Petition Committee Process

The role of the Petition Committee is to consider exceptions to College policy such as Late Add or Late Drop of a class, Late Total Withdrawal, Academic Suspension and select Financial Aid appeals. The Committee is charged with balancing the needs of the student with institutional integrity. Exceptions to policy should be granted when there is a compelling personal, medical, or family emergency or situation that prevented the student from adhering to policy, but only in such situations, and when supported by documentation.

• Financial Aid petitions are reviewed by the Financial Aid Office prior to submission to the Committee.
• Overload petitions are reviewed by the appropriate instructional Dean.
• General Education Substitution petitions are reviewed by the Dean for Liberal Arts and Sciences.

1. Students locate and complete the Student Petition Form on the Registrar’s webpage.
2. Students complete, in its entirety, Part I of the Student Petition Form.  Students should read the Instructions on page 2 carefully before submitting the Petition for review by the Petition Committee and/or Dean, paying particular attention to a) the requirements for a letter explaining why a petition is necessary, b) requirements for documentation supporting the request, and c) obtaining the required signatures for the particular petition.
3. Advisors and/or Instructors, and Division Chair are advised to sign the Petition only after reviewing the required letter and documentation.
4. Student submits the Petition, once completed through Part III, to the Registrar & and Records Office.
5. Student may request, through the Registrar & Record’s Office, to attend the next Petition Committee meeting and to speak briefly about the basis for his or her petition.
6. The Registrar ensures the Petition is posted to the Petition Committee Shared Drive and the Petition Committee Google Drive.  Registrar sends the original petition hard copy to the Petition Committee Chair.
7. The Petition Committee meets at regularly scheduled times (generally every other week) to review petitions.
8. Meetings: Members review the petitions prior to a meeting and meet to hear any students who have requested to attend and to discuss the merits of the request amongst themselves.  Students present to the committee, individually, in the order determined by the Committee Chair.  The student is excused from the room after he or she has presented, and is not present during the discussion and vote.  Voting is by voice vote. The Committee decision is reported to students through the regular written communication issued by the Committee Chair.
9. The Chair may, at his or her discretion or at the request of the Petition Committee, return a petition to the student for documentation or table the petition pending further documentation.  The Chair notifies the student of any requests for further documentation or clarification.
10. The Chair may cancel meetings when no petitions have been submitted by the deadline for that meeting.
11. The proceedings of the Petition Committee are confidential.  Decisions are communicated by the Committee Chair to the student and the signatories on the Petition (advisor and/or instructor, Division Chair or VP).

Students may appeal the Petition Committee’s decision as follows:

• Financial Aid Petition appeal:  Vice President for Student Affairs
• All other appeals:  Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs