SRSS is a no-cost, confidential service providing, assistance, advocacy and advice in regards to academic and financial petitions, appeals, Senate appeals, academic hearings, while facilitating dispute resolution and mediation in regards to non-academic conflicts. Routinely, cases involving the Landlord and Tenant Board and/or various Social Service Appeal Tribunals are also handled.

If you would like to book a confidential advising or counselling appointment with the Student Rights and Support Services Coordinator please visit

Room 336 Student Centre
phone 416-736-2100 x77678
email sas@yorku.ca

You can also download the annual online publication of The YFS Student Rights Handbook, which includes a comprehensive listing and explanation of all Academic, OSAP, Employment, and Tenant policies and legislation by visiting www.yfs.ca and clicking on the Student Advocacy Services section.

Part of Student Rights and Support Services' mandate is to keep students informed of their rights at York. The YFS Student Rights Handbook starts this process, though by no means does this handbook cover all the essential information. The following is a synopsis of the Handbook. For more details please visit www.yfs.ca.

Academic petitions and appeals are meant to ensure that your rights are protected.

A petition is a formal request for the waiver of a Faculty's regulation or deadline. Students have the right to petition on reasonable grounds for special consideration. Petitions are submitted to a student's home Faculty's petitions committee, which reads the file, and makes a decision on a case by case basis.

Alternative to the academic petition process if your concern is with the decision of a professor or teaching assistant, or with how they are treating you, try to deal directly with her/him prior to the step of filing a petition. Sometimes your concern may simply arise from a clerical error, for instance, in the calculating of a mark.

Sometimes it is just a minor breakdown in communication. If your problem is with a T.A or Professor, you can talk to the Department Chair, or Associate Dean of your Faculty. Whatever you do, make sure you document each step you take and keep notes of what was said at each meeting. If none of these routes then you can initiate a formal complaint with your Home Faculty Dean's Office.