Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies utilises an online submission system for all petitions. You must submit your petition using the online petitions system, and your PASSPORT YORK account. You will also use this system to track the progress of your petition, and any documents that you submit in support of that petition.

It is recommended that LA&PS students should consult with an academic advisor prior to submitting an academic petition or appeal.

Once your advisor has reviewed your situation and has determined that a petition and/or appeal is your best option, you will be given further instructions regarding the online submission.

For further information about academic advising please contact: laps@yorku.ca.

If you have already submitted a petition, you may check your petition status online. Appeals of refused petitions must be submitted in hard-copy to the drop-box located outside 105 Central Square, and require completion of an Appeal Form, downloadable from the LAPS website.

Supporting documentation for petitions entered online also must be submitted to the drop-box located outside 105 Central Square, in accordance with the directions available on the petitions system.

Click here for more information and the full listing of related documents for each petition type.

Note:

1. You cannot petition to create new legislation.

2. Your petition must be submitted by yourself and not by any agent acting on your behalf (except in very exceptional cases, where the agent has your written consent).

3. The quicker you get a petition in, the better. While you may have up to a year after the end of the course they will generally receive your petition more favourably if you submit it within 48 hours.

4. Prior to, or at the time of submission of the petition you may request an interview with the Petitions Officer or their assistant regarding procedures or to discuss your case.

5. Upon receipt of your petition, the Petitions Officer may solicit background information from both yourself and the teaching units involved. It is possible for you to put in writing that you wish your petition to be anonymous, but if there are allegations against an employee or faculty member, they may be given a copy of your petition and a chance to respond to the allegations. In this case, your confidentiality as a student is waived for the purposes of showing your petition to that person, for response. Once all information is gathered and the file is complete it will be brought to the Petitions Committee and dealt with anonymously.

6. The Committee does not allow you to come and submit your petition in person. You must make your case in writing, and provide with the petition any and all information that may be considered support for your case.

7. You are permitted access to all relevant documentation which is to be considered, with the exception of confidential medical or other information where you have expressly waived your right of access.

8. You will be informed in writing of the Committee's decision, and in instances of a negative decision, you will also be informed of the reasons for the decision and the conditions under which you may file an appeal.

The following are some examples of late withdrawal petitions and the minimum guidelines/circumstances under which they may be administratively approved. Keep in mind however, that these are only guidelines and your circumstances may not fit neatly under any of these areas. Just because you believe your circumstances match the prerequisite conditions, does not mean that the department will agree with you. The timeliness of the petition's submission will also impact whether or not it is considered routine. While petitions generally are heard up to a year after grade submission, you will find the longer you wait the more likely it is to go through the official Committee.

WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY BASED ON NON-ATTENDANCE

Conditions: Professor confirms that to their knowledge you never attended the course, and you have never previously petitioned on the same grounds, or received prior written warning regarding withdrawal deadlines. This petition must be submitted within one year of the end of the course.

WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY DUE TO NO ACADEMIC FEEDBACK PRIOR TO DEADLINE

Conditions: Probably the most basic of all petitions, all you need is to file promptly after the return of the first graded work in the course and get confirmation from the course director that feedback was not given prior to the drop deadline. Keep in mind that late feedback caused by your late submission of coursework will not be excusable. If you wait until you get a second mark just to see how you were doing, your petition will be denied. If you chose to do more work after the grade feedback deadline passed, then you will be deemed to be completing the course and will be treated in the same fashion as students who received feedback in a timely manner.

OTHER GENERAL WITHDRAWAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Regulations are meant for the smooth running of the Faculty as a whole, but at times do not work for the individual. Provided you have never applied for late withdrawal prior to your petition, the Faculty may allow for consideration of a variety of circumstances. These include first year overload and general adjustment problems, a ‘blip' in your record that may be explained by family/personal circumstances, or if it is just that you have missed the deadline by a day or two. However, do not rely on this as a rule, as they are only circumstances, which may be considered at the discretion of the Faculty.

Petitions that cannot be administratively approved are forwarded to the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' Committee on Student Academic Petitions. The Committee consists of 16 elected faculty members and eight elected students, meeting in panels typically consisting of four to six members. Quorum for a panel is three members, one of whom must be a student. Generally the committee will hear petitions up to one year after the completion of the course for the session to which the petition relates (petitions for deferred standing or waiver of required withdrawal have their own specific deadlines which are earlier, see section on Deferred Standing).

A student may request reconsideration of a negative decision on the grounds of relevant additional information, or on the grounds of bias, prejudice, or procedural irregularities by the Committee in considering the petition. A written appeal of a negative decision, along with any supporting documentation that the student wishes to provide, must be submitted directly to the drop-box located outside 105 Central Square within one month of the date of the petition decision letter.

In the event that the appeal is refused by the Committee on Student Academic Petitions, appeal is possible beyond the Faculty, to the Senate Appeals Committee, provided one or more of the following grounds is met:

NEW RELEVANT INFORMATION: info that was unable to be presented previously to the Committee

PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITY: evidence that the Faculty did not properly follow its procedures in the consideration of your case; they handled your case differently then other similar cases; there is evidence of obvious bias or prejudice in the handling of your case.

Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be reappraised. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Further information may be obtained from the department/division offering the course.

Note the following:

• Requests for reappraisal must be filed with the unit offering the course within 21 calendar days of the release of the final grade in the course

• Students may request the review of specific pieces of work, or the overall course grade. Normally, however, only written work can be reassessed

• When a student asks for reappraisal, an original grade may be raised, lowered or confirmed.

Deferred Standing is a request for additional time to complete course work after the published deadline for submission of term work, or to postpone an exam. For most departments deferred standing is granted due to illness or misfortune and will require documentation as proof of your situation. While applying for deferred standing the University assumes that you are continuing to complete the work. Using the standard Deferred Standing Agreement (DSA) Form, it is your responsibility to make arrangements with the course director to complete the course and file the form with the appropriate departmental/unit office by the deadline specified on the form.

Course directors have the option not to consider requests for deferred standing; in such cases you must file a petition with the relevant Faculty-level committee for consideration within the established deadline. DSA forms must be handed in with a Course Performance Summary Form, which also needs to be completed by your professor.

You will often find that if you are applying for deferred standing you should apply for a few of your courses as opposed to just one. First, if you need the time then you should take it. Trying to push yourself at a time when you are already under stress never makes sense. Also, if it is just for one course it begins to look like you just didn't do your work in that course. Document well and ask for what you need.

There are certain things that will help you in applying for deferred status:

• Your professor supports the application.

• You have been active in the course and have good attendance and record of completing work prior to the situation causing your deferred standing application.

• The cause of your application is well documented.

• It is your first time asking for deferred status.

• The period of time of your hardship is clearly documented.

Aegrotat Standing, from the Latin for "she/he is ill", excuses students from completing the required work for their studies, and AEG is entered on transcripts instead of a grade. Aegrotat standing is very rarely granted in any but the last year of a program, and even then only in the most exceptional of cases, such as a terminal illness.

Deferred Standing must be agreed upon for reports, assignments, essays, tests, final exams and other work assigned in the course, but may not be used for supplementary work, or assignments that are outside the formal marking scheme announced in class. There is no provision for rewriting a final exam to improve a final grade. The Course Director must agree that the circumstances warrant deferred standing. You must come to an agreement with your Course Director as to when the due date is for outstanding work.

If the faculty member does not agree to approve the deferred agreement form, or if you require an extension to an original deferral, then you must file a formal petition.

Petitions relating to enrolment status or academic standing must be submitted within thirty days of the release of final grade reports for the session. Such petitions may be considered for a period of up to one year if they are based on special circumstances. This petition must be submitted to the Student Client Services Office and should include the Undergraduate Academic Petition Form, your written petition letter, and a Student Course Performance Summary Form. All of the above named forms are available at the Registrar's Office.

Deadline for submitting a petition for deferred standing: 14 calendar days from the date of a missed final exam or from the deadline to submit term work. Deadline to submit a petition for an extension of deferred standing: 7 calendar days after the missed deferred exam, or the deadline assigned for the completion of the deferred term work. If you miss the submission deadline you will need to explain and document the delay.

Current Date

Petitions Committee,

Faculty of ____________ Room # and Building,

York University 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3

Dear Members of the (Petition/Appeal) Committee:

I am writing this letter in order to petition for (state the regulation that you are petitioning) in (course name, number, tutorial/lab, term) based on the following grounds (compassion, medical, extenuating circumstances). My petition makes references to the following supporting documents (list them in order):

The circumstances surrounding my petition are (describe your situation in as great detail as possible, outlining everything from beginning to end, using specific dates). Make it overtly obvious as to how the circumstances have affected your academics. Refer to your evidence and use it to strengthen your case. (Note: this information is kept confidential.)

As a result of this situation (summarize your arguments), I would appreciate your approval of my petition.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter,

Your Name

Student Number

Mailing Address

Letter

Current Date

Student Name

Student Number

Home Faculty

Mailing Address

Telephone Number/E-mail Address

If you have missed the application deadline, state why that deadline should be waived and provide supporting documentation. Explain clearly what Faculty Committee decision you are appealing, what you are asking SAC to do for you, and what the grounds are for your appeal (new evidence or procedural irregularity). Provide the new evidence and explain why you were unable to provide it an earlier stage in the process. Or provide evidence of which procedure was not followed correctly. State whether or not you will attend the hearing if leave to appeal is granted, and whether you will bring a representative.

Example

I am appealing the decision of the Faculty of _________ on (date of decision letter) denying my request for (retroactive withdrawal/ deferral of examinations/ waiver of debarment, etc.)I was unable to meet the 30-day deadline for appealing because (state reasons clearly and provide documentation to establish a case of ‘special circumstance’).The grounds for my appeal are (new evidence: medical note that I was unable to obtain previously due to ..., or procedural irregularity: the Faculty did not follow the procedure as stated in the undergraduate calendar, pg. 72 etc. ...)

I am attaching a (medical form for .../ death certificate for ... / travel documents showing that ...) I would like SAC to (grant retroactive withdrawal / allow me to repeat AS/ECON XXXX, etc.) If leave to appeal is granted (I will not be able to attend / I would like to attend the hearing.)

Sincerely,

Signature