PETITIONS
CAUTION: Do not presume a successful outcome for your petition. You should assume that your
request will NOT be granted. For example, if you are petitioning to drop a course after the deadline,
you should continue to attend class and submit work until the result of your petition is known. There
is no such thing as a routine petition or a "sure thing". Please know that petitions are for those few students who find themselves victims of circumstances beyond their control. If this does not describe your case, then don't spend your time petitioning; spend it studying. The Petitions Committee will not provide relief to those who have created their own
problem through poor planning, poor choices, poor work-habits, poor performance, or sloth. The Committee will not approve a late change to or from Pass/D/Fail for those seeking to protect or enhance their grade-point average.
1. If you have not already met with your faculty advisor, you must do so; your faculty advisor can help
you with the wording of your petition, and must be one of the two or three persons who provide
comments about it. Additional suggestions and help can often be provided by the Dean for
Academic Advising. 2. Discuss your situation with the instructor of the course in question (if applicable) and with any other
faculty member, dean, doctor, or counselor who is knowledgeable of your situation; ask them if they
are willing to comment on or support your petition. 3. Take a few minutes with your Campus Directory and jot down the e-mail names of your advisor, the
instructor of the course in question, and any others who have agreed to support or comment upon
your petition--you will need this information later. 4. Point your web browser to the Petitions Form and answer all questions before hitting the "Send..." button at the bottom. Notice that there are three open-ended questions about your situation; please confine your response to each specific question and keep your answer brief and to the point. If your answer fills an entire text box, you are being too wordy. Do not attempt to attach documents; they will not be delivered. (If you are unable to submit the online form, please use the Word version found here.)
See Course of Study for other pertinent information regarding petitions and appeals. When the College is in session, the Petitions Committee convenes once each week to consider petitions that are complete and for which comments and support have been received. You will be informed of the committee's decision by reply to your e-mail within two working days of the meeting. This semester, Fall 2005, the Committee meets on Wednesdays as needed, so, in most cases, you should hear from us by the end of the week.
28-SEPT-2005
Please know that the late withdrawal (WL) is intended to give students greater control over their schedule and course load in instances where they deem it necessary. The Petitions Committee expects that students will use the WL wisely, and that in most cases there will be no need to petition so long as the WL is still available; the Committee is not inclined to grant petitions to those whose difficulty can be overcome by excercising the WL option.