportunity to become members of the Zeta Omega Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing. The Zeta Omega Chapter, comprised of baccalaureate and masters nursing programs at Mercy College, the College of New Rochelle, Dominican College of Blauvelt, and Pace University, was chartered in 1984. The organization recognizes superior achievement and development of leadership qualities, fosters high professional standards, encourages creative work, and strengthens commitment to the ideals of the profession.
Psychology
Students in the graduate programs in Psychology and in School Psychology have the opportunity to become members of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society founded in 1929 for the purpose of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining scholarship in Psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of Psychology one of their major interests and who meet the appropriate qualifications.
Professional Societies
Society for Human Resource Management — Student Chapter
The Society for Human Resource Management is a non-profit association for human resource management professionals. Founded in 1948, the Society for Human Resource Management serves over 44,000 human resource professionals in a wide variety of U.S. and international organizations. The Mercy College Student Chapter was chartered to provide projects and activities related to the human resource field and to promote networking with human resource professionals. Students interested in membership should contact the Graduate Program in Human Resource Management at 914-674-7632.
National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA)
The National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) is the student chapter of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). NSSLHA publishes the NSSLHA Journal and the Clinical Series.
Members also receive Asha Magazine and two additional ASHA journals of their choice. Students interested in membership should contact the Communication Disorders Program at 914-674-7340 or ASHA.
The Assembly of Student Delegates of the American Occupational Therapy Association
The Assembly of Student Delegates of the American Occupational Therapy Association (ASD) provides a mechanism for the expression of student concerns and offers a means whereby students can have effective input into the affairs of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). ASD promotes the well-being of students, enhances their knowledge of the profession, and facilitates the sharing of ideas. Students interested in membership should con-tact the Occupational Therapy Program at 914-674-7815, or www.aota.org.
The Physician Assistant Student Society
The Physician Assistant Student Society is Mercy College’s chapter of the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (SAAAPA). The SAAAPA was established by the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) to represent physician assistant students throughout the country. The mission of the Mercy College Physician Assistant Student Society is to support the professional and personal growth of PA students, to increase public awareness of the profession and to promote disease-prevention and health. Students interested in membership should contact the Graduate Program for Physician Assistant Studies.
The Student Assembly of the American Physical Therapy Association
The Student Assembly of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) represents thousands of student members. All student members automatically become part of the Student Assembly and can participate in APTA’s governance as an officer or liaison. Members receive numerous publications including Today’s Student in Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy, PT Bulletin and others. Applications can be obtained in the Physical Therapy office or from APTA at 800-999-APTA, ext 3395 or 3124.
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