Petitions & Appeals
Faculty of Science
Refer to the link below for detailed information about the Faculty of Science Academic Petitions Process:
Petitions Process
You must submit:
- A completed copy of the Undergraduate Academic Petition Form
- A Petition Statement Letter (typed), organized under two headings:
- Regulation(s) being petitioned
- Grounds for Petition: explain why your situation warrants special consideration. If you are trying to drop some but not all of your courses, explain why you are being selective
- Any relevant supporting documents
The forms are centralized through the Student Client Services Office in the Bennett Centre and are available online.
Your petition should be addressed to the attention of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Petitions Committee, along with a letter explaining the reasons for submitting a petition (as noted in the general section on Petitions). The Faculty of Science and Engineering Petitions Committee does not allow for students to present their petitions in person. The Petitions Committee is composed of four Faculty Members, one student, one Associate Dean (ex-officio), and one petitions officer (non-voting).
Deadlines: Normally, a petition must be submitted no later than three weeks following the development of the circumstances that have prompted the petition. Petitions for Late Withdrawal from a course will only be considered within 30 days of the last day of classes of the relevant course. Such petitions may be considered for a period of up to one year if they are based on special circumstances, but only if the student submits the petition as soon as possible following the 30-day submission deadline, and the documentation justifies the delay to the point of submission.
Appeals Process
Appeals of the Petitions Committee must be given in writing to the Secretary of the Executive and Planning Committee, 352 Lumbers Building, within 15 calendar days of the date of notification of the decision on your original petition, and are only heard on the following grounds:
- NEW EVIDENCE: there is new evidence, which you could not reasonably have presented, in your first petition. This does not refer to any changes in performance or any events, which may have occurred after the decision of the Petitions 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.
At this stage you have the right to represent yourself, as does any faculty member who may be involved in the petition. You may hear and answer allegations, and present your argument. Other than this appeal, hearings are not open to anyone not directly related to the case. Final decisions are taken in camera, which means you may not be present while the committee has final deliberations and votes.
Appeals Panel
Appeals will be heard by a panel of three people: two faculty members from the Executive and Planning Committee and one student from the Faculty Council. In addition, an associate dean is an ex officio member, and there is a non-voting secretary.
The panels are chosen from available members of the Executive and Planning Committee by its secretary, and have alternate members should any member declare conflict of interest or feel unable to be impartial.
Results of the final decision are conveyed in writing to yourself, the faculty involved, the Office of Science Academic Services, the Faculty you are enrolled in, and the Registrar's Office. Any further appeal must go to the Senate Appeals Committee.
Grade Reappraisal
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 or Aegrotat Standing
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. The deadline for completion of term work is usually the same as the first day of exams. For most departments it 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, which 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.
Rules for Reaching a Deferred Standing Agreement
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.
DEADLINES: Requests for deferred standing must be made within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit course work. This must allow enough time for grading to be completed and submitted before faculty submission deadlines.
Sample Petitions Letter
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
Sample Senate Appeals 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